I started this thread as a sincere attempt to delve into the Eastern Fathers and see what they had to say about using the imagination and one's fantasy.
From reading Metropolitan Hierotheos's many books, I came to the conclusion that the Early Church Fathers generally frowned upon the use of the imagination in prayer, as the devil could play upon the imagination.
When not in prayer, I think we can use the imagination in our occupation if it is necessary, as long as we use it with care. This also seems to be the view of the Western Father. Didn't St. Thomas Aquinas (a Dominican) teach that one's imagination (part of the emotions) could be brought under control of the will. The Dominican motto was "to contemplate and to give to others the fruit of one's contemplation (a higher form of meditation)." This western style of meditation appears to have been frowned upon in the East due to the use of the imagination and imagery in prayer.
Comments?