Neville Goddard on John 14:2

Executive Summary

Neville Goddard interprets the biblical phrase "In my Father's house are many mansions" as a metaphor for the nature of consciousness. The "Father's house" is your own mind, and the "mansions" are the infinite, numberless states of consciousness or concepts of self that you are capable of experiencing. The "I" who goes to prepare a place is your own human imagination. By assuming the feeling of a desired state, you imaginatively prepare that mansion, and through faithfulness to this inner reality, you are compelled to move into its physical fulfillment.

Key Concepts

• The "Father's house" is your own mind; you are the house of God.
• The "many mansions" are the unnumbered states of consciousness or concepts of self that exist within you.
• The "I" who prepares a place is your own wonderful human imagination.
• To "prepare a place" is to imaginatively construct and feel yourself into a desired state until it has the tone of reality.
• The prepared "place" can be any desire, such as health, wealth, or companionship, not just a physical location.
• Consciously dwelling in an imagined state compels you to move physically into that reality.

Detailed Explanation

In Neville Goddard's teaching, the statement "In my Father's house are many mansions" refers not to an external heaven but to the inner world of the individual. The "Father's house" is identified as your own mind or consciousness. Within this house exist countless "mansions," which are defined as the unnumbered states of consciousness or concepts of self that a person can embody. These states represent every possible reality you could ever experience, and you could not exhaust in eternity all that you are capable of being.

The active agent in this process is the "I" who goes to prepare a place. This "I" is explicitly identified as your own human imagination. Imagination is the power that can travel without barriers to any of these mansions or states. The act of "preparing a place" is the process of using your imagination to enter a desired state. This is done by sitting quietly and assuming that you are already where or what you want to be, constructing a life-like representation of that fulfilled desire until it feels completely real.

Once a place is prepared in imagination, the promise is that "I will come again and receive you unto myself, that where I am, there ye may be also." This means that by dwelling consciously in the assumed state, you compel your physical self to move in the direction of that state. Where you are in consciousness, you shall also be in the flesh. Your imagination builds a new environment for you, and you are ultimately received into the state you faithfully prepared, experiencing it as a concrete fact in your world.

Important Quotes

“In my Father’s house, there are many mansions” (John 14:2) – numberless mansions; these mansions are states of consciousness.

— Where Are You Staying

The many mansions are the unnumbered states within your mind, for you are the house of God. In my Father's house are unnumbered concepts of self.

— Assumptions Harden Into Fact

The " I" in this quotation is your imagination which goes into the future, into one of the many mansions. Mansion is the state desired . . .

— The Power Of Awareness

The place that is prepared for you need not be a place in space. It can be health, wealth, companionship, anything that you desire in this world.

— Seedtime And Harvest

Related Concepts

This interpretation is central to several of Neville's core teachings found in the source material:

• Imagination: The "I" who prepares the mansions is explicitly defined as human imagination, the divine power within.
• States: The "mansions" are directly equated with states of consciousness, which are distinct attitudes or concepts of self that can be occupied at will.
• Consciousness: The "Father's house" is consciousness itself. Dwelling consciously in a new state is the cause of its externalization.
• Desire: The prepared "place" or "mansion" is the state desired, whether it be health, wealth, or anything else.
• I AM: The teaching that "I am the Father" implies that your own being or consciousness is the ultimate reality containing all possible states.

Common Misunderstandings

A common misunderstanding is to interpret the "mansions" or the prepared "place" as a physical location in the afterlife or in outer space. The source material corrects this by stating explicitly, "The place that is prepared for you need not be a place in space. It can be health, wealth, companionship, anything that you desire in this world."

Practical Applications

To apply this teaching, you must use your imagination to prepare a new state of being. The method is to first identify your desire—be it health, wealth, or a different circumstance. Then, you must construct a life-like representation of what you would see, hear, and do if you were physically experiencing that fulfilled desire. You sit quietly and assume the feeling of being in that state until it takes on the tone of reality. By consciously dwelling in this prepared place, you compel your physical self to move toward its fulfillment.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the 'many mansions' in John 14:2 according to Neville Goddard?

They are the unnumbered states of consciousness or concepts of self that exist within your own mind.

Who is the 'I' that goes to prepare a place?

The 'I' is your own wonderful human imagination, which Neville identifies as God or Jesus Christ within you.

What does it mean to 'prepare a place'?

It means to use your imagination to assume and feel yourself into a desired state—such as health, wealth, or a new location—until it feels completely real.

Is the prepared 'place' a physical location?

Not necessarily. The source material states it can be any desire, including health, wealth, or companionship.