Neville Goddard on Imagination: A Neville Goddard Study Guide

Executive Summary

This study path explains Neville Goddard's core teaching that imagination is the one and only creative power. The world and all its events are the result of men's imagining. To realize a desire, one must use imagination to experience the feeling of the wish fulfilled, making a future dream a present fact in the mind. This imaginal act, when assumed to be true, becomes an objective reality.

Key Concepts

• Your imagination is the creative power of God within you.
• Imagining is not fantasy; it is the act that creates events.
• Consciousness is the one substance, and your state of consciousness determines the phenomena of your life.
• To change your world, you must change your concept of yourself by experiencing your desired reality in imagination.
• Your awareness of being, or “I AM,” is the only reality and the creator of every conditioned state you experience.
• There are no causes outside of your own mind; you are free from the tyranny of second causes.

Detailed Explanation

Neville Goddard teaches that the creative power in the universe is not external to you, but is, in fact, your own wonderful human imagination. This power is identified as the creative power of God, residing within every individual. It is not a passive tool for daydreaming but the active, operative force that creates events. The world itself, with all its varied circumstances, is created out of the imaginal acts of humanity.

The fundamental substance of all reality is consciousness. The different conditions of life, such as being rich or poor, are not caused by external factors but by different states of consciousness. A person admits a state by what they are conscious of being, such as “I am poor.” To change the outer world, one must first change their inner state of consciousness. Your concept of yourself is the cause of everything in your world; if that concept were different, everything in your world would be different.

The method for changing your reality is to use imagination to enter the state of your wish fulfilled. You must experience in imagination what you would experience in the flesh if your goal were already an objective fact. This involves making the future dream a present reality in your mind. The soul, by imagining itself into a situation, takes on the results of that imaginal act. This requires a faith loyal to the unseen reality of your assumption, deafening your ears and blinding your eyes to all evidence that denies it.

Important Quotes

If there is something tonight that you really want in this world, then experience in imagination what you would experience in the flesh were you to realize your goal, and then deafen your ears, and blind your eyes to all that denies the reality of your assumption.

— How To Manifest Your Desires

Imagining creates events.

— The Law And The Promise

Your own wonderful human imagination is the actual creative power of God within you. It is your savior.

— Imagination Creates Reality

The future dream must become a present fact in the mind of him who seeks to realize it.

— Radio Lectures

Related Concepts

This teaching on imagination is the foundation for understanding other key concepts:

• States: Imagination is the means by which you enter a new state of consciousness. Your current life is the result of the state you occupy. By imagining yourself as the person you want to be, you move into that state, and the world reshapes itself to reflect it. Your unconditioned awareness, “I AM,” is the power that creates and occupies all conditioned states.

• Living in the End: The practical application of creative imagination is to “live in the end.” This means you must experience in imagination the feeling of your wish already being fulfilled. Instead of imagining of your goal, you imagine from your goal, making the future dream a present mental fact.

Common Misunderstandings

• Misunderstanding: The Bible is a book of history.

  • Correction: The source material states the Bible is not history but an allegorical picture lesson with no reference to actual persons or events on earth.

• Misunderstanding: Imagination is just idle daydreaming.

  • Correction: Imagination is defined as the actual creative power of God within you. It is the cause of all events in your life.

• Misunderstanding: External facts and conditions determine your life.

  • Correction: You should not bow to the dictate of facts. The belief in causes outside your own mind is a tyranny; the only cause is your state of consciousness.

Practical Applications

To apply this teaching, you must use your imagination deliberately. First, identify a clear desire, such as having a “lavish, steady, dependable income.” Then, you must construct a scene or a feeling which implies the desire is already fulfilled. The key is to experience in imagination what you would experience in reality after achieving your goal. Make this future dream a present fact in your mind. You must assume the feeling of the wish fulfilled and remain loyal to this unseen reality, ignoring all sensory evidence to the contrary.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is imagination according to Neville?

Imagination is the actual creative power of God within you. It is the cause of all events and the means by which you shape your reality.

How does my imagination create my reality?

Your imagination arranges your consciousness. By assuming and feeling a new state of consciousness to be true, you impress it upon the one substance, which then manifests it in your world.

Am I controlled by outside circumstances?

No. According to this teaching, you are free from the belief in second causes. The phenomena of your life are explained only by your own state of consciousness.

What does 'I AM' mean?

The 'I AM' is your unconditioned awareness of being. It is the only reality, the Lord and creator of every conditioned state that you experience as your life.