Neville Goddard on States: A Neville Goddard Study Guide

Executive Summary

This study path is designed for students seeking to understand Neville Goddard's concept of states. The core teaching is that reality is comprised of infinite, pre-existing states of consciousness. An individual is not their current state but rather the operant power who passes through states. The circumstances of your life are an out-picturing of the state you occupy, and you can consciously choose to move into a new state by using your imagination to assume the feeling of your wish fulfilled.

Key Concepts

• States are infinite, pre-existing conditions of consciousness; you do not create them, you simply occupy them.
• You are not a state, but the traveler who passes through states, much like a person passing through different cities.
• The phenomena of your life are entirely explained by your current state of consciousness.
• To change your outer world, you must first change your inner state through an act of imagination.
• Your unconditioned awareness, your "I AM," is the only reality and the power that occupies and animates any given state.

Detailed Explanation

Neville Goddard explains that a "state" is a specific condition or concept of oneself that an individual accepts as true. The world contains an infinite number of states, and every conceivable situation or quality—such as being rich or poor, strong or weak—already exists as a state of consciousness. These states are not created or destroyed; they are permanent fixtures of reality through which we, as centers of awareness, move.

The key to understanding life's events lies in recognizing which state you currently occupy. Your concept of yourself determines your state. For example, the person who admits to being poor by saying, "I am poor," is occupying the state of poverty, and their world will conform to that assumption. Conversely, one who is conscious of being wealthy inhabits the state of wealth. The circumstances of your life are not caused by external forces but are a direct manifestation of the state you have consented to.

Moving from one state to another is the essence of conscious creation. This is not a physical act but an internal, imaginal one. To change your circumstances, you must first change your state. This is accomplished by imagining your desire is already a fact. You must experience in imagination what you would experience in the flesh if your goal were realized. By uniting with the desired state in your imagination, you begin to behave in accordance with it, which inevitably leads to a change in your outer world. This imaginal change must precede any physical change; all other efforts are merely a futile rearrangement of surfaces.

Important Quotes

In the state of consciousness of the individual is found the explanation of the phenomena of life.

— The Power Of Awareness

Man passes through states, like a traveler who passes through places, through cities.

— Many Mansions

There can be no outer change until there is first an imaginal change.

— The Law And The Promise

The state the individual admits into his consciousness is the cause of one man being rich and another poor.

— The Creative Use Of Imagination

Related Concepts

• Law of Assumption: Changing states is accomplished by applying the Law of Assumption. You assume the feeling of the wish fulfilled, and by persisting in that assumption, you move into and inhabit the new state until it hardens into fact.
• Living in the End: The technique for entering a new state is to live in the end. This means experiencing in imagination the reality of your fulfilled desire, thereby uniting with that state of consciousness.
• I AM: Your true identity is not any conditioned state but the unconditioned awareness of being, the "I AM." This is the power that chooses and occupies states. Recognizing that your awareness of being is God is the foundation for consciously moving between states.

Common Misunderstandings

• Mistake: Believing that states are created or destroyed.
  • Correction: The source material clarifies that states are infinite and already exist. We do not create them; we simply pass through them as a traveler passes through cities.
• Mistake: Thinking that external circumstances determine your inner state.
  • Correction: Neville teaches the opposite: your state of consciousness is the cause of the phenomena of your life. An imaginal, inner change must always precede any outer change.

Practical Applications

To apply this teaching, first identify the state you currently occupy by observing the conditions of your life. Then, define the state you wish to enter. The method is to use your imagination to feel what it would be like to have your desire fulfilled now. Persist in this new assumption. For example, if you feel weak, you are to assume the state of strength by affirming and feeling, "I am strong." This imaginal union with the new state, when sustained, will result in a change in your behavior and, ultimately, your external reality.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a 'state' according to Neville?

A state is a pre-existing, infinite condition of consciousness. Your life is an expression of the state you occupy, just as a traveler passes through different cities. The explanation for all the phenomena of your life is found in your state of consciousness.

How do I change my state?

You change your state through an imaginal change. You must first experience in imagination what you would experience if your desire were fulfilled, thereby uniting with that new state internally before it can manifest externally.

Are states permanent?

The states themselves are permanent and infinite, but your occupancy of them is not. Man is a traveler who passes through states. A state you have passed through continues to exist, just as a city a traveler has left behind still exists.