Neville Goddard on Feeling Is the Secret

Executive Summary

The teaching 'Feeling Is the Secret' identifies feeling as the exclusive channel through which ideas are conveyed to the subconscious mind to be made manifest. The creative process begins with an idea, but it is the feeling associated with that idea that impresses the subconscious. By consciously assuming the feeling of a wish already fulfilled, a person can alter their future. This psychological act, when sustained, is the ferment of all creation and the mechanism by which one's inner world of imagination becomes the outer world of fact.

Key Concepts

• Feeling is the one and only medium for impressing ideas upon the subconscious.
• An idea cannot be expressed until it is first felt, but once felt, it must be expressed.
• The creative process follows a cycle: an idea is conceived, its fulfillment is felt, and this leads to a volition to act.
• To change your reality, you must assume the feeling of your wish already being fulfilled.
• When an assumed feeling is persisted in until it becomes your dominant feeling, the attainment of your desire is inevitable.
• This imaginal activity of living in the feeling of the wish fulfilled is what leads to the actual fulfillment of the dream.

Detailed Explanation

Neville's teaching centers on the creative power of the subconscious mind, which he identifies as the womb of creation. The subconscious operates beyond reason and accepts any feeling impressed upon it as a fact. The key to creation, therefore, lies in impressing the subconscious with the idea of your desire. According to the source material, feeling is the singular medium through which this impression occurs. An idea, whether good or bad, remains inert until it is mixed with feeling. Once an idea is felt, the subconscious accepts it and begins the process of giving it form in the visible world.

The practical application of this principle is the art of 'assuming the feeling of the wish fulfilled.' This is not a physical act, but a radical psychological one. Instead of relying on external actions like taking pills for health or seeking proximity to powerful people for dignity, one must become conscious of being what they desire to be. This is accomplished by deliberately calling up the feeling that would be experienced if the desire were already a present fact. This involves living in a controlled, waking dream where you think from the end state, enjoying the feelings of pride, satisfaction, or security that come with it.

Sustaining this feeling is critical. An assumption, even if false, will harden into fact if it is persisted in. When the feeling of the wish fulfilled becomes your dominant feeling, the attainment of your ideal is inevitable. This sustained imaginal activity creates a psychological shift that leads you across a bridge of incidents to the fulfillment of your dream. By committing to this new state through faith and feeling, you crystallize the formless substance of awareness into the image of your desire.

Important Quotes

Ideas are impressed on the subconscious through the medium of feeling.

— Feeling Is The Secret

Man, by assuming the feeling of his wish fulfilled, alters his future in harmony with his assumption, for, assumptions though false, if sustained, will harden into fact.

— How To Manifest Your Desires

Feeling is the ferment without which no creation is possible.

— Radio Lectures

That imaginal activity, of living in the feeling of the wish fulfilled, leads man across a bridge of incident to the fulfillment of the dream.

— The Law And The Promise

Related Concepts

• Law of Assumption: The core technique is to assume the feeling of the wish fulfilled. This assumption, if sustained, hardens into fact.
• Imagination: Feeling is inextricably linked to imagination. A thought mixed with feeling becomes a creative imaginal act. Living in the feeling of the wish fulfilled is described as a controlled, waking dream.
• Consciousness / I AM: To change your experience, you must change your consciousness. This is done by becoming conscious of being your desire. The feeling of 'I AM' is the center of consciousness, and you impress it by feeling 'I AM that' which you desire to be.
• Desire: Desire is the starting point for change. The act of assuming the feeling of the wish fulfilled satisfies this desire, causing the hunger for it to shrink as you feel yourself to be in that state already.
• States: This teaching is a method for moving from a present state to a desired one. You rise to a higher level of consciousness and commit to a new state by assuming its corresponding feeling.

Common Misunderstandings

• Mistaking it for physical action: The source material clarifies that this is a psychological drama, brought about by attitudes rather than acts. Assuming the feeling of health is presented as the cause, while external things like pills or diet are not.
• Confusing it with simple 'positive thinking': The teaching is more specific than just thinking positive thoughts. It requires mixing a thought with feeling to create an imaginal act. One must live in the feeling and think from the end result, not merely think of it.

Practical Applications

To apply this teaching, a student should first identify a desire. The next step is to create an ideal of the person they would be if that desire were fulfilled. Then, one must assume they are already that person by adopting the feeling of the wish fulfilled.

This is an inner, psychological act. For example, a person desiring a new building would take imaginative trips through the completed structure, feeling the pride of accomplishment and hearing congratulations from friends. This imaginal activity should be persisted in until the feeling of being in the new state becomes dominant and natural. The goal is to live in the feeling of the dream until it becomes an objective reality.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is 'feeling' just an emotion?

The source material describes feeling as a state of consciousness and awareness. For instance, 'I AM' is defined as a 'feeling of permanent awareness.' The process involves subjectively 'feeling the reality' of a state that is not yet visible.

Do I need to take physical action to make my desire happen?

The emphasis is on psychological change. The sources state that life's drama is brought to pass by our attitudes rather than our acts. The creative process begins with an idea and runs its course as a feeling, which then ends in a volition to act.

What happens after I successfully impress the subconscious with a feeling?

Once an idea is felt and impressed upon the subconscious, it must be expressed. If the assumed feeling is sustained until it becomes dominant, the attainment of your ideal is described as inevitable.