Neville Goddard on Imagination

Executive Summary

Imagination is not a faculty for fantasy but is the central creative power of God within every human being. Neville teaches that man is all imagination, and that this power is identical to God and to Jesus Christ. The world you experience is a direct result of your imaginative activity, as life itself is an activity of imagining. Therefore, to change your life, you must learn to creatively use your imagination, which is the savior that can rescue you from any unwanted circumstance.

Key Concepts

• Your human imagination is the creative power of God within you.
• Imagining creates reality; the world you live in is a world of imagination, and your life is an activity of imagining.
• Imagination is equated with God, Jesus, and Christ. Christ is not an external being but is your own imagination.
• It is the instrument for changing your future and redeeming yourself from unwanted circumstances like sickness or poverty.
• To use it creatively, you must experience your desired end in imagination as though it were a present, fulfilled reality.
• Feeling is an essential element of creative imagination; without it, no creation is possible.

Detailed Explanation

The core of this teaching is the claim that "imagining creates reality." Your own human imagination is identified as the actual creative power of God. The writer Blake is cited to support this: "Man is all Imagination. God is Man and exists in us and we in Him . . . The Eternal Body of Man is the Imagination, that is, God, Himself." This means the world you perceive, though it appears to be outside of you, is actually within your imagination, and the physical world is merely a shadow of this inner, imaginative reality.

This teaching proposes a new Christology, where Jesus Christ is understood to be your own wonderful human imagination. The Bible's stories are not historical accounts but are dramatizations of the power of imagination and the technique of prayer. Christ is the cause of all phenomena, but this power is within you, not an external figure to be prayed to. Your imagination is the way to everything in the world and the power that can save you from any circumstance.

To use this power is to change your world and your future. This is accomplished by making a future dream a present fact in your mind. The process involves experiencing in imagination what you would experience in physical reality if your goal were already achieved. The soul that imagines itself into a state takes on the results of that imaginal act. This is not idle daydreaming but a disciplined activity that requires you to assume the feeling of your wish fulfilled, as feeling is the necessary "ferment without which no creation is possible."

Important Quotes

Man is all Imagination. God is Man and exists in us and we in Him . . . The Eternal Body of Man is the Imagination, that is, God, Himself

— 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

Jesus Christ, your own wonderful human imagination, is the way to everything in the world - but specifically to the Father.

— The New Christology

Related Concepts

• Law of Assumption: The creative use of imagination requires you to assume a new concept of yourself. You must experience in imagination the reality of your assumption, deafening your ears and blinding your eyes to all that denies it.
• Prayer: The stories of the Bible are presented as dramatizations of the technique of prayer, which is defined as the secret to changing the future. This equates the creative act of imagining with effective prayer.
• Feeling Is the Secret: Feeling is described as the "ferment without which no creation is possible." All forms of creative imagination involve elements of feeling, and one must assume the feeling of a greater life to bring it into being.
• I AM: Your awareness, or "I AMness," is the source from which all states of consciousness come. The act of daring to claim "I AM God" is linked to the discovery that imagination creates reality.

Common Misunderstandings

• Christ is an external being: The source material corrects the common teaching that Christ is a historical figure on the outside to whom you should pray. Instead, it teaches that Christ is your own human imagination.
• Imagination is just daydreaming: Creative imagination is not idle fantasy. It is a disciplined activity that requires you to make a future dream a present fact in your mind by experiencing it with feeling until it takes on the tones of reality.

Practical Applications

To apply this teaching, you must first determine what you wish to experience. Then, in a relaxed state with eyes closed, you bring to mind the end result. You must experience in your imagination what you would experience in the flesh if your goal were already realized. The key is to make the future dream a present fact in your mind. For example, if you were unable to walk, you would imagine yourself running on a beach or wading in water until that imaginal act took on the tones of reality. This act of assuming the feeling of the wish fulfilled is the creative use of imagination.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is imagination according to this teaching?

Imagination is the actual creative power of God within you. It is equated with God Himself and with Jesus Christ, serving as your personal savior from any unwanted condition.

Does imagination really create my reality?

Yes. The teaching's central claim is that imagining creates reality. The world you live in is considered a world of imagination, and all that you behold is a shadow of the activity within your imagination.

How do I use my imagination to change my life?

You must experience in imagination what you would experience in reality if your desire were already fulfilled. Relax, determine your goal, and then feel yourself into the state of the wish fulfilled until it becomes a present fact in your mind.

Is imagination the same as Jesus Christ?

Yes. This teaching presents a new Christology where Christ is not an external historical figure, but is your own wonderful human imagination, which is the cause of everything in your world.