Neville Goddard Word Study: Assumption

Executive Summary

In Neville's teachings, an assumption is the central creative act. It is the practice of experiencing in imagination what you would experience in the flesh if your desire were already a reality. This is not mere wishful thinking but a deliberate shift in consciousness to occupy a new state of being. By persisting in this assumed state, despite all evidence to the contrary, the assumption rearranges the cause-substance of reality—consciousness itself—and inevitably hardens into objective fact.

Key Concepts

• An assumption is the act of feeling and experiencing your wish as already fulfilled within your imagination.
• You must persist in your assumption, ignoring contradictory evidence from your senses and reason.
• A sustained assumption rearranges the structure of your mind and consciousness.
• The external manifestation of your assumption is automatic and not your concern; you do not need to know the 'how'.
• To assume effectively, you must close the door on your senses and give the desired state sensory vividness and the tones of reality.
• Once you successfully assume a state, you are conscious of being it and no longer feel the 'desire' for it.

Detailed Explanation

The power of assumption lies in its ability to alter reality by changing one's state of consciousness. Neville teaches that the only cause of phenomena in your life is your own state of consciousness. To make an assumption is to consciously choose a new state and enter it. This is accomplished by affirming that you are already that which you want to be and experiencing, in imagination, the feeling of the wish fulfilled.

The critical element is persistence. Your physical senses and reason will often deny the truth of your assumption. The discipline is to remain faithful to the inner vision, deafening your ears and blinding your eyes to all that contradicts it. Neville states that an assumption, though it may seem false to the outer world, will harden into fact if it is sustained. This persistence is what awakens and makes visible in your world that which you have affirmed internally.

This process works by rearranging the very structure of your mind. By assuming you are the person you want to be, you are impressing a new concept of self upon the primal cause-substance, which is consciousness, or 'I AM'. For example, by assuming 'I am strong' while feeling weak, you are reconfiguring the 'I AM' within you, which must then manifest that which its new arrangement affirms. The embodiment of your assumption is completely outside the work of the three-dimensional mind and will come to pass in a way that you do not know.

Important Quotes

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

our assumption, though false to the outer world, if persisted in, will harden into fact.

— Radio Lectures

I, by my assumption, awaken and make visible in my world what I assume, for assumptions if sustained invariably awaken what they affirm.

— Thinking Fourth-Dimensionally

Related Concepts

• I AM: The act of assumption directly impresses the cause-substance, which is 'I AM'. To assume 'I am strong' is to rearrange this substance, which must then manifest the new affirmation.
• Imagination: Assumption is an act performed in imagination. You use your imagination to give the desired state all the tones of reality and sensory vividness.
• Consciousness: An assumption is a change in your state of consciousness. You rise to a higher level of consciousness by assuming you are already what you want to be.
• Desire: Once you successfully assume that you are what you formerly desired to be, you can no longer continue desiring it because you are now conscious of being it.
• States: To assume is to consciously move into a desired state. By assuming the consciousness of being the one you want to be, you are saved from your present state.

Common Misunderstandings

• Assumption is not a fleeting thought. It requires persistence and faithfulness. You must sustain the assumption, especially when the outer world denies it.
• You do not wait for external proof. The assumption is made first, while you are still in the undesired circumstances. You dare to assume you are wealthy while poor, or strong while weak, and the proof follows.
• You are not responsible for the means. The 'how' of your assumption's fulfillment is not your concern. The objectification of your assumption is automatic and happens in ways you do not know.

Practical Applications

To apply this teaching, you must first decide what you want to be. Then, in your imagination, construct a scene which implies your wish is fulfilled and experience it with sensory vividness. Feel what it would be like to be that person now. You must then persist in this assumed state. This involves closing the door of your senses to anything that denies your new reality. A powerful technique is to sleep in the assumption that you are now the person you want to be, as this rearranges the structure of your mind while you sleep. You should not discuss your assumption with others, but live in it internally until it becomes an objective fact.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is an assumption according to Neville?

It is the act of experiencing in your imagination the feeling of your wish already being a fulfilled, objective fact.

What should I do after making an assumption?

You must persist in it. Remain faithful to your assumption by ignoring all evidence from your senses and reason that contradicts it.

Do I need to figure out how my assumption will come true?

No. The objectification of your assumption is automatic and not your concern. It will come to birth in a way you do not know.