Neville Goddard Word Study: Imagination

Executive Summary

In Neville Goddard's teachings, Imagination is not idle fantasy but the very creative power of God operating in man. It is identified as God Himself, the savior who can deliver you from any unwanted state. The world you experience is a world of imagination, and everything that now exists as fact was first only an imaginal act. By mastering the creative use of imagination, you can change your future and bring your desires into reality.

Key Concepts

• Your human imagination is the creative power of God within you.
• Imagination is equated with God, Jesus, and your personal savior.
• The act of imagining creates reality; the world itself is a product of imagination.
• It is the instrument for changing your future and achieving redemption from poverty, sickness, or any other limitation.
• The creative process requires assuming the feeling of the wish fulfilled.
• Feeling is an essential element; without it, no creation is possible.

Detailed Explanation

Neville teaches that the human imagination is the divine creative power itself, present within every individual. He does not treat it as a faculty separate from God, but rather states that “Man is all Imagination” and that the “Eternal Body of Man is the Imagination, that is, God, Himself.” This power is also identified with Jesus and is described as your personal savior, capable of rescuing you from any undesirable circumstance, just as water would be the savior to a thirsty person.

The world you perceive as solid and external is, in fact, a world of imagination. All of objective reality, everything that is now proven to be true, was once only imagined. Life itself is presented as an activity of imagining. Because imagination is the very basis of all that is, it is the instrument by which you create your world. By using your imagination, you can change your future and achieve any desire, as nothing is impossible to it.

The creative use of imagination is a specific technique. It is not simply thinking of what you want, but rather experiencing in imagination what you would experience in the flesh if your goal were already a fact. The method involves relaxing the body, defining your objective, and then imagining the end result. This imaginal scene must be imbued with feeling until it takes on the “tones of reality.” This element of feeling is crucial, described as the “ferment without which no creation is possible.” The soul that imagines itself into a state takes on the results of that imaginal act.

Important Quotes

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

— Imagination Creates Reality

We must experience in imagination what we would experience in reality in the event we achieved our goal, for the soul imagining itself into a situation takes on the results of that imaginary act.

— Radio Lectures

Imagination is the basis of all that is. What is now proved to be true, as far as we are concerned, was once only imagined.

— Secret Of Imagination

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

Related Concepts

• I AM / Consciousness: Imagination is directly linked to your core awareness, or “I AMness.” It is the power of God that exists in you.
• Law of Assumption: The practical use of imagination requires you to assume a new concept of yourself. You use imagination to assume the feeling of a greater life, which is the wish fulfilled.
• Prayer: The stories in the Bible are described as dramatizations of the power of imagination. Prayer is presented as the secret of changing the future, and its technique is revealed through these imaginal stories.

Common Misunderstandings

• Imagination is just daydreaming: This is incorrect. Neville teaches that imagination is the “actual creative power of God” and the very “basis of all that is.” It is a disciplined, creative activity, not idle fantasy.
• Thinking about a desire is enough: This is insufficient. The creative act requires experiencing the desired state in imagination and, most importantly, adding the element of feeling. One must assume the feeling of the wish fulfilled, as “Feeling is the ferment without which no creation is possible.”

Practical Applications

To apply this teaching, you must first determine what it is you wish to experience. Then, enter a state of complete relaxation, such as in a comfortable chair or on a bed, and close your eyes. In this state, bring to mind the end result of your desire. Do not visualize the process of getting it, but rather the scene that would follow its fulfillment. Experience this imaginal act with as much sensory vividness as possible until it takes on the tones of reality. This disciplined use of imagination, when persisted in, changes your future to conform to the imaginal act.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is imagination the same as God according to Neville?

Yes. The source material explicitly states that “your own wonderful human imagination” is God and that “The Eternal Body of Man is the Imagination, that is, God, Himself.” It is also identified with Jesus.

How do I use my imagination to change my circumstances?

You must experience in your imagination what you would experience in reality if your goal were already achieved. In a relaxed state, bring the end result to mind and feel its reality until you are inwardly convinced.

Is just thinking about my desire enough to create it?

No. The creative act requires feeling. You must assume the feeling of the wish already being fulfilled, because feeling is described as the essential “ferment” for all creation.