Neville Goddard
IMAGINATION CREATES REALITY
Your own wonderful human imagination is the actual creative power of God within you. It is your savior. If
you were thirsty, water would be your savior. If you needed a job, employment would be your savior. Your
imagination is the power to save you from whatever circumstances you now find yourself. You can
experience your heart’s desire through the use of your imagination. Nothing is impossible to your imagination.
Your imagination is unlimited in what it can accomplish. If you can imagine something, you can achieve it. Let
me give you an example. If you were unable to walk and were confined to a wheelchair, you could close your
eyes and imagine yourself running on the beach or wading in the water. If you would imagine yourself doing
this until it took on the tones of reality, you could accomplish a healing that would allow you to actually walk
or run.
The way to use your imagination creatively is this. Relax in a chair or on a bed and close your eyes. First
determine what it is you wish to experience. Then, in this state of complete relaxation, bring to mind the end
result ofwhat it is you desire. In other words, if you were seeking a promotion at work, the end result might
be that people would congratulate you on your promotion. You might move to a larger office. You would
enjoy an increase in pay. Take any one of these events and, with your eyes closed, actually hear your friends
congratulate you on your promotion. Feel their hand in yours as they tell you how happy they are for you. By
actually feeling that you are being congratulated, your imagination will go to work to bring about that state in
your outer world. You need not be concerned about how this will be accomplished. Your imagination will use
whatever natural means are necessary to bring it about. “I amthe beginning and the end.” “My ways are past
finding out.” What you do in imagination is an instantaneous creative act. However, in this three-dimensional
world, events appear in a time sequence. Therefore, it may take a short interval of time to realize in the outer
world what you have just experienced in imagination. After you have performed this act in your imagination,
open your eyes and go about your normal, natural affairs, confident that what you have done must come to
fruition in your world. Make your inner conversations conformto your imaginal act. You have planted a seed
and you will soon see the harvest of that which you have sowed.
When you go into your imagination, make sure that you are actually performing the action, hearing the words,
touching the object, or smelling the aroma in your self-conceived drama. What you do in your imagination is
not merely a daydreamin which you see events in your mind’s eye. You must enter the dreamas if you were
actually there. You must make “then” now and make “there” here. To make this perfectly clear, imagine that
you would experience driving a new car after you have achieved your goal. In that case, you would not
merely see a new car in your mind’s eye. Youmust actually enter the dream. Feel yourself seated behind the
steering wheel. Smell the newness of the interior. Feel yourself enjoying a comfortable ride. Feel the
happiness that would be yours after accomplishing your dream.
That which you experience in imagination is an actual creative act. It is a fact in the fourth dimension of space
and will make its appearance in this three-dimensionalworld just as surely as planting a seed will result in the
growth of a particular plant. Once you have planted this seed in your imagination, do not uproot it by being
anxious about how it will be accomplished. Each seed has its own appointed time. Some seeds take a few
days; others a little longer. Feel confident that what you have planted will appear in your world. Your
imagination will draw all that it needs to make your dreaman actual reality. It if takes others to play a part in
order to accomplish your end, your imagination will draw that person into your drama to play his or her part
in the sequence of events. Your only responsibility is to remain faithful to your imaginal act until you
experience it in your outer world. You can repeat your imaginal act each night before falling asleep. In fact,
youmay wish to enact this drama over and over again until it feels normal and natural to you as you drop off
to sleep. Your imagination willwork out the means to realize your dreamwhile your conscious mind sleeps.
Bring your five senses into play as you perform your imaginal activity. Actually hear a friend’s voice
congratulating you or feel yourself hugging that person. If you wanted a new piano, run your hand over the
smooth wood, touch the keys, and listen to the sound. If you wanted to receive a dozen roses, actually smell
the fragrance and touch their velvety petals.
Finally, you must be persistent in attaining your desire. Continue to imagine what you want until you have
actually obtained it. You do nothing else to obtain your desire. If it is necessary to take some action, you will
be led to do so in a normal, natural manner. You do not have to do anything to “help” bring it about.
Remember that it is God, Himself, who is doing the work and He knows exactly how to accomplish it. If you
think of your desire during the day, give thanks that it is already an accomplished fact – because it is!
Dreambetter than the best you know.
ONE CAUSE
Nothing is impossible! There are two ways to interpret this statement – both of which are correct. The
obvious meaning is that it is possible to achieve anything you want. It can also be interpreted to mean that it is
impossible for nothing to exist. Everything we are aware of or perceive in some way is something. It is
inconceivable that something can come from nothing or that something can become nothing. It is a fact that
nature abhors a vacuumand always rushes in to fill it with something. Some force or power created all that is.
According to the Bible, creation is finished. Not only is creation finished, but God said it was good.
Have you ever considered what God could have used to create all there is? If creation is finished, how is it
possible to pray to God to create something in your life that did not exist yesterday or today? Is it difficult to
believe that God said His creation was good? If all of creation is good, why do people experience problems
and how can wars, crime, starvation and other undesirable conditions exist?
The answers to these questions are contained within the following pages. Your understanding of these
answers will enable you to see that it is impossible for nothing to exist. You will also see that you can obtain
anything you desire because nothing is impossible to the creative power that resides within you. You can be
and you can have all that you desire to be and to have. There is no limit to what you can accomplish for
yourself and others. It doesn’t matter what your present circumstances are. The principle you have
unconsciously used to bring about the undesirable conditions in your life can be consciously applied to make
your every dreamcome true.
Creation is finished and it is good! God created the earth and all that is in it and God said it was good. Man
has puzzled over these statements for centuries. If man really understood the meanings, he would not be
confused nor would he feel anxious about his past, present or future. The understanding of these two
statements would enable man to realize that he, alone, controls his actions and the circumstances of his life.
Let us take the first statement. God created the earth and all that is in it. God is infinite; therefore, God must
have been before any formcame into being. What substance could He have used to create all that exists?
There can be only one answer. God created everything that exists from the only substance available –
Himself. God (thought/consciousness) spoke the Word and brought everything into being out of himself.
Everything you perceive is made of the one substance – God. The one substance back of everything is energy
and that energy is God or the “Word.”
Although scientists and medical men can analyze the various chemicals of which the body is made, none can
combine these chemicals to form a living person. Since God created all that is out of Himself, it follows that
God is the creator and the creation. God is expressing life through each and every one of us. It could not be
otherwise.
Let us take the second statement. God said that His creation was good. That statement has confused man
who believes that if God is good, another power must have created that which is not good. Yet, man also
acknowledges that God is infinite, omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient. These qualities of God must
include all forms, all events, and all situations. If it were possible to remove all that is discordant or
inharmonious fromthe world, it would not be possible to experience the reverse of that condition.
Perhaps this statement can be understood more easily if you will think of the principle of mathematics. In
adding the sum of five and six, it is possible to obtain the incorrect answer of twelve. To eliminate that
possibility, the number twelve would need to be removed from the whole of numbers. It would, therefore, be
impossible to add six and six and reach the correct answer of twelve. You can see that by eliminating the
possibility of a potential wrong answer, all numbers would eventually be eliminated and mathematics would
not be possible. However, just as mathematics exists and can be used by anyone who has gained an
understanding of how to use the principle to obtain correct answers, so the principle of creation can be
understood to obtain desired results.
Because God has given all of us free will, you can choose the states you wish to occupy. God does not
pre-determine your fate nor does God punish you for mistakes or misdeeds. Because a man may not
understand the law of mathematics, he may be adversely affected when he makes a mistake in subtracting an
amount in his check register. The law of mathematics is not punishing him. The law simply is and can be used
correctly or incorrectly. God has allowed you complete freedom to choose that which you will encounter.
When you come to the realization that you are God in form and expression, you will seek to experience
greater good and nobler purposes for yourself and others.
“In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God.” The Word is thought
or imagination. God imagined the world into being and became that which He conceived. This is the principle
on which all creation rests. Since God became man to give man life, man must contain that same creative
principle within himself. “The Kingdom of Heaven is within you.” We have created our personal world
through thought. If you are experiencing lack, limitation, illness, disharmony or any other unwanted condition,
you have either consciously or unconsciously brought these conditions into your experience. The majority of
people do not realize that thought, belief, and imagination has created their individual worlds. There is no
other cause for the conditions of your life. You may choose to disbelieve this, but whether you believe it or
not, all that you behold in the outer world was conceived within your own consciousness prior to your
experience of it.
That which you think about with feeling, that which you believe to be true and that which you imagine yourself
to be or to have is the cause of everything in your personal world. You may believe that there is some other
cause; you may blame others for your problems; you may believe that the events were wrought by fate or
chance, but if you are objective and observe your own beliefs and thought patterns, you will see that your
world accurately reflects all that you believe to be true of yourself and others. There is no one and nothing to
change but the ideas from which you think. We think from ideas that we consent to as true and we imagine
situations that match our beliefs. Consciousness is the only reality. It is the creative principle that brings into
your experience the exact duplicate or reflection of that which you imagine to be true. The world in which we
live mirrors all that we believe and imagine to be true, be it good, bad, or indifferent.
The sooner that man rids himself of the belief in a second cause, the sooner will he realize that nothing
happens to himexcept that which originates in his own consciousness. I do not deny that man believes that if
he contracts a certain germor virus that he will manifest a particular illness or disease. If he contemplates the
cause, he may conclude that it is because he came in contact with someone else who had the bug. He doesn’t
realize that in some way, his own feelings about health or illness attracted the illness he is experiencing. If
viruses or germs were truly the cause of disease, everyone who came in contact with a particular virus would
be affected. The outer world merely reflects that which a man is in his own consciousness.
It doesn’t matter what you have been taught; you can change your beliefs and so change the circumstances of
your life. The Bible states that when you pray, believe that you have received and you shall have it. Most of
us have read that statement or heard it at some time. Few people have actually prayed in that manner. Have
you ever been ill and prayed for health? If you needed money, did you believe when you prayed that you
already had the sum you asked for? Most people pray to God to change something in their lives or to give
them something they do not have. If their prayers were not answered, they think that God had a reason for
withholding that particular thing. They think that perhaps God didn’t grant their request because He didn’t
want themto attain their desire for some reason known only to God. Man sometimes thinks that God doesn’t
answer prayers because man is undeserving of that which he seeks. Man must learn to believe in that which
he does not, at the moment, see in order to grant himself that which he desires to have. Man’s payers are
always answered, for he always receives that which he believes. The law that governs prayer is impersonal.
Belief is the condition necessary to realize the desire. No amount of pleas or ritual will bring about the
fulfillment of your desires other than the belief that you are or have that which you want.
“Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” The fullmeaning of that statement
must be understood. If the meaning were understood, man would have no problem in accomplishing his aims.
Most men believe that nothing is impossible to God – that God could do anything if he chose to do it. So man
believes he has faith in God and prays to God for that which he wants. If his prayer is not granted, he thinks
that he either did not pray long enough or hard enough or that God chose to withhold his request.
However, faith is the actual substance of that which is hoped for. It is the evidence of the thing you want
which you do not see in the outer world. That which you want to do or be has already been created.
Therefore, it actually does exist. It is possible to bring into your world anything in creation by your belief that
you already have it. Faith that what you want is already a fact is the means by which you activate the invisible
state. That state then is later reflected in your outer world. Creation is finished. God can create nothing that is
not already existent. Faith or belief that you already are or have that which you desire is the only means by
which to experience your desires. No limitation is imposed on that which you can have except your failure to
assume possession of the quality or thing desired
HOW THE LAW WORKS
The law of identical harvest or cause and effect is impersonal and can be used to bring into your experience
anything you can conceive. Since creation is finished, every possible state already exists. Your fusion with a
particular state (imagining with feeling what you would experience were you in that state) causes that state to
be projected on your screen of space. This law cannot be changed or broken and always reproduces in your
outer world the exact duplicate of any belief you consent to as true. If you would change your world, you
must change your beliefs. Since consciousness is the only cause, you cannot blame others for the conditions
which presently exist nor can fate or chance be the cause of that which you are now experiencing. Nothing
can alter the course of events in your life except a change in your own consciousness. Whatever is appearing
in your world now, although it appears real and an unalterable fact, is a reflection of previous activity in your
own consciousness. Therefore, a change in consciousness will reflect that change in the future just as surely as
past beliefs reflect the present.
Man is pure formless consciousness and that which he conceives himself to be is an illusion or reflection of the
particular ideas he holds true. These illusions exist only so long as man focuses his attention upon them and
gives themlife.
The conscious mind forms beliefs and opinions fromthe evidence of the senses or the perceived outer world.
The creative power within each of us accepts as true that which the conscious mind impresses upon it. Your
creative power takes those ideas, which are thought ofwith feeling, and projects them in your outer world. It
is important to remember that not all thoughts are creative. Only those which are believed to be true or which
are joined with feeling create the circumstances and events that you will encounter.
Therefore, emotions such as anger, fear, love or joy are creative. You must guard the emotions which you
allow to enter your consciousness just as you would discriminate in allowing a stranger into your home. You
cannot allow negative emotions to fill your mind without suffering the consequences of experiencing the state
with which those emotions are joined. Fear of loss brings loss into your world. You could take every outward
precaution to guard against loss, but if you fear loss, you will most certainly experience it in your affairs.
Feelings of love and joy create happy events and loving relationships. Feeling abundant brings riches into your
life. A person who is unloving or suspicious and feels that others take advantage of him, draws to himself that
which he believes. No matter what he does externally, his relationships with others will reflect that which he
accepts as true. He may want a loving relationship but he can draw to himself only that which he is conscious
of being.
Like literally does attract like. As within, so without. Consciousness is reality and that which is perceived by
our senses and appears so real is but the shadow of that which we believe ourselves and the world to be.
CONSCIOUS USE OF THE LAW
At this time, I’mgoing to talk about who I am and what I amdoing. If that sounds ego centered, it is. There
have been 66 books written about who I am. I’mgoing to quote some statements froma few of those books.
You have heard many of these quotes but didn’t realize that they were talking about the being that I am. The
first quote is taken fromthe Book of Exodus. Here, Moses is talking to God and he said, “When I go back
to the people, who shall I say has sent me?” The voice answers, “Tell them I amhas sent me unto you. That
is my name forever and the name I shall be known by throughout all generations.” The Ten Commandments
state, “Thou shalt not use the name of the Lord thy God in vain.” “Shalt not” is a command. “Shalt not”
means youmust not. It means that under no circumstances must you do it. That name is I AM.
Now, first of all, we have all forgotten His name. We say, “I am” hundreds of times a day and we don’t
know we are using the name of God. Secondly, we try to break the Commandment all day long. We pay no
attention to what we say following “I AM.”When we say, “I AM” and follow it with something we would not
like in our world, we are using the Name of the Lord – but not in vain. The Bible states we cannot use the
Name in vain. Nothing we say preceded by “I AM” is in vain. That’s his Name. It is God Himself and
because it is God, it is creative. God gave us Himself. He is “I AM” and that is who I am. I can never forget
that I am. I may forget who I amor where I ambut I can never forget that I exist.
Whenever I say “I AM”, I AM [is] creating something. Prayer is believing that we have already received that
which we ask. When I say, “I am,” I amattachingmy awareness of being to something. Now, you can lie and
not believe what you are saying, but you cannot believe something about “I am” and not create it. We are
creatingmorning, noon, and night by our “I am” statements. If you say, “I don’t feel well” and you believe it,
you are perpetuating illness in your life. You must change those statements to “I feel wonderful.” We were
taught, “Let the weak man say, ‘I am strong.’” But, you can’t say it like a parrot. We have to pray (say I
am), believing that it is true, and then we will receive.
First, we must be like the Watchman at the Gate. We must watch every thought that contains I Am. If you
are observant, you will see that you have created every circumstance and experience of your life.
Another important word to watch is “if.” The conscious mind is very subtle in expressing doubt (Satan or the
Devil). We may be able to keep our minds focused on what we want by using positive “I” statements. If we
are not careful, we may let a little “If” sneak in without recognizing its implication. We could say, “I feel
wonderful” but then follow it with “If the pain continues, however, I will see a doctor on Tuesday.” “If’s” are
always followed by something negative and that is simply doubt creeping in to steal the good seed we have
sown. Remove the word “if” from your vocabulary, as it is not productive of that which you would like to
reap. “If” puts everything in the past or future tense, and I always experience what I believe I am. I am is not
future tense. Getting well is not being well. I must believe that I amalready what I want to be.
Remember, “Every word that goeth forth from my mouth shall not return unto me void.” Do you believe it?
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”What’s his Name? I
Am. So, begin to monitor every word (I AM) that you say. Do you see a pattern? Don’t the circumstances of
your life reflect what you have been saying? You have beenmisusing the creative power that is God (I AM).
Now that you are aware of what you have been doing, watch every word and make it conform to what you
wish to bring into your life. Eventually, you will have faith that what you are stating, though there is no
outward evidence to support it, is a fact in consciousness and will shortly project itself so that you may
experience it in the outer. Knowing that God actually became you because He is I AM, youmust realize that
you are using your power to create every time you use that Name.
CHOICE – FREEWILL
Creation is finished and you have free will to choose the state you will occupy. Therefore, it is important to
determine the ideas fromwhich you think. Any concept that is accepted as true will externalize itself in your
outer world. Choice of what you will focus your attention upon is the only free will that you can exercise.
Once a thought is accepted and charged with feeling, the creative power within proceeds to externalize it.
Whether your assumptions are conscious or unconscious, they direct all action to their fulfillment. It is a
delusion that, other than assuming the feeling of the wish fulfilled, you can do anything to aid its realization.
Your own wonderful human imagination determines the means it will use to bring your assumptions to fruition.
Each of us is subject to a sea of ideas. We listen to the radio, watch the news on television, or hear some
gossip. If what we observe calls forth an emotion, we have reacted and, thereby, planted a seed which will
sprout at some future time. Thoughts do not recede into the past. Rather, they advance into the future to
confront us so that we may see that which we have planted, either wisely or unwisely.
It is a worthwhile exercise to awake in the morning and imagine yourself at the end of your day, having
accomplished all that you wanted and feeling happy and contented. If there is a situation that you will
encounter later in the day that is of concern to you, spend a few moments imagining the outcome you wish to
experience. These imaginal activities will now advance into your future to reveal the harvest you so wisely
planted.
DESIRE
Desire is a gift ofGod. Man is required to do nothingmore than accept the gift by simply giving thanks for the
unseen reality before he observes it in his outer world. Through desire, God beckons us to lift our awareness
to higher and higher levels of consciousness. During our journey through this dreamof life, it is necessary to
experience all possible states so that we may return as God, the Father, but enhanced by having experienced
both good and evil. The desire to do more, to be more, and to have more than you are presently expressing
is the urge for expansion.
You may question whether a desire to kill or injure someone can be inspired by God. The answer is that no
man actually desires to kill or harmanother. He may wish to be free fromthat seeming other and, through his
limited understanding, he feels that the only way he can achieve such freedom is by destroying the other. Man
does not realize that the desire for freedom contains within itself the power and the means to fulfill itself.
Because of his lack of faith, man distorts these gifts fromGod. He does not realize that God, the wisdom and
power within him, has ways that he, as man, knows not of and those ways are past finding out.
Learn to be grateful for the desires you have been given. They already exist and are ready for embodiment in
your world. You are not called upon to do anything to aid their realization except to free your mind of any
doubt as to how they will come about and completely accept themas you would a gift froma loved one.
BE OBSERVANT
The importance of objectively observing your thoughts cannot be stressed enough. It is easy to slip into
thought patterns that can hinder us in achieving our desires. It then becomes easy to blame others or attribute
our frustrations to second causes.
Being a rather impatient person, I amusually anxious to get home after work and I particularly dislike waiting
in lines. I began to notice that no matter what time I chose to pick up a few items at the market, I would
encounter problems at the check stand such as price checks needing to be done, people writing checks who
had trouble locating their identification, and various other kinds of delays. I found myself dreading these
occasions, and I wanted to do something about this annoying situation. As I began to observe my thoughts, I
found that, while standing in line, I would say to myself, “I always have to wait.” Then I realized that those
statements made over and over again had created that which I did not wish to experience. I consciously
changed that statement to, “No matter when I stop at the market, I never have to wait.” Of course that new
statement has worked just as well as the old negative one.
As you begin to observe your thoughts, do not be discouraged if you find that your inner conversations do
not match the way you would feel if you have achieved your goal. You must first become aware of what you
are doing with your creative power before you can begin to change it. I ask you to go down to the “potter’s
house” and see what he is doing. If the vessel is spoiled, then rework it into the kind of vessel that will please
you.
As you begin observing your thoughts, you cannot avoid the realization that you alone are the cause of all that
comes into your world. You, alone, can change it.
APPEARANCES
That which is confronting you in your world now is the result of your past thoughts, beliefs, feelings and
imaginal activity. These appearances will continue in being as long as you give them life through your
conscious awareness of them. You must disregard the evidence of your senses as it pertains to any
undesirable condition in your life. You must imagine and feel that you have already attained that which you
want to experience rather than that which you do not want to continue in being. This may appear difficult, yet
you have probably exercised this principle unconsciously to produce negative results.
When I was inmy early twenties, I found myself in a situation that was very unpleasant to me and I wanted to
get out of it. After attending a lecture by Neville, I waited to speak to him afterwards. I briefly told himofmy
unhappy circumstances and was hoping he would offer some advice as to how to change them. He smiled at
me and said, “Don’t accept it.” At that time in my life I did not fully grasp what Neville had been teaching. I
thought he had misunderstood my question, and I tried to clarify my problem by stating that I had already
made the choice to be in the situation I now found so unpleasant. Neville again smiled and said, “Don’t
accept it.” I left his presence quite frustrated, thinking he had not understood my problem. I continued to read
the two books I had by Neville. I gradually understood that regardless of the circumstances which
surrounded me, I did not need to accept themas final. I began to imagine what I wanted rather than focus my
thoughts on my negative surroundings. An event took place two weeks after I began my imaginal acts that
was instrumental in bringing about my heart’s desire five months later – that of a brand new home.
Meanwhile, the situation that had been so depressing to me improved, and I spent the next five months
planning what I would do inmy new home.
Think about some past disappointment youmay have had. Perhaps you were looking forward to attending a
special event with someone. In your anticipation of it, did you think, “This is too good to be true, something
will probably happened to spoil it.” Something probably did happen to create conflict or to cause you to miss
it entirely. Man finds it relatively simple to disregard the promise of something good by thinking of all the
reasons why he cannot achieve it.
People around you may be quick to point out that you are being unrealistic when you mention a desire that
appears difficult or impossible to reach. We should all be unrealistic in the face of the army of doubt if we
would experience our wish fulfilled. We are called upon to disregard the “facts” which would deny the
achievement of our heart’s desire. Habit is the only thing that keeps our thoughts moving along the old familiar
negative ruts. No one can change your thought patterns and, therefore, your life but you.
It is worth all the effort it may take to center your attention and feel as if you already possess that which you
want in place of things as they are. Consciousness is the only cause and the only reality. Every negative
experience was produced by first giving attention and feeling to that condition. What consciousness has
made, it can unmake. Your responsibility is to impress upon your mind the change you wish to express. Your
imagination is the creative power that can and will accomplish the end without effort and in a naturalway.
Appearances confirm our former habitual patterns of thought. That which you imagine yourself to be today
will project itself in your world tomorrow. Persistence in assuming that you are the person you wish to be,
despite your present circumstances, is the only condition imposed upon you to embody that ideal.
INNER CONVERSATIONS
All of us are mentally speaking within ourselves every waking moment. Our inner conversations must match
the wish fulfilled if we would realize our desire. If our desire is for a better job and we imagine ourselves
being congratulated because we are gainfully employed in a wonderful position, we must also make our inner
conversations conformto that end. We must be certain that we are not saying within ourselves something like,
“That boss of mine doesn’t believe in promoting people;” or “It would be difficult to find any job at my age,
never mind a better one,” or similar statements that would imply that we do not have that which we desire.
We must persist in the feeling of our imaginal act by making our mental conversations conform to what we
would say had we already realized our aim.
If, for instance, we wished to own a new car, we could imagine a new car parked in our garage or imagine
ourselves driving it, or imagine our friends admiring it. We must then make our inner conversations reflect the
type of conversations we would engage in were we really the owner of a new car. Our conversations could
consist of discussing our new car with friends such as telling them of the wonderful fuel mileage we are
receiving, or hearing our friends tell us how much they enjoy riding in our new car, etc.
Our inner conversations are just as creative as our deliberate imagining of the wish fulfilled. In fact, if they are
of the opposite nature, they can negate what we have imagined. You must watch what you are saying
internally to make sure that these conversations coincide with your wish fulfilled. If you become aware that
these inner talks contradict what you would like to achieve, revise them so that they follow along the track
that would indicate that you already have what you desire or are already the person you wish to be.
REVISION
Your present world reflects the sum total of all that you believe to be true of yourself and others. That which
you imagine yourself to be today goes forward and will confront you in the future. If you have forgotten your
imaginal activities of the past, that which you see appearing in your world indicates the kind of seeds you have
previously sown.
Assuming the feeling of your wish fulfilled is using your imagination creatively to bring into your world that
which you desire to experience. You can use the art of revision to change the effects of prior thoughts and
beliefs.
If, for instance, you had gone to an interview for a job you truly wanted but later learned that someone else
was hired, you can revise that news to make it conform to what you wish you had heard. If you react by
feeling depressed or assume any other negative attitude, you will then experience the same type of rejection in
the future. Your reactions, whether positive or negative, are creative of future circumstances. In your
imagination, you can hear words congratulating you on getting a wonderful new job. That imaginal act now
goes forward and you will encounter this pleasant experience in the future.
As you review your day, it is important to revise each negative reaction so that you can remember it as what
you wished had happened rather than storing that memory as it did occur. What you think of with feeling or
emotion is an actual fact. That which you experience in the physical world is merely a shadow, reflecting the
reality of your imaginal activity. Therefore, when you revise a conversation, an unhappy experience, or a
quality about yourself, you are literally experiencing it in reality (your consciousness). The outer world is a
delayed reflection of the inner and is confined to a dimension of space where events occur in a time sequence.
Revision, then, literally changes the past. It replaces what occurred in the outer world with the revised
version. The revised scene then gives off its effect by going forth to change future events.
Dwelling on past irritations or hurts perpetuates themand creates a vicious circle that serves to confirmthese
negative emotions. The circle can be broken by starting now to revise anything that you no longer wish to
sustain in your world. By revising the past, you rid yourself of any effect it may have on your future. Revision
is truly the key, which can be used to unlock the doors that have kept you trapped in a particular state. “Be
ye transformed by the renewing of your mind.”
STATES OF CONSCIOUSNESS
All states exist and are a fixed part of creation. Anyone can enter a state consciously or fall into a state
inadvertently. You may move into different states throughout your lifetime or youmay occupy a single state.
Desire is what usually motivates us to move from one state to a higher level. Since a state is total and
complete in itself, when we enter a state we are compelled to behave in a manner dictated by that state. For
instance, in the state of poverty, we would find ourselves constantly in need of funds. We would have
difficulty making ends meet and have no way to enjoy luxuries. Should we be given a large sum ofmoney, if
we remain in the state of poverty (filling our mind with thoughts of lack and limitation,) we would soon find
ourselves without funds and again experiencing the same difficulties. The reverse would be true if we
occupied a state ofwealth.
When we are in a state we see only the contents of that state and are compelled to act in accordance with all
that the state entails. While in a particular state, you believe certain things are true and would find it difficult to
understand another point of view. In the state of poverty, it is easy to focus your thoughts on the problems of
providing food, shelter and clothing. When you succeed in moving out of this state, you no longer find it
difficult to acquire these things. Most people attribute this change of fortune to a change in circumstances.
However, unless you have moved from the state of poverty, no change in circumstance would be permanent.
Rather, moving out of one state and into another in your imagination automatically creates a change in your
outer world.
The Bible has personified every type of state and calls these states by names known to us as Moses, Noah,
Job, Peter, Andrew, and Jesus. Throughout our journey, we enter these states and experience all that they
offer. The last state we will enter is the state of Jesus Christ. In this state, we become aware that we are God,
the Father, and that we have a son symbolized as David, who personifies the sum total of all humanity. The
journey begins with Adam, who fell asleep and dreamed the dreamof life, and then entered the myriad states
to gain the experiences necessary before awakening. When you enter the state of Jesus you know yourself to
be God, and your journey into this world of death is then complete.
THE PLAY
As Shakespeare said, “All the world’s a stage and all the men and women merely players. They have their
exits and their entrances… and eachman in his time plays many parts.” This world, which seems so real, is as
much a dream as the dreams we encounter while asleep. Our waking dream seems so real because it has
continuity while our dreams at night appear to be random sequences, taking place in unfamiliar surroundings
and situations.
God is the dreamer, dreaming the play into existence, and God plays all the parts. Everyone who appears in
your world is God playing that part for you, the author. “No man comes unto me, save I call him.” Each of us
is writing his or her own script. If you are dissatisfied with the play, it is up to you to rewrite the script to
make it conform to your idea of what the play should be. You cannot demand that the actors in your play
change the character they are portraying. All changes must take place in the mind of the author.
If there is someone in your world who is the source of annoyance or irritation to you, that person has no
choice but to play the part called for in your script. There is nothing you can do on the outside to bring about
changes in another. You can use the art of revision to change a line of dialogue, to replace a certain character
with another, and to write happy endings to the sub-plots of the play.
When you begin to view this waking dream objectively, you will be able to verify that you have been the
author of both the pleasant and unhappy acts in your play. You can radically change the play by using your
imagination creatively, by assuming your wish fulfilled. You can change the script on a daily basis by revising
the scene that did not please you. The character who disturbed you today will not do so tomorrow if you
write the dialogue you wish to hear and alter that role in your imagination.
When you awaken to know that you are God, the Father and author of this magnificent play, you will
understand that: “eachman in his time plays many parts.”
YOUR REAL PURPOSE
God became you so completely that he forgot that he was God. In becomingman, God reached the limit of
contraction and opacity. God totally forgets that he is God in order to become and animate His creation,
man. God then goes through all of the experiences of knowing good and evil and even death, in confidence,
that man will eventually awake from this dream of life to once again know that he is God. There is only God
in the universe, fragmenting himself as humanity, and God plays all the parts in this time-space dream.
Your own wonderful human imagination is God in action. I am is Christ in you (your savior). And Christ is the
Power ofGod and the Wisdom ofGod.
God speaks to us through desire, urging us to reach higher and higher levels of awareness. Exercising his own
wonderful human imagination to achieve these desires, man is actually experiencing God in action. Through
faith in his imagination, man will eventually conclude that Christ (the Power and Wisdom ofGod) is within him
as his imagination. At the end of this fabulous journey or dreamof life, man will awaken to remember that he
is God, the Father, enhanced by the experiences he put himself through; when he forgot that he was God.
Man’s sole purpose is to experience scripture (all of the states of consciousness personified as men in the
Bible).
Man’s goal is to reach the state called Jesus Christ. Then he will know that he really is the Father (Jesus) and
that his son is Christ (all of humanity fused into one being). Man may have many goals in the meantime – to
accumulate possessions, to become powerful, to become famous, or to express anything that he desires.
Eventually the hunger to know God will come upon him, and he will then have the experiences that are
necessary to bring to his remembrance that he truly is God, the Father.
CASE HISTORIES
This Story concerns a woman (who will be referred to as Mrs. A.B). She knew that “imagination creates
reality” and had taught this principal to her three children, ages 12, 10, and 6. She had practiced this principal
for years to obtain the things she desired. Although her husband had also heard this teaching, he had not put it
into practice and actually was quite skeptical about results. One Sunday afternoon, this family went for a
drive and came upon a new tract of homes for sale. As this was a lovely rural area, they stopped to look at
the new models. They all loved the area, and the homes were large and beautiful with all sorts of modern
amenities. On the way home, they talked about how wonderful it would be to own a new home in this tract.
They already owned a home; however, they had borrowed money on it and had very little equity that could
be derived fromits sale. The husband said that although he would like to buy the home, it was not possible as
they could not raise the money required for the down payment. Even if they sold their present home, the real
estate agent’s commission would equal the little equity they would realize.
Mrs. A.B. told her husband that the only way they could obtain the down payment would be to sell their
home on their own, thereby keeping the commission for themselves. The husband was very pessimistic about
this but told his wife to go ahead and place an ad in the paper although he knew “it wouldn’t do any good.”
He was sure that there was no chance of selling the house in this way. The wife placed a small ad in the
newspaper advertising their house for sale.
A few nights later when the husband had gone to bed early, she and her children drove to the tract of new
homes. She felt that if she could walk through the new house and capture the feeling of actually living there,
she would obtain her “dream home.” It was dark when they got there, but they found one of the houses
unlocked. She and the three children walked through the house. The children decided on which bedroom
each would occupy if they actually lived there. The mother instructed the children to actually sleep in the new
house in their imagination that night, and she intended to do the same. For the next few days, they imagined
living in their new home and taking walks in the woods that were adjacent to the tract.
That same week, a man answered the ad in the paper. He did not seem very enthusiastic about buying the
house but returned later that day with his wife. He told Mrs. A.B. that they had decided to buy the house for
the price she was asking. When Ms. A.B. expressed concern as to how they would go about placing the
home in escrow, he told her that he was a real estate agent and would go through the company he worked
for. This family received the exact amount ofmoney necessary for a down payment on their new home. The
escrow was very short, and the familymoved into their new home a month later.
Mrs. A.B. knew that if she imagined herself sleeping in her new home, she would eventually sleep there in the
flesh. Her children also learned how to obtain their heart’s desire through the use of imagination.
********************
Mrs. C.D. had recently been divorced and needed to work to support her children as her husband refused to
pay child support. Although her lawyer suggested taking him to court for non-payment, the woman did not
wish to do this. As part of the divorce settlement, she was awarded a very old and not very reliable car. One
Friday night as she was driving home from work, it was raining very hard and most intersections were
flooded. She was about a mile fromher home when she stopped at a Stop sign. A truck coming toward her
from the opposite direction went through the intersection, spraying a great deal of water as he drove past.
The engine of the woman’s car died and she was unable to start it again. She removed her shoes before
stepping out of her car as the water was more than ankle deep. She raised the hood and began to dry off the
distributor cap with her handkerchief. She was crying at this point and her tears mingled with the rain. She
finally got her car started and managed to get home to her children. She realized that it was necessary to have
a dependable car if she was to work and support her children. She had no money for a down payment on a
newer car and she did not earn enough to make car payments.
She went to work the followingMonday and a co-worker asked her to go to lunch. The co-worker had just
purchased a new Pontiac Tempest and insisted thatMrs. C.D. drive her new car back to the office. Although
Mrs. C.D. protested that she did not wish to drive someone’s new car, she did get behind the wheel and
drove back to work. While she was driving the new car, she captured the feeling that this was her car and
she felt the thrill of owning it. For the rest of the week, while she drove back and forth to work in her old car.
Mrs. C.D. imagined that she was driving a brand new car of her own.
The next Friday, Mrs. C.D.’s ex-husband called and asked if she would like to have a new car. This was the
first time since their divorce several months earlier that he had offered to do anything for her, including paying
child support. The ex-husband was now working for a new car dealership and told her that, as a salesman,
he was eligible to buy a certain make of car for no money down and with very low monthly payments. He
said he was willing to make the monthly payments in lieu of child support and asked her to come to the
dealership to pick out the color she wanted. It just so happened that the make of car eligible for this special
deal was a Pontiac Tempest, the same make and model as the car she had driven that belonged to her
co-worker.
Mrs. C.D. was able to obtain, through her use of imagination, what she could never have obtained through
her own efforts at that time. Her ex-husband, who had offered her no monetary support for months, was the
avenue chosen to provide her with the car she needed.
********************
This is the story of Mrs. E.F., who had a desire to live near the ocean and used her imagination to fulfill her
desire. She did not wish to sell her present home but wanted to lease it for a year before making the decision
to move to the beach permanently. Mrs. E.F. told two of her friends about her wish. One friend, who had
used the principle of imagination, told Mrs. E.F. that she would imagine visiting her at the beach in her new
home. One week later, Mrs. E.F. traveled to Hawaii for a scheduled vacation. While there, she received a
call froma friend who lived n San Diego. This friend told Mrs. E.F. that a perfect little house had just come
on the market as a year-around rental and she thought this house would be perfect for Mrs. E.F. Her friend
also said that this was a very desirable rental and that Mr. E.F. would need to make a decision immediately
as the rental would very likely not be available when she returned from Hawaii. Mrs. E.F. told her friend to
tell the owners that she would take it, trusting her friend’s recommendation. Upon Mrs. E.F.’s return from
Hawaii, she told her grown daughter that she had decided to rent a house at the beach in San Diego. Her
daughter called her later that day and said that the mother of a friend of hers wanted to lease a house. The
woman came by the next day, said she loved the house, and would like to lease it for a year. Mrs. E.F. gave
notice at work and was able to move within a month. Since she was a nurse, she had no trouble finding a
wonderful new job at a nearby hospital. Mrs. E.F. has since bought a house near the ocean and has spent 17
happy years living at the beach.
Mrs. E.F. imagined that she was living at the beach, and her friend imagined that she was visiting her there.
They did this for one week. It is interesting that while she was on vacation in Hawaii, events moved swiftly to
bring about her desire. She did nothing to find a new home nor did she do anything to rent her present home.
Imagination was able to draw the necessary people into her life so that her wish could be fulfilled.
“What should be done after we have imagined our wish fulfilled? Nothing. “ You think you can do something,
you want to do something, but actually you can do nothing to bring it about. God, our own wonderful human
imagination, knows what things are necessary to bring about our desires. It is only necessary to go to the end,
to live in the end. “My ways are past finding out.” “My ways are higher than your ways.” If we trust our
imagination, it will “accomplish all that we ask of it.” Imagination can do all things – have faith in it, and
nothing shall be impossible to you.
********************
This story concerns a young man (referred to as E.P) who was a wonderful athlete and was good at many
different sports. During this particular time in his life, he became interested in paddling outrigger canoes. He
joined a team and was soon competing in local races. In his second year of pursuing this sport, he was on a
team that competed in the 50-mile race fromMolokai to Honolulu. The Hawaiian outrigger teams usually
took first place and were considered “unbeatable.” E.P.’s team came in 7th and that was considered quite
remarkable considering the great number of teams that competed from all over the world along with the
Hawaiin participants. After this race, E.P. began imagining that his team had won the race. He spent the next
year forming a new team, practicing, and building his own outrigger canoe. He was convinced that if he
imagined himselfwinning the race, his teamwould come in first.
He, next year, his teamand at least a dozen others flew to Hawaii fromSouthern California to compete in the
annual race. There were several teams withmuchmore experience who were considered likely to place in the
top ten, although the Hawaiians were still considered the favorites. At the end of the race, E.P.’s team
finished first, ahead of the Hawaiians and all the other teams. E.P. now holds a paddle engraved with the
words “World Champion” which was given to himupon his teamtaking first place.
After winning this coveted title, this young man went on to coach other teams. He also began manufacturing
paddles for outrigger canoes. His paddles are known throughout the world and are used by outrigger teams
who are among the top teams in the world.
E.P. now makes his home in Hawaii and enjoys coaching teams, manufacturing paddles, fishing and sailing his
own boat. He also uses his boat as an escort craft for the annual outrigger races.
********************
Mrs. J.K. was living in her twin sister’s home after having been divorced. Mrs. J.K. had three children, a son
and girl and boy twins. Her sister and her husband had three boys. Needless to say, this was a crowded
household. Mrs. J.K. was very desirous of gettingmarried and living in her own home. She had been dating a
man but decided that she did not wish to continue the relationship and broke it off. Many of her friends
attempted to “fix” Mrs. J.K. up with eligible men they knew, but she was not interested in going on blind
dates. Several of her friends commented that if she wished to meet an eligible man, she would need to get out
and go places. The twins believed in the creative power of imagination, and they had a friend who also knew
of the power of imagining. The three women determined that they would imagine a ring on Mrs. J.K.’s finger,
which would imply that she was married. They did this for several weeks. During this time, Mrs. J.K. also
imagined herself living in her own home. However, when she attempted to do so, she found herself imagining
a home exactly like her sister’s.
One day, Mrs. J.K. received a call froma friend who asked her to come to her home and help her wallpaper
her kitchen. Mrs. J.K. agreed to help her friend who lived a few blocks away in the same tract of homes.
While she was there, a male neighbor came to visit her friend. The friend introduced Mrs. J.K. to her
neighbor. He later called Mrs. J.K. and they began to date. Five months later, Mrs. J.K. married this man.
The interesting part of this story is that all of these people lived in the same large tract of homes. There were
only four homes in the tract of 1200 that had the same floor plan. Yes, this woman’s husband owned one of
the homes that had the same floor plan as Mrs. J.K.’s twin sister. Even though Mrs. J.K. imagined herself
living in her own home, she had only been able to imagine herself living in a house identical to her sister’s.
********************
This is a story about the friend, Mrs. L.M., who had introduced Mrs. J.K. to her new husband. During their
friendship, Mrs. J.K. had tried to explain the principle of imagination to her friend who was very doubtful that
“it” would work. One day, Mrs. J.K. asked her friend to come to one of Neville’s lectures. Mrs. L.M.
agreed to attend but was not at all convinced that imagining she had what she wanted would result in
obtaining it. But, she decided to imagine a very simple thing – the receipt of a handkerchief. She imagined that
someone had given her one and then dropped the whole idea. Much to her surprise, she received a
handkerchief in the mail fromthe mother of a friend who came to her house for lunch while she was in town
for a visit. This woman sent Mrs. L.M. a handkerchief with a thank you note. Mrs. L.M. was not only
surprised when she received the gift, she became very frightened as she thought there was something
supernatural about it. Mrs. L.M. had attempted to disprove that imagination produces the thing desired.
When she received the handkerchief she had imagined, she interpreted it to be some sort of Black Magic and
didn’t want to know anymore about this teaching.
********************
I could relate hundreds of incidents involving dozens of people in which imagination was used to bring about
the desired results. I have chosen just a few stories to illustrate that imagination can be used to solve all
manner of problems and bring into your experience your every heart’s desire.
Neville Goddard, Summa Theologica, Manly P Hall, A Course In Miracles
