Neville Goddard is considered to be one of the greatest spiritual teachers of the 20th century. He focused on mysticism, self-help, and the Bible. He is said to have inspired other great spiritual teachers, like Wayne Dyer and Rhonda Byrne.
In the spiritual world, he is a household name, and he’s commonly referred to as “Neville.” Still today, he is the inspiration behind new spiritual leaders and teachers.
Neville was a prolific writer and speaker who wrote about the Bible, mysticism, and self-help.
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Neville Goddard's biography
Neville Lancelot Goddard was born on February 19, 1905, in St. Michael, Barbados, to trader Joseph Nathaniel Goddard and Wilhelmina Nee Hinkinson. Neville was the fourth of ten children, (9 boys, 1 girl.)
In 1922 (when he was seventeen), he arrived in the United States on the S.S. Vasari to study theatre. During this period, he became a dancer, married his first wife, and had a son—Joseph Neville Goddard.
While traveling with his dance group in England, Neville struck up a conversation about metaphysics with a Scotsman. The Scotsman loaned him a series of books about the capabilities of the mind. The topic interested Neville immensely. Back in New York, Neville met Abdullah – a brilliant Jewish rabbi from Ethiopia. Neville was under Abdullah’s guidance for five years. Much of Neville’s spiritual journey is credited to Abdullah.
In time, Neville left the entertainment business to focus solely on the study of spiritual and mystical matters.
Neville’s first marriage ended in divorce, and he remained unmarried for years before meeting his second wife in the 1930s. They had a daughter, Victoria.
Neville was recruited into the United States Army at the age of 38, which he did not want. He felt he was too old to be a soldier, plus he had a wife and daughter at home to care for. According to Neville’s March 24, 1972 speech, he was honorably released after only 3 months of training. He attributes this to the power of imagination.
As a result of his brief Army training, Neville was granted full US citizenship.
He died October 1, 1972 (at the age of 67).
Neville Goddard's Philosophy
Neville Goddard’s primary philosophy was that imagination creates reality.
Neville emphasized that anything you imagine, with feeling, would be reflected in the world around you. For over 30 years, he lectured widely about the significance of imagining your desired outcome by allowing your mind to travel to your desired outcome while disregarding existing reality.
According to Neville, when you combine the capabilities of your imagination with faith, you will produce miracles. He believed we must think from the end. He said that when you live and think from the end, you behave as if what you want is already true. You must first experience having what you want in your mind before you can produce it in your reality. You must move beyond the initial feeling of getting it, and instead, relish the fact that you have already manifested it.
You may desire something you think you cannot afford, or you don’t have the time or the know-how to enjoy it. You can think of a thousand reasons why its possession is impossible; but – hearing that imagination creates reality – you can imagine you have it. But to imagine is not enough; you must have faith enough in your imaginal act to believe in its reality. When you imagine you are the person you want to be, you must firmly believe you already are it; then wait in faith for your assumption to appear in your world, for that imaginal act has its own appointed hour. It will ripen and flower. If it seems long to you – wait, for it is sure and will not be late.
Neville Goddard and religion
Neville was a strong supporter of Christianity, but he didn’t see the bible in the traditional way.
- He viewed the bible as a parable about the human mind rather than a chronicle of factual events.
- He believed the Bible is based on symbolism and that one must learn how to interpret the psychological and mystical symbols in order to understand it.
- He believed Jesus was not a person but a state of the Divine that anyone could achieve through manifestation.
- He lectured that the Bible was a book about how to use your imagination to achieve and create the life that best suits your Divine Self.
Neville did not believe in an external God who responds to prayers, but rather that we are creators.
Neville integrated the doctrine of the Bible into his own teachings.
Love is our birthright. Love is the fundamental necessity of our life. Do not go seeking for that which you are. Those who go seeking for love only make manifest their own lovelessness and the loveless never find love. Only the loving find love and they never have to seek for it.
