Neville Goddard
Encyclopedia
Neville Lancelot Goddard (1905-1972) was an influential Metaphysics
teacher and New Thought
author.
in the British West Indies
, to Joseph Nathaniel Goddard, a merchant, and Wilhelmina Nee Hinkinson. Neville was the fourth child in a family of nine boys and one girl.
In 1922, he came to the United States on board the S.S. Vasari to study drama at the age of seventeen. While touring with his dance company in England he developed an interest in metaphysics after striking up a conversation with a Scotsman who lent him a series of books on the powers of the mind. On his return he gave up the entertainment industry to devote his full attention to the study of spiritual
and mystical matters.
and taught both Goddard and Joseph Murphy
. Neville went to hear Abdullah, somewhat under protest to satisfy the constant urging of a friend. Neville said, "I recall the first night I met Abdullah. I had purposely delayed going to one of his meetings because a man whose judgement I did not trust had insisted on my attendance. At the end of the meeting, Ab approached me and said: 'Neville, you are six months late.' Startled, I questioned how he knew my name, when he said: 'The brothers told me you would be here six months ago.' Then he added: 'I will remain until you have received all that I must give you. Then I will depart.' He, too, may have longed to go, but he had to wait for me." From this introduction, Neville studied with Abdullah learning Hebrew, the Kabbalah
, and the hidden symbolic meaning of Scripture.
where, in the 1950s, he gave a series of talks on television and radio, and for many years lectured regularly to capacity audiences at the Wilshire Ebell Theater
. In the 1960s and early 1970s, he confined most of his lectures to Los Angeles, New York
, and San Francisco.
In his early lectures and books Neville dealt solely with what he called The Law, the technique of creating one's physical reality through imagining. It is this portion of his expression that most closely accords with the teachings of the so-called New Thought
movement. In describing The Law, Neville related how he made a sea voyage from New York to see his family in Barbados during the Depression
, without any money of his own.
He related how, by the use of imaginal power, he was honorably discharged from military service to continue his lectures during World War II
. He gave his audiences in San Francisco in the 1950s and 1960s accounts of how others had made use of The Law. He discussed it on television in the Los Angeles area, saying, "Learn how to use your imaginal power, lovingly, on behalf of others, for Man is moving into a world where everything is subject to his imaginal power."
where it is referred to as ‘a time, times, and a half.' It comes to 1260 days in your experience of it."
In the latter part of the 1960s and early 1970s Neville gave more emphasis to The Promise than to The Law. One could use imaginal power to change one's circumstances, he said, but it would be temporary, “...and will vanish like smoke.” He went on to explain that The Promise superseded The Law, claiming "Oh, you can use it [The Law] to make a fortune, to become known in the world, all these things are done, but, your true purpose here is to fulfil Scripture." After subordinating The Law to The Promise, he became as eager to hear accounts by those who had experienced The Promise, and sharing such accounts, as he had earlier of those with The Law.
Neville's theological view of The Promise includes both the cosmology of union with the Godhead after death, and future restoration for those who do not accept The Promise during their lives. Of The Promise, he said "You do not earn it; it is a gift, it is all grace. God's promise is unconditional; God's law is conditional." and comes in its own good time. If you do not experience it in this life, he said, "You pass through a door, that's all that death is, and -- you are restored to life instantly in a world like this, just this world" [and] you go on there with the same problems you had here with no loss of identity – not old, not blind, not crippled, if you depart this life that way, but young." In this restorationist afterlife, he said of people there, "They grow, and they marry, and they die there, too, with all the fear of death that we have here. And if they die there without experiencing The Promise, they are restored to life again and again in a place best suited to the work yet to be done in them. And it continues until 'Christ be formed in You' and as 'Sons of The Resurrection' you leave this world of death never to enter it again."
In response to questions about the fear of eternal hell and damnation that many have, Neville replied with a quote from Scripture, "’Not one shall be lost in all my holy mountain.’ You are God and how could God eternally condemn Himself?" Until we awaken and make this discovery, he said, we are privileged to use a Law, given by God, to "cushion the blows of life.” The Law, stated succinctly is this, In Neville's words: "Imagining creates reality".
In the last years of his life he said, "I know my time is short. I have finished the work I have been sent to do and I am now eager to depart. I know I will not appear in this three-dimensional world again for The Promise has been fulfilled in me. As for where I go, I will know you there as I have known you here, for we are all brothers, infinitely in love with each other."
Neville Goddard died at the age of 67 on October 1, 1972, in Los Angeles
. His work is being preserved on the Internet.
Metaphysics
Metaphysics is a branch of philosophy concerned with explaining the fundamental nature of being and the world, although the term is not easily defined. Traditionally, metaphysics attempts to answer two basic questions in the broadest possible terms:...
teacher and New Thought
New Thought
New Thought promotes the ideas that "Infinite Intelligence" or "God" is ubiquitous, spirit is the totality of real things, true human selfhood is divine, divine thought is a force for good, sickness originates in the mind, and "right thinking" has a healing effect.Although New Thought is neither...
author.
Biography
Neville Goddard was born on 19 February 1905 in St. Michael, BarbadosBarbados
Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles. It is in length and as much as in width, amounting to . It is situated in the western area of the North Atlantic and 100 kilometres east of the Windward Islands and the Caribbean Sea; therein, it is about east of the islands of Saint...
in the British West Indies
British West Indies
The British West Indies was a term used to describe the islands in and around the Caribbean that were part of the British Empire The term was sometimes used to include British Honduras and British Guiana, even though these territories are not geographically part of the Caribbean...
, to Joseph Nathaniel Goddard, a merchant, and Wilhelmina Nee Hinkinson. Neville was the fourth child in a family of nine boys and one girl.
In 1922, he came to the United States on board the S.S. Vasari to study drama at the age of seventeen. While touring with his dance company in England he developed an interest in metaphysics after striking up a conversation with a Scotsman who lent him a series of books on the powers of the mind. On his return he gave up the entertainment industry to devote his full attention to the study of spiritual
Supernatural
The supernatural or is that which is not subject to the laws of nature, or more figuratively, that which is said to exist above and beyond nature...
and mystical matters.
Abdullah
His interest deepened after he met Abdullah, who lectured on Esoteric ChristianityChristianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
and taught both Goddard and Joseph Murphy
Joseph Murphy (author)
Joseph Murphy was New Thought minister ordained in Divine Science and Religious Science and author.Murphy was born in Ireland, the son of a private boy's school headmaster and raised a Roman Catholic. He studied for the priesthood and joined the Jesuits...
. Neville went to hear Abdullah, somewhat under protest to satisfy the constant urging of a friend. Neville said, "I recall the first night I met Abdullah. I had purposely delayed going to one of his meetings because a man whose judgement I did not trust had insisted on my attendance. At the end of the meeting, Ab approached me and said: 'Neville, you are six months late.' Startled, I questioned how he knew my name, when he said: 'The brothers told me you would be here six months ago.' Then he added: 'I will remain until you have received all that I must give you. Then I will depart.' He, too, may have longed to go, but he had to wait for me." From this introduction, Neville studied with Abdullah learning Hebrew, the Kabbalah
Kabbalah
Kabbalah/Kabala is a discipline and school of thought concerned with the esoteric aspect of Rabbinic Judaism. It was systematized in 11th-13th century Hachmei Provence and Spain, and again after the Expulsion from Spain, in 16th century Ottoman Palestine...
, and the hidden symbolic meaning of Scripture.
Lectures
After traveling extensively throughout the United States, Neville eventually made his home in Los AngelesLos Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
where, in the 1950s, he gave a series of talks on television and radio, and for many years lectured regularly to capacity audiences at the Wilshire Ebell Theater
Ebell of Los Angeles
The Ebell of Los Angeles is a women's club housed in a complex in the Mid-City section of Los Angeles that includes a clubhouse building and the renowned 1,270-seat Wilshire Ebell Theatre....
. In the 1960s and early 1970s, he confined most of his lectures to Los Angeles, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, and San Francisco.
In his early lectures and books Neville dealt solely with what he called The Law, the technique of creating one's physical reality through imagining. It is this portion of his expression that most closely accords with the teachings of the so-called New Thought
New Thought
New Thought promotes the ideas that "Infinite Intelligence" or "God" is ubiquitous, spirit is the totality of real things, true human selfhood is divine, divine thought is a force for good, sickness originates in the mind, and "right thinking" has a healing effect.Although New Thought is neither...
movement. In describing The Law, Neville related how he made a sea voyage from New York to see his family in Barbados during the Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
, without any money of his own.
He related how, by the use of imaginal power, he was honorably discharged from military service to continue his lectures during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. He gave his audiences in San Francisco in the 1950s and 1960s accounts of how others had made use of The Law. He discussed it on television in the Los Angeles area, saying, "Learn how to use your imaginal power, lovingly, on behalf of others, for Man is moving into a world where everything is subject to his imaginal power."
The Promise and The Law
In the year 1959, he began to experience what he called "The Promise." He later wrote, "I did not know of The Promise until I began to experience it and have it unfold within me beginning that summer and continuing during the next three-and-one-half years. And this is Scriptural; read it in the Book of DanielBook of Daniel
The Book of Daniel is a book in the Hebrew Bible. The book tells of how Daniel, and his Judean companions, were inducted into Babylon during Jewish exile, and how their positions elevated in the court of Nebuchadnezzar. The court tales span events that occur during the reigns of Nebuchadnezzar,...
where it is referred to as ‘a time, times, and a half.' It comes to 1260 days in your experience of it."
In the latter part of the 1960s and early 1970s Neville gave more emphasis to The Promise than to The Law. One could use imaginal power to change one's circumstances, he said, but it would be temporary, “...and will vanish like smoke.” He went on to explain that The Promise superseded The Law, claiming "Oh, you can use it [The Law] to make a fortune, to become known in the world, all these things are done, but, your true purpose here is to fulfil Scripture." After subordinating The Law to The Promise, he became as eager to hear accounts by those who had experienced The Promise, and sharing such accounts, as he had earlier of those with The Law.
Neville's theological view of The Promise includes both the cosmology of union with the Godhead after death, and future restoration for those who do not accept The Promise during their lives. Of The Promise, he said "You do not earn it; it is a gift, it is all grace. God's promise is unconditional; God's law is conditional." and comes in its own good time. If you do not experience it in this life, he said, "You pass through a door, that's all that death is, and -- you are restored to life instantly in a world like this, just this world" [and] you go on there with the same problems you had here with no loss of identity – not old, not blind, not crippled, if you depart this life that way, but young." In this restorationist afterlife, he said of people there, "They grow, and they marry, and they die there, too, with all the fear of death that we have here. And if they die there without experiencing The Promise, they are restored to life again and again in a place best suited to the work yet to be done in them. And it continues until 'Christ be formed in You' and as 'Sons of The Resurrection' you leave this world of death never to enter it again."
In response to questions about the fear of eternal hell and damnation that many have, Neville replied with a quote from Scripture, "’Not one shall be lost in all my holy mountain.’ You are God and how could God eternally condemn Himself?" Until we awaken and make this discovery, he said, we are privileged to use a Law, given by God, to "cushion the blows of life.” The Law, stated succinctly is this, In Neville's words: "Imagining creates reality".
In the last years of his life he said, "I know my time is short. I have finished the work I have been sent to do and I am now eager to depart. I know I will not appear in this three-dimensional world again for The Promise has been fulfilled in me. As for where I go, I will know you there as I have known you here, for we are all brothers, infinitely in love with each other."
Neville Goddard died at the age of 67 on October 1, 1972, in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. His work is being preserved on the Internet.
External links
- Complete Neville Goddard scanned books at the Internet Archive
- Neville Goddard Text Archive