Neville Goddard lived from 1905 to 1972. He was born in the British West Indies, but lived in the United States for many years. He was a writer and lectured about the power of the imagination, the law of assumption, and witnessed several mystical experiences from God. This book, The Law and the Promise, was written in 1961. The copy that I read, from the Unity Village Library, was from its sixth printing in 1998.
Dr. Wayne Dyer (Hay House Publishing and Public Broadcasting) has tied some of his more recent works to Neville and the concepts of higher consciousness as is included in the power of the imagination and the law of assumption. As I have read and followed much of Dr. Wayne Dyer's work over the past ten years or so, I wanted to get a more in-depth look at what Neville's work was all about. I just completed reading The Law and the Promise.
As the book begins, "The purpose of the first portion of this book is to show, through actual true stories, how imagination creates reality," (Neville, 1961, p. 9). Through many stories submitted to the author by people who had been to his lectures or had read his books, their beliefs of what was imagined became reality. By picturing in one's imagination a specific desire, and assuming the feeling of the wish fulfilled, the imagined desire becomes a reality. The more this time of imagined experience takes place, the more firm it becomes for realization. Sometimes what is imagined has to occur over a period of time before the reality takes place. Other times, it is almost instantaneous. As Dr. Wayne Dyer says, "All I can say about it is that it really works," (The Shift CD set, as taped in Maui). I, myself, have tried it and have had some success with it as well.
It is also possible to change the memories of the past with this sort of imagination and assumption technique. This is described in the book. Mostly, though, it is used to change one's future or to bring about something hoped and wished for--usually something that seems impossible in the present reality. According to Neville, you must put the present facts out of your mind. Create in your imagination what it is you desire, picture it clearly, act it out or put it on paper, whatever it takes to make it take on a real life existence for you, then feel the joy or whatever emotions would be brought about to have this come to life for you. It is also possible to bring about positive change for others close to you, as is explained more fully in the book.
Neville bases all of his concepts and techniques on Bible verses. He uses the Bible in many instances throughout the book. One of the main verses tied to the imagination to reality theory is, "We walk by faith, not by sight," 2 Corinthians 5:7. He explains that we have to see things in the way that God wants us to see them: not the way things are, but in the way that they should be.
What desires do you have that have not yet come to pass? What changes would you like to make in your life? Neville's book, The Law and the Promise, could be helpful in making the necessary changes to bring about some positive experiences in your life. The book is only 156 pages and is easy to read. Some of the concepts take a little time to ponder, and some re-reading may be necessary to make sense out of some of the techniques, but it is well worth the time and effort it takes to locate the book and read through it.
What part of your future would you like to change?
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