The Science of Feeling: A Comprehensive Guide to the Mind's Creative Power according to Neville Goddard
We are not victims of fate, but architects of our own consciousness. Discover how feeling shapes matter and how to reprogram your life starting from the invisible.
Imagine for a moment that the entire world, with its objects, people, and events, is nothing more than a solid projection of your mind. For Neville Lancelot Goddard, this is not a poetic metaphor, but a technical reality. Consciousness is the only true substance, the primary cause of every effect we observe on the stage of life. If we want to change the plot of our existence, we must not act on the external 'shadows', but on the light that projects them: our inner state. This article explores the pillars of 'Feeling is the Secret', offering a detailed map for navigating between the conscious and the subconscious.
The Architecture of the Mind: The Alchemical Marriage
Goddard divides consciousness into two complementary aspects, often described through the symbolism of the masculine and the feminine. This distinction is fundamental to understanding how ideas become reality.
The Conscious: The Selective Masculine
The conscious mind is the realm of choice and discrimination. It is the part of us that observes the world, generates ideas, and sets goals. Goddard defines it as the 'masculine' aspect because it has the task of generating the seed of the idea and impressing it upon the subconscious. However, the conscious is often limited by the senses and reason.
The Subconscious: The Creative Feminine
The subconscious is the realm of cause. It is impersonal, non-selective, and transcends reason. Like a womb, it receives the idea from the conscious and gives it form in the physical world. It does not care if an idea is 'good' or 'bad' according to human morality; it simply accepts what is felt as true and objectifies it with surgical precision.
The Law of Impression
The secret of creation lies in how these two parts interact. The conscious impresses, the subconscious expresses. No idea can manifest unless it is first accepted by the subconscious through the filter of feeling. Control of one's life, therefore, coincides with the control of one's feelings.
Mastery of Feelings: Not Suppression, but Discipline
Many confuse the control of feelings with the repression of emotions. Goddard suggests the opposite approach: the conscious discipline of the imagination.
Feeling is Assent to Truth
Feeling is the medium through which the subconscious says 'Yes' to an idea. It is not enough to think about a desire; one must inhabit the emotional state that the desire would generate if it were already real. When you feel that a thing is true, the subconscious is compelled to produce it.
The Danger of Regret and Evil
To think sympathetically about evil, to dwell on the imperfections of others, or to harbor regrets means to impress the subconscious with limitations. What you do not want to see in your world, you must not allow yourself to feel as true, neither for yourself nor for others.
The Emotional Dominant
In a conflict between two feelings, the more powerful one always wins. Saying 'I will be happy' implies that you are not happy now. The subconscious, being literal, accepts the current lack and perpetuates it. The key is the use of the present tense: 'I AM'.
Health as an Emotional Filter
The physical body is not a separate entity, but a filter for emotions. Goddard anticipates many discoveries of modern psychosomatics, explaining that physical ailments are often the result of repressed emotions or intense feelings of being wronged. Changing one's physical destiny requires a radical change in the inner emotional climate.
Sleep: The Gateway to Heaven
Goddard devotes a huge part of his teaching to sleep. If we spend a third of our lives sleeping, it is because sleep is the moment when the conscious and the subconscious unite most intimately.
The Pre-Sleep Attitude
The concept of self that you carry into sleep is the seed that will germinate the next day. If you fall asleep feeling discouraged, the subconscious receives that instruction. The technique consists of assuming the feeling of success and satisfaction just as you slip into unconsciousness.
The Practical Exercise of the Wish Fulfilled
Lie on your back, relax every muscle. Do not think about 'how' your desire will be realized (the means belong to the subconscious), but focus only on the 'end'. Visualize a scene that implies your desire is already a reality and repeat it until you feel its physical density and vibrant emotion.
Prayer: The Art of Yielding
Prayer, for Goddard, is not a plea to an external deity, but a psychological technique for entering the subconscious with eyes open.
The State of Reverie
To pray successfully, one must create a state of passivity similar to drowsiness. It is a condition where you are conscious and capable of moving, but have no desire to do so. In this stillness, the mind is receptive and internal suggestions become more real than the external world.
Effort is Fatal
This is where many fail. If you try to force a feeling through willpower, you create resistance. Prayer must be effortless. It is the art of 'yielding' to the desire, not struggling for it. If you feel you must 'do' something strenuous, you are not in the correct mental state.
Psychological Interpretation of the Scriptures
Goddard reinterprets sacred texts as psychology manuals. For him, Jesus is not a historical figure, but the symbol of human consciousness. 'Believing in Jesus' means believing that your consciousness is the only creative reality. When the Bible says 'To him who has, more will be given', it refers to awareness: if you feel you already have what you desire, the external world can do nothing but confirm it to you.
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The Revolution of the Self
Concluding 'Feeling is the Secret', Goddard leaves us with total responsibility: we have no one to change but ourselves. Every adversary, every obstacle, and every fortune is a reflection of our state of consciousness. Mastery of self through the control of thoughts and feelings is the highest achievement a human being can reach. It is not a quick path, but it is the only one that leads to real and lasting freedom.
Tonight, as you prepare for sleep, remember: you are not just going to rest. You are entering the laboratory of creation. Choose carefully the feeling you will take with you.