When viewed through Neville Goddard’s symbolic understanding, the story of Cain and Abel is not about two historical brothers — it is a profound psychological allegory illustrating two states of competing consciousness: the outer man (Cain) that only associates with the world, and the inner creative faculty — imagination (Abel).
Genesis 4:2–7 — The Original Drama
“Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.
And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the Lord.
Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. And the Lord respected Abel and his offering, but He did not respect Cain and his offering.
And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell.
So the Lord said to Cain, ‘Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen?
If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it.’”
Abel as Imagination and Pleasure
Abel, the keeper of sheep, symbolises the gentle, intuitive faculty of imagination — the shepherd of thoughts and inner visions. This is the beginning of the shepherd and lamb symbolism throughout the Bible. His offering, the firstborn of his flock and their fat, represents giving the best and richest part of himself, an act made from a place of inner joy and delight.
This offering brings pleasure to the Lord, reflecting the original harmony of Eden before the fall. In Eden, there was no sense of striving or lack; there was only effortless delight and union with the creative spirit. Similarly, Abel’s offering represents a positively made assumption — an inner acceptance of the wish fulfilled, approached with pleasure and without strain.
Cain as the Outer Man and Fallen Consciousness
Cain, the tiller of the ground, represents the mind locked into outer effort and sensory evidence. His offering comes from the "fruit of the ground" — the result of toil, echoing the curse given to Adam to earn bread by the sweat of his brow. Cain’s consciousness is one of separation, effort, and dependence on the visible world rather than on inner vision.
The Lord’s question — "Why are you angry? If you do well, will you not be accepted?" — is a direct invitation to rise into the higher state of joyful assumption and to rule over the reactive, sense-driven self.
Paul’s Commentary: From Natural to Spiritual
Paul clarifies this inner progression in 1 Corinthians 15:44–47:
“It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body.
So it is written: ‘The first man Adam became a living being’; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit.
The spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual.
The first man was of the dust of the earth; the second man is of heaven.”
Cain embodies the first "man" — of dust and effort. Abel prefigures the second "man" — the life-giving spirit, the imagination that creates reality from within. "Man" and "men" are defined in Genesis 1:26.
The Wounding of the Inner Self
Cain’s act of killing Abel is not merely a literal fratricide; it symbolises the rejection of imagination — the true creative faculty. This act is the ultimate self-wounding, a "missing of the mark" (sin) that closes the door to inner delight and turns consciousness towards struggle and reaction.
The Mark on Cain: The First Hint of the Crucifixion
“And the Lord set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him.” — Genesis 4:15
The mark on Cain is not a curse but a symbol of a protected, though fallen, state of self-perception. It signifies a mind that has turned from imagination yet it is identified for transformation. The transformation is portrayed in the crucifixion of Jesus on the cross - which is the mark, and aim of I AM.
The Mark of the Beast: Echoes of Cain in Revelation
In Revelation, the mark of the beast on the forehead or hand symbolises a mind and life ruled by external appearances and reactive deeds. The forehead (thought) and the hand (action) shows self-perception governed by fear and outer laws.
The Beast as the Untamed Subconscious
Beast imagery throughout scripture often points to the mind when left unruled and filled with limiting assumptions. It becomes monstrous with negative emotions. The subconscious is a faithful servant; it accepts whatever is impressed upon it and multiplies it
When governed by lower thoughts and fears, it becomes a "beast"— echoing Cain’s state, creating psychological bondage and struggle. When cleansed and ruled by assumption, it transforms into the lion of Judah — a symbol of power, dominion, and fulfilled desire.
The Scribe’s Mark: Lamentation and Self-Wounding
In Ezekiel 9:4:
“Go through the midst of the city… and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof.”
These mourners represent those stuck in reaction, lamenting external events rather than moving into inner assumption. Their mark signifies a consciousness focused on what is wrong — another form of self-wounding. Yet even this mark holds the possibility of awakening to the higher creative faculty.
Conclusion: The Return to Imagination
Genesis 4:7 stands as a timeless instruction: "You should rule over it." The invitation is always to move from Cain’s dust-bound effort to Abel’s joyful, imaginative offering — from the first man of earth to the second man of heaven, the life-giving spirit.
When we live as Abel, giving from a place of pleasure and inner certainty, we reflect Eden’s original joy. We reclaim imagination as the true ruler, align with the wish fulfilled, and step into the creative power that shapes all reality.
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