When viewed through Neville Goddard’s symbolic lens, the story of Cain and Abel goes beyond two historical brothers; it becomes a profound psychological allegory—the struggle between the outer man (Cain) and the prototype of imagination (Abel).
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 (Christ) became 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.- Corinthians 15:44-47 (NIV):
Abel as Imagination
Abel’s offering is accepted because it stems from imagination—the divine inner creative faculty aligned with the unseen. Abel’s act represents the belief that what is real begins in the invisible world of imagination before manifesting in the material world. This reflects the power of imagination to shape reality.
Cain as the Outer Man and the Child of Fallen Consciousness
Cain, in contrast, offers the fruits of his labor—his toil and effort in the material world. His offering is rejected because it comes from a consciousness that fails to recognize the creative power of imagination. Cain's offering represents the material world, the product of his labor, symbolized by his forced work on the ground. The outer man is trapped in physical reality, unaware of his inner creative power.
Cain is the descendant of Adam and Eve, representing the fallen consciousness that emerged from the separation from divine imagination in the Garden of Eden. As such, Cain embodies the state of mind that is entrenched in external, sensory reality rather than the inner creative power.
The Wounding of the Inner Self
Cain’s act of killing Abel symbolizes more than the suppression of imagination—it represents self-wounding. In Neville Goddard's framework, sin is essentially "missing the mark," and to miss the mark is to wound oneself.
Cain’s act is not merely the death of his brother—it’s the self-inflicted wound of turning against the imagination, the inner creative faculty. In rejecting imagination, Cain cuts himself off from his divine creative power, reinforcing a materialistic mindset that leads to spiritual injury.
The Mark on Cain: Protection of Material Consciousness
After Cain kills Abel, the Lord places a mark on him. Traditionally, this mark is viewed as a curse, but symbolically, it acts as an act of protection.
And the Lord said unto him, Therefore whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold. And the Lord set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him. — Genesis 4:15
At this point, the "Lord God" is referred to only as “the Lord,” signaling a shift in consciousness. The Lord's awareness, once aligned with imagination, is now identified with Cain—the material man.
The mark is not punishment but a safeguard, a sign of Cain’s wounded consciousness. While the mark reflects his separation from divine imagination, it also preserves him from total destruction, leaving space for potential transformation.
The phrase "lest any finding him should kill him" indicates that while Cain is in a state of wounding, the mark ensures his survival, offering a protected space for eventual healing and awakening to divine imagination.
The Mark of the Beast: Echoes of Cain in Revelation
The concept of a mark appears again in the Book of Revelation, where the mark of the beast is placed on the forehead or hand, without which no one can buy or sell. In Neville Goddard’s interpretation, the mark of the beast mirrors Cain’s mark—it symbolizes a consciousness rooted in materiality, driven by the ego and external forces.
In Revelation, the mark is not a literal stamp, but rather a state of mind. The forehead represents thought, and the hand represents action. To bear the mark is to have thoughts and actions dominated by external circumstances, rather than by the creative power of imagination. It reflects the failure to align with the wish fulfilled, a self-wounding in which one has missed the mark and becomes trapped in material reality.
To bear the mark of the beast is to live in a state of separation from one's divine creative power—just as Cain’s mark represents a consciousness rooted in materiality and disconnection from imagination.
The Scribe’s Mark: A Symbol of Lamentation and Self-Wounding
In Ezekiel 9:4, the Lord instructs a scribe to go through the city and mark the foreheads of those who are lamenting and mourning over all the abominations committed in the city. The passage reads:
And the Lord said to him, ‘Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof. — Ezekiel 9:4
In Neville Goddard’s framework, the lamenting individuals are symbolic of those who are caught in the external, material world, unable to move beyond their emotional attachment to the conditions they face. Their lamentation is a form of missing the mark, a self-wounding that keeps them focused on what is wrong rather than on the potential for transformation through imagination.
The mark placed upon them represents their current state of consciousness—a consciousness that is dominated by external conditions and emotional turmoil. These individuals are not in alignment with the creative power of imagination, and their focus on lamentation prevents them from accessing the wish fulfilled. They are marked, in a sense, by their inability to manifest the life they desire because they are trapped in the emotional fallout of their external reality.
Much like Cain’s mark, the mark here signifies a wounded consciousness, one that is protected but still in need of healing. It is a reminder that those who lament and focus on the negative are missing the mark, and thus, in a sense, wounding themselves. However, the mark is not permanent—it represents the starting point of transformation, a space for the possibility of awakening to a higher state of awareness.
Conclusion: The Journey Back to Imagination
The marks placed on Cain, the beast, and those lamenting in Ezekiel all reflect the fall of consciousness into materiality and the necessary humbling required before awakening to divine imagination. These marks are not punishments but symbols of our current state of awareness and the potential for transformation.
The mark on Cain, while representing the wound of missing the mark, also symbolizes protection and the possibility of awakening. It reminds us that even when we have fallen into material consciousness, there is always room for growth and a return to the creative power within.
Ultimately, the journey back to imagination involves moving from a material, ego-driven state to one where imagination is recognized as the true creative force. Sin—or self-wounding—is not permanent; it is an invitation to return to divine imagination, align with the wish fulfilled, and reclaim our creative power.
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