In Neville Goddard’s metaphysical interpretation of Scripture, every biblical figure represents a state of consciousness or an aspect of the human psyche. Among these symbolic characters, Eve and Mary stand as two of the most profound—embodying the fall and rise of imagination. Far from being merely historical women, Neville viewed them as archetypes of the feminine principle: the womb of creation that gives birth to experience and transformation.
Through Eve and Mary, Neville illustrates the journey of imagination—from misuse and forgetfulness, to redemption and divine creation.
Eve: The Externalized Imagination and the Beginning of Separation
In the Genesis account, Eve is said to have been the first to partake of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, resulting in the "fall" of man. In traditional theology, this act is often painted in terms of sin and disobedience. But Neville peels back the layers and invites us to look deeper.
Eve, he teaches, symbolizes the moment when imagination turns outward—when man begins to rely on his senses and external appearances rather than the inner creative power of awareness.
This “fall” isn’t about sin, but about forgetfulness. When Eve listens to the serpent (which Neville sometimes equates with the lower, reasoning mind), she gives power to the external world. This act represents a shift in consciousness—from inner knowing to outer seeking.
As a result, the human psyche enters a state of duality and division: the knowledge of good and evil. We begin to believe in separation, in cause and effect outside of ourselves, and lose the awareness that we are the operant power.
Imagination Misused: The Sleep of Eve
For Neville, imagination is the creative force of the universe—the divine feminine within each of us. Eve, therefore, is imagination personified. But in the Garden narrative, she represents imagination asleep, believing in the world of facts instead of the world of possibilities.
This is the beginning of man’s journey into limitation, suffering, and bondage to appearances. But even here, the seed of redemption is already planted, because what caused the fall—imagination—will also be the means of rising again.
Mary: The Virgin Womb of Awakened Imagination
Fast forward to the New Testament, and we find Mary, the mother of Jesus. She, too, is a feminine archetype—but her symbolism is radically different from Eve’s. Where Eve represents imagination turned outward, Mary represents imagination turned inward and awakened.
Mary conceives not through a man, but through the Holy Spirit—a symbol of divine inspiration or consciousness. This immaculate conception mirrors the spiritual truth Neville emphasized again and again:
"Imagination is the womb of the world."
Mary symbolizes imagination rightly used—a state of consciousness that receives an idea from the divine self and nurtures it into manifestation. She doesn’t look outside herself for confirmation. She believes in the invisible, and through this belief, Christ—the awakened self—is born.
From Eve to Mary: The Full Circle of Redemption
Neville beautifully illustrates the journey of the soul through these two feminine figures:
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Eve: The imagination fallen into forgetfulness, identifying with appearances and separation.
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Mary: The imagination redeemed and awakened, aligned with the divine and ready to create consciously.
In this symbolic framework:
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Eve eats of the tree and causes the “fall” of man.
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Mary believes in the Word and gives birth to the “rise” of Christ.
One symbolizes creation through division; the other, creation through unity with God.
The Feminine Power Within All of Us
It’s important to understand that Neville didn’t see these archetypes as bound by gender. Eve and Mary live within each of us, regardless of sex. They represent phases of our own spiritual journey:
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When we are lost in reason, facts, fear, and external conditions, we are in the state of Eve.
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When we awaken to the truth that "I AM is God" and that imagination creates reality, we step into the state of Mary.
And through Mary—through faith in the unseen—we give birth to Christ, or our awakened, creative self.
Conclusion: Reclaiming the Divine Feminine
The stories of Eve and Mary are not historical bookends—they are mirrors of our inner evolution. Neville Goddard calls us to stop blaming Eve for the fall and instead to recognize her as the beginning of the journey—the spark of the feminine creative force.
Mary, then, is the completion of that journey: the imagination redeemed and returned to its rightful place as the channel of divine creation.
Together, Eve and Mary show us the full arc of spiritual transformation—from ignorance to enlightenment, from external dependence to internal power, from sleep to awakening. And at the heart of it all is the message Neville never stopped preaching:
“Imagination is God in action.”
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