The 12 Tribes of Israel: Early States of Awareness

In the mystical teachings of Neville Goddard, the Bible is not history—it is psychological allegory. Every story, every character, and every birth represents a spiritual function within us, unfolding in the inner theatre of imagination. The act of bringing forth sons throughout the Bible symbolises the emergence of new states of consciousness—assumptions made alive—each shaping our experience from within.

Nowhere is this more potent than in the birth of the 12 tribes of Israel. Through Neville’s teaching, these tribes are not literal men or nations, but the offspring of conscious assumption impressed upon the receptive subconscious—each one a manifested expression of the I AM. Their mothers (Leah, Rachel, Zilpah, and Bilhah) represent different aspects of the subconscious mind, through which these states are made flesh.

Let’s journey through the sons of Jacob, whose Hebrew names reveal deeper meaning, and reinterpret them as faculties of awareness within your own imagination. The circumstances of their birth unveil key psychological dynamics that shape the path of manifestation.

The First Four Sons: The Foundation of Creative Awareness

The first four sons—Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah—form the foundational unfoldment of creative consciousness. They trace the arc from recognising lack to entering the state of fulfilment through praise. This sequence prepares the inner ground for the appearance of the awakened imagination, symbolised later in scripture as Jesus—the realised identity of the I AM. Bringing forth the son—the assumption made alive—becomes the process of discovering the creative power within.

These four qualities establish the pattern:

Reuben – Recognition of personal creation: "I have made this."
Simeon – Listening to the inner voice over outer appearances.
Levi – Emotional union with the desired state.
Judah – The act of praise as fulfilment.

Together, they symbolise the first dawning of the “sun” of creative self-awareness—the inner light that begins the journey to spiritual embodiment. Judah’s birth (Praise) is the turning point: the moment when you cease looking outward and instead claim the creative power within.

This progression sets the stage for the appearance of the I AM made visible—not as a historical figure, but as the awakened imagination, clothed in your own identity.

The Four Sons as the Fourfold Gospel and Sign of Establishment

Just as the first four sons represent the inner progression toward praise and awareness of Being, so too do the Four Gospels—Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John—serve as symbolic witnesses to this inner realisation.

In biblical symbolism, the number four often signifies stability, grounding, and completeness—seen in the four corners of the earth, the four winds, and the four living creatures in Ezekiel’s vision. These motifs point to a truth that is universal and rooted in every direction of the inner world.

In this light, the four sons and the four Gospels both signify the establishment of spiritual law and awareness of the I AM. Neville often spoke of reality as four-dimensional—where past, present, and future exist simultaneously in a higher order of being. These four archetypes—whether sons, Gospels, or corners—act as structural supports in the 4D field of imagination, showing that creation is not bound by time, but already finished and accessible through assumption. They are not random but essential patterns that stabilise the whole structure of manifestation. Neville explained that these Gospel writers do not record biographies, but represent psychological standpoints—views of the same inner mystery:

Matthew (Reuben): The eye that sees – the outer world as reflection of inner assumption.
Mark (Simeon): The ear that hears – the inner message received in silence.
Luke (Levi): The heart that feels – the emotional fusion with the desired state.
John (Judah): The spirit that knows – praise as fulfilment already accomplished.

These Gospel perspectives mirror the first four tribes: recognition, receptivity, fusion, and thanksgiving—each witnessing to the emergence of the creative I AM within.

1. Reuben – "Behold, a son!" (רְאוּבֵן)

Mother: Leah (the subconscious already conditioned by inherited belief)
Biblical Context: “The Lord has looked upon my affliction.”
Inner Meaning: The first awakening—the moment you see your world as your reflection. You begin to perceive life as your creation.
Neville Insight: The first step in manifestation is awareness: "What you see without was first an idea within."
Aspect: Ownership — the recognition that your outer world is shaped by inner assumption.

2. Simeon – "Hearing" (שִׁמְעוֹן)

Mother: Leah
Biblical Context: “Because the Lord heard that I was hated.”
Inner Meaning: You begin to listen within. Outer facts no longer have final authority. You become sensitive to your inner conversations.
Neville Insight: “Faith comes by hearing”—by accepting inner truth over outer evidence.
Aspect: Receptivity — tuning in to the inner speech of assumption.

3. Levi – "Joined, Attached" (לֵוִי)

Mother: Leah
Biblical Context: “Now this time my husband will be joined to me.”
Inner Meaning: The conscious and subconscious unite emotionally. You feel yourself to be what you desire.
Neville Insight: Mental marriage—the feeling of being is the key.
Aspect: Fusion — emotional oneness with the state assumed.

4. Judah – "Praise" (יְהוּדָה)

Mother: Leah
Biblical Context: “This time I will praise the Lord.”
Inner Meaning: Praise is the expression of fulfilment. Gratitude felt in advance becomes the gateway to its manifestation.
Neville Insight: “Thanksgiving is the mood of fulfilment.”
Aspect: Creative gratitude — praise as the substance of the unseen reality.

What Precedes Judah

Judah is not the beginning—it is the result of inner transformation:

Reuben – Awareness of limitation and inner causation.
Simeon – Turning inward and listening to the unseen.
Levi – Emotional acceptance of a new identity.

Only then can Judah arise—praise not as reaction, but as creative assumption.

5. Dan – "Judge" (דָּן)

Mother: Bilhah (Rachel's handmaid)
Biblical Context: “God has judged me.”
Inner Meaning: You make an inner decision. No longer led by appearances, you declare your reality from within.
Neville Insight: “You are the operant power.”
Aspect: Discernment — inner judgment that selects and claims.

6. Naphtali – "My Wrestling" (נַפְתָּלִי)

Mother: Bilhah
Biblical Context: “With great wrestlings have I wrestled.”
Inner Meaning: The inner conflict between belief and doubt. This is where persistence is forged.
Neville Insight: “The only fight is the fight of faith.”
Aspect: Tenacity — holding to assumption in the face of resistance.

7. Gad – "Fortune, Troop" (גָּד)

Mother: Zilpah (Leah's handmaid)
Biblical Context: “A troop comes!”
Inner Meaning: You claim abundance. The declaration precedes the evidence.
Neville Insight: “Assume wealth, and wealth will follow.”
Aspect: Declaration — bold assumption of what is not yet seen.

8. Asher – "Happy, Blessed" (אַשֵּׁר)

Mother: Zilpah
Biblical Context: “Happy am I, for daughters call me blessed.”
Inner Meaning: You feel joy ahead of the event. The mood attracts its likeness.
Neville Insight: “Feeling is the secret.”
Aspect: Embodiment — joy as the signal of fulfilled desire.

9. Issachar – "Reward, Recompense" (יִשָּׂשכָר)

Mother: Leah
Biblical Context: “God has given me my hire.”
Inner Meaning: Manifestation as the visible reward of sustained inner belief.
Neville Insight: “Faith, when persisted in, will harden into fact.”
Aspect: Reaping — harvest of inner discipline.

10. Zebulun – "Dwelling" (זְבוּלוּן)

Mother: Leah
Biblical Context: “Now my husband will dwell with me.”
Inner Meaning: You live in the end. You dwell in the feeling as if it were true.
Neville Insight: “Dwell in the state until it feels natural.”
Aspect: Residency — inhabiting the desired reality internally.

11. Joseph – "He Will Add" (יוֹסֵף)

Mother: Rachel
Biblical Context: “God has taken away my reproach.”
Inner Meaning: Imagination becomes fruitful. The invisible begins multiplying into the visible.
Neville Insight: “Imagination is the beginning of creation.”
Aspect: Increase — creative expansion from within.

12. Benjamin – "Son of the Right Hand" (בִּנְיָמִין)

Mother: Rachel
Biblical Context: Born in sorrow, renamed in power.
Inner Meaning: Labour ends and dominion begins. You create with authority.
Neville Insight: “Claim it boldly. You are God imagining.”
Aspect: Dominion — effortless creation through identification with the end.

Final Reflection

These twelve sons are not historical figures. They are you. They come forth whenever your conscious desire is accepted by the subconscious. They are the living proof that imagination is God, and that you were never meant to live by circumstance, but by the creative law of assumption.

The Way

Search This Blog