The Symbolism and References to "I AM" in Neville Goddard's Teachings

"I AM" — The Foundation of All Manifestation

According to Neville Goddard and the Law of Assumption

In Neville Goddard’s teaching, “I AM” is not merely a phrase — it is the name of God, the key to conscious creation, and the foundation of the Law of Assumption. It is the operating power of awareness, the cause of all that appears in your world.

“I AM is the self-definition of the absolute.” — Neville Goddard

Genesis 1:26 — Man in God's Image

"And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness…" — Genesis 1:26 (BBE)

Neville taught that “God” in this verse is Elohim, a plural name representing awareness and creative power. Man is made in this image — not as flesh, but as consciousness with the power to assume. To “be made in the image of God” means you are endowed with the ability to become what you assume yourself to be.

Exodus 3:14 — The Name of God Is “I AM”

"I AM THAT I AM." — Exodus 3:14 (KJV)

When Moses asks for God's name, he is given the purest revelation of consciousness: I AM. This is not a title of a distant deity. Neville interpreted this as your own awareness of being.

“I AM is the only name of God.” — Neville Goddard

In Hebrew, the name God gives is Ehyeh-Asher-Ehyeh, which translates as “I will be what I will be.” The root verb hayah (הָיָה) means to be, to exist. The divine name is deeply connected to YHWH (יהוה), often translated as “The Existing One.”

Neville viewed this not as a name for an external being, but as the revelation of your own eternal identity — pure awareness, divine being, and the creative source within.

The Law of Assumption: Identity Precedes Experience

Neville made it clear: assumption is the key to manifestation. You must assume the feeling of the wish fulfilled — not hope, not wish, not strive — but live inwardly in the end result.

“Assume the feeling of the wish fulfilled. That assumption, though false, if persisted in, will harden into fact.”

Saying “I AM healthy” or “I AM successful” is not an affirmation — it is a creative act. Your world reshapes itself around your accepted state of being. Consciousness is the only reality.

Solomon’s Temple: A Symbol of Inner Structure

Neville often spoke of Solomon’s Temple as a metaphor for the human imagination — the place where God (I AM) dwells. The temple was not built by human hands but signifies the structure of awareness.

The Holy of Holies is the deepest self, the awareness of being — “I AM.”
The outer courts represent states — assumptions you can enter and dwell in.
To “build the temple” is to discipline your imagination and inhabit only the states you desire to externalise.

“The Bible is a psychological drama. The characters represent states of consciousness.” — Neville Goddard

The Triune Nature of Man: Spirit, Soul, and Body

Neville linked “I AM” with the threefold nature of our being:

Spirit (I AM): The divine consciousness within — the true self.
Soul (Imagination): The creative centre where desires are conceived.
Body (Manifestation): The physical expression of what is held in consciousness.

The “I AM” is the unifying force. It moves thoughts into form, ideas into experience, and imagination into reality.

Jesus’ “I AM” Sayings: Consciousness in Action

Jesus, according to Neville, represents your own wonderful human imagination. His “I AM” statements are examples of assumed identity:

“I AM the light of the world” (John 8:12)
“I AM the bread of life” (John 6:35)
“I AM the way…” (John 14:6)
“I AM the resurrection…” (John 11:25)
“Before Abraham was, I AM” (John 8:58)

Jesus speaks not as a man but as the personification of awakened imagination — the inner voice that knows itself to be the operant power.

Jesus’ “I AM” Statements and the Divine Identity

Neville taught that the Trinity symbolises the process of assumption — the movement from awareness, through imagination, into experience:

God the Father — “I AM”
The eternal awareness within you — pure being, unconditioned.

“I AM that I AM” — Exodus 3:14
Jesus the Son — Imagination aligned with ‘I AM’
The state you consciously assume — your self-concept in harmony with inner knowing.
The Holy Spirit — The transformation that occurs
The unseen power that brings your imagined state into visible experience — the bridge between assumption and its expression.

Resurrection: The Awakening to “I AM”

Neville taught that the resurrection is not a historical event but a personal realisation: the moment you become aware that I AM is God and that you are its operative power.

“The resurrection is when man discovers he is God.”
“Man awakens to the truth that imagination creates reality.” — Neville Goddard

This is the rebirth — the rising out of ignorance into deliberate creation.

The Practice: Living From “I AM”

Daily, you are using “I AM” — either ignorantly or wisely. Neville urges you to assume the feeling of the wish fulfilled and live from it. You must move from thinking of what you want to thinking from it.

Repeat:

“I AM chosen”
“I AM peaceful”
“I AM already it”
“I AM the one I want to be”

These are not empty affirmations — they are acts of creation. You are defining yourself, and the world will reflect your definition.

Conclusion: “I AM” as the Divine Formula

The phrase “I AM” is at the heart of Neville Goddard’s philosophy. It is the bridge between the human and the divine — the key to understanding your role as a creator.

“You are God, if you would only believe it.” — Neville Goddard

You do not need to convince the outer world — only to accept inwardly that you already are the state you desire to express. The Law of Assumption tells us: persist in the assumption, and it will harden into fact.

“Claim it. Feel it. Persist in it — and it shall be so.” — Neville Goddard

“God is Imagination—the creative power within us all. Jesus represents this power in action, showing us that we can create and transform our lives by assuming the feeling of our desires already fulfilled. God isn’t external, but within.”

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