Genesis 1:26: MAN

Genesis 1:26 states:

“Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, after our likeness...’”

At first glance, it may appear as a simple declaration of creation — God creating a physical human in His image. But when we delve deeper, especially through the understanding of consciousness and inner awareness, this verse reveals a profound truth: “Man” is the awareness of being itself — the formation of self in the mind.

Any male or female character presented in the Bible is a psychological concept of your mind.

“Man” as Awareness, Not Flesh

The Hebrew word often translated as “man” is adam, which relates closely to “earth” or “ground,” highlighting the connection between form and spirit. Yet the key phrase here is “in our image, after our likeness.” What does this image and likeness mean if not the creative power of consciousness itself?

This “image” is not a just physical resemblance but points to imaginative awareness — the ability to perceive, define, and form oneself from within. It is man’s unique capacity to be conscious of who he is and to actively shape that awareness.

The Divine “Us”: The Inner Creative Dialogue

The phrase “Let us make man” introduces a plural divine presence, which can be understood as the inner creative dialogue within consciousness — the I AM and the imagination working together to bring forth self-identity.

This leads directly to Exodus 3:14, where God reveals His name to Moses:

“I AM THAT I AM.”

This is not just a name — it is a statement of identity, of pure being. According to the Law of Assumption, this “I AM” is the creative foundation of all reality. It is the awareness of being, declaring itself into form. When Genesis says man is made in the image of God, it means man is made in the image of I AM — the power to assume and become.

Neville Goddard taught that every time you say “I AM,” you are beginning a creative act. What you put after “I AM” defines your reality. You are shaping yourself through assumption — just as God shaped reality through I AM in Exodus 3:14. Therefore, the divine “us” in Genesis is not a committee of deities but the interplay between pure awareness (I AM) and its imaginative expression (that which I assume myself to be).

"That you are to put away, in relation to your earlier way of life, the old man, which is completely turned to evil desires; And be made new in the spirit of your mind, And put on the new man, to which God has given life, in righteousness and a true and holy way of living."
— Ephesians 4:22–24

Man’s Formation in the Mind and Garden

Genesis 1:26 shows man as a product of divine imagination — not a static creation but an ongoing formation. Man is shaped “after our likeness” — meaning the creative process is continuous, fluid, and reflective.

Awareness is not passive; it is active and formative. The mind imagines who it is and, in doing so, forms the self it will experience. This mirrors Neville Goddard’s teaching that imagination is the creative power of God within us. In other words, man is the self-formation in consciousness — the awareness that perceives and manifests its own identity.

Then Genesis 2:8 adds another layer:

"And the Lord God made a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed."

This verse symbolises placing awareness (man) within the “garden” — the mind itself. Eden is the field of consciousness where all experiences are cultivated. God forms man (awareness) and sets him in the mind (the garden), giving him the power to tend, name, and direct what grows — the various states and assumptions we adopt.

The visions of Daniel and the Song of Solomon reveal the deep mystery of Genesis 1:26: “man” as the image and likeness of I AM. In Daniel, the man with eyes of fire symbolises the first encounter with your ideal state — powerful, radiant, but still felt as separate. In Solomon, the Beloved with dove-like eyes shows the same image now fully assumed and embraced. These are not external beings but psychological states — concepts of self formed in imagination. Together, they illustrate the journey from seeing the desired state as something to admire to becoming it through assumption, proving that every state you behold already exists and is waiting to be claimed as your own.

Dominion as Mastery Over Self-Perception

Genesis 1:26 also says that man is to “have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens...”

This dominion symbolises mastery over one’s inner environment — the subconscious thoughts and feelings represented by “fish” and “birds.”

Fish swimming in the sea are the fluid, deep subconscious emotions.
Birds flying in the sky represent fleeting thoughts and ideas.

By forming man in His image, God grants the power of self-governance through conscious awareness — the ability to choose which perceptions to accept and which to transform.

“Image” and “Likeness” as Self-Concept and Identity

The two terms “image” (tselem) and “likeness” (demut) can be seen as complementary:

• Image: the conceptual model or mental form — how man imagines himself internally.

• Likeness: the external expression or lived reality — the life shaped by that inner image.

Together, they reflect how self-awareness in the mind (I AM) leads to the outward experience of identity (that which I assume).

This is the foundation of all manifestation: the inner conception forms the outer condition. The image you hold within becomes the likeness you experience without.

Practical Takeaway: Your Awareness Is Your Creation

Genesis 1:26 invites us to recognise that:

• You are not a passive object in the world.

• Your awareness — your perception of who you are — is the divine creative force within you.

• By consciously shaping your self-image in your mind, you are co-creating your reality.

This is what Exodus 3:14 reveals: “I AM” is your eternal name — your divine inheritance — and by what you assume as true of yourself, you determine what you express.

Conclusion

Genesis 1:26 is not an account of physical creation but a profound statement on the origin of self-awareness itself. Man is the awakened consciousness, the imaginative perception forming itself in the mind — created “in the image” of the divine creative principle.

Genesis 2:8 complements this truth by showing that man (awareness) is placed within the garden (mind) to cultivate and direct its contents.

And Exodus 3:14 tells us the name of that principle: I AM. It is your awareness of being.

In understanding this, we grasp that the true power and dominion given to man lies in the awareness of who he chooses to be, perceived and formed internally, then expressed externally. This verse reveals the intimate connection between divine consciousness and human self-identity — a sacred creative partnership within every one of us.