The Sacred Imagination Betrayed: Tamar, Amnon, and Absalom in Symbol

In the symbolic language of Scripture, every character represents a state of consciousness or inner function. The story of Tamar, Amnon, and Absalom in 2 Samuel 13 is a haunting account—not of literal crime or rape alone—but of what happens when imagination is mishandled, when desire is misdirected, and when injustice is left to ferment within.

This is not merely the tale of a family tragedy. It is a deep psychological drama, where the sacred creative faculty is violated, and the subconscious responds with delayed but destructive force.

---

Tamar: The Receptive Power of Imagination

Tamar, whose name means palm tree—a symbol of uprightness and fruitfulness—represents the pure, receptive aspect of imagination. She is the internal condition which, when honoured, brings forth beauty and spiritual creativity. She is not meant to be seized or forced, but approached with love, faith, and inner alignment.

“And she had a garment of divers colours upon her: for with such robes were the king's daughters that were virgins apparelled… And Tamar put ashes on her head, and rent her garment of divers colours that was on her, and laid her hand on her head, and went on crying.”
—2 Samuel 13:18–19

The tearing of Tamar’s garment symbolises the violation of imagination's sacred receptivity. Once misused, the inner creative condition is left barren, its beauty desecrated.

In the symbolic framework, Tamar is the desired state of being—a consciousness we long to inhabit. But this longing must be pure. To rush, manipulate, or deceive in order to reach it is to act like Amnon.

---

Amnon: Egoic Lust and the Misuse of Creative Power

Amnon is driven by what the world would call love, but in truth is obsessive, unintegrated desire—the kind that seeks fulfilment without transformation. He feigns illness to lure Tamar, and once he gets what he wants, he casts her out in disgust.

“Then Amnon hated her exceedingly; so that the hatred wherewith he hated her was greater than the love wherewith he had loved her.”
—2 Samuel 13:15

This is the ego attempting to possess a state without the inner shift required to sustain it. It’s when we say “I want that reality,” but refuse to become the person who belongs in it. We manipulate imagination, try to force results, and in doing so, we violate the very power meant to uplift us.

Once the desire is spent, the ego no longer wants the state—it despises it. Tamar is discarded. Imagination, once misused, is left desolate.

---

Absalom: The Subconscious Keeps Score

Absalom says nothing at first. He holds his peace. But within him, a reckoning is building.

“But Absalom spake unto Amnon neither good nor bad: for Absalom hated Amnon, because he had forced his sister Tamar.”
—2 Samuel 13:22

He waits two years before avenging Tamar. This reflects the delayed but inevitable movement of the subconscious. When imagination has been violated and no justice is made, the inner world will manifest correction—but often as rebellion.

“Now Absalom had commanded his servants, saying, Mark ye now when Amnon's heart is merry with wine... then kill him.”
—2 Samuel 13:28

Absalom kills Amnon, which symbolises the collapse of a state built on deception and ego. But the story doesn't end there—Absalom himself later seeks the throne, turning justice into ambition. This shows that vengeance, if not transmuted, becomes its own misalignment.

---

The Deeper Message

This chapter of Scripture symbolises the consequences of violating imagination (Tamar) with ego-driven force (Amnon) and the danger of harbouring inner unrest (Absalom).

• Tamar teaches us that imagination is sacred. It is to be approached with reverence, not manipulation.

• Amnon shows how lustful, impatient desire leads to collapse, as the outer man tries to force a state he has not earned.

• Absalom reminds us that what we suppress within us does not disappear—it waits. And when it acts, it may do so destructively unless consciousness has evolved.

---

Neville Goddard’s Insight

In Neville’s terms:

• Amnon is the outer man, trying to seize a higher state through deception.

• Tamar is the desired inner condition, beautiful and filled with potential.

• Absalom is the reactive subconscious, recording and eventually expressing what has been done in consciousness.

When we fail to respect imagination—when we take from it without true transformation—we not only wound the inner life, but invite unrest to rule us later.

Healing comes only when imagination is honoured, when desire is aligned with love, and when the subconscious is reconciled through awareness.