The Calling of the Twelve: Aspects of Mind Serving the Assumption

In Luke 6:12–16, we see Jesus ascend a mountain, spend the night in prayer, and then call and name twelve apostles from among his disciples. On the surface, this appears to be a historical account of Jesus selecting his core followers. But if we understand the Bible as Neville Goddard taught — as a psychological drama unfolding within — the meaning shifts dramatically. The calling of the twelve is not an outer event but an inward selection and ordering of faculties within the individual.

The Mountain: Withdrawal into Higher Consciousness

The passage begins with Jesus going up a mountain to pray. For Neville, mountains symbolise elevated states of consciousness. Climbing the mountain is withdrawing attention from the world of senses and ascending into the realm of imagination — the creative centre. Jesus, representing the awakened imagination or “I AM,” retreats into this higher state to commune with the Father — pure awareness itself.

Prayer, in this sense, is not petition but union — an inner movement where one assumes the feeling of the wish fulfilled. The night of prayer represents sustained attention in the unseen reality before any manifestation appears.

Disciples and Apostles: From Passive Faculties to Creative Powers

Luke 6:13 makes an important distinction:

“When morning came, he called his disciples to him and chose twelve of them, whom he also named apostles.”

In Scripture, disciples are learners — faculties still receptive, absorbing impressions from the outer world. From among these, twelve are chosen and named apostles — those sent forth with authority. Neville explained that naming and sending these apostles symbolises taking conscious command of one's inner faculties.

These disciples represent the many “judges,” “rulers,” and “powers” of mind — what is meant by Elohim (plural), as used in Genesis 1. Elohim symbolises the collective powers and self-perceptions within us that together create our world.

Once these faculties are “named,” they become apostles — ordered, disciplined aspects of mind that support the assumption of the wish fulfilled. Naming in Scripture means to give identity, to define and direct. These apostles are no longer observers or passive followers; they become defined creative powers, consciously used by the “I AM” (Jesus, imagination) to shape reality.

The Calling in the Other Gospels

This symbolic transition appears in each gospel with its own nuance.

In Matthew 10:1–4, Jesus gives the twelve authority over unclean spirits and disease. Neville interpreted these as disturbances and limiting assumptions within consciousness. Authority here means mastering one's inner states and ruling over negative inner conversations — exactly what the Elohim (inner powers) must do to bring forth creation.

In Mark 3:13–19, the emphasis is on intimacy before sending: “that they might be with him and that he might send them out.” Your inner faculties must first dwell in union with imagination (Jesus) before they can act powerfully in the world.

Luke alone highlights the full night of prayer (Luke 6:12), showing the importance of fully saturating the mind in the assumption before commanding the faculties.

The Twelve: Elohim in Action

Neville taught that each apostle represents an aspect of your mind or a faculty of consciousness. When unordered (disciples), these aspects simply follow the strongest impressions or worldly beliefs. When named and appointed (apostles), they become deliberate extensions of your creative power — the Elohim in operation.

• Peter (faith) is the rock on which all creation is built.

• James and John (love and wisdom or zeal and clarity) energise and direct your assumption.

• Judas (misuse or betrayal) warns of selling your imaginative truth for external evidence (the “silver”).

These faculties are the inner “hosts” or “powers” described in Elohim — many voices and judges within the mind that, when unified and directed by the “I AM,” manifest the assumed state.

Until you consciously command them, these faculties remain as scattered disciples, pulled by the world. Once named, they act as apostles — emissaries of your inner state, carrying out your assumption and returning it to you as outer fact.

Conclusion: Elohim, Assumption, and the Inner Kingdom

The calling of the twelve is not a distant religious event but a profound psychological process. It is the moment you take ownership of your mind’s powers — your Elohim — and direct them to serve your chosen assumption.

Jesus (your awakened imagination) withdraws into higher consciousness (the mountain), unifies with the desired state (prayer), and commands the inner judges (Elohim) to serve this vision.

The difference between disciples and apostles marks the journey from passive inner chatter to deliberate, creative authorship. You move from reacting to appearances to ruling as Elohim, the many-as-one creative mind.

When these aspects are fully gathered, named, and sent, they manifest your inner kingdom — heaven on earth.