Let’s be honest—communion in church can be a strange experience. You line up solemnly to consume what looks and feels suspiciously like a sliver of pressed white cardboard. It’s holy cardboard, sure, but cardboard nonetheless. And yet, that tiny wafer is meant to symbolise divine sustenance—something deeply mysterious and powerful. It’s not too different from how the Israelites reacted when they first saw manna. They asked, “What is it?”
Exactly.
Manna: What Is It?
“And when the dew that lay was gone up, behold, upon the face of the wilderness there lay a small round thing, as small as the hoar frost on the ground. And when the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another, It is manna: for they wist not what it was.”
— Exodus 16:14–15 (KJV)
The word manna comes from the Hebrew man hu? meaning “What is it?” (Exodus 16:15), a phrase that captures the mystery of divine sustenance. Manna wasn’t just food—it was something they couldn’t define. And in Neville Goddard’s framework, this mystery opens up a powerful metaphor: imagination itself is our manna. It’s formless, often unrecognised, and yet it sustains everything.
In Neville’s teachings, manna represents the creative power of imagination—the invisible source from which all things are made. Just as the Israelites were mystified by the manna in the wilderness, we too often fail to grasp how imagination works, even as we consume it daily.
Imagination as Manna
We are always imagining something—whether consciously or unconsciously. These assumptions become the sustenance of our lived experience. Every belief we hold, every self-concept we entertain, is a form of spiritual nourishment. Whether it uplifts or limits us depends on what we’re feeding ourselves.
Like manna, our imagination must be gathered daily. We can’t hoard yesterday’s assumptions and expect them to nourish us today. This mirrors the biblical rule: manna gathered in excess spoiled overnight. Our inner world needs fresh attention—new assumptions, consciously chosen.
The Daily Act of Assuming: Choosing the New Man
Paul’s letters speak of putting on the “new man” (Ephesians 4:24)—and Neville interprets this as assuming a new state of being. To assume the feeling of the wish fulfilled is to embody the person you desire to be. It’s an inner act of transformation, repeated daily.
Just as the Israelites gathered manna each morning, we must feed our imagination with the feeling of our desired reality. If we desire abundance, love, or healing, we must assume we already have it. In doing so, we are consuming the manna of our own creation.
What Are You Consuming?
Ask yourself: What is it that I’m feeding on today? What assumptions, beliefs, or narratives am I chewing on mentally? Am I nourishing myself with possibility, or am I reheating old limitations?
Manna wasn’t just food—it was symbolic. Likewise, imagination isn’t just fantasy—it’s the substance from which your world is formed.
Conclusion: The Mystery That Sustains
Manna is not only a story of ancient provision—it’s a parable of spiritual sustenance. The word manna comes from the Hebrew man hu?, meaning “What is it?” (Exodus 16:15)—a perfect description of the imaginative power we so often overlook. It is mysterious, formless, and life-giving.
Neville Goddard taught that imagination is the only reality. Every day, you are fed by what you assume. So choose consciously. You are being sustained by a divine gift—What is it? Imagination. The manna of your soul.
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