To the Choir Master: A Metaphor For God

Many of the Psalms begin with the phrase “To the choir master,” or “To the chief musician.” At first glance, this may seem like a musical direction. But when read through the deeper symbolic understanding taught by Neville Goddard, it reveals something intimate: it is not a note to an external temple musician, but a spiritual instruction directed within.

"If I make use of the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a sounding brass, or a clashing cymbal." — 1 Corinthians 13:1

The choir master represents the inner conductor — the ordering principle in your mind that brings all thoughts and feelings into harmony. This inner conductor is none other than Elohim — the plural “gods,” “rulers,” “judges,” and “mighty ones” within you. According to Strong’s Concordance, Elohim is a plural noun that points to the many forces within consciousness: your assumptions, moods, and self-concepts.

Neville taught that Elohim —  God — is not an external god but your own imagination in action. You are the ruler of your inner states; the judge passing verdict on what is true for you. Just as a choir master guides each voice into a single, harmonious song, so Elohim — your imagination — gathers all inner voices and directs them toward a unified expression.

When a Psalm is addressed “To the choir master,” it is really a call to direct your deepest songs — your prayers, affirmations, and feelings — to the ruling imagination within. It is a reminder to bring every wandering thought and scattered desire under the rule of the Elohim in you, the divine creative faculty.

In this light, your imagination is not a passive daydream but the very judge and ruler shaping your world. The many voices within — fears, hopes, desires, beliefs — are like a choir waiting for your command. When harmonised under the guidance of your inner Elohim, these voices produce the beautiful music of a life deliberately shaped.

So the next time you read, “To the choir master,” see it as an invitation: direct your inner song to the imaginative power that rules your reality. In doing so, you step into your true role as the living Elohim, conductor of the great choir of your mind.