The story of Saul and the woman (or witch) of Endor in 1 Samuel 28 is often misunderstood when taken literally. However, when approached through the psychological and symbolic method taught by Neville Goddard, each figure and event represents aspects of our inner life—our states of consciousness, subconscious activity, and imaginative faculties. In this interpretation, Saul is not a historical king but a symbol of a fading self-concept, struggling to maintain control in the face of inner change.
The name Endor, meaning “spring of the generation” or “fountain of dwelling,” quietly connects the story of Saul and the woman of Endor to deeper biblical symbolism. It evokes the river that flows out of Eden in Genesis, the source from which all experience is watered, and the concealed spring in the Song of Solomon—“a garden enclosed… a fountain sealed.” In both cases, these waters symbolise the hidden life of the subconscious, the generative power that sustains and shapes reality from within. But where Eden and Solomon’s song suggest divine order and sacred intimacy, Endor represents a breach in that order: a spring accessed not through union, but through desperation and fear. Saul, cut off from inner communion, turns to an outer source, drawing up a past state (Samuel) from this symbolic fountain. Endor, then, becomes the shadow of Eden—a place where the inner wellspring is forced open by the will of man, not by the harmony of love or divine timing.
1 Samuel 28:1
Now in those days the Philistines got their forces together for war, to make an attack on Israel: and Achish said to David, Truly you are to go out with me to the fight, you and your men.
Interpretation:
Though the verse begins with David, it foreshadows conflict. “Philistines” represent fears or reactive states rising again. David is the emerging new self-state, while Saul fades in the background—setting the scene for inner transition.
1 Samuel 28:2
And David said to Achish, You may be certain that your servant will do whatever my lord sees to be right. Then Achish said to David, Then I will make you keeper of my head for ever.
Interpretation:
David as the “keeper of my head” symbolises the new self-concept — I AM — gaining dominance in consciousness. The former authority (Saul) is about to be eclipsed by the newly assumed identity.
1 Samuel 28:3
Now Samuel was dead, and all Israel had made lamentation for him, and had put his body to rest in Ramah, his town. And Saul had put away from the land those who had control of spirits, and the users of secret arts.
Interpretation:
The voice of inner knowing (Samuel) seems lost. Saul has suppressed intuitive insight (“those with control of spirits”), showing he once rejected the subconscious and imaginative faculties, relying only on outer control.
1 Samuel 28:4
And the Philistines came together and went and put up their tents in Shunem: and Saul got all Israel together and they put up their tents in Gilboa.
Interpretation:
The internal conflict is intensifying. “Philistines in Shunem” signals threatening mental states. “Gilboa” means bubbling spring—emotions are rising. The subconscious is stirring.
1 Samuel 28:5
And when Saul saw the Philistine army he was troubled, and his heart was moved with fear.
Interpretation:
Fear grips the fading self-concept. Saul, once king, now quakes before what imagination (the Philistines) has brought forth. This is the moment the old identity realises it no longer rules.
1 Samuel 28:6
And when Saul went for directions to the Lord, the Lord did not give him an answer, by dreams or Urim or prophets.
Interpretation:
Guidance (imagination) is silent to Saul because he no longer truly believes in or inhabits this state. Without assumption, the inner voice is quiet. The channels once open are closed.
1 Samuel 28:7
Then Saul said to his servants, Get me a woman who has control of a spirit, so that I may go to her and get directions through her. And his servants said to him, There is such a woman at En-dor.
Interpretation:
In desperation, Saul turns to the subconscious (“woman with a spirit”). This is not a new state but a backdoor—a fearful attempt to regain what has been lost without re-entering true belief.
1 Samuel 28:8
So Saul took another form and put on other clothing, and went, he and two men with him, and they came to the woman by night: and he said, Now get the spirit up for me of the man whose name I will give you.
Interpretation:
Saul’s disguise shows he no longer identifies with the self he once was. “By night” signals ignorance. The approach to the subconscious is cloaked, indirect, fearful—seeking control instead of communion.
1 Samuel 28:9
And the woman said to him, Truly you have knowledge of what Saul has done, how he has put to death those who have control of a spirit in the land: why then are you making a net for my life to cause my death?
Interpretation:
The subconscious resists. It remembers being repressed. Now, being invoked without love or belief, it reacts with fear. Manipulating the inner world without reverence brings inner conflict.
1 Samuel 28:10
And Saul made an oath to her by the Lord, saying, By the living Lord, no punishment will come to you for this.
Interpretation:
Saul attempts to reassure the subconscious. But the oath is hollow—he appeals to “the Lord” whom he no longer hears. It’s an empty promise from a disconnected self.
1 Samuel 28:11
Then the woman said, Who am I to let up for you? And he said, Make Samuel come up for me.
Interpretation:
He seeks to call forth the old voice of intuition and guidance. Samuel here symbolises the once-active awareness of truth and identity—now buried, needing resurrection.
1 Samuel 28:12
And when the woman saw Samuel, she gave a loud cry, and said to Saul, Why have you been false to me? for you are Saul.
Interpretation:
Recognition strikes—the subconscious perceives the old self and reacts. There’s an inner jolt as memory surfaces. The subconscious doesn’t create—it reflects—and now it reflects fear and guilt.
1 Samuel 28:13
And the king said to her, Have no fear: what do you see? And the woman said to Saul, I see a god coming up out of the earth.
Interpretation:
The subconscious vision is divine but emerging from “the earth”—the depth of imagination. “A god” is the latent power of identity returning to consciousness.
1 Samuel 28:14
And he said to her, What sort of man is he? And she said, He is an old man coming up, and he is covered with a robe. And Saul saw that it was Samuel, and he went down on his face and gave him honour.
Interpretation:
Samuel returns robed—dignified, clothed with the authority of spiritual wisdom. Saul bows, recognising the truth he had buried. The self acknowledges the power of what once was believed.
1 Samuel 28:15
And Samuel said to Saul, Why have you made me come up, troubling me? And Saul said, I am in great trouble; for the Philistines make war against me, and God has gone away from me and no longer gives me an answer, by the mouth of prophets or by dreams: so I have sent for you to make clear to me what I am to do.
Interpretation:
This is the moment of inner confession. Saul, like the reader in a lost state, admits to spiritual deafness and seeks help—but still from outside, not from within.
1 Samuel 28:16
And Samuel said, Why do you put questions to me, seeing that the Lord has gone away from you and is now against you?
Interpretation:
The old inner voice cannot help when belief is gone. Once imagination is resisted or doubted, it appears as enemy—not because it is, but because disbelief turns it so.
1 Samuel 28:17
And the Lord has done for himself as he said he would by me: for the Lord has taken the kingdom from your hand and given it to another, even to David.
Interpretation:
The kingdom—the seat of power—has passed. David, the new self, now rules. Awareness naturally transfers to the assumed identity. Imagination is always faithful to what is truly believed.
1 Samuel 28:18
Because you did not give ear to the voice of the Lord, and did not put into effect his burning wrath against Amalek, so the Lord has done this to you today.
Interpretation:
Ignoring the inner voice and clinging to past enemies (“Amalek” as resistance) causes this collapse. Failure to uproot limiting thoughts leaves imagination divided.
1 Samuel 28:19
And more than this, the Lord will give Israel up with you into the hands of the Philistines: tomorrow you and your sons will be with me: the Lord will give up the army of Israel into the hands of the Philistines.
Interpretation:
This self-concept (Saul) and its “sons” (emotions and thoughts born of it) will fall. Without new assumption, doubt and fear (Philistines) take over the mental landscape.
1 Samuel 28:20
Then Saul went down flat on the earth, and was full of fear because of Samuel’s words: and there was no strength in him, for he had taken no food all that day or all that night.
Interpretation:
This collapse shows utter depletion. The old identity, disconnected from imagination, starves. There is no sustaining power left when one is not aligned with inner truth.
1 Samuel 28:21–25
And the woman came to Saul and saw that he was in great fear, and said to him, Truly your servant has done what you said to me, and I have put my life in danger, and have done what you said. So now, take the food which I have got ready for you, and let it give you strength so that you may go on your way. But he would not. And his servants, together with the woman, made him take it; and he got up from the earth and took his seat on the bed. And the woman had a young ox in the house, and with all speed she put it to death: and she took meal and kneaded it, and made unleavened bread; And she put it before Saul and his servants, and they had a meal. Then they got up and went away the same night.
Interpretation:
At first, Saul refuses nourishment. The old self resists transformation. But after being urged, he accepts food—a symbol of receiving the substance of a new assumption. “Unleavened bread” represents fresh, unpolluted ideas. The meal is the quiet beginning of letting go.
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