Moses and The Burning Bush

“And the angel of the Lord was seen by him in a flame of fire coming out of a thorn-tree: and he saw that the tree was on fire, but it was not burned up.”— Exodus 3:2

On the far side of the wilderness, Moses turns aside to witness a mystery: a bush ablaze with fire, yet not consumed. This is not merely a supernatural event—it is a psychological symbol.

When God calls out from the midst of the fire, Moses replies, “Here I AM.”

This phrase appears earlier in scripture too—most notably when Abraham is called to sacrifice Isaac. In each case, it marks the beginning of a transformation. “Here I am” is not about location; it’s about readiness. It is the inner moment when consciousness turns inward and becomes receptive to divine revelation.

Then comes a strange command:

“Take off your shoes from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.”
— Exodus 3:5

Shoes form a barrier between you and the earth. To remove them is to remove preconception. You are asked to touch this moment of realisation directly, without protection or separation. The ground becomes holy not because it is different—but because you are finally present in it, aware of what you are.

To stand barefoot before the I AM is to stand as you truly are: unguarded, awake, and open.

Then comes the divine name:

“And God said to Moses, I AM WHAT I AM… Say this to the children of Israel: I AM has sent me to you.”
— Exodus 3:14

This is not a riddle. It is the central revelation of the Bible: Being itself is the cause of all. But the structure is just as important as the words. The double repetition—“I AM THAT I AM”—is deeply symbolic.

It is not explanation, but creation. The first “I AM” is your awareness of being. The second “I AM” is what you choose to identify with. This is the spiritual act of fixing a state—declaring it real in imagination. Neville Goddard described this as the moment of crucifixion: the conscious fusion of yourself with a new assumption.

This principle of like-begets-like had already been sown in the opening chapter of Genesis:

“Let the earth put out grass, plants producing seed, and fruit-trees giving fruit, in which is their seed, after their sort…”
— Genesis 1:11

Everything brings forth after its kind. The seed is already within. Genesis 1:11 shows it in the natural world; Exodus 3:14 reveals it in the realm of consciousness. One is external, the other internal—but they are the same truth.

Genesis 1:11 and Exodus 3:14 are two expressions of the same law:
What you are, you express.
What you declare, you become.
What you assume, you manifest.

In Neville’s understanding, the burning bush moment is not about obedience—it’s about identity. You are being called to remember who and what you really are. And when the voice calls from the fire within, the only answer that ignites transformation is:

“Here I AM.”