The Way

In the symbolic language of Scripture, the fig tree is a spiritual signpost . Appearing at pivotal moments in the Bible, and most strikingly in the ministry of Jesus, the fig tree brings us back to Eden, revealing something about the inner state of the mind . To read the Bible psychologically, as Neville Goddard taught, is to understand that Jesus’ actions are illustrations of consciousness. His interaction with the fig tree is no exception. In it, we see a powerful picture of what happens when desire is cut off from belief — and what it means to live in union within imagination. This article draws on several fig tree passages, especially those involving Jesus, and places them alongside Eden and the Song of Solomon to reveal one unified story: a movement from shame and separation, through spiritual barrenness, into creative union. The Seed Within: The Law of Genesis “And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his k...

A Hidden Garden In the Song of Solomon , there is a beautiful passage: "A garden shut up is my sister, my spouse; a spring shut up , a fountain sealed." — Song of Solomon 4:12 (BBE) On its surface, this is an intimate image of love, a secluded garden belonging to the beloved . But as Neville Goddard would teach, this is not merely a poetic metaphor of human romance — it is a symbolic statement about self-perception and the imaginative faculty within. A "garden shut up" represents the human imagination, which has been locked away, guarded, and often misunderstood. The sealed fountain points to the source of abundant imagination within us — the divine, self-generating imagination that can bring forth all experience. The Cherubim and the Flaming Sword We find a parallel in Genesis: "So he drove out the man; and at the east of the garden of Eden he put Cherubim and a flaming sword turning every way, to keep the way of the tree of life." — Genesis 3:2...

The Bible, when read with Neville Goddard’s understanding, becomes something astonishingly alive. It is no longer a book of laws and prohibitions, nor a record of historical events, but a manual for awakening to the power of assumption—your imagination, and rediscovering the joy of living from fulfilment. Through this lens, we find that pleasure is not the enemy of God, but His very signature . The whole of Scripture, from Eden to Revelation reveals a single truth: assumption is the divine act, and pleasure is its fruit . Eden: The First Picture of Assumptive Delight The Bible begins with a garden called Eden. The Hebrew word עֵדֶן means “ delight ” or “ pleasure .” That’s the foundation. Humanity wasn’t placed into a wilderness to toil and strive—it was placed in a setting of beauty, abundance, and joy. Genesis says God “planted a garden eastward in Eden,” and placed man there to enjoy it. This image isn’t about an ancient lost paradise. As Neville taught, Eden is within. It is th...

Interpreting the Bible’s Parables about Vineyards, Vines, and Grapes through Neville Goddard’s Teachings  reveals a deep connection to imagination, consciousness, and the power of belief. Evoking the Garden of Eden and the Song of Solomon , the symbolism of vines often relates the unfolding of a person’s self-perception . Here's an overview of the key parables that involve vineyards and how Neville might interpret them: The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard (Matthew 20:1–16) In this parable, Jesus tells of a vineyard owner who hires workers at different times of the day, yet pays them all the same wage. This is often understood as a story about grace, but from Neville’s perspective, it speaks to the principle of assumption and how everyone has access to the creative power of imagination. The vineyard is the field of consciousness, where we plant the seeds of our thoughts (our assumptions). The workers represent individuals at various stages of awareness or understandin...

Neville Goddard taught that the Bible is not a historical account, but a psychological drama — a symbolic unfolding of the inner world and its divine imagination. Its verses speak in symbols, tracing the movement of consciousness through longing, identity, union, and transformation. One of the most quietly pivotal verses in the entire narrative is Genesis 2:24: “Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.”  "That you are to put away, in relation to your earlier way of life, the old man, which is completely turned to evil desires; And be made new in the spirit of your mind, And put on the new man, to which God has given life, in righteousness and a true and holy way of living." — Ephesians 4:22–24 This is not a description of physical marriage . It is the psychological-emotional structure behind every transformation in the Bible. It is a symbolic instruction: To “leave father and mother” means to break fr...

"And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so." — Genesis 1:11 This verse in Genesis might seem like a simple agricultural moment in the creation story when the first pure assumption was made . But when interpreted through the teachings of Neville Goddard, it reveals a fundamental metaphysical truth: everything reproduces after its kind because the seed is in itself —a direct metaphor for how imagination creates reality . It's the first mention of the two trees in the Garden of Eden . The Seed Within Itself: A Core Principle of Manifestation Neville often stressed that your imagination contains the power to create your world . What you assume to be true in imagination plants a seed. And just as in Genesis 1:11, that seed contains everything needed to reproduce itself —after its kind. This means if you imagine from a state of joy, you w...

Abital (אֲבִיטַל) means “My father is dew” or “Father of dew.” Dew, in biblical symbolism, represents refreshing, blessing, and gentle renewal . Like the early morning dew that nourishes the earth quietly but powerfully, Abital embodies the hidden grace that nurtures new states of consciousness before they fully manifest. Biblical Context Abital is briefly mentioned as one of David’s wives and the mother of Shephatiah (2 Samuel 3:4). Though her story is short, the significance in her name points to the vital inner process of refreshment and renewal —the quiet preparation that undergirds visible growth. Symbolism in Early Genesis In Genesis 2:6 , a mist rises from the earth to water the ground, symbolising the invisible life-giving force that prepares the earth for growth. Dew, too, is used in blessings (Genesis 27:28) to represent divine favour and abundant nurture. In Neville Goddard’s framework, dew and mist represent the imaginative awareness and faith that subtly wat...

“A garden enclosed is my sister, my spouse; a spring shut up, a fountain sealed.”— Song of Solomon 4:12 Throughout Scripture, many names appear that, while minor in the overall narrative, symbolise crucial states of consciousness in the process of manifestation. One such name is Hezron. His name and place in the genealogy quietly reveal the necessity of guarding the imagination until it is ready to be expressed and take form. Who Is Hezron? Hezron is a psychological state that (Hebrew: חֶצְרוֹן, ḥeṣrôn) appears in key genealogies: Genesis 46:12 – grandson of Judah, son of Perez Ruth 4:18 – part of the lineage to David Matthew 1:3 – in the genealogy of Jesus The root of Hezron’s name (חָצֵר, ḥāṣēr) means “to enclose” or “surround with a wall.” Strong’s Concordance defines it as “enclosed; surrounded by a wall.” Between Judah (praise) and David (the awakened kingly consciousness), Hezron marks the inner condition of enclosure — the imagination protected and held secure. Hezron...

The story of Judah and Tamar in Genesis 38, when read through Neville Goddard’s teachings, reveals a powerful truth: even a small or hesitant assumption automatically calls forth what was once hidden or ignored.  This story is often overlooked when read literally because it appears to imply incest. However, on a psychological level, the “father-in-law” connection symbolises the mind conceptually joined to imagination through the Law of Assumption. Judah symbolises the mind beginning to play with (or “toy with”) the Law of Assumption, while Tamar represents imagination waiting quietly, ready to respond. Tamar: The Imagination in Waiting Tamar stands for the creative power of imagination that has been set aside. She isn’t active on her own; she is veiled, waiting to be called . Her “widowhood” shows imagination without clear direction, left waiting because Judah (the conscious self) delays fully embracing the Law . Judah’s Hesitation and Movement Judah holds back from giving ...

In the story of human consciousness and manifestation, two biblical symbols stand out: the Garden of Eden and the Temple. These are not historical or architectural references but metaphors for the inner creative process. Neville Goddard’s teachings help us unlock their deeper meaning, showing how they relate to our imagination, feeling, and the conscious assumption of being. The Garden of Eden: The Fertile Emotional Soil Genesis 2:8 tells us: “And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed .” This garden is described as lush, fertile, and full of life—an environment ripe for growth. Neville interprets this as the emotional current , the feeling state that precedes and nurtures all creation. From Feeling is the Secret (Neville, 1944): “Feeling is the secret. Feeling is the creative power.” The garden represents the imaginative and emotional foundation where all desires take root. It is the receptive state—the ‘soil’—in which the seed ...

The name “ Jesus ” means “ God is salvation ,” but this salvation is not about external rescue, it is the awakening of a new state of awareness that actively goes around gathering every fractured part of the mind in need of healing . Like a compassionate saviour, this consciousness restores what was lost in the original Garden of Eden , returning each part to the vision of pleasure, unity, and wholeness. Jesus is the living presence that walks through the inner landscape of our thoughts, feelings, and memories—transforming shame into acceptance, division into union, and fear into delight. He becomes the  man placed in the Garden of Eden  again. The Original Garden and the Birth of Separation In Genesis, Adam and Eve eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Their eyes are opened; shame enters. They cover themselves with fig leaves — coping stories born from division: “And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig lea...

The Garden of Eden , whose name in Hebrew means “ pleasure ” or “ delight ,” is the original source from which four mighty rivers flow. These rivers symbolise different expressions of abundance — channels through which the joy and creativity of Eden spread into the world. This theme of flowing delight and living water resonates deeply throughout the Bible, especially in the passionate imagery of the Song of Solomon — a poetic celebration of love, desire, and spiritual intimacy. Eden: The Garden of Pleasure and the Source of Living Water The Hebrew Eden (עֵדֶן) means pleasure or delight — an overflowing joy that is the root of all abundance. This pleasure gives birth to the four rivers, each named to reflect a unique aspect of creative flow: Pishon — meaning “to spread” or “break forth” , reflecting the spreading of delight and pleasure into creation. Gihon — meaning “to gush” or “burst forth” , symbolising the bursting forth of joyful creative energy from pleasure. Ti...

Genesis 1, Matthew 3:16–17, and Song of Solomon 2:14 each employ parallel symbols — spirit, water , voice, dove, and rock — to reveal the movement of imagination from formless potential into conscious form . This is the primal movement of “ I AM ” — the awareness of being — and the stirring of self within the hidden deep. These scriptures are not separate episodes, but poetic echoes: each one sings a verse of the same eternal concept. 1. Genesis 1:1–20 The Foundational Symbol: Spirit over the Formless Deep "At the first God made the heaven and the earth. And the earth was waste and without form; and it was dark on the face of the deep: and the Spirit of God was moving on the face of the waters." —Genesis 1:1–2, BBE "And God said, Let the waters be full of living things, and let birds be in flight over the earth under the arch of heaven." —Genesis 1:20, BBE Symbolic Meaning: Waters = subconscious potential; the formless state of being Spirit = the creat...

“Then the man said, ‘This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, for she was taken out of Man.’” —Genesis 2:23 “That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh.” —Genesis 2:24 The stories of Rebekah and Rachel, each meeting their future husbands at a well, are profound enactments of the spiritual union celebrated throughout the Bible. This sacred joining is the heartbeat of the Song of Solomon—the timeless poetic dance of bride and bridegroom , symbolising the soul’s yearning for and fulfilment in divine union. Wells and Rivers: Sources of Life, Abundance, and Spiritual Encounter The river that goes out to water the garden is called Abundance. It is the source that flows from the two trees. These waters nourish and feed many wells —among them the very wells where Rebekah and Rachel first appear. Such places are steeped in symbolism as sources of life, refreshment, and revelation. In an...

The Bible often refers to a “land flowing with milk and honey,” evoking imagery of luscious abundance and effortless provision. Yet, under the surface of this poetic phrase lies something far more profound than physical geography. According to Neville Goddard, this land symbolises a state of consciousness — an inner realisation of divine creativity and spiritual fulfilment. Milk and Honey: Symbols of Imaginative Abundance In Neville’s interpretation, milk and honey represent the dual qualities of nourishment and pleasure that imagination brings. Milk is sustaining; honey is sweet. Together, they point to a flow of creative energy — the kind of internal richness that, once accessed, overflows naturally into one’s outer world. The land that “flows” with these gifts is not found on any map — it’s the awakened imagination, aligned with desire and expectation. “I have come down to deliver them... to a land flowing with milk and honey.” This moment signals the divine descent into human a...

The Bible’s natural imagery—trees, vines, branches, roots—is not just decoration. In Neville Goddard’s teaching, these symbols describe profound inner processes governed by imagination. They reveal how the Garden of Eden, the Song of Solomon, and the prophecy of Jesse’s root all tell the same story: the journey from separation to union with our creative power. The Tree as Consciousness: Eden’s Divine Symbol “Out of the earth the Lord God made every tree come, delighting the eye and good for food— Genesis 2:9 Genesis 1:11 says,  “And God said, Let the earth give grass, plants producing seed, and fruit-trees giving fruit, every one producing seed in its kind: and it was so.” This verse lays the foundation for all biblical tree symbolism. The seed “in itself” mirrors Neville’s core teaching: every state of consciousness carries its own outcome within. Your imagination, like a tree, holds the seed of what you will become. The Tree of Life represents pure “ I AM ” awareness — conscious...