The Way

The stories of Reuben lying with his father’s concubine (Genesis 35:22) and Judah’s union with Tamar (Genesis 38) are more than moral lessons. They symbolise two different states of awareness engaging with the Law of Assumption — the process of shifting from the old self to the new imagined self . This is reflected in Genesis 2:24: “Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.” This is not about literal marriage but about leaving behind the old, inherited identity and uniting with the new inner self. Reuben: Clinging to the Old Reuben, the firstborn, represents the old self holding on to inherited ways. His act of lying with Bilhah, his father’s concubine, symbolises trying to claim identity through past habits rather than transformation. “Reuben went and lay with Bilhah his father's concubine...” (Genesis 35:22) Reuben refuses to leave the old self behind, attempting assumption without real change. ...

The story of Reuben going up to his father’s bed (Genesis 35:22) is often read as a scandalous family drama. But within a symbolic and metaphysical reading, especially through Neville Goddard’s teachings, it reveals a profound lesson about the earliest and most common mistake we make when attempting to manifest a new life: the refusal to fully separate from the old self. Reuben as the First Attempt at Assumption Reuben’s name means “Behold, a son!” — from ra’ah (to see) and ben (son). Symbolically, he represents the first awareness that imagination has creative power: the initial spark of “I see.” However, as Neville taught, seeing is not enough. Without discipline and full commitment, this awareness remains unstable, unable to produce lasting transformation. Thinking about manifesting for two minutes and then going straight back to the old way of thinking is not going to yield results.  The Act: Falling Back Into Old Patterns Reuben, as Jacob’s firstborn, is the most established...