A Neville Goddard-Inspired Interpretation
To Neville Goddard, the Bible is not a record of ancient history—it is a divine psychological allegory, unfolding entirely within the mind of the individual. Every name, place, and object symbolises something within you. And at the centre of this inner landscape is the heart—not the physical organ, but the emotional and imaginative core of your being.
In scriptural symbolism, the heart is the place of conception, the dwelling place of God, and the mercy seat within.
“Keep Thy Heart with All Diligence…”
“Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.”
— Proverbs 4:23
Neville saw this not as moral advice, but as spiritual law.
The heart represents the subconscious mind—that deep, receptive part of the self where assumptions take root. What you accept as true in this inner realm is projected into your outer world. Life does not happen to you; it flows from you—from the heart.
“Change your conception of yourself and you will automatically change the world in which you live.”
— Neville Goddard
The Heart as the Mercy Seat
To grasp the true power of the heart, we must turn to one of the Bible’s most sacred symbols: the mercy seat.
“And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat…”
— Exodus 25:22
The mercy seat, resting atop the Ark of the Covenant, was flanked by two cherubim. It was considered the holiest point in the Tabernacle—the place where God’s presence appeared, and where atonement was made.
In Neville’s symbolic interpretation, the mercy seat is not found in stone temples—it is within your own heart.
Just as the mercy seat sits above the Ark—which contained the law, the manna, and Aaron’s rod—your imaginative faculty reigns over your inner laws (beliefs), sustenance (faith), and creative authority (consciousness).
The heart is where God and man meet. It is the womb of creation, the space where imagination impresses itself upon the subconscious.
“The Kingdom of God is within you.”
— Luke 17:21
Feeling Is the Secret
The heart, being subconscious, is not moved by logic or intellect. It responds only to feeling.
This is why Neville taught:
“Feeling is the secret.”
When a thought is fused with emotion—when it is felt as true—the heart accepts it. That accepted feeling becomes a seed, and like any seed, it grows and expresses itself in the world.
“For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he…”
— Proverbs 23:7
To think in the heart is to feel with conviction. This is the secret behind every answered prayer and every manifestation.
Absalom: The Rebellion of the Divided Heart
The story of Absalom, found in 2 Samuel 18, offers one of the Bible’s most striking symbolic portrayals of the heart.
Absalom, the son of David, is described as physically perfect—but inwardly, he is a rebel, driven by pride and ego. Caught by his hair in the branches of an oak tree, he is suspended between heaven and earth—a powerful image of a self divided between higher truth and lower desire.
“And Joab took three darts in his hand, and thrust them through the heart of Absalom, while he was yet alive in the midst of the oak.”
— 2 Samuel 18:14
The three darts represent the penetration of truth into a corrupt state of consciousness—false assumptions, egoic pride, and disconnection from divine order. But the transformation is not instant.
“Ten young men that bare Joab’s armour compassed about and smote Absalom, and slew him.”
— 2 Samuel 18:15
In Neville’s language, the ten young men symbolise the full range of mental faculties—the complete spiritual mechanism of transformation. They do not represent violence, but completion. The number ten speaks to divine order and the complete breakdown of an old state.
Absalom’s death is not punishment—it is mercy. A corrupted heart must die so that a new, unified one can be born.
“A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you…”
— Ezekiel 36:26
Guarding the Heart: The Neville Way
The message is simple and eternal:
What lives in your heart will live in your world.
To guard your heart is to be mindful of imagination—to sow consciously, with love and vision. As Neville often taught, you must live from the end—dwell in the assumption that your desire is already fulfilled.
Choose to impress the heart with:
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Forgiveness, not resentment
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Faith, not fear
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Vision, not vanity
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Love, not limitation
The heart is your inner mercy seat, your sacred place of communion. What you plant there will not return void.
“Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.”
— Matthew 5:8
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