"No Devils, Only Doubt: Reclaiming the Symbols of Baal and Satan"

When reading the Bible through the teachings of Neville Goddard, it becomes clear that the scriptures aren’t chronicling ancient history or describing external deities—they're psychological dramas, symbolic narratives playing out within the mind of the individual. One of the most misrepresented symbols in this inner journey is Baal. Often associated with pagan idolatry and later conflated with Satan, Baal has long been misunderstood. But Neville offered a transformative interpretation that strips away superstition and brings clarity to this ancient symbol.

To Neville, Baal is not an external idol or demonic figure—it represents any belief in an external cause. Whenever you assume that something outside of you—be it money, circumstance, another person, or even fate—is responsible for the condition of your life, you are, symbolically, worshipping Baal. It is the core of what he calls “idol worship”: looking to the world of effects rather than acknowledging the only true cause—your own human imagination.

“The Baalim are not devils. The Baalim are the beliefs in external causes. Any belief that some cause other than your own wonderful human imagination is responsible for the phenomena of your life—that is Baal.” — Neville Goddard

This becomes even more profound when you look at the original Hebrew meaning of the word Baal. It simply means “lord,” “master,” or “owner.” In its earliest usage, it wasn’t necessarily negative. It described authority—something or someone regarded as having control. So, when the Bible speaks of Israel turning to Baal, it symbolises the inner man giving authority to something outside of himself. In Neville’s framework, it is the moment when you allow appearances to dictate your reality, rather than creating from within.

Over time, Baal became mythologised into a rival deity—an enemy of the “true God”—and this characterisation gradually merged into the Christian conception of Satan. But here again, Neville departs from traditional belief. To him, Satan is not a literal being. Satan is the state of consciousness that believes in separation from God. It is the voice of doubt, fear, limitation, and defeat—the mental accuser that tempts you to react to the outer world rather than command it.

This leads us to another often misunderstood figure: Beelzebub, referred to in the New Testament as the “prince of devils.”. (Here, the author immediately has Tenacious D's 'Beelzeboss' playing in her mind). The name itself translates as “Lord of the Flies”—and the symbolism is striking. What do flies gather around? Decay, waste, and filth. In psychological terms, Beelzebub represents a state of mind fixated on spiritual rubbish—obsessing over problems, failures, gossip, and negative cycles. It is the imagination misused, circling endlessly around the dead and the defiled.

In Matthew 12:24, the Pharisees accuse Jesus of casting out devils by the power of Beelzebub. This wasn’t about literal exorcisms—it was a projection. The religious elite, deeply invested in an externalised, ritualistic form of worship, could not comprehend a man teaching that the kingdom of God is within. Their accusation reveals their own allegiance—to Baal, to the external, to the flies buzzing around the corpse of dead tradition.

“The only devil in this world is a negative state of consciousness which denies the power of the imagination.” — Neville Goddard

From Neville’s perspective, the true “satanic worship” is not found in ritual or iconography—it’s found in the mind that denies its own power. It’s the person who gives authority to the economy, the diagnosis, the news cycle, or their past. It’s the one who reacts instead of imagines.

In short:

• Baal symbolises misplaced authority—the belief in causes outside oneself.

• Satan is the inner voice of doubt and separation.

• Beelzebub is the fixation on negativity, waste, and mental decay.

The Bible’s warnings against these figures are not fear-based dogma—they are invitations to reclaim our inner power. They are psychological markers pointing us back to the only true source: our own wonderful human imagination.