What does it look like to "Seek first the kingdom of God?"By William Christian and Blake Edwards

What does Jesus say about anxiety in the Sermon on the Mount?By William Christian and Blake Edwards

Matthew 5 - Jesus calls His disciples to be salt and light. His desire is that His disciples will have righteousness that exceeds that of the Pharisees.By William Christian and Blake Edwards

What does it look like to serve others, as Christ did, as Paul suggested, as Philemon was asked to, or as a poor widow might have? Listen to this episode to find out what serving looks like as we strive to live our the Word.By William Christian and Blake Edwards

Blake is about 8 months into parenting and William is 5 months away from meeting his son for the first time. So, how in the world would these two know what to do as young dads when it comes to raising their boys? Look to the Word!By William Christian and Blake Edwards

What is your version of the blessed life? There are so many different ways we consider ourselves blessed, but the true blessed life (the good life) can be very different from what we think or expect. Changing our perspective, our character and our lifestyle to reflect what Jesus says in Matthew 5 is hard! If we listen and live like Jesus says, we a…

Summary: Our understanding of a key idea is limited by our habitual associations to it. Therefore, let’s explore again: “The world is you, pushed out”. 1. I began this exploration in E02. 2. CS Lewis: life in time and space is a gift -- and therefore it is in some sense a clever artificial arrangement. 3. Continual alternation in life between inwar…

Summary: A series of points regarding daily practice lead to this -- the law of conscious development we are engaging with is impersonal. 1. “I don’t criticize; I don’t judge; I don’t complain.” Follow this, and save energy to be usefully redirected. 2. Single point of awareness, non-identification, opens a path of escape: you are not “that person”…

Summary: The truth about the monetary system and what it says about our psychology. [Update: The paragraph mentioning 'fractional reserve lending' has been deleted, as this practice is now superceded by 'capital adequacy requirements'. Money creation is still an extraordinary privilege granted to private firms. ~15 Nov 2022] 1. Revisiting: politica…

Summary: Indications from the worlds of literature and visual art help to approach Neville's ideas. 1. Summary of E25 and E26: The poet and his protege. 2. How do their views align with Neville's precepts? 3. Further indications from Ezra Pound: what did he seek in a writer? 4. Quotes from Der Blaue Reiter -- wisdom from the world of visual art. 5.…

Summary: Author, artist and the poet’s biographer Eustace Mullins relates his revealed truth. 1. Inspiration from E025: Ezra Pound. 2. Follow up with his biographer: Eustace Mullins, Conversations with John F Kennedy. 3. Two themes: metaphysics and personal instruction. 4. Primacy of consciousness: humanity is asleep. 5. Life is a sort of Purgatory…

Summary: The poet Ezra Pound gives inspiration to overcome seeming defeat. 1. Essential assumption: “I am the creative source”. Doubt: Do I really believe this? 2. Negative state surruptitiously engenders doubt, indecision, worry. 3. Poet’s vision: I know who I am . Inspiration derived from example of Ezra Pound. 4. Pound: background, history. 5. H…

Summary: The deliberate use of the imagination has a healing effect. We want to explore this idea. 1. Key revelation: deliberate engagement of imagination in speaking has healing effects. 2. Nicoll: instructed by Gurdjieff that consciousness is healing in its effect. 3. Neville: advocated “revision” -- to remake a past event to effect healing. Test…

Summary: Neville often says that assumptions, when persisted in, harden into fact. How can we establish beneficial assumptions and maintain them? 1. Assumptions may be held relatively consciously or subconsciously, in the background of the mind. 2. Try to observe, bring to light, and dissipate detrimental background assumptions. 3. Cultivate a posi…

Summary: I must “lay aside all other processes” and “act by clear imagination and intention.” That is our target in today’s episode. Introduction Here is the premise: to stop wasting energy and go directly to what we want. Neville’s brilliantly confident formulation is this: I must “lay aside all other processes” and “act by clear imagination and i…

Summary: To answer this question, let’s turn first to Neville. Did he have any definite political or social views? 1. NEVILLE: POSITIVE VIEW 2. NEVILLE: TRANSCENDENTAL VIEW 3. NEVILLE: ASSERTING THE POWER OF THE IMAGINATION 4. PRINCIPLED POSITION TO INFORM OUR AFFIRMATIONS 5. IMPERATIVE OF LIBERTY AND ITS ECONOMIC/POLITICAL ARRANGEMENT 6. OUR SYSTE…

Summary: In today’s episode, I will address a. motivation and b. experiential technique. Neville quotes philosopher Douglas Fawcett, one of the philosophers of transcendental idealism. The secret of imagining is the greatest of all problems, to the solution of which everyone should aspire, for supreme power, supreme wisdom, and supreme delight lie …

Summary: 1. Let’s revisit what this podcast series is all about. 2. Encountering the archetype. Introduction Part I I feel compelled to reiterate the purpose of this podcast series. The listener should know exactly what my intention is. Part II Encountering the archetype: a further exploration of the world without as the world within. Part I 1. Rec…

Summary: Drifting is to attend to an endless series of ordinary concerns, all devoid of a unifying worthwhile vision. Shifting means a lateral mental movement. Introduction Both Napoleon Hill (Interview with the Devil) and Maurice Nicoll warn against drifting, as does Neville himself. There are many ways of drifting, on different scales. One effect…

Summary: I’ve encountered recently several challenges to human freedom. But how does Neville answer this conundrum? Introduction 1. The institutional retraints on freedom and imposed formation of self: family education religion work popular commercial culture, mass media, social media government finance healthcare system military, war, sports, etc.…

Summary: We are so used to self deprecation that when we succeed, we are in strange territory. How to hold on to spiritual gains? Introduction 1. Recent reviews of first principles: self creation; meditation; appropriation of the wish fulfilled. 2. Possible results or refuges that we unwittingly fall into in failing to own our success. 3. All of th…

Introduction Meditation has many connotations and practices. What is important here is an underlying concept of the mind and spirit, an understanding of your own identity, to inform your practice, which is grounded in the ideas we have been considering, especially those in E4 (How to Really Use Affirmations). 1. Concept of meditation a. Meditation,…

Introduction Let’s consider the idea of self-creation. We can see the intersection of the ideas and instructions of authors: Neville; Rolf Alexander; Maurice Nicoll; Eckart Tolle. 1. Neville: awakened imagination -- expanded definition 2. Alexander: self awareness as the life’s purpose 3. Nicoll: if there is truth within us, there is a lot that is …

Introduction I did not post in the last 2 weeks. Discussion of illness. 1. Planet in its orbit - proximity to and remoteness from conscious source, as a test. 2. Subtlety, refinement of state is desirable. 3. Put off the old mental conversations. 4. Helpful image of the serpent. 5. Blake: died many times since. Maurice Nicoll explains the seeming f…

1. Dominant narratives as hypnotic programs, and our own mental sovereignty. 2. Mass hypnotic sleep -- society. 3. Hypnotic sleep -- on an individual basis. 4. Authors in field of hypnosis, self-hypnosis, autohypnosis: no idea of true consciousness. 5. By contrast: GI Gurdjieff, Dr. R. Alexander and Neville: all hold a distinct concept of conscious…

1. Why do we bother to entertain in a serious way Neville’s claim? 2. Why I consider Neville’s presentation to be so compelling: a conscious influence, originating in the esoteric tradition. 3. Quotes indicating fantastic psychological instructions. i. “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt in us” John. ii. “ye are the temple of the living God; as…

1. Mind model i. Personality (Artificial) and Essence (Genuine; Higher Self) ii. Subconscious iii. Conscious 2. Relaxation 3. Receptivity and acceptance 4. Connection: "let this mind be in you..." 5. Seeing through evil 6. Extraordinary persistence plus understanding 7. Purity: realization that imagination is the sole cause 8. Revealing the good 9.…

Introduction 1. Awareness of being as God. 2. A seeming contrast in experience. 3. The promise - same for everyone? 4. Our nature: unitary yet fragmented. 5. “All that you behold, although it seems without, it is within, in your imagination.” 6. Detrimental effects of institutions. 7. The nature of evil as a necessary part of creation. 8. Two contr…

EPISODE SUMMARY A sketch of Neville’s worldview presented in a series of seeming contradictions. 1. Neville the heretic 2. The truth, hidden in a false wrapping 3. The paradox of the problem of evil 4. The paradoxical human condition 5. Comments on the paradox 6. Conclusions RESOURCES Michel de Molinos, The Spiritual Guide One of the best known “qu…

SHOW NOTES In this episode, I want to discuss views of Christianity, and how they affect the project of exploring Neville’s ideas. 1. Types of religion for types of persons 2. Comparing methods and religions is a matter of balance 3. Self-change involves challenging identity 4. Neville’s explanation of Christianity 5. Objections by conventional chu…

Premise: to set out ordered series of ideas -- still a good idea, yet time and patience, and an individual approach are all needed for engagement of the person with the ideas. Constant review, repetitions, re-statements and re-formulations are needed. Constant changing of techniques and methods is needed, to avoid a dead and mechanical practice. Ex…

SHOW NOTES Introduction Neville’s explanation of the 12 Disciples as aspects of the mind occurs in Chapter 18 of Your Faith is Your Fortune. Our purpose is to offer an interpretation and commentary on this extraordinary self-training. Neville’s introduction The disciples received the power against “unclean spirits, sickness and disease.” Understand…

Neville Goddard recommends affirmations (as a form of prayer), as do other schools of thought. Too often, the practice becomes frustrating when it remains on the surface, as “vain repetition”. Let’s look into Neville’s advice and explain nuances of technique. The goal is to inject fresh energy, conviction and effectiveness into our affirmations. 1.…

SHOW NOTES Summary of material covered so far in this podcast series. Neville’s article Fundamentals (show notes Ep. 1) suggests defining an aim, and then observing yourself (reactions, thoughts and emotions) in relation to it. Difficulty in many forms. a. The first difficulty is being unable to focus. b. The second problem is the incessant interna…

Manifesting -- this is the preferred topic in all the discourse on Neville. It seems to imply two distinct things: my mind, and the external world. Neville’s message is instead a total reversal: the two are one and the same. The Universe is mental in nature (=the psyche). This idea appears in ancient traditions. SHOW NOTES 1. First episode summary …

SHOW NOTES SUMMARY part 1 motive in creating the podcast disclaimer core concepts of Neville Goddard's teaching elements in future episodes: core concepts; methods and techniques; special topics; resources part 2 core concept and practice: awareness of being KEY QUOTE "If you consistently practice this exercise in self-awareness on every possible o…