What Is This Teaching?
States of Being are the dominant inner feelings and assumptions you inhabit that determine your outer experience; they are not moods but sustained inner identities formed by imagination and attention. Changing your outer life requires first changing the inner state - the lived feeling of the wish fulfilled - which then molds circumstances to match.
Core Principles
- Imagination precedes reality: the inner assumption you live in creates corresponding outer events
- Feeling is the creative engine: sustained feeling (not mere thought) impresses the subconscious and produces results
- Persistence and revision: maintain the chosen state until it objectifies; revise past scenes to neutralize contrary states
- Mental diet & attention economy: what you repeatedly dwell on strengthens that state, so guard and redirect attention deliberately
Quick Techniques to Start Today
- Live-in-the-End (3 steps): (a) Quietly imagine a short scene that implies your wish fulfilled as if already true; (b) Enter and feel it - fully embody the emotions and sensory details for 2-5 minutes; (c) End the scene and carry that feeling through the day without rehashing lack
- Revision (3 steps): (a) Replay an upsetting event in your imagination before sleep; (b) Rewrite the scene the way you wish it had gone, feeling relief and satisfaction; (c) Repeat nightly until the emotional charge fades and the new state replaces the old
- Mental Diet / Interruption (3 steps): (a) Notice intrusive, contrary thoughts as they arise; (b) Interrupt them immediately with a short imaginal scene of the desired state or a firm internal command like “Switch”; (c) Reinforce by briefly feeling the preferred state and returning to tasks
Key Insights
- A state is an identity you occupy internally, not a passing mood; treat it like a role you consciously rehearse.
- Feeling precedes facts: the body responds to the assumed inner reality, then circumstances follow.
- Consistency beats intensity: small, repeated imaginal acts stabilize a state more reliably than rare dramatic visualizations.
- Problems repeat because an underlying state persists; find the controlling feeling (fear, unworthiness, expectation) and revise it.
- Under pressure, preloaded scenes (morning/evening practice) and short interrupting images keep your chosen state from collapsing.
Biblical Foundation
This is the scriptural endorsement of living in the end. Prayer is the imaginal act; to 'believe that you have received' means to assume the feeling of the fulfilled wish now. The result follows because consciousness shapes experience.
Faith is not passive hope but the clear, sensory-based assumption (assurance) in the imagination. The "conviction of things not seen" is the felt state you must occupy - the state of being that precedes manifestation.
Abraham is the archetype of the imaginative creator. Despite outward evidence, he rehearsed and lived in the end. Neville reads Abraham as proof that conviction - a living assumption contrary to present facts - births events in time.
Step-by-Step Practice Method
- Choose one clear wish: be precise (e.g., "A stable $5,000/month income from [source]" rather than "more money")
- Create a short inner scene that implies the wish fulfilled: a 10-20 second sensory mini-movie involving you as the satisfied person. Keep it simple: a scene that naturally ends with you feeling the fulfillment (e.g., checking a bank balance, a loving glance, a healed body moving freely)
- Prepare your body: practice at night or when drowsy; sit or lie comfortably, relax progressively, breathe slowly. The State Akin To Sleep (SATS) is when consciousness is relaxed but aware - the threshold where imaginal acts take root easily
- Enter SATS: slow the breath, soften the gaze or close eyes, let bodily tension melt. Intend to enter a quiet, receptive state - not forcing vividness, but steady attention
- Evoke the scene: place yourself into the prepared scene as if you are there now. Use first-person perspective (not third-person). Include at least two sensory details (sight, touch, sound) and one strong feeling that naturally arises (relief, joy, gratitude)
- Feel the feeling: dwell in the emotion of fulfillment for several breaths. Neville calls the feeling the secret - prioritize the inner conviction over pictorial detail. Continue until the feeling feels real and settled
- Leave the scene: gently withdraw attention and allow sleep or daily activity to follow. If doing at night, fall asleep from that state - sleep will integrate it
- Mental diet: throughout the day, immediately negate contrary thoughts and rehearse short affirmations that align with your state (examples: "I am financially free," "I am loved and loved in return," "My body is whole"). Interrupt any attention to lack by changing the inner scene to one that supports the fulfilled state
- Revision (daily): before sleep, mentally rewrite negative events from the day into how you wish they had unfolded. Re-imagine a different outcome with feeling. This changes your inner stream and prevents setbacks from anchoring reality
- Persist: remain faithful to the assumed state even when outer evidence suggests otherwise. Neville emphasizes 'living in the end' - act, speak and think from the standpoint of already having the wish fulfilled. Practical coaching notes: - Session length: 10-20 minutes per focused session. 5-10 minutes of SATS with 2-3 rehearsals of the scene is sufficient. - Number of repetitions: consistent daily practice produces compounding effects. Quality (feeling) over quantity (repetition of images). - Addressing doubt: if doubt intrudes, acknowledge it quickly and return to the feeling; use short, decisive inner declarations ("I assume it now"). - Integration with daily action: acting in alignment with the assumed state is supportive (if you assume abundance, make decisions as an abundant person would), but do not try to force external evidence - the inner act is primary. Additional Neville techniques to include regularly: - I AM declarations: short present-tense statements of identity ("I am prosperous," "I am healed"). - Inner conversation: rehearse affirmative inner dialogues with imagined others that confirm your state. - Single-sentence sleep affirmation: repeat one concise sentence about the fulfilled desire as you drift to sleep to anchor the state
Real-World Applications
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Inconsistent mental diet: Practicing at night but returning to a stream of negative thoughts by day. How to avoid: implement immediate interruption routines (snap, breathe, switch to a supportive imaginal scene) and carry short affirmations to repeat when triggered. Consistency is the engine of change
- Confusing wish and means; forcing physical action in place of the imaginal act: Many people try to hustle external events instead of changing inner state. How to avoid: prioritize SATS and living-in-the-end first, then take calm, aligned actions that feel natural from that state
- Weak or intellectualized scenes: picturing facts without feeling, or over-analyzing the process ("How will this happen?"). How to avoid: simplify the scene, focus on first-person sensory detail and the dominant feeling. Feeling is the lever
- Expecting instant outer evidence and giving up: manifestations often begin subtly (mood shifts, synchronicities) before obvious results. How to avoid: track inner progress, journal subtle signs, and persist for weeks/months depending on complexity
- Trying to control other people: assuming someone must act a certain way often fails because you try to override their will. How to avoid: change yourself (your state) and imagine the desired relationship dynamics rather than forcing specific behaviors. If the other person changes, it flows from your inner shift. If not, the state will attract appropriate alternatives. Why people fail overall: lack of disciplined repetition, emotional inconsistency, identification with present facts, and impatience. The cure is steady practice of SATS, mental diet, and living from the end
Advanced Techniques
- Revision with timeline compression (Neville's Revision advanced use): - Method: each evening, go through the day's key events and revise any that felt negative into the desired outcome. Then, once revised, condense the feeling and replay it repeatedly for 2-3 minutes as you enter SATS. The advanced twist: make the revision so vivid and convincing that your subconscious registers the new memory as the actual occurrence, thereby altering the psychological past and accelerating outer change. - Use case: repair small interpersonal frictions or neutralize setbacks quickly so they don't become anchors
- Laddering (stacking states to escalate assumption): - Method: Start with a small, believable imaginal scene that implies a minor fulfilled state, saturate it with feeling until it feels natural. Once that small assumption is stable in daily life, climb to the next rung (a slightly larger assumption) and repeat. Over weeks, you 'ladder up' to the full desire. This prevents internal resistance that comes from leaping to an assumption your subconscious rejects. - Use case: large identity shifts such as going from living paycheck-to-paycheck to a wealthy identity
- Determinative Inner Act + "I AM" anchoring: - Method: perform a conscious, decisive mental act where you declare in the present tense what you are now (e.g., "I am a married man/woman," "I am free of pain"). Do this in SATS and immediately anchor it with a short sensory scene and strong emotion. Repeat the declaration several nights in succession. The determinative act severs prior conditioning by imposing a new operative assumption. - Advanced application: use a single-word or short-phrase "I AM" anchor repeated as you drift to sleep so it becomes the dominant last impression before unconscious integration
Signs of Progress
- Internal: a growing absence of anxiety about the wish, spontaneous uplifted moods, increased mental clarity and confidence. You find yourself naturally picturing favorable outcomes without effort.
- Outer: small synchronicities (a casual comment leading to an opportunity), more 'coincidences' aligning with your desire, people begin to act differently toward you in subtle ways.
- Concrete progress: invitations, calls, preliminary agreements, small deposits, shifts in schedules, physical improvements. The outer world begins to mirror the imaginal scenes.
- Behavioral change: you consistently make decisions as the fulfilled person, and those choices produce different external results.
- Stabilization: the desired condition becomes the new normal rather than intermittent. Inner conviction becomes unshakeable. The old problem no longer defines you.
- Dreams reflect your wish (dreams can act as confirmations).
- People mention you more or bring opportunities to you without solicitation.
- Inner peace about timing: impatience diminishes and faith replaces it.
- No inner change after repeated practice: strengthen your sensory detail and feeling; simplify the scene; use laddering.
- Outer events get worse temporarily: check for subconscious contradictions (negative self-talk, hidden assumptions) and use revision to remove them.
Frequently Asked Questions
Pressure exposes the seams of an assumed state, so stabilization is about preparation, anchors, and practiced return. First, create short, reliable anchors: a 20-60 second imaginal scene you can play silently that re-evokes the chosen feeling; a concise 'I AM' sentence that expresses the identity ('I am secure,' 'I am creative'); and a physical cue (a touch on the wrist, a breath pattern) to link body and assumption.
Second, rehearse under low-stress conditions until the response becomes automatic: practice the scene in the morning, during breaks, and before sleep. Third, maintain the mental diet - under pressure your old pattern will surface, so refuse to entertain contrary conversation and immediately substitute the anchor.
Fourth, build small outer acts that align with the state so your environment gives you feedback (evidence) that supports the assumption. Bible passages such as Philippians 4:6-7 and Psalm 46:10 can serve as verbal anchors for surrender and centering.
Address common blocks - fear of loss, social contradiction, and impatience - by forgiveness of past self, revision practice, and surrounding yourself with reminders (scriptures, notes, an accountability partner). Finally, remember Neville's distinction from generic 'law of attraction': the work is not about attracting circumstances but about assuming a living inner state that reorganizes perception and thereby creates the corresponding outer world.
Under pressure return to that felt assumption; persistence and immediacy are the keys to making the state unshakeable.
Detecting the operative state requires quiet observation of what you habitually think, feel and imagine around the issue. Ask: what inner sentences do I repeat? What images replay in my mind? What feeling tone is present when the problem appears?
For example, a recurring money problem usually has the state of scarcity or unworthiness at its root: notice if your mental commentary is 'I can't afford that,' 'I'm always short,' or if you imagine bills and lack. Keep a short log for several days noting triggers, automatic phrases, dreams, and the inner pictures that come up.
Use 'reverse-engineering': imagine the problem solved and notice what state would have to be present for that reality to exist - that is the state you must assume. Neville also taught 'revision' as a specific tool: rewrite past scenes in imagination the way you wish they had occurred to remove the emotional charge that perpetuates the state.
Biblical wisdom fits here too: 'As a man thinketh...' (Proverbs 23:7) reminds you that recurring outer problems reflect recurring inner assumptions. Common blocks to detection include denial, blaming external people, and lack of recording; overcome them with disciplined witnessing, honest journaling, and brief daily questioning: 'What feeling, if it were mine, would cause this result?'
- Name the current state by listening to your inner conversation and identifying the feeling that dominates (fear, lack, unworthiness, etc.)
- Choose the opposite state in specific terms - not just 'happy' but 'I am secure and provided for' - and create a short, sensory imaginal scene that implies that state has already been fulfilled
- Enter that scene with feeling, living it for a few minutes as if true, especially at the 'state akin to sleep' before falling asleep, which Neville emphasized
- Maintain a strict mental diet: refuse to indulge contrary imaginal scenes or conversations during the day
- Carry out small outer acts consistent with the new inner assumption (evidence-building, not proof-seeking). Biblical support for faith as inner assumption includes Mark 11:24 and Hebrews 11:
- Common blocks are impatience, self-contradictory talk, and reliance on outer facts; counter them with revision (rewrite past events in imagination to take away their power), repeated assumption, and short, anchored statements of 'I AM' that express the new state. Persistence is the operative virtue - not arguing with the facts, but assuming the end until the inner feeling becomes natural
States are not fixed immutable labels; human consciousness naturally moves among states, but you can make a chosen state dominant and more persistent by the disciplined practice of assumption. Neville teaches that you are what you assume yourself to be, yet he acknowledges change and fluctuation: old habits, environmental triggers and automatic inner speech can pull you back.
Think of permanency not as immutability but as habit-strength: the more faithfully you live in an assumption, the more it hardens into character. Romans 12:2, 'be transformed by the renewing of your mind,' describes this inner work - transformation requires repetition and refusal of old thought-forms.
Practical measures to stabilize a state over time include daily imaginal rehearsal, a mental diet that rejects contradictory stories, public or private 'evidential acts' that express the state, and the use of anchors (short 'I AM' sentences, scripture memorization, or a ritual moment of assumption each morning and night). Accept that occasional regression is normal; treat it as feedback and return gently to the practice rather than condemning yourself.
Over weeks and months the new state becomes your baseline and transitions become rarer and shorter.
In Neville's teaching a 'state' is the dominant assumption of consciousness - the inner, felt identity that governs perception and thereby creates your outer world. It is not merely a passing emotion (mood) or a conscious position you take toward something (attitude).
A mood is transitory, an atmosphere that comes and goes; an attitude is often intellectual or behavioral. A state is existential: it answers the question 'who am I?' and colors all of your inner conversation, imaginings and consequently your results.
Neville points to the biblical truth that your imagination is God within you and that the 'I AM' statement (see Exodus 3:14 and the way Jesus used 'I AM') marks identity. Proverbs 23:7, 'As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he,' supports the idea that the inner assumption shapes destiny.
Practical ways to distinguish them: notice what you turn to automatically when no one is watching - the running self-statements, the habitual images, the feelings that persist beneath moods. If a pattern repeatedly produces the same outer result, you are dealing with an entrenched state, not a fleeting mood or merely an attitude.
Once you recognize that depth, you can work deliberately to change it rather than treating symptoms at the surface level.
The Bible Through Neville
Neville Bible Sparks
