What Is This Teaching?
The Law And The Promise teaches that your imagination-when lived as real and felt as already accomplished-brings the desired outcome into experience. The 'law' is the consistent creative principle (imaginal act produces effect) and the 'promise' is the inner realization or fulfilled state you embody until it appears externally.
Core Principles
- Imagination is causative: a vivid imaginal act, accepted as real, initiates change in life
- Feeling is the bridge: emotional conviction (the feeling of the wish fulfilled) fixes the imaginal scene in consciousness
- Persistence and assumption: continue to live in the end-state until it hardens into fact
- Revision and inner evidence: use past revision and current inner evidence (success stories) to strengthen belief
Quick Techniques to Start Today
- Living in the End - Tonight: sit quietly before sleep; create a short, vivid scene that implies your wish fulfilled; feel it as true for 2-5 minutes; leave it alone and sleep
- SATS (State Akin To Sleep) - Tonight: relax until drowsy, replay your scene with sensory detail and first-person feeling, repeat a single affirmative phrase (e.g., "I am so grateful for..."), then let go
- Revision - Before bed, replay a past disappointment but rewrite the scene as you wanted it to be; feel gratitude for the corrected outcome
Key Insights
- The promise is not a wish list; it's a present inner experience you sustain until external facts change. - Feeling, not facts, is the operative ingredient; intellectual visualization without feeling rarely works.
- Use short, specific scenes rather than long fantasies; sensory detail anchors the imaginal act. - Detach from how and when; persistence in the inner state, not agitation about evidence, produces results.
- Success stories in the book are templates: study their structure (scene → feeling → belief → outcome) and borrow them as proof that the method works.
Biblical Foundation
prayer is the assumption in imagination that the wish is already fulfilled. "Ask" is the act of imagining; "believe you have received" is the state of feeling the result as already true. The verse supports living in the end and assuming the fulfilled state.
God (your subjective I AM) addresses reality by calling nonexistent things into being through imagination and declaration. This verse is the scriptural basis for calling 'things that are not' as though they are, which is the core of The Law and the Promise.
faith is not belief about the future but the present assurance you feel in imagination. The Law and the Promise requires that inner conviction-feelingly assured imagination-which becomes the creative force that brings the unseen into manifestation.
Step-by-Step Practice Method
- Clarify the single end state. Identify one clear, specific outcome you want. Phrase it as a present-tense inner truth (e.g., 'I have an extra $5,000', 'She is lovingly committed to me', 'My knee is strong and pain-free'). Keep it concise
- Prepare the scene. Create one short, sensory imaginal scene that implies the wish fulfilled and that could only be true if the desire were real. Keep it brief (10-30 seconds). Examples: seeing a bank alert with the deposit, being embraced by the desired person, tying your shoe pain-free
- Mental diet during the day. Watch your inner conversation. Immediately substitute any thought that contradicts your wish with a short, present-tense statement or image that supports the end (e.g., when worry arises, say inwardly: 'I am already wealthy' and recall your imaginal scene). Keep this substitution gentle and consistent
- SATS (State Akin To Sleep) routine - nightly core practice: a) Timing: practice at night when drowsy; 10-20 minutes before sleep. Optional short repeat upon waking. b) Relaxation: lie down comfortably, breathe slowly, and relax the body progressively. c) Entering the state: allow your mind to approach that borderline between waking and sleeping (SATS). Keep awareness while the body drifts. d) Assume the scene: introduce your prepared scene once, as if you are watching a short movie of reality. Use present-tense, first-person perspective when possible. Include 1-3 strong sensory details and most importantly, the feeling that the wish is already true. e) Feel: concentrate on the emotional reality (gratitude, relief, joy). The feeling is the creative agent; cultivate it until it saturates consciousness. f) Repeat til sleep: if you fall asleep, fine; if you remain awake, repeat the scene until you drift off. Do not analyze
- Revision (daily): Each evening, mentally revise any negative events of the day that you regret. Imagine them happening as you would have preferred. Use the same SATS relaxation for revision; the mind accepts the revised script and future outer events change accordingly
- Live in the end throughout the day. Carry the feeling quietly, act from it without forcing outward circumstances. Do not plan or obsess about means. Avoid discussing the lack with others
- Persistence and detachment. Persist in the imaginal acts and mental diet without measuring results. Let go of timelines and allow outward means to appear. When doubt arises, return to a short SATS scene and the feeling
- Practical anchors and supports: - Keep a single-line journal entry in present tense (1-2 lines) of the fulfilled state. - Use 1-3 powerful "I AM" declarations during the day tied to the scene (e.g., 'I AM prosperous', 'I AM loved'). Say them once with feeling, not as a mechanical mantra. - Rehearse the scene when small opportunities arise (waiting in line, before a meeting) to increase saturation
Real-World Applications
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Lack of consistent mental diet. Why it fails: contradictory inner talk undoes imaginal assumptions. How to avoid: practice immediate substitution-catch and replace negative thoughts with a short present-tense supporting sentence and recall your brief scene
- Emotional absence; rehearsing facts not feeling. Why it fails: imagination without feeling has no creative power. How to avoid: cultivate the emotional reality-gratitude, relief, joy-in SATS; rewind the scene until feeling is unmistakable
- Over-detailing or making long scripts. Why it fails: long fantasies invite doubt and strain imagination. How to avoid: keep scenes short (one clear moment), sensory, and completed. Fewer details allow the subconscious to fill in and accept
- Focusing on means or timing. Why it fails: specifying the how or when imposes a limited path and invites resistance. How to avoid: concentrate on the end-state only; allow the means to unfold. If guidance appears as intuition or opportunity, follow it, but do not obsess
- Giving up too soon or checking for evidence obsessively. Why it fails: impatience disrupts the feeling state and signals doubt. How to avoid: trust the process and look for subtle inner shifts and small outer signs. Continue the practice without constant measurement; maintain detachment from the outcome
Advanced Techniques
- Two-Person Scene (Neville's interpersonal revision): Create a scene in first person where both people act from the fulfilled state. Example: imagine you and the other person sitting together, both smiling, their words and gestures indicating the desired outcome. Crucial: assume you are the person who already has the desire fulfilled and let the other person act naturally in the scene. This removes external resistance and aligns both imaginations. Use SATS and repeat until the feeling is dominant
- Ladder/Stacked SATS (intensification method): Build a micro-series of very short scenes that move progressively closer to the desired state. Start with a believable small step, then the next SATS move to a more impactful scene, ending with the full wish-fulfilled scene. Each scene primes the next and deepens feeling. This method is useful for difficult or larger desires because it respects inner credibility while escalating expectation
- Scriptural Imprints and "I AM" Integration: Use a chosen Bible phrase that Neville emphasized (e.g., 'I AM' statements or Mark 11:
- as an emotional anchor. Before SATS, briefly read or whisper a single verse or short scriptural phrase and then immediately enter the imaginal scene, allowing the verse to amplify the feeling. Neville taught that Scripture acts as a symbolic language of the subconscious, so pairing a verse with your scene intensifies acceptance
Signs of Progress
- Internal signs: - A sustained change in inner conversation: less fear, more expectancy and calm. - A new, habitual feeling-state that matches the fulfilled desire (peace, gratitude, confidence). - Vivid or recurrent imagery and dreams related to the desired state
- Subtle outer signs: - Synchronicities and small coincidences aligning with your aim (new contacts, phone calls, unexpected money, shifts in others' behavior). - Opportunities appear that you would previously have missed; doors open in unexpected ways
- Behavioral changes: - You naturally act from the end-state (making choices from abundance, self-care for health, treating relationships as secure). - Reduced need to 'prove' or check; fewer compulsive actions to fix the problem
- Timeline expectations and troubleshooting: - Weeks to months typical for significant life changes; small changes can appear in days. Individual variation depends on resistance, credibility, and mental diet. - If no signs appear: review the mental diet, shorten and simplify the scene, intensify feeling in SATS, and use revision to clear past negative imprints
- Final check: when the outer evidence arrives, avoid frantic celebration that reactivates old states. Maintain the inner state of having always had the desire fulfilled; this consolidates the result and prevents reversal
Frequently Asked Questions
- Read several stories carefully and identify the imaginal act each person describes (what they saw, felt, and assumed)
- Borrow structure, not content: model your own imaginal scene on the same brevity, present-tense, sensory detail, and emotional conviction
- Use stories as faith-builders when doubt arises - remind yourself that others with ordinary lives accomplished similar results
- Avoid comparison trap: you do not need someone else's timing or circumstances to match yours
- When skeptical, practice small tests (tiny wishes) and keep a record, creating your own success story. Finally, treat the testimonies as experimental data that point to a repeatable law rather than as charismatic anomalies; this shifts you from hoping for miracles to intelligently applying a method
- The Sleep-State Imaginal Act: As you are drifting to sleep, create a short, vivid scene that implies your desire is fulfilled. Make it first-person, present-tense, and include sensory detail and feeling - for example, 'I am holding the acceptance letter and smiling' rather than 'I will get accepted.' Repeat the scene until sleep takes you
- Revision: Before sleep, mentally rewrite any unpleasant events from today (or past days) to how you wished they had gone. Experience the revision briefly with feeling; this rewrites the inner record that shapes future events
- Inner Conversation: During the day or before sleep, have a brief inner dialogue in which you answer as the fulfilled self would answer (calm, confident, certain)
- Short Nightly Assumption: Spend 5-20 minutes after lights-out affirming and feeling one concentrated assumption. Keep it simple and believable; avoid elaborate theatrics
- Resisting the Senses: If doubt or contrary evidence arises, gently return to the single imaginal act without arguing with the senses. Practical tips: keep the scene short, feel the emotional truth of it, avoid mental debate, and repeat nightly until evidence appears. These techniques follow Neville’s emphasis on feeling and persistence rather than intellectual rehearsal
Neville's core message in The Law and the Promise is that your imagination is the operative power that makes reality - that 'God is your own wonderful human imagination.' The 'law' he describes is the immutable principle that imaginal acts, accompanied by conviction and feeling, cause their fulfillment in the outer world. The 'promise' is the inner, subjective realization or experience that follows steadfast assumption.
Practically: you must assume the feeling of the wish fulfilled and persist in that inner state until it externalizes. Neville emphasizes 'feeling is the secret' - not intellectual affirmation but the lived feeling of the end.
He also reminds readers that the Bible supports this metaphysic (for example Mark 11:24 'believe that you have received it, and you will' and Luke 17:21 'the kingdom of God is within you'), and uses Scripture as a key to understanding the mind-God identity. Common blocks he identifies are reliance on the senses, impatience, and contradictory beliefs.
Remedies: revision of memories, sleeping with a brief, believable scene that implies the wish fulfilled, and persistently dismissing contrary evidence from the senses. Neville's view differs from generic 'law of attraction' by insisting on the primacy of inner assumption - not visualizing outcomes as possibilities but living in the end as a present fact until the world must reflect it.
In Neville’s framework the 'law' is the impersonal, consistent principle - imagination produces form; it is how change occurs. The 'promise' is the personal, experiential outcome - the fulfilled desire as it appears in your consciousness and then in the world.
Put another way: the law is cause (the act of assuming and feeling), the promise is effect (the inner realization and outward manifestation). Neville often links this to Scripture: Paul’s discussion of 'law' and 'promise' in Galatians and Romans can be read metaphysically - law (the creative power, the principle of imagination) and promise (the assurance of fulfillment to those who assume).
In practice you obey the law by performing the imaginal act - living in the end - and the promise is what arrives: sometimes as a sudden occurrence, sometimes as a sequence of events aligning to produce the desired reality. Common misunderstandings: people expect the promise to follow a rational timetable or to look exactly like their script; the law operates, but the 'promise' may be delivered in a way that tests your fixed assumptions.
The practical counsel: apply the law consistently (imaginal acts, feeling, revision, persistence) and be patient/alert for the promise to reveal itself - often when you least expect it, and sometimes in symbolic, preparatory, or immediate forms.
Yes and no - nuance matters. The 'promise' as Neville uses the word often carries a qualitative difference: it is an inner realization that changes your state of being and is experienced with a sense of finality, conviction, and peace.
Ordinary manifestations (small gratifications or outer coincidences) can happen when you align thoughts and feelings loosely, but the 'promise' typically feels like a completed inner truth that cannot be shaken. It may arrive suddenly (a dramatic encounter, a letter, a revelation) or more gradually (a series of events that unmistakably confirm your new state).
Distinctive signs of a 'promise' experience: deep inner knowing, synchronistic outer evidence, transformation of identity, and a cessation of striving. Common blocks to experiencing the promise distinctly include impatience, conflicting assumptions, guilt, and over-analysis.
Remedies: continue the nightly discipline, revise contradictions, focus on the feeling of the end, and 'live as if' until the inner evidence becomes irrefutable. Neville’s view contrasts with generic 'law of attraction' where manifestations are often treated as transactional; for Neville the promise is not mere acquisition but the inward realization of your divine imagination - a change in who you know yourself to be, and the world follows.
The Bible Through Neville
Neville Bible Sparks
