Guarding the Novice Within

Neville's Inner Vision

The line Not a novice is an invitation to notice that the inner governor of your life cannot be handed to something yet unformed. Pride is an inner movement when consciousness identifies with a new role or status, and it births a fall—the 'condemnation of the devil' as self-condemnation in the imagination. Neville would urge you to assume the state of a seasoned self here and now: that you are wise, centered, and under the guiding I AM. In your imagination, the novice self yields to the mature, attentive I AM, and every thought, feeling, and choice is aligned with inner discipline. By watching the rise of pride and immediately revising your self-concept toward practiced maturity, you prevent the ego from masquerading as authority and keep your inner temple steady.