Inner Covenant of Obedience

Neville's Inner Vision

Notice the people are not drinking wine; the real drink is freedom from appetite. Their vow marks a state of consciousness where the mind chooses allegiance to an inner law, not the impulse of the moment. Jonadab the father is cast as the inner command—an image for the I AM that speaks through you, reminding you of a principle you hold sacred. The 'for ever' declares a timeless stance: once you accept an inner decree, your perception shifts; the world appears to confirm your decision rather than drive you. In Neville's terms, it's your imagination that makes it so: belief in a fixed rule becomes the inner atmosphere you inhabit. When you imagine yourself faithful to that inner law, you stop being prodded by temporary cravings; you learn to recognize cravings as echo of habit, not reality. The outward constraint becomes evidence of your inner state. The practical takeaway is to treat any vow—whether about temperance, honesty, or loyalty—as a revision of your self-image, a new state you assume until it feels natural. Your world conforms as you consent to it in consciousness.