Inner Exile, Inner Return

Neville's Inner Vision

Beloved, this verse is a map of the soul, not a simple family tree. 'Josias begat Jechonias' identifies the inner kingly nature (the I AM) and its line of expressions; yet 'about the time they were carried away to Babylon' marks a shift of attention into exile—scarcity, doubt, and appearance. In Neville’s spirit, exile here is inner separation from the conscious self, a dream in which the sense of limitation seems to rule. But the I AM remains untouched, the eternal throne within. The line reminds you that even the best states and memories can be swept into a Babylon of thought when you forget who you are. The outer scene—being carried away—mirror your present moment when you identify with lack, time, or guidance. The remedy is not to resist the exile but to revise from within: acknowledge that you are the one who rules your inner kingdom. Return of Jechonias (the royal line) symbolizes the re-emergence of consciousness when you choose to identify with the I AM rather than with circumstance. Thus you may turn attention from the Babylon of sense appearances to the throne of your own awareness, and exile dissolves as a dream.