Inner Refuge of Six Cities

Neville's Inner Vision

All of Numbers 35:14-15 speaks of a sanctuary created in place and law for one who has erred, so the fear of retribution is transmuted into a calm, defined state of mercy. In Neville's language, the refuge is not a place apart from you; it is a condition of consciousness you cultivate. The six cities symbolize distinct states of awareness—three by Jordan and three in the land of promise—reaching every facet of your being, including the stranger and the sojourner within. When you imagine yourself stepping into this refuge, you are not escaping responsibility; you are revising the premise by which you judge a mistaken act. By choosing to see yourself and others from a merciful I AM, you dissolve the trance of guilt, fear, or reproach. The unawares murder becomes a metaphor for any act born of ignorance; the refuge becomes your continuous practice: you dwell in the awareness that you are safe, not because the world changes, but because your state of consciousness has changed. Thus, the law of mercy becomes your inner reality.