Feeling is the Secret: What Neville Goddard Really Meant (And How to Apply It)
- Cecilia Hendrix
- 6 days ago
- 5 min read
What did Neville Goddard mean when he said Feeling is the Secret?
That your internal moods, beliefs, and feelings are what create the world you experience. And that you can change what you are experiencing by changing what you feel.
Often times what is taught is that we have to feel good all the time. Many mystics and modern day new thought leaders have shared the same. Truly the key to creating a life you want to be living is to learn how to feel good. You can learn how to live in the end and not dwell on the thoughts that are against what you currently want in life.
Now, back to Neville Goddard and his meaning of Feeling is the Secret, which is the title to what could be his most popular book. Neville taught that our reality is created by our consciousness, that the universe is within and quoted Bible verses to support this teaching.
Luke 17:21 "Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you."
The issue with the teachings is they have been taught in a way that makes one believe they have to force good thoughts without having the understanding that you are not convincing anything but yourself what you believe. You can't fool your subconscious, it is part of you.
So, what can you do then? It all comes down to controlling your moods - it is emotional regulation. From The Power of Awareness:
When you resist evil, you give it your attention, you continue to make it real. When you renounce evil, you take your attention from it and give your attention to what you want
How do I control my moods?
Let's go a little deeper on what it means to renounce evil - putting it into very plain speech, renouncing evil means to stop giving it life through your attention.
Think of an ex who just will not leave you alone, they keep texting and begging you to please meet to speak with them. You have zero desire to do this and have told them this over and over. But, they are seeking attention, they want your response above most anything else so each time you reply they continue to reach out. So one day you decide you are done and flat out ignore any message they send. They get bored and stop texting.
You stopped resisting by telling them you don't want to see them and therefore still feeding them attention and instead shifted to ignoring their messages. They no longer get the rush from your response, get bored and stop reaching out.
This is what you learn to do in life. But it is not from sheer force, it is truly a knowing that runs so deep that your mind does not dwell on the bumps and lumps - you are at ease, enjoying the journey and the life you are living. It does not mean you never feel angry, never get annoyed, never feel tired or wiped out - we are human and all of those things are very human emotions but it does mean you take ownership of your behaviors in the present moment.
You can also read this blog on what emotional regulation truly is - because it is not the removal of any 'negative' emotions.
Using SATS to capture the feeling.
If you are new to Neville Goddard and are not familiar with what SATS (state akin to sleep) is, stop here and read this blog post.
SATS is a great tool to practice the feeling of having the thing or the life that you want. As you drift off to sleep or get yourself into a twilight state through meditation you imagine living with your desire, you are truly practicing having what you want. It is like training your nervous system to know what to expect and feel so you can go beyond your base level state of happiness or fulfillment.
And this isn't only a tool taught by mystics, there are numerous studies and stories of major athletes and celebrities visualizing the outcome they want to experience.
Michael Phelps is one often discussed. His coach had him mentally rehearse his upcoming race, it had become a way for Phelps to calm his mind and be able to focus on the task in front of him. In the 2008 Olympic games when his goggles filled with water, he completed the swim (won and set a new world record) because he had mentally practiced the swim so many times.
Jim Carrey has famously shared he wrote himself a check for $10M at one of the lower points in his life and stated it was for acting services, he went on to earn $10M for Dumb and Dumber. Some state this is a clear example of manifestation and others say it only proves goal setting with an unwavering focus on achieving that goal - in many ways I believe these are the same thing.
World renowned golfer, Jack Nicklaus, has often said, "I never hit a shot, not even in practice, without having a very sharp, in-focus picture of it in my head."
One of the greatest stories of affirmations is from Muhammad Ali. He has stated he would tell himself he was what he wanted to be and repeat it to himself until he truly felt it. He also backed this up by proving it true to himself in a beautiful cycle of self-believe and confidence building.
Ariana Grande has multiple songs that speak directly to manifestation. I want it, I got it ring a bell?
Using this state when your mind is quiet and you are in that drowsy, floaty type of feeling to "practice" what it is you want to feel and imagine yourself having it is a powerful tool that shows how powerful our mindset really is.
Frequently Asked Questions About Feeling is the Secret
What did Neville Goddard mean when he said Feeling is the Secret? Neville taught consciousness creates reality and that by practicing the feeling of having and experiencing your desire, you would bring forth that reality. The book, Feeling is the Secret, is short and to the point, showing how to change your inner beliefs and feelings to experience a new life.
How do I control my moods according to Neville Goddard? It comes down to emotional regulation - renouncing rather than resisting what you don't want. Renouncing means to stop giving something life through your attention and instead give your attention to what you want.
What is SATS (state akin to sleep)? SATS is a drowsy, twilight state reached as you drift off to sleep or through meditation, in which you imagine living with your desire. It trains your nervous system to know what having your desire feels like.
I want to learn to apply this to my life.
If you feel like you keep seeking more information but yet still don't truly apply these principles to your life - you are not alone. Most people spend years learning about the Law of Assumption but never learn how to consistently apply it when real life shows up.
That's exactly why I created Consciously Create, a 6-part live workshop series designed to help you move beyond theory and start using these principles in a practical way.
✔ Live workshops
✔ Q&A and coaching
✔ Session recordings
✔ Practical application
Comments