A Prophecy, Vortrag
Vortrag: A Prophecy / Eine Prophezeihung
Vortrag von Neville Goddard am 16.12.1968
Englisch: A Prophecy
In his poem called "Europe," which is a prophecy about you, William Blake said: "Then Enitharmon woke,nor knew that she had slept, and eighteen hundred years were fled as if they had not been.
"Told in the form of a story, Blake used the name "Enitharmon" to express any emanating desire or image.Enitharmon is the emanation of Los, who - in the story - had the similitude of the Lord and all imagination.Entering into his image (his Enitharmon), Los dreams it into reality; and when he awoke he knew not that hehad slept, yet eighteen hundred years had fled.
In my case, 1,959 years had fled as though they had not been. And I had noidea I had entered into an imagecalled Neville and made it real. But I, all imagination, so lovedthe shadow I had cast, I entered into it andmade it alive.
To those in immortality I seemed to be as one sleeping on a couch of gold, butto myself I was a wanderer.Although lost in dreary night, I kept the divine vision in time of trouble. I kept on dreaming I was Neville untilI awoke, not knowing I had slept; yet 1,959 years had fled as though they hadnot been.
Blake tells us that in the beginning we were all united with God ina death like his. Then we heard the storyand entered into our shadows. Now, a shadow is a representation, either in painting or drama, in distinctionfrom the reality portrayed. Paul recognized the shadow when he asked the Galatians: "Who has bewitchedyou, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified. Let me ask you only this: did youreceive the spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish, having begun with the spiritare you now ending with the flesh, by seeing Jesus Christ as someone onthe outside?"
Having heard the story of Jesus Christ, you are called upon to enterinto it as the central character and remainthere until the story externalizes itself.
God destined us, in love, to be his sons through Jesus Christ accordingto the purpose of his will. Falling inlove with his image, God entered it and became his son. Having declared what he was going to do, God doesit through his pattern called Jesus Christ. Knowing what you want, when you conceive a scene that implies you have it, that objective becomes thepattern for your desire to unfold. Jesus Christ is God's pattern, his purpose which he set forth for the fullnessof time. Christ is the plan, the image God entered and made so real he claims he is the image.
God’s plan has completely unfolded in me. When I awoke I knew not that I had slept, and 1,959 years werefled as though they had not been. This is true for every child born of woman, for we were all gatheredtogether and united with him in a death like his; therefore, we shall certainly be united with him in aresurrection like his.
Blake, writing in 1794, knew that 1,800 years had fled when he – Enitharmon- awoke. Blake knew he wasthe emanation, the shadow God entered and identified himself with. Blake tells us it was the image thatawoke, knowing not that she had slept.
The emanation is always feminine. Eve came out of Adam. Every desire is feminine, regardless of what it is,be it a house, money, or a new car. Imagination is the male, which must leave every doubt, every thought ofimpossibility behind, and cleave to the desired emanation until they are one. To do this, imagination must enterinto the shadow and remain there until there is only the awareness of being or possessing the fulfilled desire.
In this world of Caesar it could take an hour, a day, a week, or a month, to awaken the desire within andproject it on the screen of space. But you must enter into the image and remain there, just as God did in thefoundation of time, in order to make you, himself. God so became me, that when He awoke in the tomb, Idid not know I had slept. In fact, I did not know I had been placed there, as I had become so one with it.
In his book of Milton, Blake tells us that when he entered into his shadow, he appeared to those inimmortality as one asleep on a couch of gold. But to himself he was a wanderer, lost in dreary night. Is thatnot the story of everyone? Lost and confused, imagination is faithfulto the image he has assumed, saying: Iam John, I am Ray, or I am Natalie.
Now in the image of the being I fell in love with, Neville is my emanation, my shadow, and the image I havebeen faithful to. Many a time I have thought myself a wanderer in dreary night, confused and not knowingwhere to turn for a dollar. But those who contemplate on death saw me as one asleep on a couch of gold.They knew the purpose behind my entering into the state of sleep, but they did not know what I wasexperiencing.
You are in this world because you are in love with the being you believe yourself to be. You may say that isnot true, but I say it is impossible for thought greater than itself toknow. Do not believe anyone who claims toknow. Do not believe anyone who claims to love someone else more than they do themselves, for they donot. It is impossible for thought to be greater than the image it believes itself to be. Yes, you wantcompanionship, security, and health, for these are all part of the image you fell in love with and entered.
You are now alive because you - a living being - have given the image called by your earthly name, life. Andyou will transform it into a life-giving spirit, because that is what you really are. Before this drama called lifebegan, you predetermined a perfect pattern called Jesus Christ, which would lead you back to where youwere prior to entering into the image.
Now, in this world a man who wants to be a success in business can sitdown and map out a pattern (ascene) which would imply he has the success he desires. Then if heenters the scene and believes its truth, thepattern of success will unfold and the world will confirm it. But hemust persist in the image of success, just asGod has persisted, for the day will come when God will awaken and expressthe success he believes himselfto be.
God enters into the image of every child born of woman to give it life.At that moment God's real andimmortal self is - to those who dwell in immortality - as one sleepingon a couch of gold; but to himself he seems a wanderer, lost in dreary night. The day will come when he will awake and - unknown to him, 1800or 2000 years will have fled as if they had not been.
Use the same technique God used to become you. As one whose name foreveris I AM, God fell in love withyou, his image, and entered it. Now knowing you are, you say I am; so Godis occupying his image and nowanswers to the name you were given at birth.
Intrigued by the idea of expressing himself in a body of flesh and blood, God entered this body by dreaminghe is Neville. God laid himself down within me to sleep, and as he slept he dreamed he was I; for 1,959 yearslater, when God awoke, I knew not that I had slept. And, upon reflection, it was as though it had not been;for when God achieved his objective (which was to awake) and was conscious of the fact that he was theone he loved, all time vanished.
Before awakening there are barriers that separate God and his image, but once his objective is achieved,God awakes to the awareness that He and his image are one. This is the story the world celebrates and callsChristmas.
Christmas is not the incarnation of God, but the awakening of man as God. Having fallen asleep and enteringhis image, God made it a living being. In Blake's case it took 1800 years.Why does it take one 2,000 andanother 1,000 years to awaken? It depends upon the degree God is lost in the dream.
To what degree are you lost in your dream of success? Your world is your dream pushed out. When you canpersuade yourself 100% that you are successful, success is yours! You must become so intense that youcompletely forget it was only a desire. You must tame the wild, new state you have entered until itsnaturalness causes you to forget all else. That is how God became you.
Jesus Christ, God's pattern of salvation begins to unfold as you awake and resurrect from the tomb Godentered. Being life itself, God entered you - his shadow, which hasno life of its own - and made it alive.Entering death's door, his image – God - lay down in the grave of that image, in visions of eternity until heawakes.
In the Old Testament, the question is asked: "Rouse thyself, O Lord, awake. Why cast us off forever?" Andin the New Testament, the Lord awakens to discover he is one with theimage he fell in love with. Havingfallen in love with being you, individually, when God awakes, you are He. That is Christmas.
When God incarnated himself in the image he so fell in love with,time was divided between BC and AD.Blake tells us that for him, it took 1800 years for God to move from BC to AD. In my case it was 1,959years. Each case is different, as we are told: "Each in his own order."I do not know whether this order waspredetermined or not, for the Book of Ephesians tells us that he destinedus in love to be his sons throughJesus Christ according to the purpose of his will.
The God that dreamed in me is the same God that dreams in you. Was it really an order that I could not haveawakened before 1959? I do not know. I only know that was the year in which God awokein me, yet I didnot know I had fallen asleep in that skull. But when I emerged, the symbolism recorded as revealing the birthof God surrounded me. That was the moment God awoke and was born into a higher region of his being. Having identified himself with the one he loved, that one was raised and born as God.
God is in love with his image, his shadow, which - like a reflection on oil or water - is dead. Having no life initself, God so loves his shadow he enters it and dreams he is it. Being a life-giving spirit, God first animatesthe shadow and it becomes solid and real in his world. He walks and talks,knows sorrow and joy, sicknessand health, until the dream is complete. Then God awakens a pattern bywhich he will know he has arrived atthe end.
This pattern was predetermined. The first segment is to awaken andrise from his sleep of death, to bedesignated Son of God in power. Then he discovers his fatherhood when hisson calls him father. A shortinterval later he cuts himself in two. This is his sacrifice forthis wonderful accomplishment. Fusing with hisblood, which he finds at the base of his spine, God ascends as a fiery serpent. Then the final sanctificationcomes in the form of a dove, which descends and smothers him with love, forGod has now accomplishedwhat he set out to do.
You can imitate God while here in this world. If, for example you desireto be a great artist, acclaimedthroughout the country, map out a plan of success, just as God mapped out aplan of fulfillment which hecalled Jesus Christ. There are multiple ways to imagine success. Choose a scene which would imply youalready have achieved success and when it unfolds, you will know how it came about. Do this, and you aretesting the infinite power that you really are.
Having entered the shadow that I conceive myself to be, I walk the earth wondering where the next dollar iscoming from; yet those in great eternity see me as dreaming on a goldencouch. But I am still faithful and keepthe divine vision in time of trouble. Then, like a woman in labor who bearsits pains, after the child is born thepain is forgotten in the job of fulfillment, so it is when Christmascomes and you – individualized - becomeGod.
The same technique God used to make you real can be used to bring your desire into being. Blake said: "Ifthe spectator could only enter into the image in his imagination, approaching it on the fiery chariot ofcontemplative thought; if he could only make a friend and companion of oneof these images, he would risefrom the grave and meet his Lord in the air and then he would be happy."
God entered into his image, therein giving us life. Being a life-giving spirit, God wants us to be just as he is, sohe mapped out the pattern that through it we may be God. When we completelyfulfill his predeterminedpattern, the barrier will be torn down and we will be one with infinity.
Christmas as celebrated by the Christian world is not Christmas.It is not something that takes place on theoutside. Christmas consists of a series of events which begin when God awakens within the shadow Heentered. Rising, God desires to come out; and since all things are possible to God, He pushes, and aseemingly unbreakable seal falls away and infinite power comes out.
The predetermined symbolism must be there. If it isn't, then the vision is an adumbration indicating nearness.It is a shadow cast before coinciding with the actual vision.
These visions are recorded in the four gospels, of which three were written in or about 150 AD. Scholars believe the Book of John was written at the end of the first century, however, making it possible for him todraw on the source material of all the others.
John eliminates the story of a genealogy, or virgin birth, but emphasizes the need of rebirth. He doesn't tellyou how it is done, but using the word anothin, he tells you the birth is from above.
There are two births: The first is from the womb of woman and the second from the tomb above, and eachbirth is essential. Also, you must rise in the same manner as Mosesraised the serpent in the desert.
John claims that God Himself became you, saying: "In the beginningwas the Word, and the Word was withGod, and the Word was God. The Word became flesh and dwells in us." Here wesee that God becameflesh - as you are - and says, "I am". So God is incarnated as an animated being, but that is not enough. Hewants you to be as He is, and God is a life-giving spirit. In order to do this his pattern must be fulfilled. Andwhen it is, you enter an entirely different sphere, called the kingdom of heaven.
Having fallen in love with your image, God entered that shadow and made it alive by falling asleep. Nowdreaming he is human, he loves you - the being you identify with today. You may not be in love with beingpoor, but that is not you! You could be rich if that is your desire, but you are in love with being yourself! Youwould not give up your individuality for any other being. You may desire to have what someone else has, butnot if you have to give up your identity.
At one time, that which you have so identified yourself with was only a shadow, an image God entered. Itwas dead, and by God's entry, He made it a living being. And when God awakes, that living being becomes alife-giving spirit.
If it is a true awakening, and not just a fore-shadowing, the drama called Jesus Christ will unfold in 1,260days, as foretold in scripture. Do not be discouraged if your visions arefore-shadowings; the promise will befulfilled, for you are keeping the vision in time of trouble. At times, like Peter you may have denied that youare God, but you are still keeping the divine vision.
I fell in love with being Neville, as you fell in love with the being you are now. You have dreamed poverty intobeing, health, being loved, being ignored, but you have never lost your vision of individuality You will neverlose it, for that is the one you fell in love with. And in the end you will awaken as God, individualized. Youwill know yourself to be a life-giving spirit as you move towards ever greater and greater individualization.That is the purpose of the entire drama, and that is what Christmas means.
When it will happen I do not know. Blake certainly was not 1800 years old judged by the world of Caesar.He was born in 1757 and wrote his poem, "Europe" in 1794. Blake was speaking of that second birth,believing that if we have been united with Christ in a death like his, we shall be united with him in aresurrection like his. Blake looked upon this division of time between BC and AD as the beginning, claiminghe was one with God when, falling in love with his image, he became universally diffused individuality. Startingas we did, the God in him took 1800 years to complete the drama and awaken.
In his poem, "Europe," Blake speaks of the cavern man and his five openings. His eyes, which see only asmall section of infinity. His ears, which will hear the music ofthe heavens. His breath and mouth, totaling four; but Blake does not tell us where the fifth one is. He does, however, tell us that through this opening manmay leave at any time and return, but man does not choose to do so. What isthat one but imagination?Standing here, I can imagine myself elsewhere. What opening do I use to imagine myself there? The fifth oneof the five openings of the cavern man.
Soon the Christian world will celebrate this wonderful mystery, which is completely misunderstood. But oneday you, individuality, will experience scripture and know the true mystery of Christmas. Then you, too, willsay I woke and knew not that I had slept.
The sensation is one of waking, not resurrection. You know you are in your tomb, yet your skull. Because ofan innate knowledge, you will push from within, and the stone will rollaway as you are born from above.
Three witnesses will be there; two will deny your birth, and one will confirm it, for you are fulfilling scripture:"Where two or more persons agree in testimony, it is conclusive." Onewitness declares you as the father ofthe sign, the child wrapped in swaddling clothes. You - the father - witness the event, and scripture - thewritten word of God - bears you out; so you have three witnesses, all agreeing in testimony: the Bible, you,and a third.
This is the story of Christmas, the time when the prophecy made to you before that the world was, is fulfilled.
Now let us go into the silence.