This book, as all things, came into being because of a thought acted upon. Neville
left us on October 1, 1972, and, since that time, I have invested many hours
transcribing the hundreds of tapes I have of his lectures. Neville explained that the
ark of life contained and could be understood on three levels: the literal,
psychological, and spiritual. The lectures which are available deal mainly with the
spiritual. However, because those who are now hearing his words on tapes and
reading his lectures, did not hear him speak on the second (or psychological)
level, I realized the need to provide that psychological plane as a foundation for
the higher, spiritual level. And so, the thought was planted in my mind. What if
there were some lectures that taught this principle on a practical level? Wouldn’t
it be wonderful if such a series could be found and made available for those who
would desire it. And then one day I received a letter from a lovely lady in San
Francisco who said she was moving into a retirement home and wanted to send
me some notes she had from Neville’s lecture series in San Francisco in 1952.
These notes constitute this book.
I had a thought. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if... and acted upon it by feeling the
thrill of the thought’s completion. I have never met the lady or heard from her
since receiving the notes, but I have proved, once again, that imagination
(thought) fulfills itself. The living proof is in your hands.
Now, let me tell you a bit about me. Born and raised in a small town in Kansas, I
moved to California in 1942 as a good Protestant. But I had a hunger that no
organized religion could fill, so I drifted from one belief to another, seeking yet
not finding what I was searching for, possibly because I did not know what it was.
Then one day I heard a man called Neville, and I knew that, although the outer me
did not understand his words, the inner me was singing the Hallelujah Chorus, for
I had found the cause of all life.., that my very thought, mixed with feeling, was
an imaginal act that created the facts in my world.
I remember the first night I lay in my bed and dared to claim, “I AM God.” Afraid
that the ceiling would crash down on me, I quickly covered my head -- just in
case. And when nothing happened, I gathered more courage and set out to prove
for myself that imagination could create reality. I did not believe it could, and I
wanted to prove Neville wrong. That was back in 1964, and I haven’t succeeded
yet. Not all of my imaginal acts have come to fruition, but I now know that the
fault does not lie in the teaching, but in my belief in myself. And, as I have grown
in my belief and trust and faith in what I have imagined, I have gained confidence
in my own wonderful human imagination.
Several years ago, I put together a group of lectures on Neville’s and called the
book “Immortal Man.” At the time, I was afraid to change his words even though
felt I could make the message clearer if I did.
Shortly after its publication, I turned to self one night and asked, “Is it all right to
change the words as long as I do not change the meaning? I know that if the truth
were told so that it could be understood, it would be believed. I know your words
are true, Neville, but think I can make them clearer.” I fell asleep questioning
myself and, in the night, I had this dream:
I am on my way to work. As I enter the building I see, directly before me, a
beautiful restaurant whose tables are filled with diners, enjoying their meal.
Neville is standing next to a fireplace, speaking to a group nearby. Thrilled to find
him there, I am eager to show him the book of his lectures I had just published
and question him regarding the change of words. But as I turn to take the case I
am carrying into my office, get the book and return, he glances up and catches my
eye. Instantly changing my mind, I turn and go directly into the restaurant to join
him. But when I arrive, I discover that he has vanished, leaving the ladies to tell
me that he is gone and will never return again.
Heartsick, I return to the lobby with its hard, tile floor when suddenly the case I
had been carrying fell from its handle. The moment it hit the floor, the case
opened, my book fell out and lay open at its center seam. As I looked down in
horror, I saw that I had been carrying brief ease which contained a tape recorder
that had turned on due to the fall, and Neville’s voice was ringing out loud and
clear. Embarrassed, I stooped down to turn off the volume, only to discover that
all the knobs had fallen off the machine and there was no way for me to turn him
off. As I tried to push the case over to the far wall in order to pick it up, I awoke
with these words ringing in my ears, “I am IN you, AS you.”
From that moment on, my fears have vanished and, since that time, I have gained
confidence in my writing. These are Neville’s words – Neville’s thoughts – yet
we are so closely woven in the tapestry of thought that the words are now mine.
The lectures you will read are Neville’s words, Yet they may not have been the
exact words he spoke back in 1952. The material I had to work with noted
someone had taken in shorthand, transcribed, and duplicated. I have taken the
notes and elaborated on them. The words are true and, hopefully, understandable
enough so you can test them and discover for yourself that when the truth is
applied, it is made alive by a spiritual experience.
Always bear in mind that when Neville speaks of “man,” he is speaking of
generic man (man/woman). Man is the external world, the natural man; while
imagination is the internal world, the man of spirit. God (imagination) became the
natural man that the man of nature may become God who is Spirit.
Always think of yourself as two beings, one who sees through the organs of sense
and the other who sees through the mind of imagination. And always remember
God’s name as he revealed it to Moses. “I AM. That is who I AM. And by this
name, I shall be known throughout all generations. I AM that I AM.” I the Trinity,
in unthinkable origin, AM God the Father. And I in creative expression AM the
Son, for imagination, is born of consciousness. Therefore I, in universal
interpretation, in infinite imminence, in eternal procession AM God, the Holy
Spirit.
Margaret Ruth Broome
http://realneville.com/pdf/Creative%20Use%20Of%20Imagination.pdf
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