Neville Lancelot Goddard

Neville Lancelot Goddard (February 19, 1905 – October 1, 1972), generally known as Neville Goddard,[1] was a Barbadian New Thought author and mystic who wrote on the Bible, esotericism and is considered to be one of the pioneers of the "law of assumption".

Neville Lancelot Goddard
Goddard c. 1939
Goddard c. 1939
Born(1905-02-19)February 19, 1905
Barbados, British West Indies
DiedOctober 1, 1972(1972-10-01) (aged 67)
West Hollywood, California, US
Resting placeSaint Michael, Barbados
SubjectSelf-help, Bible exegesis

Early life

Goddard was born in Barbados on February 19, 1905, to Joseph Nathaniel and Wilhelmina Goddard. He emigrated to New York City c. 1922, where he initially worked as a ballet and ballroom dancer.[2][3]

In 1931, he began to study under an Ethiopian rabbi named Abdullah, who introduced him to Kabbalah.[2] When in 1942 at the age of 38 he was drafted into the army and stationed at Camp Polk Louisiana in the 11th Armoured Division.  After serving just 9 months he was granted an honourable discharge from his Battalion Commanding Officer Colonel Theodore Bilbough Jr.  It was after this brief stint in the Army[3] that he was naturalised as a United States citizen.

Career

He was a dancer, and to some extent, an actor. He states in Consciousness is the Only Reality: "For ten years I was a dancer, dancing in Broadway shows, in vaudeville, night clubs, and in Europe." In early 1950s, Goddard lectured at The Town Hall on religious topics.[3] He made mention in his 1931 lecture imagination plus faith of his brief career in television, “I did just what I am doing now, they gave me a lectern, I simply sat at a desk and spoke”.  It was during the mid-1950’s that he began his short stint on television.  Broadcast in L.A. on channel 11 he had 26 half hour shows which went on air between 2pm and 2.30pm every Sunday.  The shows were very simple in production, Goddard would just speak extemporaneously on biblical esotericism, in front of a camera. It was a tremendous success at the time with viewing audiences in excess of 300,000 every week.  Unfortunately, channel 11 studios where unable to secure advertisers suitable to the audience so the show was eventually cancelled. In 1954, he was reportedly planning a "metaphysical telefilm show", though it is unclear if the project came to fruition.[4]

Legacy

Jonathan L. Walton argues that Frederick Eikerenkoetter, in particular, adopted theories on people's ability to change their situation through "feeling" that are rooted in Goddard's ideas.[5] Rhonda Byrne and Wayne Dyer have noted that Goddard shaped their views.[1] Margaret Runyan Castaneda, ex-wife and later biographer of Carlos Castaneda, was interested in Goddard's work and introduced Carlos to Goddard's ideas.[6][7]

In 2015, books by Neville Goddard including Feeling Is The Secret, At Your Command and Out of This World were released as audiobooks, narrated by Hillary Hawkins.[8]

Goddard was influenced by writer William Blake and early self-help theorists Émile Coué and Thomson Jay Hudson.[9]

Death

Goddard died on October 1, 1972, aged 67, from a brain aneurysm. He had been a resident of Los Angeles for roughly 20 years.[10]

He is buried in Westbury Cemetery, Saint Michael, Barbados.

Works
  • At Your Command (1939)[11]
  • Your Faith Is Your Fortune (1941)[12]
  • Freedom for All—A Practical Application of the Bible (1942)[13]
  • Feeling Is the Secret (1944)[14]
  • Prayer—The Art of Believing (1946)[15]
  • Out of This World (1949)[16]
  • The Creative Use of Imagination (1952)[17]
  • Awakened Imagination (1954)[18]
  • Seedtime and Harvest (1956)[19]
  • I Know My Father (1960)[20]
  • The Law and the Promise (1961)[21]

References
  1. Horowitz 2019, p. 198.
  2. Walton 2011, p. 186.
  3. Beronius, George L. (July 7, 1951). "Neville Goddard; Religious Topics Author-Speaker". Los Angeles Times. p. A2. ProQuest 166277786.
  4. "Neville Plans Series". The Hollywood Reporter. 130 (30): 4. July 30, 1954. ProQuest 2338193103.
  5. Walton 2011, p. 188.
  6. Woo, Elaine (January 30, 2012). "Margaret Runyan Castaneda dies at 90; ex-wife of mystic author". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on July 21, 2020. Retrieved July 21, 2020.
  7. Ewen, Alexander; Wollock, Jeffrey, eds. (2015). "Castañeda, Carlos". Encyclopedia of the American Indian in the Twentieth Century. New York: Infobase Publishing. p. 85. ISBN 978-1-78785-270-9. OCLC 1108099625.
  8. https://www.audible.com/search?keywords=Hillary+Hawkins+neville+goddard&ref-override=a_hp_t1_header_search&k=Hillary+Hawkins+neville+goddard&crid=10B6EYMX9YO08&sprefix=hillary+hawkins+neville+goddard%2Cna-audible-us%2C50&i=na-audible-us&url=search-alias%3Dna-audible-us&ref=nb_sb_noss
  9. Horowitz 2019, pp. 200–201.
  10. "Neville Goddard; Religious Topics Author-Speaker". Los Angeles Times. November 4, 1972. p. C3. ProQuest 157086265.
  11. Goddard, Neville Lancelot (1939). At Your Command. New York City: Goddard Publications.
  12. Goddard, Neville Lancelot (1941). Your Faith Is Your Fortune. New York City: Goddard Publications.
  13. Goddard, Neville Lancelot (1942). Freedom for All—A Practical Application of the Bible. New York City: Goddard Publications.
  14. Goddard, Neville Lancelot (1944). Feeling Is the Secret. New York City: Goddard Publications.
  15. Goddard, Neville Lancelot (1945). Prayer—The Art of Believing. New York City: Goddard Publications.
  16. Goddard, Neville Lancelot (1949). Out of This World. New York City: Goddard Publications.
  17. Goddard, Neville Lancelot (1952). The Creative Use of Imagination. New York City: Goddard Publications.
  18. Goddard, Neville Lancelot (1954). Awakened Imagination. New York City: G. & J. Publishing Co.
  19. Goddard, Neville Lancelot (1956). Seedtime and Harvest. New York City: G. & J. Publishing Co.
  20. Goddard, Neville Lancelot (1960). I Know My Father. New York City: G. & J. Publishing Co.
  21. Goddard, Neville Lancelot (1961). The Law and the Promise. New York City: G. & J. Publishing Co.

Sources

Further reading
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