Over the past couple of years, Neville Goddard and the Law of Assumption have become very popular in the manifesting community. In this article, we will look at what it is, how it works, and how you can use it to manifest your goals and desires.
So, what is the Law of Assumption?
The Law of Assumption is a branch of manifesting, very similar to the Law Of Attraction. It states that our internal assumptions manifest as things, circumstances, events, etc., in the physical world. By changing our assumptions, we cause new manifestations to appear in our world. The Law of Assumption is based on Neville Goddard’s teachings.
Let’s take a more in-depth look at the Law of Assumption.
After you’ve read this article, I also recommend you read Neville Goddard’s Teachings In A Nutshell, as it goes very well with this one.
What Is The Law of Assumption, And How Does It Work?
The Law of Assumption states that our mental assumptions manifest themselves as external reality in the form of things, events, circumstances, etc. The Law of Assumption is derived from Neville Goddard’s teachings on manifesting.
According to Neville Goddard, the fundamental reality is an unbounded and undifferentiated consciousness/awareness. Everything and every person is a projection of Consciousness.
Neville believed Imagination to be the creative power. By using our imagination, we can cause our desires to be created in the external or “real” world.
Our individual state of consciousness manifests itself as external results. For example, if you assume that you are poor, you will manifest events, situations, and circumstances that conform to this assumption, and the manifested result will be poverty.
On the other hand, if you assume that you are wealthy, it will kill off the old state of being poor, and you will correspondingly manifest wealth in your life.
The external world (often called the physical world, real world, 3d world, etc.) basically mirrors your assumptions. Consciousness is the true reality, and the physical world is like a mirror. Hence, if you are to get new results, you must change your assumptions.
If you want to manifest a specific desire, you have to assume in your imagination the state of your accomplished desire. The act of doing this will cause the assumption to manifest by means of its own, without you necessarily knowing how it will happen.
According to the Law of Assumption, this is the ONLY way to get new results. To change the effect, you must go to the cause. This also means that “outer action” will only work if it comes from the inner assumption. Although outer action may be a necessary part of the series of events that lead up to your goal, you cannot “force” a goal to appear through outer action.
Key Features of The Law of Assumption
There are a few key beliefs that lay the underlying foundation of the Law of Assumption.
Consciousness Is The Fundamental Reality
Neville believed that consciousness was the true reality. The physical world, which we usually think of as fundamental, is nothing but a projection by consciousness. We usually think that brains produce consciousness. But, in this view, the brain (and everything else) is produced by consciousness.
This is why Neville often compared our perceived reality to nothing but a dream.
Neville also believed that Consciousness is God and that we, in a sense, are God. God is not a separate being but rather the “beingness” within all of us.
Imagination Is The Creative Power
Neville believed that our imagination is the creative power. According to him, what we are now is nothing but the imagination of consciousness. And since we are conscious, we can manifest new results by imagining new things. If you imagine or assume that you are rich, you will manifest richness as a result.
Personal Impotence
The only power we have is choosing what to assume. We do not control how or when assumptions manifest. We can only imagine what we want, and “God” will automatically develop the means for the achievement of the goal.
We cannot speed up a manifestation by forcing outer action. The work we have to do will come to us naturally according to the plan inherent in the assumption.
Everything, including other people’s actions, will automatically conform to your assumption.
Does The Law of Assumption Actually Work?
I can personally say that I know for a certainty that The Law of Assumption works, and I believe that you will be able to prove this to yourself by putting it into practice.
Following the Law of Assumption is, in my opinion, the best way to approach manifesting. It doesn’t have a lot of fluff and cuts straight to the bone. By continually practicing manifestation, you will gradually become better at it.
Through the the Law of Assumption, Neville Goddard definitely gave us one of the best descriptions of how manifestation works, and he was very focused on the student or the reader actually putting manifestation into practice and making it produce results.
If you’re skeptical about the validity of manifesting, the best way is to get some practical experience with it in order to prove it to yourself. The next best way is listening to other people’s success stories.
Go on the Neville Goddard Reddit page and sort by “Top” and “All Time” so you can see the most upvoted posts. Here you will find a bunch of success stories using the Law of Assumption.
How Do You Use The Law of Assumption?
When we want to manifest something, we need to implant our desire on the inner power, which Neville called Consciousness. This is what happens with assumptions. When we persist in an assumption, corresponding manifestations are produced.
To successfully use the Law of Assumption, Neville put forth certain “techniques” or “methods.” There are also a few other ideas to keep in mind. Below I have listed the most important ideas from Neville Goddard that will enable you to successfully use the Law of Assumption
- The “SATS” technique
- Positive Mental Diet/Self Talk
- Judging from the “within” and not the “without.”
1. The “SATS” Technique (Most Popular Technique In the Law of Assumption)
To manifest a desire, Neville Goddard put forth a very simple and straightforward technique.
This is how to do it.
- Choose a desire.
It doesn’t matter what it is. A good way for beginners is to make a “test manifestation,” where they manifest something small. The point of this is to test and practice your manifesting ability. - Go into a relaxed state of consciousness.
Simply close your eyes and relax. This is basically the same as meditating. For one reason or another, you are more in touch with the inner power. You’re able to impress ideas upon it. Oftentimes it is also easier to imagine when in a relaxed state. - Imagine a scene that would happen AFTER the accomplishment of your desire.
When in a relaxed mental state, imagine a short scene that would take place after your desire has been accomplished. You need to BE in the scene, becoming one with it. See the scene from a first-person perspective. Feel the tones of reality as if you were actually there. This is how you “assume the wish fulfilled,” as Neville called it. - Let go.
“I can of my own self do nothing.” The desire will begin to manifest by itself without you doing anything. It is very likely that it will manifest as an opportunity for you to act.
So, if you feel you should do something, do it. It is important not to force action in an attempt to speed up the manifestation.
This is Neville’s primary technique to successfully use the Law of Assumption.
But remember, techniques are secondary. They are great tools to help you “assume the feeling of the wish fulfilled,” which impresses the desire on the subconscious mind. As long as this is accomplished, it doesn’t matter what technique you use.
Many of Neville Goddard’s followers today call this technique SATS (The “State Akin To Sleep” Technique), although Neville himself called it that. I have an article that goes more in-depth on how to do SATS which I highly recommend.
I find that this technique works best if it is done on a consistent basis. It is, however, also possible to just do it once. I have an article on how often you should do SATS, which explains this more clearly.
Mental Diet and Self Talk
Neville Goddard often talked about the influence Self Talk has on us. Most of us constantly have negative mental chatter going on. We constantly imagine bad things and hold imaginary mental arguments.
Most of what we think about comes from our current state of consciousness and our assumptions. As long as we dwell in the same mental state, we must remain stuck there and consequently manifest the same things over and over.
To change our mental activity and our Self Talk, it’s important to go on a “Mental Diet,” as Neville called it. Having a Mental Diet basically means that you become more aware of your mental activity and deliberately choose what it should be like.
By changing having a Mental Diet, you change your state of consciousness.
Mental Dieting is an important part of the Law of Assumption. I have a more detailed article on how exactly to do a Mental Diet.
I also recommend you read this Neville Goddard lecture on Mental Diets.
Not Relying on Circumstances
When manifesting, it’s important not to judge from your current circumstances.
According to the Law of Assumption, circumstances are the effect, and the idea is the cause. It is, therefore, wrong to let circumstances affect our mental state. Since the state of consciousness is the cause, judging from circumstances will only cause you to manifest more of the same.
If the circumstances are unfavorable to your desire, you cannot let yourself fall into the trap of thinking that you’re desire, therefore, will not manifest. This is working against the law.
You need to rely on the “within” and not on the “without.” If you judge from circumstances, you stand and fall with them. You need to “persist in your assumption,” as Neville called it.
This is not easy to do. It is especially if you’re a beginner and still skeptical about manifesting. I recommend you read my article on how to correctly persist in an assumption in order to manifest it.
Why Has The Law of Assumption Become So Popular?
There is no doubt that Neville Goddard and the Law of Assumption have become very popular. As comprising the Law of Attraction subreddit has around 250k followers (2022), while the Neville Goddard subreddit has around 100k (2022).
The most popular belief system related to manifesting is the Law of Attraction. Many people have begun to turn away from the law of attraction to other manifestation-related belief systems such as the Law of Assumption.
Here are a few reasons why I believe the Law of Assumption is so popular
- The Law of Assumption has less pseudoscience than the Law of Attraction
There is a lot often talk about energy and vibration that does not go hand in hand with current science. This makes the Law of Attraction less credible to people. - The Law of Assumption has a very practical approach to manifesting
Neville puts a lot of emphasis on testing it yourself and making your own judgments. - The Law of Assumption is not very convoluted
you only need to imagine your desire and let the results take care of themselves. There are no crystals, god’s will, etc. - A lot of success stories
There are a lot of success stories on the Neville Goddard Reddit page. - Fewer people trying to sell you stuff
Marketing (people trying to sell you stuff) is less aggressive than in the Law of Attraction niche and in most self-help-related teachings. There is a general consensus among Neville Goddard’s followers that buying expensive courses is unnecessary.
What’s the Difference Between The Law of Assumption and Manifesting
Manifestation is the idea that we can to a large extent, influence reality with the use of our minds.
There are different approaches to manifesting, such as the Law of Assumption, the Law of Attraction, reality shifting, etc.
These are all different teachings that describe how and why manifesting is possible.
The Law of Assumption states that consciousness manifests as physical reality. Our assumptions must therefore manifest in the physical world.
Final thoughts
Hopefully, you have a better idea of what the law of assumption is.
This article was merely an overview, so I also recommend your read Neville Goddard’s Teachings In A Nutshell as well as some of Neville’s books and lectures. His book The Power of Awareness, is a great one to start with, as it’s very comprehensive and beginner-friendly.
I hope you found this article helpful. Thanks for reading!
