#37: Controlled Reverie

Controlled Reverie – The Sacred Art of Daydreaming

A Lecture in the Voice and Spirit of Neville Goddard

You have allowed your mind to drift in daydreams many times before, hoping that some wish might take shape in your world, yet you awaken to the same unchanged scene. The outer senses report the same limitations, the same obstacles, the same unfulfilled longing. But tonight I reveal to you the sacred art that changes all that—the controlled reverie, the holy and deliberate daydreaming in which desire is not merely wished but impressed upon the creative depths of your being with absolute certainty.

This controlled reverie is the state wherein the objective senses are gently diminished or held in complete abeyance. The mind becomes passive, yet it functions with a profound absorption. It is a concentration of attention so complete that nothing else exists for you in that moment. There is no conflict within you. You turn from what appears to be and dwell upon what ought to be. You assume the mood of the fulfilled desire, and in that assumption the law of reversibility operates without fail. The subjective mind receives the impression and, reasoning deductively from the premise you have given it, unfolds your desire into outer expression with perfect fidelity.

Enter this sacred state by first relaxing the body until every tension melts away. Let the outer world recede. Do not fight the senses; simply allow them to grow quiet. Your attention withdraws from the reports of sight and sound and touch, and you rest in a receptive stillness. The mind is not blank; it is alive, awake, and focused. It is like the quiet interval just before sleep, yet you remain the master. In this passive yet alert condition the subjective mind stands open, ready to accept the suggestion you now offer it. Here the art of prayer finds its perfect instrument, for ideas are best suggested when the objective mind is partly subjective.

In the controlled reverie you represent your desire to yourself as already fulfilled. You see the scene clearly in imagination. You do not strain to create it; you allow it to form naturally before the inner eye. Then you enter into mental conversation with that fulfilled state. You imagine yourself speaking to the condition or to the person involved as though the desire is now an accomplished fact. You hear their voice affirming the reality you have assumed. You mentally congratulate them or yourself on the good fortune now expressed. You feel the joy, the relief, the naturalness of it as though it were happening this very moment. The conversation must carry the same tone and reality you would use in an ordinary exchange with a friend. Every word you speak subjectively awakens objectively that which it affirms.

Maintain this absorption with quiet certainty. Your imagination must be controlled in the reverie, or the reverie will control you. Hold the one fixed idea—the wish fulfilled—before you with unwavering attention. Suggest it with the utmost care. Do not allow stray thoughts or doubts to intrude. If a contrary image arises, gently return your focus to the scene of fulfillment. Bold assertion made while you are in this partly subjective state awakens exactly what you affirm. Self-confidence in the truth of your mental assertion is all that is required. The subjective mind accepts the suggestion as law and proceeds to objectify it without question.

You will feel the power of this state as a deep inner quietude. The body is relaxed, the outer senses hushed, yet within you there burns a clear, steady light of conviction. The mood of the fulfilled desire settles upon you like a garment that fits perfectly. You do not wonder how it will happen; you know it is already done. In this controlled reverie the subjective mind, that great universal conductor, is modified by your thoughts and feelings. Visible states are either the vibratory effects of these subjective vibrations within you or they are the causes of corresponding vibrations without. By this art you become the conscious director of those vibrations.

Practice this sacred art until it becomes natural to you. Each time you enter the controlled reverie you deepen your mastery. You learn to slip into that passive absorption more quickly, to hold the attention more steadily upon the one idea. The common mistake is to let imagination roam uncontrolled, allowing it to drift into fears or idle fantasies that only reinforce the very conditions you wish to change. But in the controlled reverie you refuse such wandering. You keep the imagination obedient to the single purpose—the wish fulfilled. You suggest the idea with conviction, and the subjective mind, under no opposition from the objective senses, accepts it completely and begins its perfect work.

Feel how natural this state is. It is not foreign to you. You have touched its edge many times in moments of quiet reflection, yet now you enter it deliberately and remain in control. The absorption grows deeper with practice. The mind becomes more and more capable of functioning with complete focus while the body rests in perfect ease. In this state the desire is impressed upon the subconscious as a fixed idea. Only fixed ideas awaken their vibratory correlates in the outer world. Whatever you suggest with confidence becomes law to the subjective mind. It is under obligation to objectify that which you mentally affirm.

You will notice, as you dwell in this controlled reverie, that the mood of fulfillment lingers even after you return to the waking world. That lingering mood is the proof that the impression has been made. The subjective mind has received it and is now unfolding it according to its own perfect logic. Do not look for immediate outer signs. Do not question the how. The controlled reverie has done its work. The desire is now moving toward expression with the same inevitability that day follows night.

Return to this sacred art again and again. Each time you enter the state of controlled reverie you reinforce the impression. You make the fulfilled desire more and more natural to you. The passive absorption becomes easier, the concentration of attention more effortless, the mental conversation more vivid and real. You learn to shut out every conflicting thought with quiet authority. The imagination remains your obedient servant, painting only the scene you have chosen. In this way the art of controlled daydreaming lifts you above every sense of limitation and places you in the very center of creative power.

Consider what it means to live in this state more and more frequently. Your days become interlaced with these moments of holy reverie. You slip into the controlled absorption whenever you feel the pull of outer circumstance. You turn from what is and assume the mood of what ought to be. The subjective mind, ever responsive, receives the suggestion and adjusts the outer world accordingly. Stuck situations dissolve because you have impressed a new premise upon the depths. Long-held desires begin to flower because you have given them the proper soil in which to grow—the receptive, controlled consciousness of fulfillment.

The power of this art lies in its simplicity and its certainty. There is no need for complicated rituals or prolonged effort. You relax, you withdraw attention from the senses, you fix it upon the wish fulfilled, you engage in the mental conversation that confirms the reality, and you remain absorbed until the mood is established. That is all. The subjective mind does the rest. It executes the state affirmed as though the decision had originated within itself. You awaken to find the outer world conforming to the inner impression you have given it in the controlled reverie.

Make this your daily practice. Find a quiet place, close your eyes, relax the body completely, and enter the state. Let the senses grow dim. Let the mind become passive yet sharply focused. Bring the fulfilled desire before you. See it, hear it, feel the naturalness of it. Speak the words of confirmation in imagination and hear the answering voice. Dwell there until the whole being thrills with the reality of it. Then, with quiet confidence, return to your outer activities, knowing that the impression has been made and the subjective mind is now at work.

You will discover that the controlled reverie grows richer with use. The absorption becomes deeper, the vision clearer, the feeling of fulfillment more intense. Doubts that once troubled you lose their power because you have learned to hold the attention steady upon the one idea. The imagination no longer runs wild; it serves you faithfully. In this sacred art you become the conscious master of your world. You no longer drift in uncontrolled daydreams that scatter your creative force. You direct it with precision and authority toward the single goal—the realization of your desire.

Tonight, as you leave this place, take with you the knowledge of this holy instrument. Use it. Enter the controlled reverie whenever the outer world seems heavy or unyielding. Relax the senses, assume the mood of fulfillment, engage in the inner conversation that seals the impression, and rest in the certainty that the subjective mind is now bringing your desire to pass. The art is simple, the power is absolute, the result is inevitable.

This is the sacred art of controlled daydreaming. In it you discover your true creative authority. In it you impress upon the depths of consciousness the exact pattern of your desire. In it the passive mind receives the suggestion without resistance, and the active power of life moves to make it visible. Practice it with quiet persistence. Let every session deepen your mastery. Let every moment in the state of controlled reverie strengthen the conviction that your wish is already fulfilled.

You are not at the mercy of circumstances. You are not bound by the reports of the senses. In the controlled reverie you rise above all that and speak the word that must be made flesh. The mind passive yet absorbed, the attention concentrated upon the fulfilled desire, the imagination obedient and controlled—these are the elements that make the art effective. Use them faithfully, and you will see your world transformed in ways you once thought impossible.

The controlled reverie is your birthright. It is the natural way in which consciousness creates. You have used it unconsciously many times, yet now you use it with full awareness and deliberate control. The difference is everything. Where once your daydreams scattered your power, now they focus it like a laser upon the one desired end. Where once the subjective mind received conflicting impressions, now it receives one clear, fixed idea and brings it forth in perfect order.

Dwell often in this state. Let it become as habitual as breathing. Relax, withdraw the senses, fix the attention, assume the mood, converse mentally with the fulfilled condition, and remain absorbed until the feeling of reality is complete. Then go about your affairs in peace, knowing that the work has been done. The subjective mind never fails to objectify that which it has been given in this controlled manner.

This is the secret you have been seeking. This is the sacred art that turns longing into manifestation. This is controlled reverie—the holy daydreaming in which you become the conscious creator of your own experience. Use it tonight. Use it tomorrow. Use it every day until the outer world conforms so perfectly to your inner assumptions that you can no longer tell where the reverie ends and the waking world begins.

You are the operant power. In the controlled reverie you exercise that power with precision and love. The desire you hold in this state is the desire that must appear. The mood you assume is the mood that must be expressed. The conversation you conduct in imagination is the conversation that must be realized in fact. Hold fast to this truth. Let it sink deep into your being. Let every controlled reverie reinforce it until it becomes the very foundation of your consciousness.

The sacred art awaits your use. Enter it now in the silence of your own mind. Relax every muscle, quiet every outer report, fix your attention upon the one desire as already fulfilled. Feel the mood of its realization settle upon you. Speak the confirming words in imagination and hear the answering voice. Remain absorbed in that reality until joy and certainty fill you completely. Then know, with unshakable conviction, that the subjective mind has received the impression and is even now bringing your desire to pass in the world of form.

This is the controlled reverie. This is the sacred art of daydreaming that changes everything. In it you discover the power that has always been yours. In it you learn to impress upon the depths of being the exact pattern of your heart’s desire. In it you become what you wish to be. Practice it faithfully, live in its mood, and watch your world rearrange itself in harmony with the vision you have held in the quiet, absorbed state of controlled reverie.

You are now equipped with the instrument. The rest is simple obedience to this one eternal method. Relax, enter the state, assume the fulfillment, control the imagination, impress the fixed idea, and rest in the certainty of its expression. The law is perfect. The art is holy. The result is assured.

Tonight, as you close your eyes and slip into that blessed state of controlled reverie, feel the deep satisfaction of knowing that your desire is already impressed upon the creative power within you. The passive mind has accepted it. The absorbed attention has fixed it. The controlled imagination has sealed it. And the subjective depths are now at work to bring it forth in perfect and natural form. This is the sacred art. This is the way. This is the truth that sets you free.