#45: Subjective Control

Subjective Control

A Lecture in the Voice and Spirit of Neville Goddard

You have been living as though the world outside you holds the power to dictate your fate. You have looked upon the conditions that surround you—the seeming lacks, the difficulties, the oppositions—and you have allowed them to impress themselves upon your inner being, shaping what you are conscious of being. You have permitted moods to rise unbidden from the outer scene and carry you where they will, reactions to flare in response to the words or actions of others, and the opinions of those around you to enter your consciousness as though they possessed authority over you. This has been the common way, the way of one who is governed by appearances rather than governing the inner world. But I tell you tonight that the reverse is true, and the power to reverse it lies within your own awareness. The inner world of your consciousness is the only cause, and the outer world is but its effect. To learn to govern the inner is to set yourself free from every bondage that the senses would impose.

Your consciousness is the reality. Everything you see and experience in your world is nothing more nor less than your consciousness made visible. Man is ever out-picturing that which he is conscious of being. When you are conscious of limitation, limitation appears. When you are conscious of discord, discord manifests. The appearances you behold are not the cause; they are the reflection of what you have accepted as true within. To be governed by them is to live as the servant of your own creation. But you can take subjective control. You can withdraw your attention from the outer and direct it within, choosing deliberately what you will be conscious of being. In that choice, in that inner governance, the outer must conform, for it has no independent life of its own.

Consider how you have allowed the evidence of your senses to rule your inner state. You look and you see what seems to be, and you accept it as final. You feel the weight of circumstances and you let that weight become your mood. A mood is a state of consciousness, and when you yield to it without question you are surrendering your subjective power. Yet you need not yield. You can govern the inner world by refusing to let the outer dictate your awareness. You can turn within and assume the consciousness of the state you desire to express, feeling yourself to be that which you would be, living in that feeling as the most natural thing in the world. This is subjective control. This is the quiet, majestic act by which you become the master rather than the victim.

The opinions of others have no power except that which you give them in your own consciousness. Their words are the out-picturing of their own inner states, and when you accept those words as true for you, you are allowing another’s consciousness to govern yours. But you need not accept them. You can remain unmoved in your inner world, conscious only of that which you choose to be. You can stand in the awareness of your own being, knowing that you and your father are one, and that father is your awareness of being. No opinion from without can enter and disturb you when you have taken subjective control. You govern the inner, and the outer reflects only what you have established there.

Reactions arise automatically when you are governed by the outer. Something happens, someone speaks, a condition confronts you, and you react from the old pattern of consciousness. But subjective control means that you no longer react from the old; you act from the new. You withdraw your attention from the seeming cause in the outer and you place it upon the inner reality you wish to embody. You feel yourself to be free of the limitation, whole in the midst of seeming discord, at peace in the face of seeming conflict. In that inner act the reaction is transformed, for your consciousness has changed, and your world must follow the change. You are no longer governed by reactions; you govern them by governing the state of consciousness from which they spring.

Your environment and all within it reflects that which you are in consciousness. As long as you continue to be that in consciousness, so long will you continue to out-picture it in your world. But the moment you take subjective control and change what you are conscious of being, the reflection begins to dissolve and a new picture forms. The world you see is not the cause of your condition; it is the effect. To attempt to change the effect while remaining the same in consciousness is to labor in vain. But when you govern the inner world, when you assume the consciousness of the desired state and make it natural to you, the effect must change. It has no choice. Consciousness is the only reality, and things but mirror that which you are in consciousness.

You are at this very moment drawing into your world that which you are now conscious of being. This is the changeless principle. You do not command things to appear by loud affirmations or vain repetition. Such things are often confirmation of the opposite. Decreeing is done in consciousness. Every man is conscious of being that which he has decreed himself to be. The man who is conscious of being limited is decreeing limitation. The man who is conscious of being free is decreeing freedom. Subjective control is the deliberate choice of the state in which you will abide. It is the quiet turning within and the assumption of the feeling of the wish fulfilled, regardless of what the outer senses report.

Moods will try to claim you. They will arise from the conditions you behold and they will seem so real, so compelling. But a mood is only a state of consciousness, and you can change the state. You can refuse to let the outer dictate the inner. You can choose to dwell in the consciousness of fulfillment, feeling the joy and the peace and the freedom of the state desired as though it were already so. When you do this persistently, the mood of the outer loses its power. It cannot stand against the light of your controlled awareness. You govern the inner world, and the outer must yield.

The appearances that seem so solid and unyielding are not your master. They are your own creation, objectified from your former states of consciousness. To be governed by them is to perpetuate them. But when you take subjective control you withdraw your attention from them and you place it upon the new state. You do not fight the appearance; you simply ignore it as cause and you live in the inner reality as the only cause. In this way the appearance dissolves, for it has no life except that which you give it in consciousness. Your world in its every detail is your consciousness out-pictured. Change the consciousness and you change the world.

You are self-imprisoned or self-freed by your consciousness. When you allow the outer to govern you, you are self-imprisoned in the very conditions you would escape. But when you govern the inner world you are self-freed, for you have discovered that you and the father are one, and the father is your awareness of being. You are the lord of your inner world, and in that lordship lies the power to transform everything. No man comes unto you save the father within draws him. The father is your consciousness. When you govern that consciousness you draw only that which is in harmony with the state you have assumed.

This subjective control is not a matter of straining or effort. It is the natural function of one who knows his true being. Your true being is awareness, the I AM. And this I AM is God. To govern the inner world is to let God express through you without hindrance. You do not have to create the new state; the state already exists in the depth of your being. You simply become conscious of it. You feel yourself to be it. You live in the feeling until it becomes natural. This is the way. This is subjective control.

Tonight, as you sit here, you can begin. You can turn your attention away from every appearance that would govern you and you can assume the consciousness of the state you desire. Feel it. Make it real in your inner world. Do not question how it will come to pass. Do not concern yourself with the outer evidence. The outer has no power. Your consciousness is the power. Govern it tonight and you govern your world.

You will discover that as you persist in this inner governance the outer world begins to reflect the change. Conditions that seemed fixed and unchangeable begin to shift. Moods that once ruled you become servants. Reactions lose their sting. The opinions of others cease to disturb you. You move through your days with a quiet certainty, knowing that you are the governor of your inner world and that all things are possible to the one who governs there.

The man who has taken subjective control no longer sees himself as a grasshopper before giants. He knows that the giants are but the out-picturing of his former consciousness, and he has changed that consciousness. He dwarfs the former giants by becoming conscious of being the giant, the center of power. All the inhabitants of the earth are as nothing when you know yourself as the one who governs the inner world.

Your awareness of being is the good shepherd. What you are aware of being is the sheep that follow you. When you govern the inner world you are the good shepherd who knows his sheep and is known of them. You call forth only that which is in harmony with your controlled state. No sheep is ever lost. No desire fails to find you when you are conscious of being the one who draws it.

This is the truth that makes you free. You are not bound by the outer. You are not governed by moods or reactions or opinions. You govern them. You take your attention away from all that is now your problem or limitation and you dwell upon just being the state desired. You say silently but feelingly to yourself, I AM that. You continue until you are lost in the feeling of just being the desired state—faceless and formless in the depth of yourself—and then you give form to the new conception by feeling yourself to be it.

The invitation is to be absent from the body and present with the lord. The body is your former conception of yourself, governed by the outer. The lord is your awareness of being. To govern the inner world is to be present with the lord, to live in the consciousness of the desired state. In that presence the outer changes, for consciousness is the resurrecting power, resurrecting that which you are conscious of being.

You are at this very moment drawing into your world that which you are now conscious of being. Therefore be conscious only of that which you desire to express. Govern the inner world with quiet authority. Do not let the outer dictate. Do not let moods rule. Do not let reactions determine. Do not let opinions impress. Turn within and assume the state. Feel it natural. Live in it. Persist in the governance until the outer testifies to the truth of your inner control.

This is not a temporary exercise. This is the way to live. Every moment of the day you can renew the control. Whenever attention is drawn outward by some appearance, you gently bring it back within and reaffirm the state you have chosen. In this way you become the master of your inner world, and the outer world becomes the faithful servant of that mastery.

You have not your present consciousness because of your world. On the contrary, your world is what it is because of your present consciousness. To change the world you change the consciousness. Subjective control is the deliberate changing of the consciousness by assuming the feeling of the new state and making it natural. It is simple. It is profound. It is the only way.

The outer world seems so real, so compelling. It cries out for your attention. It demands that you accept it as cause. But you know better. You know that consciousness is the only reality. You know that you govern the inner world and the inner world governs all. So you turn away from the cry of the outer and you listen to the still small voice within that says, I AM that which I desire to be. You feel it. You live it. You govern it.

In the silence of your own being you are the lord. You are the I AM. You are the one who decrees, and the decree is established in consciousness. Subjective control is the establishment of the decree in the inner world before it appears in the outer. It is the naturalness of the feeling that brings the manifestation. When the feeling is natural, the thing is compelled to appear.

You are the conceiver. The thing you are conscious of being is the conception. The conceiver is ever greater than the conception, yet ever one with it. When you govern the inner world you are the conceiver choosing the conception. You are not bound by any former conception. You can choose anew. You can assume the new state and make it your own.

This is the freedom that is yours. This is the power that is yours. This is subjective control. You govern the inner world rather than being governed by appearances, moods, reactions, or other people’s opinions. You withdraw attention from the outer and you place it upon the inner. You assume the feeling. You persist until it is natural. And in that persistence the outer changes, the moods serve you, the reactions are born from your chosen state, and the opinions of others lose their power.

Tonight you can begin in earnest. Tonight you can take subjective control. Turn your attention within. Close out the world of appearances. Assume the consciousness of the state you desire. Feel yourself to be it. Live in that feeling. Sleep in that feeling. Awaken in that feeling. Carry it with you through the day. Whenever the outer would claim you, return to the inner and reaffirm the state. In this way you live as the master.

The man who has taken subjective control moves through his world with a quiet dignity, a serene authority. He is not tossed about by every wind of circumstance. He is not disturbed by the changing scenes of the outer. He knows that the outer is but the shadow, and he is the substance. He governs the inner, and the shadow obeys.

Your awareness of being is the door through which all manifestations pass into the world of form. When you govern that awareness you govern the door. You decide what shall pass through. You decide what shall be out-pictured. This is subjective control in its fullness.

You are the good shepherd of your own consciousness. You know what state you will feed and keep alive. You know what state you will starve by withdrawing attention. You call forth only that which is in harmony with your governed state. No state is ever lost when you have taken control. Every desire finds you when you are conscious of being the one who draws it.

This is the eternal truth. Consciousness is the only reality. You are consciousness. Govern it. Assume the state. Feel it natural. Persist. The outer will testify. The moods will serve. The reactions will conform. The opinions will align. Your world will be the faithful expression of your inner governance.

You have felt the frustration of being stuck. You have known the sense of being at the mercy of conditions. But that frustration is only the result of having surrendered subjective control to the appearances. Take it back tonight. Assume the consciousness of freedom from the stuck state. Feel yourself to be the one who is free, who is fulfilled, who is the master. In that assumption the stuck condition dissolves, for it had no reality apart from your former consciousness.

The power is not in the outer. The power is in you. The power is your awareness of being. Govern that awareness and you govern everything. This is subjective control. This is the way of the awakened. This is the way you were meant to live.

As you practice this inner governance you will discover a new sense of self. You will feel a quiet power rising within you that nothing in the outer can disturb. You will move through your days knowing that you are the cause, not the effect. Appearances will lose their ability to impress you. Moods will become the servants of your chosen state. Reactions will spring from your inner authority. The opinions of others will be seen for what they are—the out-picturing of their own consciousness—and you will remain unmoved in your own.

This is not theory. This is fact. Consciousness is the only reality. You are consciousness. Therefore you are the operant power. Take subjective control tonight. Assume the state. Live in it. Persist in the governance of your inner world. And you will see the outer world rearrange itself in harmony with your inner decree.

You are the lord of your inner world. You are the I AM. You are the one who says, Let there be, and it is so. Govern that inner world with the quiet certainty that is your birthright. Do not let the outer govern you. You govern the outer by governing the inner.

The truth is simple. The truth is profound. The truth is that you can learn to govern the inner world rather than being governed by appearances, moods, reactions, or other people’s opinions. You can do it tonight. You can do it now. Turn within. Assume the feeling. Make it natural. Persist. The change will come. The freedom will be yours.

Your consciousness is God. Your awareness of being is the father. The thing you are conscious of being is the son bearing witness of the father. When you govern the inner you are letting the father express perfectly through the son. You are letting the conceiver bring forth the perfect conception. This is subjective control in its highest form.

No man knows how the manifestation will come. You do not need to know. Your part is to govern the inner world by being conscious of the desired state. The how is not your concern. The consciousness is your concern. Govern it and the how takes care of itself. The signs follow. They never precede. Get the consciousness first and the thing is compelled to appear.

You are the vine and the states you are conscious of being are the branches. When you govern the inner world you feed only the branches that you desire to keep alive. You withdraw the sap of attention from the undesired and the undesired withers and dies. You give attention to the desired and it bears fruit abundantly. This is subjective control.

Tonight you can take your attention away from all that seems to govern you and you can place it upon the state you desire to embody. You can feel yourself to be that state. You can live in the feeling until it becomes your natural consciousness. In that naturalness the outer world must conform. This is the law. This is the truth. This is subjective control.

You have the power. You have always had the power. It is your awareness of being. Use it to govern the inner world. Refuse to be governed by the outer. Refuse to let moods rule. Refuse to let reactions determine. Refuse to let opinions impress. Assume the state. Feel it. Persist in the feeling. And you will discover that you are the master of your world.

This is the great secret. This is the pearl of great price. This is subjective control. Learn to govern the inner world and you will never again be governed by appearances, moods, reactions, or other people’s opinions. You will walk in the freedom of one who knows his true being. You will live as the son of the most high, conscious of being the I AM that I AM.

The kingdom is within you. Govern that kingdom tonight. Assume the consciousness of the king. Feel the dignity, the authority, the peace of the one who rules from within. The outer will bow before that inner rule. The appearances will change. The moods will serve. The reactions will align. The opinions will harmonize. Your world will become the perfect out-picturing of your governed inner state.

You are not the victim. You are the creator. You are not the effect. You are the cause. Take subjective control. Live in the inner world as the only reality. Assume the desired state as natural. Persist until the feeling is yours. And the outer world will testify with unmistakable clarity that you have learned to govern the inner rather than being governed by the outer.

This is the truth that has been revealed to you tonight. This is the truth that you can live from this moment forward. Govern the inner world. Be conscious only of that which you desire to be. Feel it natural. Live it fully. And you will know the freedom, the power, the joy of one who has taken subjective control.

You are the awareness of being. You are the lord. You are the good shepherd. You are the I AM. Govern your inner world with the quiet certainty that is your divine right. The outer has no power over you. The moods cannot rule you. The reactions cannot bind you. The opinions cannot limit you. You govern them all by governing the inner.

Tonight, in the silence that follows these words, turn within and assume the state you have longed to express. Feel yourself to be it now. Make it the most natural feeling in the world. Sleep in that feeling. Awaken in that feeling. Carry it with you always. This is subjective control. This is your freedom. This is your fulfillment.

The outer world is waiting for your command. Not the command of words, but the command of consciousness. Govern the inner and the outer obeys. This is the eternal law. This is the truth that sets you free.

You have heard the truth. You know the truth. Now live the truth. Govern the inner world tonight and every night. Assume the state. Feel it natural. Persist. And your world will be transformed by the power of your subjective control.

This is the end of the old way and the beginning of the new. No longer will you be governed by appearances. No longer will moods dictate your day. No longer will reactions rule your responses. No longer will opinions shape your self. You are the governor of your inner world. You are the master. You are the I AM. Live from that mastery and the whole of your experience will bear witness to the truth.

The kingdom is within. Govern it. The power is within. Use it. The freedom is within. Claim it. Subjective control is the way. It is the only way. It is your way now and forever.