How, Perhaps, To Get To The Proper Feeling Of Oneness With God In Neville Goddard's "State Akin To Sleep"

My post "The Feeling That Is The Secret Is The Feeling Of Immediate Oneness With God" received a question I wasn't sure how to answer:

"How do we get to that pre-SATS stage then? How do we get to 'there'? (You said:)

"'But you have to get there, to having the feeling that YOU are one with God, that there is no separation or division between God and His creation, you, which is His imagination'" (parenthesis mine).
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I got that the question was about how to achieve the feeling of oneness with God for prayer, but I couldn't fathom what a "pre-SATS stage" is. It struck a familiar chord, but I drew a blank as to its meaning. I apologized and responded to the question as well as I could, and waited. I later received this reply:

"The apology should be from my side. Sorry, I used an acronym that is frequently referred to on other platforms. It stands for State Akin To Sleep--as in the sleepy state that Neville Goddard tells us to imagine from. From your original post, it seemed that you were telling us to get to there before the SATS stage, hence my question.

"Thanks for your reply. I want to thank you also for the original post. It reflected similar thoughts in my mind. After many debates on other platforms, I realized that majority of NG readers today are really only interested in the Law and not the Promise. And what is worse is that they are not even interested in the basis of the Law: which is that, in the first place, we are of the ONE, hence we can create!

"How are base minds going to truly believe in the law if they reject our divinity? How are down and out people, battered minds, depressed souls going to manifest a radical change in their circumstances if they reject the power? So I was glad to read your post, and sought clarification on how to get 'there' first.

"I am tempted to ask you to share your 'litany of illuminating affirmations'. But, somehow, I feel that you may not be keen on such a post regarding something to the letter rather than to the spirit, so practical, so Law-of-Attraction-type material! Hahaha. Regardless, I know my Bible--or at least, I have it, so I know I can create my own litany of illuminating affirmations.

"On a, perhaps, sober note:
I have fought between ends and means. I know ends do not justify means. I know physical, material possessions should not be used to determine the value of life (quality of life). I know I cannot succumb to thinking manifestation success rate is the determination of how close a person is to truth. But after all the reading and learning over decades, I just cannot get completely away from the conclusion: my (your/one's) philosophy (belief system) is only as good as what it can produce. Trees and fruits, etc., etc.

"I don't think I have a question here. I am probably just sharing my thoughts with you, to respond to (or not) as you see fit.

"I used to practice SATS and other techniques that Neville taught like revision, inner speech, etc. My success varied. Magical moments, tremendous synchronicities...But somehow, I always felt like that was not the way of life. God cannot be merely a genie in a bottle. God cannot be merely a technique or formula. (At least, not in a very powerful way. I always succeed with the Neville's 'I will not climb a ladder' challenge. But so what if I climbed a ladder?)

"Then I decided to read Neville's lectures again. This time round, actually READING rather than limiting myself to only the Youtube audio lectures. There are so many more lectures in text on websites outside Youtube. And so much more theology that Neville spoke about. And this goes back to your post. Neville was absolutely not a Law of Attraction guru. Neville was far, far more than that. And it is not just dead theology, but theology that helps us know our power even more! Or at least, that is what I seem to think, or hope! And as the saying goes, where the rubber meets the road. Knowledge of God, of us, MUST prove itself in better performance in the world of shadows.

"Thank you"
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Thank you, Anonymous. I hope you do not mind I did a little editing to your response. I appreciate your thoughts and agree. Neville said somewhere that he both rejected and corrected New Thought teachers (those alive and those dead) that there is no "new thought," only the fulfillment of destiny per the Old Testament.

I too get more out of reading Neville. Beware that Horowitz's Final Lectures of Neville Goddard has hundreds of "editings" that are not what Neville said. I have a list of the lectures included that HAVE TO BE LISTENED TO instead of just read. I got a lot out of listening to Neville and correcting the book. Neville's gist in his last year was that we--each one of us--are two people, Jesus and Christ: the Divine Mind as imagination and its physical body. Perhaps I should say, "the works of this physical body," for what we DO is Christ.

I deliberately practice Neville's techniques very little for any sort of gain. I don't think I need to. It's really on automatic, isn't it? I need faith more than voodoo, and find that taking no thought for the morrow but trusting Him to provide all my needs has worked out best. It isn't that I don't do anything; its that I move, but do not lead. What I see is necessary to be done and set to do, He opens the appropriate doors. Often I am looking with hindsight, "How the heck did I do THAT?" The answer, of course, is that I didn't. HE did.

Yes, I guess if one was going to practice floating in the State Akin To Sleep, he or she would want to achieve the feeling of oneness with God prior to that. I meant it 24/7. I do not have a list of affirmations. The litany comes to mind quite naturally when I think of how I am one with God, which I mean to practice 24/7. I'll bet you a dollar to a donut that you already know verses and ideas and insights that will come to mind when you wonder, How am I one with You? E.g.:

I died with Christ two thousand years ago, and yet I live in Him.

Thou in Me, and I in them--He is in me AS me, the Source of imagination behind my imagination.

I create my world by my imagination: the Son of God creates the world by His, er, mine (Genesis 1:1 Alexander).

Nothing is impossible to God; nothing is impossible to he who believes.

Unless you believe, "'I' am 'HE.'"

"The Kingdom of God has to do with attitudes" : "The Kingdom of God is at hand; repent and BELIEVE the Reward." For me the "kingdom" is the powers of the Godhead; the "Reward" is I get to keep them! (From "Well done, good and faithful servant, enter into your Master's joy.")

I read that the last word in John 1:18 in the Greek must be translated "revealed."

I will share an experience with you, Anonymous, that I do not often explain. Sometimes I get a little scared when I think of Who it is I am dealing with. Dare I think, speak, act so flippantly? That Eil Shaddai--God Almighty--is here, right now. This is His being. I should be on my face prostrate before Him 24/7. One night aware of His presence, I prepared for bed. Sitting on the toilet for one last pee, the bathroom became the intelligence of God. Every atom, every electron, every quark and quantum particle, the walls, the floor, myself--"we" were the manifestation of the Intelligence of Ineffable assuming It was "us." The building, the world, the air was alive as God. Stoked, amazed, awed, I walked over to my bed.

At that time, I had bone spurs on the edges of my neck vertebrae. Above my left shoulder blade ached like crazy, and as chronic back pain sufferers do, I had just gotten used to living with it. As I pulled back the bed covers, God present or no, I was aware of the throbbing pain. I addressed the Intelligence in my mind as I lie down: "You can heal me." This was an acknowledgement of Its power, not the giving of permission. Before my head touched the pillow, all the pain in my neck and shoulder was gone.

THAT experience is with me all the time. We are not ever apart from Him. The Holy Spirit world is here and real ALL OF THE TIME. He doesn't do tricks for us, but confirms with signs and wonders that HE IS. And by the way, He is a really good teacher. A person practicing Neville Goddard's (or anyone else's) prayer techniques and finding them to work had better consider Who it is Who is doing it, Who answers prayers. The Kingdom of God has to do with attitudes: recognition, respect, gratitude, honor, humility--we have got to find our right place and the right attitude for being with Him.