Abdullah, the Ethiopian mystic, was the man who made Neville
Goddard alter his perception of imagination and spiritual power
indefinitely. Although we do not know much about his history, his teachings
influenced the minds of some of the best metaphysical intellectuals during the
20th century. This book brings you to the life and wisdom of the mysterious
teacher whose lessons opened the transformation of Neville and made him see the
real power of creative consciousness.
Who is Abdullah—the Ethiopian Rabbi?
There are so many amazing teachers in the history of spirituality whose names were rarely written about, and the effect is felt by
generations. Abdullah, who is popularly referred to as the Ethiopian Rabbi, is
one of those men. With only small details of his early life or background, his
teachings had a strong influence on the philosophy of two of the largest
metaphysical influencers, Neville Goddard and Dr. Joseph Murphy.
Neville Goddard talked about Abdullah a lot and admired him
profusely. He attributed this to him changing his spiritual knowledge at a time
when he was lost and it was not clear to him the way forward. Had I to give a
name to a man whom I should think my teacher, I should say Abdullah. I was
five years with that gentleman. It is the years of those messages that formed
the whole lifetime message that Neville was trying to convey to the world
regarding imagination, consciousness, and the power of believing.
But who exactly was Abdullah? Why then did Neville call him
a rabbi? And what was so powerful in his teachings that people still are
inspired by them? It is the tale—and the wisdom—of Abdullah, the esoteric
Ethiopian guru who has influenced modern manifestation philosophy.
The Lost Mastermind of Great Thinkers
Abdullah spent his years in New York City in the 1920s and
1930s and it is here that spiritual exploration was expanding at a very high
rate. Fusion of many cultural and religious ideas was taking place and Abdullah
was at the heart of this. His teachings were based on Judaism, Christianity,
mysticism and universal spiritual doctrines.
People referred to him as the Ethiopian Rabbi due to having
strong familiarity with the ancient scriptures, such as the Kabbalah and Hebrew
mysticism. He did not teach the Bible as pure history but as a kind of
blueprint of the consciousness of man. This figurative style would eventually serve
as one of the pillars of the work of Neville Goddard.
Neville encountered Abdullah in one of the worst times of
his life. He had financial problems, lost his way in life and had spiritual
frustrations. The introduction of Abdullah, as Neville himself said, was divine
timing.
The thing was not that Abdullah was a learned person but rather his audacity, presence, and indisputable conviction. He did not just
teach the laws of spirituality; he exemplified them.
Abdullah’s Core Teachings
1. Know Who You Truly Are
Abdullah has stressed the point that each person is much
more than his or her bodily form or external conditions. He was the one who
taught that identity originated within the consciousness, the inner selves,
rather than the external reality.
This was the principle that he lived by and was not afraid.
During the era that racial segregation and discrimination were overtly carried
out in America, Abdullah would not be labeled or limited by the society.
Neville had once said that Abdullah was going to the opera,
and he was going to sit in the area marked in red, whites only, without
consulting or apologizing. Abdullah refused the offer of Neville to purchase
him a ticket when he claimed that he could purchase his seat. He was a strong,
self-assured, and undefeated presence; he just could not live in a world in
which he was not superior to anyone.
Identity to him was not societal but spiritual. And the
external had to be in accord with the inward conviction.
2. Never Settle for Less
According to him, all human beings are capable and have the right to
construct a fruitful, full life. To resign to being satisfied with just enough
was a disgrace to the divine nature.
There is no chance in what you want, he said; it is the
voice of your highest part. Thus, the desire to get more out of life is not greed; it is the correspondence.
According to Abdullah:
• When you
want plenty, then it is because plenty is your inheritance.
• When you
dream of freedom, it is because it is your birthright.
Once you dream of a better life, it is because you have the
potential of that life in you. He urged his students to think big, dream big
and never to reduce themselves to be like the other people.
3. Shut the Reasoning Mind
This was one of the most memorable and special teachings of Abdullah. In his opinion, logic and reasoning tend to hinder the process of
manifestation, as the human mind is attempting to calculate the way something is
going to occur. And in doing none leaves doubt.
Abdullah preached that faith was much more powerful than
logic. As soon as you have made up your mind about what you want, you
must:
• Stop
questioning
• Stop
calculating
• Stop
worrying
• Stop
doubting
Neville told of how Abdullah would bang the door down to
indicate that he would cut off the reasoning brain. After imagining what you
want, you have to shut the door on all other thoughts that are in opposition
to what you want in your mind.
In Abdullah’s worldview:
• Time is an
illusion.
• The future
is already in fantasy.
To you, what you are assuming to be true must one day be physical
reality. It is the basis of the well-known idea of Neville Goddard, which is
known as "assume the feeling of the wish fulfilled."
Influence of Abdullah on Neville Goddard
Abdullah did not simply impart abstract concepts to Neville;
he showed him how they can work in practice.
A well-known one is that of Neville, who wishes to go on a
Christmas holiday to Barbados but does not have any money. In informing
Abdullah, Neville merely said:
“You are already in Barbados. You went first class.”
It made Neville confused, and Abdullah would not allow him
to believe so. He had totally disregarded the exterior reality of Neville. And
a letter with money and a ticket, a first-class ticket, home to Barbados was
sent to Neville weeks later.
Abdullah never doubted once.
It is to him that the moment you determine something in
imagination, it is.
This undying conviction was the essence of the doctrine of
the remainder of his life to Neville.
Abdullah’s Legacy
Despite the fact that Abdullah never wrote books or left any
recorded speeches behind, his impact lives on in the form of world-changing
teachings of his students. His ideas were transferred into the modern world by
Neville Goddard, Dr. Joseph Murphy, and others and have been the inspiration
for millions of people to research imagination, consciousness, and
spiritual identity.
We know all we do about him through the memories and tales
of students that he taught and through the teachings that he preached by
example. But his influence is still strong and vital.
He demonstrated that a teacher does not require the fame, money, or even a historical account to transform the world. One concept aided by passion can transcend generations.
Conclusion
The Ethiopian Rabbi Abdullah is one of the most enigmatic
and, at the same time, one of the most powerful spiritual educators of the very
beginning of the 20th century. His lessons on identity, faith, imagination and
inner power influenced the philosophy of Neville Goddard and he still guides
contemporary seekers nowadays.
He preached how strong you really are, how much you can
create, that imagination is a power, and that faith, not logic, is what makes
your world.
His life is a lesson on the fact that spiritual truth is not necessarily of the well-known man or the well-recorded one; but of the man who
makes his wisdom bold, firm and consistent.
When his story arouses you, there are books and PDFs that focus on learning more about his teachings in detail, and there are numerous lessons to be learned that are yet to be discovered in the man who taught generations how to build their own future starting inside themselves.
