The story of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11–32) is widely known, yet beneath the surface, it is a precise chiastic narrative illustrating the journey of consciousness. It shows how descent, struggle, and awakening reveal the mechanics of assumption and alignment.
Chiastic Structure: Descent and Return
The story is arranged as a mirror around the pivotal moment: "He came to himself."
- A — Departure: The son leaves the father’s house.
- B — Squandering: He wastes his inheritance.
- C — Descent: Life in a far country, feeding pigs.
- D — Awakening (pivot): Recognition of his true state.
- C′ — Return: Journey back to the father.
- B′ — Restoration: Acceptance and celebration.
- A′ — Re-entry: Fully reintegrated into the household.
Psychological Symbolism
The characters represent states of consciousness:
- The younger son = lost consciousness, outer assumption dominating reality.
- The far country = illusion and separation from inner power.
- Pigs = lowest ideas, survival-oriented thinking.
- Awakening = realisation of inner creative power.
- The father = the Self, the eternal I AM within.
Why the Bible Shows the “Hard Way”
Although Neville teaches that you can go straight to living in the end, the Bible goes through long, mirrored stories to help those who cannot immediately assume the end. The descent, struggle, and challenges symbolise what happens when consciousness forgets itself. Chiastic structures highlight the pivot and guide the imagination so that even without experiencing the external events, the mind can recognise the end state and assume it internally. In other words:
- The outer “hard way” = dramatization of forgetting.
- The pivot = the moment of inner recognition and assumption.
- The return = alignment with the creative power of consciousness.
- Stories exist to show the pattern for anyone who needs the map, not to require literal experience.
The Big Story of the Bible
The chiastic arcs repeat across Scripture, forming a single psychological map:
- A — Origin: Alignment and consciousness fully awake.
- B — Forgetting and Separation: Outer struggles reflect inner misalignment.
- C — Individual Hard Lessons: Patriarchs and figures experience challenges symbolically.
- D — Pivot: Awakening of consciousness, recognition of inner power.
- C′ — Reflection: Continued testing and refinement of alignment.
- B′ — Teaching: Prophets guide consciousness with insight.
- A′ — Full Return: Integration and manifestation of aligned consciousness.
The Bible encodes the descent, awakening, and return as a visual and psychological map, making the structure itself a guide to the law of assumption. While the chiastic pattern of descent, pivot, and ascent can be applied to many stories, the Bible applies it with remarkable precision and intentionality. Each narrative, from Eve in the garden to Joseph in Egypt, is not just a tale but a psychological map, representing states of consciousness, the dynamics of imagination, and the process of learning through outer experience. The repetition of mirrored arcs across stories, generations, and books provides a layered guide, showing how consciousness descends into struggle, reaches a pivot of recognition, and returns to alignment. This layering transforms the Bible into a kind of “manual” for the imagination — allowing the reader to recognise the pivot points within themselves without needing to experience the outer events literally.
The chiastic design begins with Eve and the apple (Genesis 3), the archetypal prototype. Here, the descent into outer experience mirrors the forgetting of consciousness, the pivotal realisation of nakedness signifies awakening, and the eventual path toward restored alignment foreshadows all later biblical stories. In this way, every narrative builds on the first chiastic arc, repeating and elaborating the pattern of consciousness learning through outer experience before returning to inner recognition.
In addition, the Bible encodes this guidance with subtle numerical and letter symbolism, particularly in Hebrew. Each letter has a numerical value and a conceptual meaning, creating a hidden structure where names, ages, and events carry significance beyond the literal. These codes reinforce the chiastic design, embedding the law of assumption and the dynamics of consciousness into the very text. In this sense, the Bible is more than literature; it is a multi-layered psychological and spiritual blueprint, showing how the outer narrative mirrors the inner journey of the mind and imagination.
More Examples of Chiastic Structure in the Bible
These examples illustrate the mirrored pattern of descent → pivot → ascent, highlighting the psychological journey of consciousness:
- Joseph (Genesis 37–50)
A: Sold into slavery
B: Temptation in Potiphar’s house
C: Imprisonment
Pivot: Interpretation of dreams in prison
C′: Elevated to Pharaoh’s court
B′: Administration and wisdom
A′: Reunion with brothers and family restoration - Jacob Wrestling the Angel (Genesis 32–33)
A: Leaving home
B: Struggle with Laban
C: Marriage and deception
Pivot: Wrestling at Peniel (awakening)
C′: Blessing received
B′: Reconciliation with Esau
A′: Settled and empowered - Moses and the Exodus (Exodus 1–15)
A: Israelites enslaved in Egypt
B: Hardship under Pharaoh
C: Plagues and miracles
Pivot: Crossing the Red Sea (awakening and liberation)
C′: Journey through the wilderness
B′: Trials and testing
A′: Entry into the Promised Land - David and Goliath (1 Samuel 17)
A: Israel threatened by the Philistines
B: David approaches with faith
C: Confrontation with Goliath
Pivot: Victory with a stone (realisation of inner power)
C′: Philistines flee
B′: Israel encouraged and emboldened
A′: David recognised as a leader - Daniel in the Lion’s Den (Daniel 6)
A: Daniel faithful in exile
B: Accusation and plot against him
C: Thrown into the lion’s den
Pivot: Divine intervention (protection)
C′: Lions restrained
B′: Plotters exposed
A′: Daniel promoted and vindicated
Each of these chiastic narratives illustrates a psychological principle: the descent into difficulty or outer challenge mirrors the inner forgetting of one’s imaginative power, the pivot represents awakening or recognition, and the ascent shows the alignment and restoration of consciousness. This pattern repeats throughout Scripture, forming a guide to understanding the law of assumption in action.