In a 13th-century Sufi lodge in Konya, Turkey, a dervish would sit in a corner, barely moving, silently repeating a single name of God. “Ya Rahman.” “Ya Rahman.” “Ya Rahman.” The Merciful. Over and over, hundreds of times, thousands of times, until the name was no longer something he was saying but something he was breathing. Something he was being.
Six centuries later, on a stage in New York City, Neville Goddard told his audience: “Your inner conversation is creating your world. Whatever you say to yourself habitually, whatever phrases you repeat in the privacy of your own mind, those are the commands you’re giving to the creative power within you.”
Two traditions. Two centuries. Two continents. One principle: what you repeat internally becomes your reality.
What Is Dhikr?
Dhikr (also spelled zikr) is the Sufi practice of “remembrance of God.” It involves the repetition of sacred phrases, names of God, or Quranic verses, either silently or aloud. The practice can be done alone or in groups, seated or while moving (as in the famous whirling of the Mevlevi dervishes).
But dhikr isn’t mere repetition. Rumi, the great 13th-century Sufi poet and mystic, described it as something deeper:
“The purpose of dhikr is not to repeat words. The purpose is to become the meaning behind the words. When you say ‘God is great’ ten thousand times, the goal is not ten thousand repetitions. The goal is to become greatness.”
Jalaluddin Rumi, “Fihi Ma Fihi” (Discourses of Rumi, 13th century)
The repetition is the vehicle. The destination is a change in state. Through sustained, focused repetition, the practitioner’s consciousness shifts from identifying with the small self to identifying with the divine quality being invoked.
Sound familiar?
Neville’s Inner Conversation
Neville taught that everyone engages in inner conversation constantly. The silent monologue running through your head, the phrases you repeat to yourself habitually, the stories you tell yourself about who you are and how the world works, this inner conversation is the creative force behind your experience.
“Your inner speech is perpetually creating your outer world. Change your inner conversation, and you change your world. If you habitually say to yourself, ‘I am poor,’ you will be poor. If you say, ‘I am rich,’ you will be rich. The inner word is that powerful.”
Neville Goddard, Lecture: “Inner Conversation” (1955)
Neville’s method wasn’t random positive thinking. It was the deliberate, sustained repetition of specific inner statements aligned with a desired state. “I am wealthy.” “I am loved.” “I am healthy.” Repeated not as empty affirmations but as felt realities, until the repetition shifted the speaker’s state of consciousness.
The parallels with dhikr are striking.
Where the Traditions Converge
Despite their vastly different cultural contexts, dhikr and inner conversation share several core principles:
Repetition as transformation. Both practices use the sustained repetition of specific phrases to change consciousness. The Sufi repeats “Ya Wadud” (The Loving) to become love. Neville’s student repeats “I am loved” to assume the state of being loved. The mechanism is the same: repetition bypasses the critical mind and impresses a new pattern on the deeper layers of consciousness.
Feeling over words. Both traditions emphasize that the words themselves are secondary. What matters is the feeling behind them. A Sufi who repeats God’s name without feeling is just making noise. A Neville student who affirms “I am wealthy” without feeling is just talking to themselves. In both cases, the feeling is the operative element.
The drowsy state. Sufis traditionally practiced dhikr in the early morning or late evening, in states of reduced mental activity. Neville prescribed the State Akin to Sleep. Both recognized that the receptive, relaxed mind is the optimal environment for this work.
Identity shift as the goal. The ultimate aim of both practices is not to get something but to become something. The Sufi doesn’t just want to say God’s name. They want to become a vessel for God’s qualities. Neville’s student doesn’t just want to affirm wealth. They want to become the person who is wealthy. The shift is in being, not having.
What the Sufis Add
There’s something the Sufi tradition offers that Neville’s framework doesn’t emphasize as strongly: the communal dimension. While Neville’s work is intensely personal, almost solitary, Sufi dhikr is often practiced in groups. The shared repetition creates a collective field that amplifies individual practice.
Joseph Murphy hinted at something similar when he wrote about the power of group prayer:
“When two or more are gathered in the consciousness of a particular truth, the power of that truth is multiplied. The subconscious minds of all participants reinforce each other, creating a collective impression that is greater than any individual could produce alone.”
Joseph Murphy, “The Miracle of Mind Dynamics” (1964)
If you’ve ever been in a room where people are chanting together, whether in a Sufi gathering, a kirtan, or even a responsive prayer in a church, you know the power of collective repetition. The room vibrates. The individual ego dissolves into the group consciousness. And the impressions made in that state are remarkably deep.
Exercise: A Personal Dhikr Practice
This practice bridges the Sufi tradition with Neville’s inner conversation technique:
- Choose a single phrase that captures the state you want to embody. Keep it short. Three to five words maximum. Examples: “I am at peace.” “I am deeply loved.” “I am whole.” The phrase should describe a state of being, not a desire.
- Sit comfortably and close your eyes. Take three deep breaths to settle.
- Begin repeating the phrase silently. Slowly. With feeling. Not mechanically. Feel each word as you say it. “I” (pause, feel yourself). “Am” (pause, feel existence). “At” (pause). “Peace” (pause, feel peace spreading through your body).
- Continue for five to ten minutes. Let the repetition become rhythmic, almost like breathing. If the phrase starts to lose meaning, slow down. Return to feeling each word.
- At some point, you may notice the phrase continues on its own. You’re no longer deliberately repeating it. It’s repeating itself, like a song stuck in your head but intentional. This is the moment the practice shifts from effort to grace. Let it happen.
- Carry the phrase into your day. After the formal practice, let the phrase surface naturally throughout the day, in the shower, while walking, while waiting. Each silent repetition reinforces the new pattern.
The Thread That Connects
I find deep comfort in the fact that a 13th-century Sufi in Turkey and a 20th-century mystic in New York arrived at essentially the same practice. It suggests that the principle is not the invention of any one teacher or tradition. It’s a fundamental feature of how consciousness works. Repetition shapes reality. Inner speech creates outer conditions. What you say to yourself, habitually and with feeling, is what you become.
You’re already practicing dhikr. You’re already engaged in inner conversation. The only question is whether the repetition is conscious or unconscious, chosen or default, aligned with what you want or locked into old patterns you’ve never questioned.
The Sufi chose their phrase deliberately. Neville chose his deliberately. And they both discovered the same thing: consciousness, given a clear and felt instruction, repeated with patience and devotion, will reorganize itself to match.
What are you repeating today? And is it what you want to become?
