Hidden Curriculum Abdullah Goddards Teacher Proof Prosperity Ads Unearthed 23

Please consider donating a coffee, to continue this research! Foundation & Context Atlantic City (1919–1923) NYC & The Music (1924–1935) Archives & Lectures © 2025 Cool Wisdom Books. All rights reserved. This article is still undergoing minor edits and building reference section. Note: Please view or skim this article, The Abdullah Investigation: The Hidden Teacher of Neville Goddard – Part 4: Abdullah Identified – The Baritone Mystic of Atlantic City and 30 West 72nd Street before reading this. This is a deeper dive into some of the advertisements.n2214 ¶1

Preface As I was gathering these ads, a glass shattered on my desk. I couldn’t help but take it as a sign: the container of illusion breaking. In Jewish tradition, a glass is smashed at weddings to mark transformation. In Greek folk custom, it’s tied to letting energy out. In occult symbolism, shattering glass can mean a barrier between worlds or between inner/outer perception breaking. There are a lot of Neville cult stories, maybe those are breaking. For too long, Abdullah has been treated as myth or metaphor.n2214 ¶2

Here, in his own advertisements from Atlantic City (1920–23), we finally see the man teaching exactly what Neville later remembered as the Law. “Then from the boat, I went to my old friend Abdullah. He was born, so I am told, in Ethiopia. He was a black man, raised in the Jewish faith, but really understood Christianity as few men that I ever met understood it. He understood the Law, not the Promise. He understood the Law. So, I went to him and I told him the feeling that came over me: that I wanted to go to Barbados. I had just waved at my parents, and a peculiar feeling possessed me; and he said to me, “You are in Barbados. I Am All Imagination (1971) That double emphasis “He understood the Law, not the Promise. He understood the Law” was most likely, not accidental. Neville was drawing a line. Abdullah’s work was the Law which was imagination, prosperity, and esoteric training. The Promise, Neville only began to speak about much later in his career. The Atlantic City ads about his spiritual phase (1920–1923) after 12 years of running a bel canto vocal studio confirms this point. Abdullah publicly offered proof of spirits, materialization, healing, prosperity lessons, “higher psychology,” solar doctrine, and guidance on the “mystery books of Moses. It is exactly the curriculum of Law that Neville remembered receiving from him. The famous “You are in Barbados” anecdote fits directly into that pattern: it’s one surviving instance of the method Abdullah was already advertising. Let’s take a deeper dive and organize it all a bit so we can see it clearly.n2214 ¶3

“Spiritualists were religious individualists who did not define their faith according to any prescribed set of ceremonies or specific creeds. Instead each person was encouraged to seek their own inner light and to work for their own spiritual development under the leadership of their spirit guides. That the advice presented by different guides might not be consistent was not a concern as each person was seen as on their own personal spiritual journey. This is very similar to West African ideas of destiny that we find most strongly articulated among the Yoruba who believe that because each person has a unique destiny, each must have a unique way of being in the world. Consequently, there was an understanding that the advice and both positive and negative recommendations for spiritual development had to be tailored for each individual rather than being based on some universal requirement. This individualist tendency continues to be an important part of the American religious character.” — Mary Ann Clark, “Spirit is Universal,” in Esotericism in African American Religious Experience (ed.n2214 ¶4

Stephen C. Finley, Margarita Simon Guillory, Hugh R. Page, Jr.), Brill, 2014. Feb 20, 1921 — Claims of G. M. Abda’llah, M.M.n2214 ¶5

“I can prove the existence of spirit beings. I can teach anyone with a normal mind to behold the materializations of what to most of us are unseen things. I am the medium of a most wonderful teacher who speaks and voices wisdom through this my servant body. I can by this force heal, help harmonize.n2214 ¶6

COME SUNDAY NIGHT — EASTERN STAR HALL 3 S. South Carolina Ave., Opposite Braunstein-Blatt Bldg.n2214 ¶7

A beautiful hall, a beautiful lecture, beautiful singing and a blessing to all. Phone for appointment 1009-M. Aug 21, 1920 — First Church of the Religion of Love and Spiritualistic Phenomena “…Devoted to spiritualistic new thought as taught by the divine mystic G.n2214 ¶8

M. Abda’llah Ibn Ghaleym Ibn Allah. The science of Being and law of unfoldment together with the mastery of control. Christ Scientists and followers of New Thought, psychics and the general public are cordially welcomed. June 11, 1921 — The Wonderful Psychic “The wonderful psychic, Dr. G.n2214 ¶9

M. Abda’llah. Spiritualistic science. 1708 Arctic Ave. 1920 (Personal ad) “…There will be a series of wonderful lectures by the Oriental mystic G.n2214 ¶10

M. Abda’llah. Also thoughts by the best mediums. Oct 17, 1920 — New Thought “Those desiring helpfulness, health, prosperity and progress call to see G. M. Abda’llah, 1708 Arctic Ave. Consultations daily.n2214 ¶11

In our previous article, we noted that the corporate entity behind Abdallah’s “Church of the Religion of Love and Spiritualistic Phenomena” in Atlantic City was formed by possibly local Unity women. This anchors Abdallah’s healing and prosperity ads squarely in the Unity / Divine Science circuit that also produced some of the most famous New Thought lecturers of the next generation. From Phineas Quimby’s “mind cure” experiments in the 1860s, to Mary Baker Eddy’s Christian Science (1870s), to Thomas Troward’s “mental science” lectures (1904), to Charles and Myrtle Fillmore’s Unity (founded 1889 in Kansas City), and finally to Emmet Fox, who filled New York’s Hippodrome and Carnegie Hall in the 1930s, the New Thought stream carried healing, prosperity, and affirmative prayer into the very halls where Neville himself would later lecture. Oct 17, 1920 — New Thought “Those desiring helpfulness, health, prosperity and progress call to see G.n2214 ¶12

M. Abda’llah, 1708 Arctic Ave. Consultations daily. Sep 05, 1920 — If You Would Develop Psychic Power… “If you would develop psychic power, spiritual sight and the God-life, see G. M. Abda’llah Ibn Ghaleym Ibn Allah. Thoughts given from 8 P.M. to 9 P.M., Tuesdays and Thursdays. Private lessons in healing and the development of prosperity. 1708 Arctic Ave. Aug 07, 1921 — School of the Great Mindlight “Spiritualistic fundamentals and the psychological development of the soul’s expression. What you would know about self made plain.n2214 ¶13

Come, see and learn. PUBLIC MEETING TUESDAY EVE., 8 O’CLOCK ALL ARE WELCOME Teacher and Medium G. M. Abda’llah — Advice given. Aug 10, 1920 — Divine Healing “DIVINE HEALING G. M. Abdoullah Healer — Helper Come unto me ye troubled, unsuccessful and unhappy. Come ye who are sick and find no cure. The Ministry of Truth P.O.n2214 ¶14

Box 595 Office: 1708 Arctic Ave. Phone: Marine 5110” By the mid-1920s, Orage’s Harlem circle was embedding solar and cosmic imagery into fiction, while Abdullah’s ads in Atlantic City spoke of ‘Sun Doctrine’ and the ‘Great Sun Spirit. Whether through direct influence or shared currents, both drew on the same esoteric vocabulary circulating in New York. Abdallah’s ad to “understand the mystery books of Moses” was possibly not about selling grimoires. De Laurence’s 1910 edition of the Sixth and Seventh Books was full of arcane seals, Hebrew names, and ritual formulas for controlling weather or invoking spirits, or even “You are in Bardados” travel Psalms, but left readers lost without interpretation. Abdullah appears to position himself as the person offering an interpretation, not just a spellbook.n2214 ¶15

July 31, 1921 — Dr. G. M. Abda’llah “The wonderful medium, teacher and professor, G. M. Abda’llah, will lecture on psychic control; the master science, solar lights, and astral bodies, beginning Sunday evening, August 7, at 3 S. South Carolina Ave. Home address, 1708 Arctic Ave. Phone 1009-M.n2214 ¶16

Those wishing to understand the mystery books of Moses and the materialization of things invisible should apply for advice and schooling. Classes in the higher psychology are now being formed. Join the Tuesday evening circle for the advancement of thought. The repeated imagery of the “Sun Spirit” and “Sun Doctrine” could reflect Rudolf Steiner’s anthroposophical cosmology “Christ as the Sun Being” which was circulating in New York by the 1910s. But equally, it may represent Spiritualist channeling language, where solar metaphors were common. The Atlantic City ads don’t prove Steiner influence outright, but they show Abdallah engaging with the same symbolic field. Solar imagery was not incidental but foundational to American metaphysical religion, symbolizing divine immanence, energy flow, and enlightenment across Spiritualist séances, Freemasonary, Hermetic, New Thought affirmations, and Theosophical cosmologies. It reflects a “combinative” approach, blending Christian, Eastern, and occult elements for widespread appeal in 19th–20th-century circles. (Catherine L.n2214 ¶17

Albanese) Aug 28, 1920 — Lecture Notice “SUNDAY, 8 P.M. G. M. Abda’llah Ibn Ghaleym Ibn Allah will lecture upon ‘The Psychic Soul and Solar Spirit’ at the First Church of Love, Currie Bldg., 3 S. South Carolina Ave., corner of Atlantic. Christian Scientists, Thinkers, Psychics and the general public are cordially welcomed. Sept 18, 1920 — The Church of Abdallah (Spiritualistic New Thought) “The Illuminated Way: sun thoughts, sun doctrine, sun perfection; a great spiritualistic new thought now being presented by the divine mystic, G. M. Abda’llah Ibn Ghalym Ibn Allah. Master of the science of Being and law of unfoldment and teacher of the mastery of control. Truly the greatest help toward human perfection, progress, peace, and the attainment of true happiness both here and hereafter. July 31, 1921 — Dr. G. M.n2214 ¶18

Abda’llah (same as Moses cluster, multi-topic ad) “…will lecture on psychic control; the master science, solar lights, and astral bodies…” Aug 07, 1921 — School of the Great Mindlight “Classes in the higher psychology are now being formed. Join the Tuesday evening circle for the advancement of thought. Oct 10, 1920 — New Thought “WANTED — People who desire help and the Light, to hear the great sun doctrine of G.n2214 ¶19

M. Abda, Sunday night at 8 o’clock. The way of prosperity and success is made plain to all. 3 S. South Carolina Ave., top floor.n2214 ¶20

Taken together, the ads show Abdullah drawing from four overlapping streams of early twentieth-century metaphysics: Spiritualism (proof of spirits, mediumship), Unity/New Thought (healing, prosperity, mind-power), Moses grimoires (biblical magic needing interpretation), and solar/psychological language that paralleled Steiner and Theosophy. It’s what he advertised. When Neville later said twice, “He understood the Law, not the Promise. He understood the Law,” he was naming exactly this range of practices. The “You are in Barbados” story survives because it was memorable and the Atlantic City ads show us the broader curriculum of Law that Abdullah was teaching. Sources: MUST READ Finley, Stephen C., Margarita Simon Guillory, and Hugh R. Page Jr., eds. Esotericism in African American Religious Experience: “There Is a Mystery” … Aries Book Series, vol. 19. Leiden: Brill, 2015.n2214 ¶21

Rudolf Steiner, The Gospel of John (GA 112), 1908. Steiner presents Christ as the cosmic Sun Being. Rudolf Steiner, The Three-fold Sun and the Risen Christ Rudolf Steiner, Spiritual Hierarchies and Their Reflection in the Physical World (GA 110), 1909.n2214 ¶22

Lecture series describing solar forces shaping the astral body. Gary Lachman, Rudolf Steiner: An Introduction to His Life and Work (Tarcher, 2007). Clear overview of Steiner’s Christ-as-Sun-Being cosmology. Catherine L. Albanese, A Republic of Mind and Spirit: A Cultural History of American Metaphysical Religion (Yale, 2007). Documents the widespread use of solar imagery in Spiritualist and New Thought circles. Primary Sources – Read on Spiritualism Britten, Emma Hardinge.n2214 ¶23

Modern American Spiritualism. New York: the author, 1870. Britten, Emma Hardinge. Nineteeenth Century Miracles: Or, Spirits and Their Work in Every Country of the Earth. New York: William Britten, 1884. Anthroposophy (Rudolf Steiner) Steiner, Rudolf. Theosophy: An Introduction to the Supersensible Knowledge of the World and the Destination of Man. 1904. Steiner, Rudolf. Knowledge of the Higher Worlds and Its Attainment. 1904–1905. Steiner, Rudolf. The Gospel of John (Cycle of Lectures, Hamburg). GA 103. 1908.n2214 ¶24

Steiner, Rudolf. Spiritual Hierarchies and the Physical World. GA 110. 1909.n2214 ¶25

Steiner, Rudolf. Occult Science: An Outline. GA 13. 1910.n2214 ¶26

Steiner, Rudolf. Psychosophy. GA 115. 1910.n2214 ¶27

New Thought / Unity Troward, Thomas. The Edinburgh Lectures on Mental Science. London, 1904. Fillmore, Charles. The Twelve Powers of Man. Kansas City: Unity School of Christianity, 1930. Fillmore, Charles. Prosperity. Kansas City: Unity School of Christianity, 1936. Fillmore, Myrtle. Healing Letters. Kansas City: Unity School of Christianity, 1939.n2214 ¶28

Grimoires / Esoteric Jewish Texts de Laurence, L.W. The Sixth and Seventh Books of Moses. Chicago: de Laurence Company, c.1910 U.S. edition. de Laurence, L.W. Secrets of the Psalms (Shimmush Tehillim). Chicago: de Laurence Company, 1916.n2214 ¶29

Secondary Scholarship Albanese, Catherine L. “The Aura of Wellness: Subtle-Energy Healing and New Age Religion. Religion and American Culture 8, no. 2 (1998): 245–276. Butterworth, Eric. Antecedents of New Thought: Thomas Troward. Unity School of Christianity, 1980s. Finley, Stephen C., Margarita Simon Guillory, and Hugh R. Page, Jr., eds. Esotericism in African American Religious Experience: “There Is a Mystery”. Brill, 2015. Hunter, Joseph E. “A School of the Prophets: Black Popular Religions and the Sixth and Seventh Books of Moses. Master’s thesis, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, 2020. Lachman, Gary. Rudolf Steiner: An Introduction to His Life and Work. New York: TarcherPerigee, 2007. Schmidt, Leigh Eric. “The Making of Modern ‘Mysticism’. Journal of the American Academy of Religion 71, no. 2 (2003): 273–302. Sebald, Hans. “The 6th and 7th Books of Moses: The Historical and Sociological Vagaries of a Grimoire. Fabula 28, no. 3–4 (1987): 273–292.n2214 ¶30

Teener, James W. “Unity School of Christianity. PhD diss., University of Chicago, 1939.n2214 ¶31