The Problem With Abraham - Hicks and the Law of Attraction

Feb. 4, 2010 - PRLog -- Abraham is a composite character created (or channeled, if taken literally) by authors Esther and Jerry Hicks. According to them, Abraham is a group of spirits that have come together to share their wisdom through Esther. Abraham's teachings could be classified as New Age: how to live a better life through the concept of law of attraction. Esther and Jerry have millions of followers, written a series of bestsellers, and constantly sell out cruise packages to share their message.

At first glance their setup seems like a cheap scam or a scheme to become rich (and they have) by selling their message of how to get a better life. But their empire is built by a savvy combination of public image and a simple message.

The Hicks are masters at what they do. Their message is helpful and inspiring to their audience, and in most cases cannot be refuted or argued. The principles that they teach have been used for millennia, and in many ways resemble the wisdom of the Bible or Buddhism. Their tenor is not religious, however, and they go to great lengths to avoid been seen as religious leaders or followed as a cult. Esther and Jerry have spent decades crafting their public personas and finessing their craft. While Esther is widely admired and even revered by her audience, she diffuses her impact in at least three ways: by using ambiguous language when referring to spiritual matters (as when she refers to "source, or spirit, or God"), by presenting herself has merely the messenger of Abraham's teachings, and by stating that anyone can tap into their greater wisdom by simply connecting to (in her words) who they really are.

Esther is never in a trance while channeling Abraham. Much to the contrary, she is wide awake while she conveys Abraham's message. During her lectures she stands on a small podium topped by a rug, while Jerry sits nearby with a laptop, apparently handling the technicalities of the presentation. Esther will typically begin her performance by saying "hello, goodbye" and closing her eyes. This signals to the audience that Esther is leaving and Abraham is arriving through her. After a few deep breaths, Esther opens her eyes and begins her monologue. She somehow manages to speak of herself in the third person while at the same time implying that she is still present while Abraham speaks. Her speech is lively, funny and eloquent. During the question and answer portion she is often presented with seemingly impossible dilemmas or problems by audience members, yet she consistently answers brilliantly, eliciting thunderous applause.

If you were looking for a solution to your problems, enlightenment or healing, you could spend thousands of dollars on Abraham-Hicks, attending their seminars, buying their books, and listening to their audio tapes. Or you could simply take the gist of their message (as they will often tell you) and summarize it to a single phrase: Just feel good.

And that is where the problem is. The solution to every problem in the Abraham universe is to feel good first, and to allow solutions to arrive by themselves. According to Esther, one finds solutions not by doing, but by distracting the mind from its problems by using techniques (what she calls a bag of tricks) that make a person feel better under any circumstance. One such trick is the "rampage of appreciation." For example, one may be running the risk of being laid off, but worrying would accomplish nothing, so Esther's prescription is to begin appreciating everything one has: a good family, a loving wife, food, air to breath, etc. In no time, and precisely because one is unconcerned and unworried, a new job will appear, or a new business concept will be found, or an inheritance will arrive. It sounds ludicrous, but the whole Abraham-Hicks philosophy (and the whole "law of attraction" industry) is built on such thinking. What about actively looking for jobs, networking, or writing a business plan? According to Esther, these ideas will occur, or something will fall on your lap, as long as worry is absent. Thus the solution to illness, heartache, economic hardship, or any other problem is always the same: to find a way to feel good.

Visit us online at : http://www.11newlaws.com/blog/145/the-law-of-attraction-a...