My second recommended resource is the teachings of Abraham-Hicks, especially the free Introduction to Abraham audios.

Get ready, skeptics…

Esther Hicks channels a group of multidimensional beings called Abraham, and shares the result of that channeling with people through the Abraham-Hicks website, books, tapes and CDs, as well as through Art of Allowing Workshops.

If you haven’t already checked them out, some of you may think “What did he just write? Channeling? Um, OK… I’ll be leaving now…”

That’s where I was a couple of years ago.

My Introduction to Their Teachings

I was first made aware of Abraham when I was attending the DuPage Church of Religious Science. One of the members asked me if I had ever heard of Abraham-Hicks; I told them I hadn’t.

First they told me that, in a nutshell, all of their teachings centered around one idea:

Find something to be happy about.

Sounds good to me! Tell me more…

Then they told me about the channeling.

“Um, OK… I’ll be leaving now…”

And that was that for a bit.

Exposed Again

The next time I remember being exposed to Abraham’s teachings wasn’t through Abraham.

It was through my wife, after she’d left me and moved to California.

I was talking to her on the phone, and she told me that at first, she hated it out here… she hated the people, she hated the weather (we are both rain lovers), she hated… well, she just hated it.

She said she solved her negativity problem by starting to find things to be happy about.

I didn’t make the connection at first… didn’t even remember talking to that church member.

I just though: “Hey, that’s an interesting idea… I should start trying that.”

It Keeps Poking In

The teachings kept showing up in my life here and there. Bob Doyle includes a chapter on Abraham-Hicks in his Wealth Beyond Reason program33. In the acknowledgments of Spiritual Marketing, Joe Vitale thanks “Jerry and Esther Hicks for their insights into the process of creating whatever you want.”

Then I saw the original version of The Secret.

I’m one of those who was hooked on the movie from the first time I saw it. It’s gotten a lot of negative press, but the basic message really got to me: If you change yourself, your world changes.

And Esther was the reason I was hooked. I was bummed when she was removed from the extended version of the movie. I haven’t seen that version, so I can’t comment on it. I still have my original version DVD, and refer back to it occasionally.

The Emotional Scale

When I picked up a copy of “Ask and It Is Given”, I was fascinated by the concept of The Emotional Scale. There are three basic things it’s done for me:

  1. It gave me permission to be angry and blaming. If I could look at anger and blame as a step up from depression, while they aren’t ideal, at least they are movement toward joy. Without giving myself that permission, I would stay stuck in depression for weeks.
  2. It made me realize that a quantum leap from depression to joy wasn’t necessary, or usually even possible. Before this, I was always looking for that one big thing that would finally make me OK. I understand now that joy is a process, not an event.
  3. It improved my honesty about my emotions, which allowed me to work through them. Being depressed and angry, but plastering a smile on my face, did nothing for myself or others. Nothing will change if we aren’t honest about where we are.

But She Still Channels!

As I said earlier, the channeling has been the biggest point of resistance.

I think Abraham’s own words can explain:

“Jerry and Esther never used the word channeling,” Abraham reflects. “It is used when applied to them, but they have never used it, because it means many things of which they are not, you see.”

“You could leave the channeling out of it. Call it inspiration; that’s all it is. You don’t call the basketball player a channeler, but he is; he’s an extension of Source Energy. You don’t call the surgeon a channeler, but he is. You don’t call the musician, the magnificent master musician, you don’t call him a channeler, but he is. He’s channeling the broader essence of who he is into the specifics of what he is about.” [from About Abraham, emphasis mine]

I actually just found that quote while I was researching this article. It helped to put things in perspective.

Relying on the Kindness of Strangers

Jerry, Esther, and Abraham all say the same thing: you may not need more than their introductory material.

And this is no little promotional teaser. Jerry and Esther get letters from people who say they have never attended a single workshop; they have never bought a single product—and yet they say their lives have been completely transformed through the words of Abraham—the words and wisdom contained on this 70-minute CD. [from The Teachings of Abraham for Newcomers]

Of course, I always want to go deeper. But I’ve also learned to be wiser than I’ve been in the past when it comes to my financial situation, and the tape and CD subscriptions just didn’t fit into my budget.

But I asked… and it was given. :)

I ran across an Abundance Game being run by My Secret Spiritual Dance – free Abraham tapes for website referrals. I threw my hat in the ring, and won that first week. Pretty cool!

Then Vickie of Contemplate This (still my favorite blog on Abraham-Hicks) contacted me and offered to let me borrow a few of the CDs she owns. We decided that she could be my AbeFlicks :) (as in Netflix) – she’d send me a CD, I’d listen and send it back, then she’d send me another.

I didn’t even know these people 3 months ago.

But Isn’t This Just Another Cult?

No. There is no organization to join. If you want to buy their materials, buy them. If you want to just listen to their free stuff, that’s cool to. There are no meetings (there are seminars), no secret society (at least that I’m aware of!). With the low key marketing and freedom provided, Abraham-Hicks gives me exactly what I value in any teaching: I take what I need, and leave the rest.

Conclusions

It’s interesting how I feel the need to say something negative about the teachings… but I really can’t think of anything that has come out of Esther’s mouth that I can say “Wow, that’s a load…” The channeling aspect is the only thing I still get stuck on sometimes, but I keep reminding myself that the message is more important than the messenger.

If you are interested in more information, here are the links (again!) to help you get started:

The Teachings of Abraham
Abraham’s Teachings In Brief
Audio Introduction to Abraham

And here are some people who are not officially endorsed by Abraham-Hicks, but have some great information on them:

Contemplate This
The Abraham-Hicks Appreciators Page
The Abe Forum

I’d love to hear what your own thoughts. Feel free to leave your feedback in the comments, or shoot me an email via my contact page.

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Next up in the series… Vipassana Meditation.
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Table of contents for Top Three Recommended Resources - An Overview

  1. My Top Three Recommended Resources – What Can They Do For You?
  2. What Simpleology 101 – The Simple Science of Getting What You Want – Can Do For You
  3. What The Teachings of Abraham-Hicks Can Do For You
  4. What The Introduction to Meditation Instructional Series Can Do For You
  5. Using the Top Three – Taking Action
  6. Top Recommended Resources Updated – We’re Up to Five!
  7. Personal Development Partners – The Membership Drive