More on Abraham's Bogus Predictions

At the beginning of Esther Hicks' channeling career, she predicted (via Abraham) a great realignment or "shift" that would cause abrupt changes in various parts of the world.

"…volcanic ash will be experienced in all parts of your world as the volcanoes around your earth are simultaneously activated. Face masks and goggles will be of great value."
        - Esther Hicks (A New Beginning I, 2002 edition)

Abraham provided specifics about where earthquakes and water-damage were to occur. In a 1993 workshop (05/16/1993), they (through Esther) said they'd believed these changes would occur in 1988. When they hadn't, they'd modified the timing to 1990. Again, no realignment. They excused this, stating that the energy had dispersed and subsided, but warned that realignment was still coming.

The Hickses no longer sell A New Beginning I or the Joyous Survival tape, two publications that discuss the realignment. Esther, as Abraham, no longer suggests that they were wrong about the timing of this event. It seems to me to be a not-so-clever attempt at hiding one of Esther's greatest channeling blunders.

Recently, I decided to dig up an older edition of A New Beginning I. I had this hunch that the Hickses might have tailored the text to downplay this great-realignment-that-never-happened. My hunch paid off. Various discussions (pages worth) about the great realignment have been removed from the most recent edition, 2002. Others have been altered. In one telling omission, the following discussion transpires between Abraham and a workshop attendee:

(From a 1988 workshop, as indicated in the 1994 edition of A New Beginning I)

COMMENT: The last time I was here, we were asking about the time narrowed down with the earth shift, and you were telling us early summer, which is June.

ABRAHAM: And now we tell you to receive it yourself.

To say the least, I find the Hickses revisions of A New Beginning I incredibly suspicious.

*I just realized via Twitter that today is Esther Hicks' birthday. Happy birthday, Esther!

Kyra, Aren't You Preaching to the Choir?

Since I first started posting skeptical information about various gurus, I have been repeatedly confronted with comments like the following:

I AGREE with you that many of these self-styled, self-help gurus are primarily interested in helping themselves and find your cynicism well placed in that regard but ask "Aren't you preaching to the choir here? I mean, it is despicable for charlatans to raise false hope while divesting their followers but on the other hand if the undelying grain of truth that thees folks dress in all manner of hogwash is enough to pull a few tortured souls on to peace isn't it just as well to let them. The ones who believe wont stop on your word and the ones who already don't well they don't really need your help to see their point of view any clearer...do they? - James Cook (02/26/2013)

I have answered this question, in its myriad of forms, since the first day I began posting in October of 2010, so I would like to state my answer clearly, and emphatically, in this post so that I can link to it for anyone who might be confused in the future.

When I began blogging, I had no desire to pull anyone out of their belief in any guru. It's not that I didn't want to help them. It's that I didn't believe it was possible, because I knew how stubborn I was when I was using the teachings of my various new age gurus. So...why did I decide to post this information, if not to sway people away from these gurus? There were really two groups I was reaching out to:

• People who were questioning. When I first started questioning the teachings of various gurus, I spent a lot of time looking for well-researched, critical information, but I found very little. As I started to find the information, I wanted it to be easily available for those who were in a place like I was, questioning and trying to find out more.
• People who had just encountered the teachings. There are so many people who are handed the discussed gurus' books through the recommendations of friends, family members, counselors, etc. Many of these people go home and do Google searches to research them, but they only find sites and blogs created by dedicated followers. I wanted them to have another perspective available to them, one that would hopefully help them in deciding whether or not they thought one of these gurus were right for them.

Based on the emails that I get, I can tell that I successfully have reached out to both these groups. That was my goal, and I consider it a success.

Still Alive!

Hey all,

I just realized that the 4th of this month was this blog's two-year anniversary! Time sure does fly. I would like to start off by thanking everyone who has supported and encouraged this blog since its beginning. A special thanks to those like Clarity, Dave Stone, Ahnalira Koan, Cosmic Connie, Mariah, and Kelly Martin, who have been so helpful and wonderful with their support and encouragement. There are so many others who have been a part of this, and to all of you, you have my total appreciation. Also, I really do appreciate all you pro-Abers and pro-New Agers who have been willing to participate on the blog. I know that it might not be the easiest place to discuss your beliefs and ideas, but I do believe that it's beneficial to have an open forum where we can dialogue. Certainly, your participation has helped me to clarify my own understanding of people's experiences with the Teachings of Abraham, as well as other New Age materials.

So...where have I been?

I started this blog and Abraham Hicks Skeptic because, when I was first questioning the Teachings of Abraham, there were not many places where I could find or discuss skeptical information. I hoped that, as I shared my skepticism, those who were becoming skeptical or were already skeptical would benefit from my own findings and maybe even have an open place to dialogue. I feel that my mission has been accomplished. The information is available and open to anyone who is looking for it. Not only is this information available, but now there are plenty of others having open dialogues about the teachings on a regular basis, and that thrills me. There are so many who are struggling with or recovering from the teachings, and I know that all these resources are helping them in their journey.

Since I let the blog just sort of float around in January, I have kept myself busy with various projects. Some of these have utilized my skeptical skills. Others have been purely work-related. During this time, I'm happy to report that the giant, negative, swirling vortex that I created with this blog did not destroy my life. In fact, during my time with the blog up to now, I am happier, healthier, and wealthier than I ever was when I was using the Teachings of Abraham. Certainly, everything isn't perfect, and I don't think it ever will or should be, but I am having a very good time with it all. I write this because I know that there are many out there who are still struggling emotionally because of their experiences with the teachings, and I just want to encourage anyone who is at that place that there is life after Abraham, and it is wonderful.

Recently, I heard a line from the musical of Les Misérables: "There are dreams that cannot be. And there are storms we cannot weather." No, I'm not going to be able to be, do, or have anything I desire, but can't I be happy anyway? What's wrong with setting out for Ithaka but ending up in some other wonderful place? I didn't achieve all my dreams when I was eight (and I really have no desire to have achieved them now), but it certainly didn't kill me or make me miserable. I learned a lot from those dreams, and they shaped the new dreams I hold. I didn't get that job I so desperately wanted when I was sixteen, but it doesn't phase me now. I didn't end up with the boy I pined over in my early twenties, but now the thought of us having ended up together makes me gag. He wasn't even that cute. What was I thinking? Dandruff is still a bit of an issue, but the shampoo seems to be working. I reach for my dreams, and I see where circumstances and life take me. It may not be where I want to end up, but surely I can make the best of it. I fall, I struggle, I cry, and I bleed. I get back up, I find my way, and I do my best to keep moving forward. Perhaps this isn't as magical and miraculous as the claims that Abraham (and gurus like them) make, but I think it's enough. And not only is it enough, it has to be.

As of now, I don't know what my future plans for the blog are, but as always, I encourage anyone who is struggling with their experiences with the Teachings of Abraham to feel free to reach out.

xoxo
kyra