Abraham Hicks Cracks Down on Copyright Infringement

"And if you find a way to come into alignment then your good will come to you with or without the copyright protection. Protection is always upstream. Every single time. There is no possible way to make protection turn downstream because in every case you're focused on what you're protecting yourself from and it's an upstream thought."                                                                                            - Abraham Hicks (01/20/2007)

If you're thinking about sharing your favorite Abraham Hicks clip online, think again. The past few days, Abraham Hicks Publications has been cracking down on Youtube users and torrent groups that make copyrighted Abraham materials available online. One Youtube poster that received a ceased and desist from Abraham Hicks Publications wrote:

"Hello to my visitors and subscribers. I have received a notice from Abraham Hicks to cease posting videos, to which I am complying with. Also, any multi part video must be deleted, which will also be done immediately. The Abraham Hicks folks have been very kind in allowing all of us to share their information freely, and we thank them very much for that, as it has changed many peoples lives. We will still have many of the other videos available, until further notice. Thank you for visiting." - homebuiltindoorplane

Another Youtube user wrote:

"The original video was more than 17 minutes long and I was "advised" to take it down as it was in violation of the Abraham-Hicks copywrite policies." - ProjectMNow

In a separate community, a commenter posted that a recent torrent had been removed at Abraham Hicks Publications request:

"One of our members in our “Abraham-Hicks Sharing Community” has received “Copyright Infringement Notification” from SugarSync. That account has been disabled."

Members of this group also received notices from an Abraham Hicks Publications' employee who requested that they remove Abraham recordings from their site.

In past years, Abraham Hicks Publications has occasionally shut down Youtube videos and torrent sites that pirated their recordings, but it seems that their attempts at controlling their content has increased since Jerry Hicks' death in November of this year. Abraham even made sure to remind one hotseater of their copyright in their most recent workshop:

In a 2002 recording (08/18/2002), Esther (as Abraham) explained that the reason Jerry and Esther copyright their materials is because "they are wanting people to be able to find them and us through them." However, most internet users who have shared their content via Youtube and torrent sites have credited Abraham Hicks and even included links to Abraham Hicks' website.

I don't have any problem with people copyrighting their material. I also think that if they want to police and control their material because they want to protect their financial interests, that is perfectly acceptable. But Esther, Jerry, and "Abraham" have always given the impression that their only interest is in sharing the information. Clearly, there's more to the story.

For more on this development, check out Cosmic Connie's Beautiful Daze in the Aber Hood.


**To view more comments on this post, hit the "Load More" button at the bottom of the page.
*In case anyone is wondering, the clip I use in this post is used within fair use guidelines for purposes of commentary and criticism.

Abraham LIVE Highlights (Dec 10th, 2011)

I don't normally give workshop highlights, but since this workshop was special (as it was the first since Jerry croaked), I decided to provide some coverage. Like most Abraham workshops, it was jam-packed with appeals to authority and circular reasoning, but there were also some other moments worth noting. To stay within the limits of fair use guidelines, I have only used small portions of the LIVE event for purposes of criticism and commentary. Also, I recommend checking out Dave Stone's new post on this, Jerry Hicks Died But Guess What? He's Back!

Abraham Struggles to Remember

Well, as I mentioned in Abraham Hicks' Memory Lapse, Abraham isn't very good at recalling events:

In this workshop, Abraham struggles to remember one of Esther's articles of clothing:

Their supposedly infinite wisdom is clearly restricted to the workings of the entire universe and not to the contents of Esther's closet.

Esther Stumbles When Discussing Jerry's Transition

One of the more interesting parts of the workshop was when Esther was discussing Jerry's transition with a workshop guest. She was in the middle of an idea when she suddenly lost focus. The first part of this video is Esther losing focus. The next is the guest trying to understand what was going on.

Abraham vs. Evolution (continued...)

In Abraham vs. Evolution, I mentioned my issue with Abraham's ignorance of evolution. In this clip from yesterday's workshop, Esther says, "Yes, man was here with the dinosaur."

Dinosaurs lived up to the Cretaceous period...65 million years ago. The genus of homo is less than 2 1/2 million years old. That isn't even taking into account the major differences between a millions of years old homo and the modern homo sapien. So needless to say, it's hard to see how these species could have co-existed. (UPDATE: Make sure to check out Cosmic Connie's Post. It includes a pic of a very Flintstones Esther).

I will be posting more later.

On the Latest News from Abraham Hicks

Hello all,

After the latest mass email from Abraham Hicks Publications went out, visits to my site exponentially increased, and I have received a plethora of correspondence from people asking for my take on the situation. My only response right now is that I would prefer to delay commenting until the news has settled and we have more information. Anyone who wishes to comment on the situation may feel free to do so here. In the meantime, Cosmic Connie has written a great post, Has Anybody Here Seen My Old Friend Abrascam? As always, she is brilliant. There is also a conversation going on at Dave Stone's Does the Death of Jerry Hicks From Cancer Mean the End of Abraham Hicks?, and you should check out ex-Aber Mariah's Jerry Hicks' Death Raises Some Questions.

Also, here is a quote from Abe that is appropriate for the situation:

"We don't think that death is a bad thing, but we think getting sick before you die is really pointless. We think that is a real waste of life."                                                                                - Abraham Hicks (3/15/1997 Part 2)

And from Jerry:

"I've always believed in judging the tree by its fruits..."                                                                                         - Jerry Hicks (The Law of Attraction pg. 8)

Thank you for all the support and appreciation.

Kyra

The Spiritual Revolution Delayed

The publication of the final installment of Esther and Jerry Hicks' four-part Law of Attraction series has been delayed...again.

In The Astonishing Power of Emotions, New York Times best-selling authors Esther and Jerry Hicks announced that they were creating a four-part book series, including "The Law of Attraction: The Basics of the Teachings of Abraham; Relationships, and the Law of Attraction; Money, and the Law of Attraction; and Spirituality, and the Law of Attraction." The final installment, Spirituality, and the Law of Attraction, was to be released March of 2009, but since the announcement of this Law of Attraction tetralogy, the book has had a few delays.

The second book in the series, Money, and the Law of Attraction (released in August of 2008) set the release date for Spirituality, and the Law of Attraction in September of 2010 (18 months from the original release date):

In August of 2009, the third book in the series, Relationships, and the Law of Attraction, was published as The Vortex: Where Law of Attraction Assembles All Cooperative Relationships. It listed the release date for Spirituality, and the Law of Attraction as January of 2011.

Fifteen months later, the Hicks' meditation CD/booklet, Getting into the Vortex (published in November of 2010), put the release in August of 2011--nearly two and a half years from the original release date. It was also given a new title: Spirituality, and the Vortex of Attraction.

The latest release date for what is now titled The Spiritual Revolution, and the Law of Attraction was September 15th, 2011. Representatives at Hay House (the Hicks' publisher) confirm that the book has been delayed, but they don't know why. An Abraham Hicks Publications employee says there is no current release date for the book. One can only speculate as to whether or not this latest delay has anything to do with Jerry Hicks' cancer recovery. Regardless, it is interesting to note that the delay occurred the same month that Esther and Jerry sent a mass email to their fans, announcing that they would be taking a break from their Abraham LIVE workshops. David Stone discusses the Abraham LIVE hiatus in his article, "LIVE is Dead, Can the Abraham Hicks Scam Be Next?"

Guest Post: The Road I Traveled with Abraham Hicks

The following post was contributed by Ahnalira Koan. Koan worked for Abraham Hicks Publications for 6 years as a web developer. She played a major role in the creation and upkeep of the current Abraham Hicks website and knew the Hickses professionally and personally. She is also the author of the book The Care and Feeding of Dragons: Confession of a Diabetic: Beyond Law of Attraction to Align Within.

Thank you, Ahnalira Koan, for being willing to share your experiences and perspective with us.

The Road I Traveled with Abraham-Hicks

by Ahnalira Koan

I came to the Abraham teachings already having experience with the concepts. Throughout my childhood, I had dreams that came true and other inexplicable experiences that proved to me there was more to Life than what I could see, feel, taste, touch, and hear. From my early twenties on, I read everything I could find on different spiritual paths – including The Urantia Book (from cover to cover:P), The Science of Mind by Ernest Holmes, and A Course in Miracles. As a result, I was familiar and comfortable with the idea of wisdom coming from a 'channeled' source. In 1983, I was in a high-speed, head-on automobile collision that left my physical body with no vital signs for a minute or so, and – during that moment – I had a direct experience with Nonphysical awareness (see When I Died - A Story of Awakening for more on this) that opened me to a personal connection with Guidance from a nonphysical Source. In my professional life as a Jungian psychotherapist and meditation teacher (see Ahnalira-Connected Counsel for more about my background), I tapped into this connection often.

This is who I was as I came to the Abraham Teachings in the fall of 1997. I was drawn to the simplicity of an organization where the friendly couple who did the seminar also did their own registration. I enjoyed the way their lives were used as examples of the teaching, bringing abstract concepts into concrete application. I liked the informal atmosphere and the proclaimed statement that Jerry and Esther were all about having fun, and any question brought to the table would be answered. I appreciated the inclusive quality of that statement. And, whether or not Esther was translating Nonphysical Entities or doing a masterful performance didn’t matter to me; the answers “Abraham” gave resonated for me and sparked insight and clarity that I used successfully in my own process of evolution.

We developed a friendship with Jerry and Esther over the years, and – in 2005, when they were in an emergent situation with their website – we offered to step in and help. We became their web developers. Esther told us at the outset that they weren’t easy people to work for, and she proved her statement accurate many times.

Within the first 9 months, this we knew about the organization:

• Esther is emotionally volatile and quick to blame. As a result, the office culture was set up to point the finger of blame towards someone else, and everyone scurried for cover when Esther got upset, hoping no ill will fell towards them. Jerry is mistrustful and controlling; he’s not one to get openly upset, but he carries a grudge for months at a time.

• The prime directive is keep Jerry and Esther happy. Hide facts, if necessary. Give the 'right' answer, and do whatever is asked without question. Early on, Esther 'laughingly' dubbed me a "mayhemer" because of my propensity to be forthright and authentic in the expression of my opinions.

• Because Jerry and Esther are prone to changing their minds capriciously, the office politics revolve around who can get their ear. Whoever is talking to them most often is best positioned for power and getting what they want. Jerry and Esther promote this competition by discussing their dissatisfactions with staff to the staff who is currently their favorite and encourage staff bring them information about other staff. Indeed, very rarely do Jerry and Esther speak directly with an associate about a problem or dissatisfaction. I realized early on that – since they were criticizing other staff with me (and not saying anything to the person directly) – that it was probable they complained about me to other staff. I learned to read between the lines of the jokes and side comments they made and take it as feedback.

• While a pretense of friendliness is maintained (and expected) amongst works associates, it is pretense; the norm is for people to speak negatively about each other; and competition rather than support is the status quo.

We knew these things, and we chose to stay. We felt a commitment to do the best we could do for them; they had our unconditional loyalty. So we built them the website they have now, giving them functionality they’d never had before, like the ability to provide digital downloads and subscriptions as well as register online for workshops. They expected us to be available 7 days a week/ 24 hours per day, and we were. They expected us to drop whatever project we were working on when they wanted something from us, and we did – 365 days a year. Still, though, Jerry and Esther were intermittently unhappy with us; sometimes because of my forthright style of communication; sometimes because someone who had their ear in the office political dynamic saw advantage in making us look bad, and sometimes because they just thought we charged too much. And I will say this: I do tell people what I think whether it makes them happy or not and we aren’t very good at political maneuvering and we do charge a healthy rate for our expertise. Still, our commitment held, and we chose to stay. We chose to use the experience as a workshop – an opportunity to refine our ability to maintain a professional integrity with the work independent from the experiences that were less than ideal for us. We chose to develop our skill at setting our vibrational tone internally rather than in reaction to events and circumstances outside our control.

As our understanding of the internal organization dynamics deepened, it also became apparent to us that – on occasion – Abraham’s responses to questions reflected Jerry and Esther’s opinion more than the pure concepts of the teaching. This, however, wasn’t an issue for us as we always believed our internal guidance system trumped anything Abraham spoke. As a result, we didn’t take anything at face value, instead feeling for the resonance within that sparked an insight to further our personal process of evolution. As an insert, may I add: I listen to a lot of recordings (still do), and it would be impossible for me, I think, to not find discrepancies...as I do in all communications over time. I note it and discern accordingly.

In February, 2011, we made our first visit to Abadiania to experience John of God. I had a direct experience with Nonphysical Entities that shifted my awareness dramatically and influenced my thinking about law of attraction and how it works (see John of God Experience to read more). I realized that simply turning away from an uncomfortable pattern and towards a happier thought did not shift the dissonance within; those energies remained in the background as a subtext in my Being and continued to influence my Life from behind the scenes. In other words, they continued as part of the mix in my vibration, effecting my experience – albeit less consciously. I started using Ho oponopono (see Ho oponopono Made Simple) whenever I discovered a pocket of unease within myself. I found the process to give me a sense of Grace, and the abiding peace within as a result led me into a richer, more vibrant happiness. In the process, my set points shifted as did my response to the Abraham-Hicks experience.

Everything came to a head around the Panama cruise.

A week before the Abraham-Hicks Panama Cruise, the hard drive on the main AHP server crashed. We, of course, stopped what we were doing to figure out what happened and fix it (part of our responsibility). What we discovered was that the office team had uploaded – without telling us – so many large digital masters files in so fast a time that it filled and crashed the hard drive. When we suggested that we needed to be kept appraised of what was being put onto the server hard drive in order to effectively monitor the server, Esther (by way of the information she got from the office staff person who had her ear) told us we were to blame, irrespective of whether we were kept informed. It was not a ‘happy’ communication for us, but we did our best to respond professionally by offering a solution that would allow them to upload to a media service without impairing the functionality of the server. We dropped the other projects we were working on and spent the 48 hours before the cruise working 12 – 13 hours per day on the fix…feeling all the while that – if we’d been included in the decision making process – we could have prevented the emergency and provided the solution in a more gracious timeline. Primarily, I think, the reason we weren’t included is because Jerry and Esther didn’t want to pay our rate if they could avoid it.

So, we got on the cruise – doing ho’oponopono and looking for ways to feel the love. However, once on the ship I found myself responding to the experience differently than ever before. I looked around me and saw a cult of 'group thinkers' ('group think' is a psychological term for groups of people who take on a group opinion without personally evaluating for themselves the ideas and concepts) parroting the 'vortex' phraseology and doing their best to look happy (even though as often as not there were undertones that felt very different than happiness to me). I saw people stampeding each other to get into the workshop sessions without consideration for the slower moving people amongst them; I saw one elderly person go down on the stairs with people running over him. It was disturbing to me. Our personal experiences with Jerry and Esther were awkward as well; they were obviously uncomfortable and evasive, and I wondered what was up for them that they opted for behavior verging on rude rather than be authentic with us about what was going on for them. Afterward, we likened the cruise to a workshop on how to feel good while walking over hot coals.

Clearly, the scales had tipped. Our personal evolution brought us to a fork in the road, and we discovered our priorities had shifted along with our set points. It no longer seemed relevant to stand loyally by Jerry and Esther irrespective of their behavior; rather it felt like it was time to stand loyally by our values. It no longer made sense to use the contrast of working in the AHP organization as our workshop; rather it made sense to let ourselves shine in venues where we could use our skills effectively. As much as we appreciated the value of where we had come over the past 14 years, it was clearly time for us to make some changes. We resigned in early April.

We came out from behind the curtain of Jerry and Esther’s manifestation to create our own. I started counseling again and writing (see Ahnalira-Connected Counsel), and we started an App Development company, Laughing Place Apps, where one of the first sets of Apps we made were a series of Meditation recordings from my days as a Meditation teacher: Meditations of Awakening.

I have no regrets, and – if Jerry and Esther came to us needing our help because they didn’t have a staff person with the technical skill to fix something we built for them – we would help them because that’s how we roll, and it’s the type of standard we value. I never expected them to be perfect; if anything, I wish that I had stood for my principles around communication and professional integrity sooner. I don’t blame them for being who they are. I am always responsible for my choices and how I engage. I learned much and evolved my understandings and, as a result, of these experiences, I am significantly more adept in my practices professionally and personally. Ultimately, both my partner and I would rather be enjoying our creative productivity more than anything, and that is why we left an environment fraught with hot coals.

As I continue on the adventure of my life’s journey, I know I will continue to integrate this experience. Jerry and Esther and Abraham may not have always taught me what they thought were the teachings, but I was (and am always) learning how to be more fully All I Am through my association with them. I’ll take that.

Source Says: Jerry Hicks has Leukemia!

Sick and tired of the gossip and speculation surrounding Jerry Hicks' illness, a reliable source revealed to me that Jerry has been receiving his chemotherapy treatment for leukemia.


**This information was reported here 4 months before Abraham Hicks confirmed my source's intel.

Several weeks ago, Abraham Hicks released a letter from Jerry and Esther, stating that they were cancelling various workshops for reasons involving a "spider bite that Jerry got in Florida." Later, in another letter, the Hickses wrote that Jerry was undergoing "heavy chemo," but never explained what for. The intentional vagueness of these letters left many wondering what Jerry's mystery illness could be. Today, I was informed by a source close to the Hickses that Jerry has been receiving his chemo treatments for leukemia.

For over 25 years, Jerry has traveled the country, promoting the Teachings of Abraham, which advocate a person's ability to prevent and cure disease solely by changing one's thoughts. Regardless of these claims, it appears the teachings have been useless in helping Jerry prevent himself from attracting leukemia. And rather than exclusively using the ideas that the Teachings of Abraham claim can bring the body into perfect alignment from any illness, Jerry has opted to treat his leukemia with conventional medicine.

This should come as some surprise to fans of the teachings, many who are purchasing them in hopes of attracting wellness and perfect health into their own lives. One would think that Jerry's situation would leave them wondering: can these teachings really create perfect health, or is it all a sham?

Dave Stone is discussing this @ Jerry Hicks Cancer Confirmed as Leukemia and Does Jerry Hicks Cancer Mean the end of Abraham-Hicks?

UPDATE: Jerry and Esther finally discuss this in their recent blog post, making plenty of excuses to satisfy any discomfort their fans may feel. 

Jerry Hicks Undergoing Chemotherapy

"In reality, we have never encouraged Jerry or Esther to take any sort of medication or medical treatment because we know it is easier to teach them with what they know how to find their vibrational harmony with energy." - Abraham Hicks 03/02/1997 San Francisco, CA

Over the past few weeks, Esther and Jerry have had to cancel several workshops, including ones in Atlanta, Boston, and Kansas City. Initially, a brief letter on the Abraham Hicks website reported that the cancellations involved a "a spider bite that Jerry got in Florida." The latest update reveals that Jerry has been undergoing a 28-day chemotherapy treatment. In Jerry's letter, he says this had something to do with blood tests that showed his "white blood cell count was extremely exaggerated." He does not confirm whether this was related to the spider bite he initially believed he had or if the supposed bite was just his reason for performing the blood tests.

Some—but certainly not all—Abraham Hicks supporters will be put-off by this. After all, Abraham has been telling Esther and Jerry (and everyone else) for years that they can achieve perfect physical well-being by aligning their thoughts with their desire to be well. They have even purported, "You could have every deadly disease known to man, within you, today, and if you chose different feeling thoughts tomorrow, they would all leave your body." Despite over 25 years of actively promoting this idea of being able to align one's body solely through changing the way you think, Jerry was unable to utilize Abraham's advice and processes to transform this situation overnight or even to come back into alignment without the assistance of conventional medicine. Though Jerry chose to receive conventional medical treatment, he is doing his best to make his situation appear to match Abraham’s victim-blaming philosophy by accepting his part in attracting the experience. In his letter, he writes, "Abraham and I have discussed the chain of thought that brought this about and I’m satisfied that I’m not going to do that again." He also works to downplay what he refers to as “heavy chemotherapy” by calling it the “big guns” and suggesting it is a part of his “path of least resistance.”

As far as we know, he still only has 10 days of chemotherapy remaining. While he's recovering, Esther plans to continue the Abraham Hicks Vortex of Attraction Live Stamford, CT workshop solo. This will be the first time I've heard Esther on her own since her interview with Oprah Winfrey. In the meantime, this will hopefully convince those who listen to Abraham that the Abraham materials are not good alternatives to conventional medicine.

* My friend Dave Stone covers this latest news in his article Death of Abraham Hicks, Esther and Jerry Hicks' Creation. And Cosmic Connie has a brilliant article on it entitled Jerry Hicks on chemo: Abrahamscam gets a little help from Western medicine.
* CORRECTION: Initially when I posted this, I referred to conventional medicine as traditional medicine. To my shame and embarassment, these are two different things. Traditional medicine refers to things like acupuncture, chiropractice, and things of that nature. Conventional medicine refers to modern, western medicine. I was meaning to refer to conventional medicine (not traditional medicine). My comments below reflect the error, so please replace instances of "traditional" with "conventional" and properly shame me for this instance of clear stupidity. Thank you, xoxo kyra

Abraham Hicks Sells Used Thought

Esther and Jerry Hicks

In Part 3 of Oprah's XM interview with Esther Hicks, Esther claims that she'd never heard of the "Law of Attraction" till her interaction with Abraham. Similarly, her husband Jerry says in The Law of Attraction (a New York Times best-selling title that reworks 1988 recordings with Abraham), that he had never heard the words "Law of Attraction" prior to he and Esther's Abraham experience. In their 2006 attempt to trademark the phrase, they even included a statement from the Project Coordinator of Abraham-Hicks Publications, who writes that Esther and Jerry “arbitrarily” created the term.

Despite their alleged ignorance of the so-called “Law of Attraction,” their version of the “law” bares a remarkable resemblance to the same “Law of Attraction” discussed during the early 1900s New Thought movement, pioneered by authors such as Thomas Troward, William Walker Atkinson, Ernest Holmes, Charles Fillmore, William Juvenal Colville, and Elizabeth Towne. In Glints of Wisdom by William Juvenal Colville, Colville explains the New Thought “Law of Attraction” by stating, “Everything is a link to attract that which is like itself.” In John Benjamin Anderson’s analysis of the New Thought movement, New Thought: Its Lights and Shadows, he summarizes various authors’ definitions, saying, “It [thought force] draws to itself or to its thinker…that which is like unto itself.” Esther and Jerry’s definition--“That which is like unto itself is drawn”--is incredibly similar to Anderson and Colville's. In fact, the major difference between theirs and Anderson's definition is that “like unto itself” and a different tense of “draw” are rearranged. Anderson's book also discusses popular New Thought examples that were used to illustrate the metaphysical law. For instance, New Thought authors used the phrase "birds of a feather flock together" and described thoughts as being like magnets. Esther and Jerry's materials use these same examples.

(left to right) Fillmore, Atkinson, Hill

More interesting than these similarities, though, is Jerry’s self-admitted exposure to New Thought authors, such as Ernest Holmes and Charles Fillmore, whom Jerry praises as his early mentors in he and Esther’s first book, A New Beginning I. Holmes and Fillmore were highly influential figures in the New Thought movement, and both discussed the “Law of Attraction.” Unity: Volume 108, Issue 1, an early Fillmore publication, says, "We attract to ourselves that to which we give our attention." A Synopsis of the Teachings of Abraham, on Abraham-Hicks' website, more-than-similarly says, "you are attracting the essence of whatever you are choosing to give your attention to." Esther and Jerry's book The Law of Attraction restates this as, "That which you give your attention to...is that which you draw into your experience." Jerry also praises the work of Napoleon Hill, who authored The Law of Success—a book that discusses the “Law of Attraction” by name and in detail. Through these authors alone, Jerry had easy access to materials on the New Thought “law."

These authors are not the only way Jerry could have been exposed to the “Law of Attraction,” however. He was also a top Amway distributor. Amway distributors are known for their promotion and marketing of motivational, New Thought concepts from authors like Napoleon Hill, Norman Vincent Peale, and Charles F. Haanel (all of whom discussed the “Law of Attraction”). Robert Fitzpatrick and Joyce K. Reynold’s book, False Profits, discusses the importance of New Thought concepts to Amway's motivational materials, and in Barbara Ehrenreich’s condemnation of the current positive thinking movement, Bright Sided, she writes that "in the early 1980s" (Jerry was still with Amway then) distributors were even “expected to buy a book a month” from authors who promoted and perpetuated New Thought teachings. Jerry, having been a top distributor, would have been subjected to this same New Thought literature—much of which discusses the “Law of Attraction.”

With Jerry’s Amway past and his self-admitted study of various New Thought authors, it’s easy to see how he could have encountered the New Thought concept “Law of Attraction” prior to he and Esther’s experience with Abraham. It's also likely that he would have been exposed to other New Thought ideas. In Richard Weiss’ 1988 book, The American Myth of Success, Weiss writes, "New Thought further encouraged a “take-it-easy" approach to life with its principle of non-resistance.” Weiss says that the “Law of Attraction” and the principle of non-resistance (sometimes referred to as the "Law of Non-resistance") were usually taught in conjunction with one another. He explains that the principle of non-resistance was about not forcing things to happen. “Receptivity rather than struggle,” he writes. In William Walker Atkinson's 1911 book, Practical New Thought, he gives the analogy of life being like a stream. He explains that rather than rowing upstream and struggling against the current, people should let the current carry them--or even row with it. Esther and Jerry use this same analogy to discuss their version of the "Law of Non-resistance," which they call the "Law of Allowing." Like the "Law of Non-resistance," the "Law of Allowing" encourages Weiss’ statement about “receptivity rather than struggle.” Florence Scovel Shinn, a very successful advocate of New Thought ideas in the early 1900s, said in her book The Secret Door to Success, “the law of non-resistance is an art.” Coincidentally, Jerry and Esther’s "Law of Allowing" is sometimes referred to as the “Art of Allowing.” This concept of the principle (or law) of non-resistance is also discussed by one Jerry’s mentors, Ernest Holmes.

Jerry and Esther claim that they had never heard of the “Law of Attraction” pre-Abraham, but it is clear that Jerry had easy exposure to these words via his favorite authors--Ernest Holmes, Napoleon Hill, and Charles Fillmore--and his past with Amway, a major proponent of New Thought materials. He and Esther’s (or Abraham's) “Law of Attraction” and “Art of Allowing” are indiscernible from the New Thought ideas of “Law of Attraction” and the "Law of Non-resistance." Their materials also incorporate popular examples and analogies from the New Thought movement. However, they continue to claim these ideas were inspired via some means other than the authors who made them famous nearly a hundred years before Jerry and Esther were even around. If Esther has received this wisdom from the nonphysical perspective known as Abraham, it is interesting that they are regurgitating (and seemingly plagiarizing) the very old ideas of the New Thought movement.

References

Anderson, John Benjamin. New Thought, Its Lights and Shadows; an Appreciation and a Criticism. Boston: Sherman, French &, 1911. 42.

Atkinson, William Walker. Practical New Thought; Several Things That Have Helped People ... Chicago: A.C. McClurg &, 1911.

Colville, W. J. Glints of Wisdom, Or, Helpful Sayings for Busy Moments: Being Abstract from Lectures with Reflections, Statements, Meditations, and Mottoes. New York, U. S. A.: Macoy and Masonic Supply, 1910.

Ehrenreich, Barbara. Bright-sided: How the Relentless Promotion of Positive Thinking Has Undermined America. New York: Metropolitan, 2009.

Fitzpatrick, Robert L., and Joyce K. Reynolds. False Profits: Seeking Financial and Spiritual Deliverance in Multi-level Marketing and Pyramid Schemes. Charlotte, NC: Herald, 1997.

Hicks, Esther, and Jerry Hicks. "About Jerry and Esther Hicks and the Law of Attraction." Home of Abraham-Hicks Law of Attraction -- It All Started Here! Web. 23 Mar. 2011. <http://www.abraham-hicks.com/lawofattractionsource/about_hicks.php>.

Hicks, Esther, and Jerry Hicks. Ask and It Is Given: Learning to Manifest Your Desires. Carlsbad, CA: Hay House, 2004.

Hicks, Esther, and Jerry Hicks. The Law of Attraction: The Basics of the Teachings of Abraham. Carlsbad, CA: Hay House, 2006. 133, 137.

Hicks, Jerry, and Esther Hicks. A New Beginning I: Handbook for Joyous Survival. San Antonio, Texas: Abraham-Hicks Publications, 1996.

Hill, Napoleon. The Law of Success. New York: Jeremy P. Tarcher/Penguin, 2008.

Shinn, Florence Scovel. The Secret Door to Success. Radford, VA: Wilder Publications, 2007.

Weiss, Richard. The American Myth of Success; from Horatio Alger to Norman Vincent Peale. New York: Basic, 1969.

Abraham's Chicken/Dog Story Changes

*All bold statements have been bolded by Kyra

Abraham's memory is not so great. Take this example from a common Abraham Hicks story about how Snuggles the dog nearly ate Renegade the chicken:

August 26, 2007 Sedona, AZ
"And Jerry had a sensing of something going on, went out on the back porch and looked, and there is Renegade, apparently already dead and ready to be Snuggles's lunch (although Snuggles really did not care for it. He just killed her for the fun of it, it seemed). And Jerry had a shotgun (that he had never fired) for just such an occasion. And he shot it into the air to get Snuggles attention. (And blew a hole in his favorite tree, by the way, and the telephone line.) And Snuggles dropped Renegade. And Renegade shook herself off and got up and came home quickly. And Esther said, 'Abraham, I thought Snuggles had killed renegade. I thought Renegade was dead. And we said, she wasn't dead, she was just getting ready to be dead.'" (This same version is retold in the May 12, 2007, Gaithersburg, MD workshop.)

Mexican Cruise (January 24, 2010)
"And one day, Jerry felt a very strong urge to go out, and he went out. And sure enough, Snuggles had Renegade. And Renegade was hanging like a limp rag, and Snuggles was running away. And Jerry yelled, 'Snuggles!' And because Snuggles is a domesticated dog and therefore prone to some human guilt, Snuggles dropped Renegade...when Jerry yelled...and when the chicken hit the ground, she just shook herself off and ran home. And Esther said, 'Abraham, I thought Snuggles (sic) was dead. And we said, Snuggles (sic) was just ready to be dead.'"

From the 2007 telling to the 2010 telling of this adorable little story, Jerry seems to have lost his gun. Initially, I was going to give Abe the benefit of the doubt and say that it was another time that Snuggles had attempted to eat Renegade. However, I find it hard to believe that Esther repeatedly said to Abraham every time Renegade was caught by Snuggles, "I thought Renegade was dead." It's odd to me that three years after telling this story 3 times (at least, I have heard it more elsewhere), that "Abraham" would have forgotten the gun and explained that Jerry's yelling worked because Snuggles was a "domesticated dog." Also, in the 2010 recording, Abraham mistakenly calls Renegade Snuggles at the end of the story.

For reference, in Esther and Jerry's interview with The Independent, published in 2007 (the same year as the Sedona, AZ version) they retell the story, with the gun.

The Independent Interview
"We had chickens for a few years. We had this one chicken, Renegade, who wouldn't stay in the yard. She went to the neighbours', where there were dogs. And sure enough the neighbour's dog..."

"Snuggles," says Jerry.

"Snuggles got her. Jerry saw that. Didn't you shoot a gun..."

"Yes."

Where Angels Go To Die: Faith Healing

I was watching Lisa Ling's Our America. It was an episode on faith healing, an industry notorious for charlatanry and corruption. Skeptical from the beginning (particularly when Ling said that she planned on taking a very unscientific approach on the subject), I found myself pleasantly surprised. There were no "I can walk!", "I can see!", or "I can hear!" moments. In fact, at the end, (spoiler alert) Ling acknowledges that Steve (a paralyzed man she was chronicling) and the woman with cancer (the mother of two other women featured in the show) had no noticeable physical benefits from attending the faith healing event. While Ling does not use this fact to deny the usefulness of faith healing (and in fact, ends suggesting that there are other benefits to the "hope" faith healing provides), the episode brought up an issue that--to me--is more problematic than the ineffectiveness of faith healing.

The two women, who's mother has been diagnosed with cancer, believe that when they bring their mother to the faith healing event, she will be healed by God. When Ling inquires as to why they are not opting for medical treatment, they explain that they can no longer afford the chemotherapy. Having personally known others who have found themselves in similar situations (delaying or avoiding treatment because of the cost), I was able to really relate to their situation. Here were people who had been perfectly willing to go the route of conventional, effective treatment, but because of their financial situation, had been unable to do so. Similarly Steve, the paralyzed man featured in the episode, could not receive any major benefit from the medical community. They could not make him walk again. They could not fix him. In fact, as he even mentions, it is really expensive to be paralyzed.

Both stories pointed out a glaring issue---not in the world of faith healing--but in the way America deals with the sick. In this nation (as in all of them), there is a high price to health. This leads many to seek out alternative, cheaper forms of treatment. Here are people, at the what may very well be the most difficult point of their lives, and they are grasping at straws, reaching for someone or something that can give them hope. And the predators of quackery come out of the woodwork. They market themselves to these desperate people. They prey on their weakness and take what money they have left. And of course, I fuss at the charlatans, because it isn't right what they are doing, but at the same time, shouldn't I be fussing at the medical community for denying wellbeing to those who cannot afford it?

I am by no means trying to suggest that there is any value to turning to faith healing. In fact, I think going down that path offers more harm than any benefit it could ever offer. I'm also not saying that there will not always be those who will turn away from medicine for religious reasons. However, good people, who cannot afford to be well, find themselves spending their last moments kneeling before charlatans and con artists. And it will continue to be this way until we find a way to make medical treatment easily and readily available to anyone who needs it. I'll admit that it is getting better, but it's certainly not good enough. And until we, as a people, can offer medical treatment to all, we will have to remain helpless witnesses to the weak as they spend their last days pleading to God and hucksters for a cure.

Caroline Myss: Biggest Hypocrite in the World

A quick peek at Hay House's sister-website, Heal Your Life, led me to an article by one of my favorite authors (and by favorite, I mean favorite to pick on), Caroline Myss. It's called It's not Just about the Cookies. In the article, Myss describes a conversation she had with a CEO of the Girl Scouts of America (who unfortunately was attending one of Myss' events). Myss made it clear to said CEO that the only thing she associated Girl Scouts with was cookies. The CEO went on to explain to Myss the charitable nature of the Girl Scouts and how their goal is to make these girls into future leaders.

The most interesting part of the article came when the CEO asked Myss, "What do you think the biggest obstacle is to inspiring girls to becoming leaders in our society?" She went on to explain "The majority of girls feel that in order to be a leader in today’s society, they have to become liars and they do not want to compromise the values they are learning as Girl Scouts in order to become leaders."

It's clear that this idea struck a chord within Myss. In her article, she agrees that there are too many who have acquired their power through lying and that we need "worthy", honest leaders. She writes:

"Like our Girl Scouts and probably our young Boy Scouts, we should be looking for any evidence of integrity and refusing to settle for anyone who has to rely on negativity and lies in order to qualify to lead."

I can't figure out why Myss--who talks down to her audiences on a regular basis, harps about all the things they are doing wrong, and condemns them for any number of their personal faults--would want people to refuse to settle for negativity. And if people were to look for "evidence of integrity," they need look no further than Myss' suspicious "PhD" from a defunct diploma-mill no longer appears on her books (or any of her materials, for that matter). Even more dubious is her claim in Anatomy of the Spirit that her spiritual assistance led to a man being totally cured of HIV (of course, she has no proof of this). So why in the world would Myss want people to refuse leaders who have "to rely on negativity and lies"? Wouldn't that put her out of a job?

Abraham Borrows Esther's Body and Prentice Mulford's Words...

*Bolding in quotes is always Kyra's emphasis

Esther (doctored) and Prentice Mulford

Abraham Hicks' 2011 audiences are eagerly welcoming Abraham's latest catch phrase--"constructing thought-ways." In recent workshops, Abraham preaches that when we think thoughts, we are constructing thought-ways that will play into our future experience. Simply put, when you are thinking thoughts on things you want or don't want, "that's the construction of thought-ways that can ultimately lead you to something more"  because "your thoughts are constructing" and  "manifestation follows them" (West Los Angeles, CA 01/29/2011). The new phraseology has thrilled many self-professed Abers. Abraham Hicks discussion forums have lit up with excitement as Abers express their enthusiasm about the new clarity that the concept presents about how they can create their own reality.

This is not the first time Abraham has used new vocabulary to express their archaic message, which dates back to the early 1900s New Thought movement. In recent years, a passé Abraham Hicks concept known by Abers as "vibrational escrow" evolved into "the vortex." At the same time, Abraham Hicks' Art of Allowing (a re-vamped version of the New Thought concept "the principle of nonresistance") workshops began using the analogy of a "stream" and pushing against or going with the current to represent when you are resisting or allowing things you want. Words like "upstream" and "downstream" became norms for Abraham listeners. Now, Abraham has added the idea of "constructing thought-ways" to the mix. Abers enjoy the analogy, but did it spring into Esther's mind via Abraham, or via an accomplished New Thought author from the early 1900s?

For those who don't know, Abraham Hicks' claim to fame, the "Law of Attraction," was a wildly popular New Thought concept, discussed by many many authors from the early 1900s to present. Authors such as Napoleon Hill, William Walker Atkinson, and Charles Fillmore cited the "Law of Attraction", by name, in many of their materials. Esther, Jerry, and Abraham do not give any of these authors credit for inspiring them with the words. Despite Jerry's self-professed familiarity with Ernest Holmes, Charles Fillmore, and Napoleon Hill (all who wrote extensively on the subject), he clearly states in he and Esther's New York Times Bestselling book The Law of Attraction (a transcription of audio recordings from 1988/1989) that he had never heard the words "Law of Attraction" before Abraham.

On top of this, various Abraham analogies about the supposed "law" have clearly been borrowed from past New Thought authors. These include the notion of our minds being like radio transmitters/receivers, our thoughts being like magnets, the principle of nonresistance (called Law of Allowing by Abraham), "birds of a feather," and more. With Jerry's self-admitted exposure to materials that would have discussed all these things, it is a little difficult to believe that Esther divined this information via Abraham. It is equally difficult to believe that Abraham's latest "constructing thought-ways" analogy was not borrowed from Prentice Mulford's 1889 book, Thoughts are Things.

In Mulford's book, he explains, "Of whatever possible thing we think, we are building, in unseen substance, a construction which will draw to us forces or elements to aid or hurt us, according to the character of the thought we think or put out." He goes on to write, "When we dread a misfortune, or live in fear of any ill, or expect ill luck, we make also a construction of unseen element, thought,--which by the same law of attraction, draws to it destructive, and to you damaging forces or elements." Now, Abraham, via Esther, expresses this same message to packed audiences.

If Abraham has really delivered the "constructing thought-ways" analogy to Esther via blocks of thought, one can only speculate as to why their "leading edge" workshops are so jam-packed with late 1800s/early 1900s terminology. To many, the answer is simple. There is no Abraham; never was. To Abers, there is an endless list of excuses to explain away the similarity. Regardless of the origins of Abraham's phraseology, Esther and Jerry will continue to reap massive profits off of packaging old wine into new bottles.

Abraham Hicks Give Law of Attraction a Makeover!

Jerry and Esther Hicks are quite a team. The duo of professional actors travel around the world, presenting audiences with Esther's signature character--a sweet, adorable wife with a great sense of humor who channels Abraham, a group consciousness that Esther would have us believe has some sort of knowledge about universal laws. Meanwhile, Jerry plays the lovable entrepreneur husband who just wants to "feel good." While their epic performances (lasting up to 6 hours) have captured the imaginations of audiences across the globe, these two are far more than entertainers. They are incredible business people. With not-so-humble beginnings in the Amway circuit, Jerry and Esther turned to acting when Amway was becoming far too controversial and their fresh act was starting to generate public interest.

Jerry and Esther's performances combined New Age woo with the popular, early 1900s, New Thought concept, the "Law of Attraction". They took their act on the road. Their shows sold out, and they made millions selling CDs, tapes, and books (all centered around their performances). Throughout their career, the husband-wife team (operating under the brand-name Abraham-Hicks) have done their best to maintain control of their performances by trademarking and copyrighting as many of the elements of their shows as possible. However, with Jerry and Esther's growing popularity, other entertainers quickly jumped in to cash in on the success of the "Law of Attraction" aspect of their shows (a clear audience favorite). In 2006, to protect their act, Jerry and Esther attempted to trademark the "Law of Attraction", but the US Patent & Trademark Office failed to see why Jerry and Esther Hicks should be able to trademark the known term that had been in use since the early 1900s. With a major part of their performances up for grabs, Jerry and Esther went back to the drawing board and registered to trademark a new term, the "Vortex of Attraction," and quickly began referring to their shows as "Vortex of Attraction workshops." They also altered their website to match the new trademark. Originally, their website said:

This is the original source material for the current Law of Attraction wave that is sweeping the world, and it is the 21st century inspiration for thousands of books, films, essays and lectures that are responsible for the current paradigm shift in consciousness.

Here you will find accurate clarification of the basics of the Law of Attraction and practical applications as well as up-to-the-moment leading-edge expanding information regarding the Law of Attraction. (Also known as "The Teachings of Abraham")

This is the fountainhead of the information upon which the hit movie, “The Secret” was based.

 Now, it reads:

This is the original source material for the current Vortex of Attraction wave that is sweeping the world, and it is the 21st century inspiration for thousands of books, films, essays and lectures that are responsible for the current paradigm shift in consciousness.

Here you will find accurate clarification of the basics of the Vortex of Attraction and practical applications as well as up-to-the-moment leading-edge expanding information regarding the Vortex of Attraction. (Also known as "The Teachings of Abraham")

This is the fountainhead of the information upon which the hit movie, “The Secret” was based.

On top of this, their next book (allegedly written by Esther's Abraham character) will be titled Spirituality and the Vortex of Attraction: The Last Frontier (according to their Getting in the Vortex Meditations CD), and they have purchased the domain www.vortex-of-attraction.com to launch live performances! It appears that Jerry and Esther have received the go-ahead to tout their new trademark, and will be leaning their shows towards the new term in an effort to maintain creative control over their borrowed ideas. But how will Esther and Jerry's audiences react to the "Law of Attraction's" new face-lift? And will Jerry and Esther be able to implement the new "Vortex of Attraction" into their not-so-new act?

**UPDATE: Abraham-Hicks Publications' website has changed Vortex of Attraction back to Law of Attraction.

Abers Struggle to Perpetuate Delusion

Esther (caricature) and Jerry Hicks

Abraham, the group consciousness that Esther Hicks says she speaks for, claims that they are able to read people's energy. In fact, that's how they choose questioners at their workshops to sit in what Abraham supporters (self-described Abers) affectionately refer to as "the hot seat," a chair in front of Abraham where guests are able to sit and ask their questions. Abraham has said, "You could not be in that chair if you were not lighting up" (11/15/2008) and that they are "aware of everything that you're wanting to talk about" (05/22/2004). In a recent e-mail sent out by Abraham Hicks, they are even quoted as saying, "We always know what’s on the minds of those who participate with us in these real-time events." With Abraham choosing based on energy (aka vibration) and knowing "what's on the minds of those who participate," they will only choose people who are a match to the the hot seat. This is in theory, of course, because last week, during Abraham Hicks' San Fransisco workshop (02/05/2011), they proved that their alleged powers of reading energy are nonexistent. Instead of choosing people who were a match to the so-called hot seat, they chose several people who they had to kick out of said seat and send back to their not-so-hot chairs. This is particularly odd coming from an entity that regularly opens the Q&A portion of their workshops with the promise that, "There is nothing off limits. Everything is appropriate" (05/12/2007).

With Abraham on their new "Getting in the Vortex" shtick, it is possible that they wanted to speak with people who were "in the vortex" to keep the audience "in the vortex." However, with Abraham's self-professed energy-reading-abilities, one can only speculate as to why they didn't just call on those who they knew would have an "in the vortex" discussion with them (rather than finding those they had to send back to their chairs). One would think this would raise the brows of Abraham supporters, making them question the validity of this supposed entity. But no! In fact, quite the opposite. This week, Abers have rallied behind Abraham's decision to give hot-seaters the boot and called it a brilliant feat. "Only pure vortex expression allowed!" they quote (or paraphrase) eagerly. One Aber posted on a discussion forum, "it was really something to see people getting bounced out of the hot seat! Abraham was on fire." Another said, "Seeing people get kicked out of the hot seat was surreal but I totally LOVED it!!!" Others were a little more realistic: "It was fun. (probably not for the folks who got booted but maybe they learned a lesson of a different kind??)"

This is not the first time that Abers have had to rationalize away a situation like this. In a Florida workshop in 2009, Abraham kicked a man out of the hot seat (05/23/09). A workshop attendee reported on this instance via a forum:

He began by saying he had been chosen to ask a question on 9 different occasions . . . and that he was always first. “Abraham” then said, “We are done with you,” as Esther motioned for the man to return to his seat. The man begged to be allowed to ask his one question. Esther continued to motion him back to his seat. This went on for several interactions until the man finally acquiesced.

One particularly deluded Aber responded to the incident, posting, "While you might feel bad for the man, he's the one who ended up disallowing that interaction." Of course, this poster completely disregards the fact that in nearly 25 years of their work, Abraham has let countless numbers of "disallowing" individuals sit in the hot seat to discuss their "out of the vortex" problems on everything from health to relationships. Regardless of that fact, this rationalization fits perfectly with the listener-blame philosophy that runs rampant among Abers. They do not hold Abraham responsible for what went on at that Florida workshop or in the most recent San Fransisco workshop. It is, of course, the hot-seaters who wanted to talk about "out of the vortex things" who are to blame. I suspect that if Abraham were to pull out a gun and shoot a hot-seater in the face, Abers would accept that the hot-seater was in alignment with that experience, and therefore it was their own doing (not Abraham's).

Just as interesting as this, are reports of those who fought against hot-seat exile at the San Fransisco workshop. One workshop attendee reports that "as they [Abraham] threw people off the hotseat, they got to that guy who refused to leave and wanted to talk about dying! That was an extreme response (parallel in energy) to Abe's insistence that that was what they DIDN'T want!" Ironic that Abraham had to push away hot-seaters, considering their philosophy of not-pushing-against-anything (which they refer to as the Law of Allowing--lifted from the New Thought concept, the "Law (or principle) of nonresistance"). But once again, Abers are not all that concerned about hypocrisy or inconsistency with their dear leader.

If Esther Hicks is trying to test the devotion of her followers (though I doubt that is what she is doing), she will be very pleased to know that she can do anything she wants and they will have a quick excuse in-hand for her (or "Abraham's") actions. The delusion within the Abraham Hicks community has reached new heights, and with Abers unwilling to question their charismatic leader, one can only imagine the dangerous future ahead for those who have fallen into the Abraham Hicks trap. I have no doubt we will be seeing many more rationalizations for what happened at this particular workshop in upcoming weeks and as the CD is made available, but one thing is for sure; Abers will make up whatever excuse they can to justify their irrational faith in their false prophet.

*UPDATE* My friend Dave has written on this same subject. I highly recommend checking out his articles: Esther Hicks Presents Abraham the Bully, Esther Hicks Turns Mean with Abraham.

Abraham Hicks: Reincarnation Contradictions

Adding to the case against Abraham Hicks, is this latest find, a revealing contradiction between two workshops, when Abraham is discussing the subject of reincarnation.

09/09/1990
JERRY: Would their reincarnation then be back into the same mess?

ABRAHAM: Their reincarnation occurs from the position that they hold from broader perspective. If their broader perspective is similar to their physcial perspective--and very often it is. Very often it is one in the same. In other words, if suddenly in an instant, POOF, there you go. It's not going to happen, but if you went this moment, you would not find yourself strangers to yourself. In other words, your nonphysical you would be very familiar to you. The desires--the desire--for freedom and growth and upliftment and joy that you feel fleetingly here, you would feel powerfully and you would recognize if you were to make that transition instantly. And so, for the most part, what you are living in this life experience, would not be so far from who you are from broader perspective. Which means very likely, if that is the way that they are approaching physical experience, that--you see the law of attraction is constant. It is the same in the physical or nonphysical--and so they would have that experience again.

North Los Angeles, CA, 3/22/03
ABRAHAM: Well, there is that. In other words, what you sow you do reap because Law of Attraction says that which you offer vibrationally is that which you bring back. But it does not pass on from lifetime to lifetime to lifetime in the negative sense that people mean because when you re-emerge into nonphysical, you re-emerge into pure positive energy, and when you come forth into your next incarnation, you come forth from that place of pure positive energy.

In the 1990 workshop, Abraham clearly says that the Bangladeshi people will reincarnate into a similar experience because their broader perspective is not far from the one they hold in the physical. In the 2003 workshop, they state that we re-emerge into pure positive energy and that this is the place that we reincarnate from. It will be fun to see how Abers reconcile this discrepancy...

Did Jerry Hicks already know about The Law of Attraction?

Jerry Hicks, Napoleon Hill

In Esther and Jerry Hicks' New York Times Bestselling book The Law of Attraction, Jerry claims he'd never heard the words "Law of Attraction" before Abraham. He writes, "Because I was expecting (although I'd never heard the words before) the Law of Attraction and the Deliberate Creation Process to work..."

Despite his alleged ignorance, it would have actually been easy for Jerry to have been aware of the Law of Attraction prior to he and Esther's experience with Abraham. As a self-professed fan of Napoleon Hill's Think and Grow Rich, it is likely that Jerry would have been exposed to Napoleon Hill's other bestseller, The Law of Success (1928), which repeatedly references the "Law of Attraction." Here are some quotes from The Law of Success:

"Remember that which was said about the Law of Attraction through the operation of which 'like attracts like.'"

"It is believed by men who have devoted years of research to the subject, that all energy and matter throughout the universe respond to and are controlled by the Law of Attraction which causes elements and forces of a similar nature to gather around certain centers of attraction. It is through the operation of this same universal Law of Attraction that constant, deeply seated, strong DESIRE attracts the physical equivalent or counterpart of the thing desired, or the means of securing it."

"Through the operation of this same eternal Law of Attraction he draws to himself the attention of people whose attitude toward life and whose dominating thoughts harmonize with his own."

In Esther and Jerry's 1989 book A New Beginning I, Jerry also admits that he was a fan of the work of Ernest Holmes and Charles Fillmore. Both authors discuss the Law of Attraction, by name, in their materials.

A Delicious Contradiction

It's humorous to see how Abraham's answers have evolved over the years. Take a look at these conflicting responses. In a 1990 workshop (09/23/1990), a guest asked Abraham about crop circles. Abraham said that extraterrestrial beings were coming to earth and that "their intent is to interact with your planet in a way that they can glean some information. In other words, they are sensing from the very core of your planet as they sit upon it. They have chosen to set down in areas where they are not disruptive. And so their mission has many intentions all of it information gleaning and none of it intending to interfere or hinder your life experience whatsoever." They went on to say that the aliens were here to collect data, "of a seismic nature."

This answer was given in 1990, before Doug Bower and Dave Chorley came forward in 1991 and took credit for starting the crop circle hoax. Regardless of the validity of crop circles, Abraham has backed off their statement regarding alien visitors. In a 2004 workshop (07/03/2004 Alaska), they were asked again about crop circles. They made it perfectly clear that they were all "man made," without exception.

Almost as amusing as listening to Abraham's conflicting answers about things like crop circles, is listening to the excuses Abers use to justify these contradictions. They usually just blame the listener or questioner, as is appropriate in their victim-blaming philosophy. Because, of course, Abraham is infallible.