Ask And It Is Given: Learning To Manifest Your Desires

Esther and Jerry Hicks are inspirational speakers and authors who have co-written several books, hosted manifestation classes, and given presentations about the Law of Attraction since the 1980s. However, the first appearances of the Law of Attraction first arose in the 19th century and are frequently attributed to a Portland man named Phineas Parkhurst Quimby. Frequently credited as one of the initiators of the New Thought movement, Quimby created “a range of philosophical ideas that focused on the mind’s power to cure illness” (Evans, Christopher. “Why You Should Know about the New Thought Movement.” The Conversation. 17 February 2017). While modern-day proponents of New Thought hold a disparate range of beliefs, the movement strikes a positive, optimistic tone about life and emphasizes the importance of ongoing revelation and spiritual discovery.

Within this nebulous philosophical framework, Esther Hicks and her husband Jerry made a name for themselves in the 1980s, when Esther purportedly began channeling the messages of a non-physical entity named Abraham, a collective consciousness that she claims is able to take control of her body and voice in order to relay messages—either to Jerry, who would write them down, or directly to an audience. Ask and It Is Given was published in 2004, just as Esther’s fame as a channeler was beginning to gain momentum. The duo rose in popularity in 2006, when Esther appeared in the popular movie The Secret, which included a scene depicting one of her group channeling sessions on a cruise ship. Before Jerry’s death in 2011 due to leukemia, the couple published several other books, including The Amazing Power of Deliberate Intent and The Law of Attraction.

In addition to gaining a large and dedicated following, Esther and Jerry Hicks gained many detractors and critics who have questioned the ethical implications and psychological impact of their teachings. The concept of manifestation is widely believed to be pseudoscience, with any visible effects being a function of the placebo effect. Because the pair proclaims that every life experience or circumstance is a direct result of the thoughts and emotions of the person having the experience, many writers, such as Derek Beres and Be Scofield, have criticized “Abraham’s” teachings as a blatant form of victim-blaming. Psychologist Carlo Strenger even goes so far as to assert that the premise of Ask and It Is Given is “completely unfounded” and that the text’s central message is “morally despicable.” As Strenger explains, “Since all that happens to us is supposedly a function of our positive or negative thoughts, the millions who died either through political persecution, genocide or starvation must have brought this upon themselves, and are therefore responsible for their own demise” (“The False Promises of Pop Spiritualities” Psychology Today. 6 April 2011).

Critics’ condemnations of the Hickses’ philosophy as psychologically damaging are further fueled by Esther/Abraham’s claims that AIDS is caused by a deficit of self-love, and that survivors of rape could have prevented their assault. Yet despite these very real objections, the pair’s books continue to enjoy a widespread following even years after publication, and Esther Hicks remains a prominent figure at the forefront of the New Thought movement.