Ask and It is Given
Esther and Jerry Hicks
Hayhouse
Nonfiction, New Age/Self-Help/Spirituality
Themes: New Age
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Description
According to ancient teachings, we are creatures of energy and vibration, living in a universe which is entirely within our ability to control. All of us can live lives
of happiness and fulfillment. Abraham, a group consciousness channeled through Esther Hicks, gives a simple explanation of the power and principle of intent manifestation,
along with a series of exercises to help you put these principles to work for you.
This book is broken into two parts. The first half deals with the principles of intent, explaining the Abraham teachings and how/why manifesting intent works. The second
contains a series of specific, practical exercises.
Review
Regardless of "Abraham", the basic ideas behind the book's philosophy can be found in almost every self-improvement book on the market. The first half gets circular and redundant, but does, at least come to a point (unlike some self-help books I've seen.) The second is more interesting, as it gives concrete, step-by-step instructions for many exercises. This is the only book I've seen on improving one's life with such specific exercises, and is the primary reason for the rating. I like the book's use of "emotional set-points" to determine where you are, on a scale from 1 (Joy/Knowledge/Empowerment/Freedom/Love/Appreciation) to 22 (Fear/Grief/Depression/Despair/Powerlessness), ranging through optimism, boredom, doubt, and anger. So many self-help books refuse to acknowledge the very real and very natural human tendency to exhibit darker emotions. You cannot deal with something you refuse to admit exists, and simply turning a frown upside-down isn't enough when you're truly mired in a bad emotional and mental state. The exercises in the back are rated for various emotional set-points; a process that works well when you're at a higher set-point may not be as effective if you're lower on the scale. Like the list of set-points, the exercise processes start at the high end and range to the lower end, telling how to deal with exceptionally bad news or emotional states in a way that isn't condescending or unrealistically cheery. No self-help book on the market can help you if you're not willing to help yourself, but with this one, at least you have a real idea how to go about doing that, and why all this stuff should work in the first place.