In improv, we may get a suggestion from the audience (one word, or a phrase) and create an entire half hour show based on that suggestion. Esther has it even better…. she has a definite premise (The LOA). You step out on stage with a premise, and every question you are asked, you simply frame your answers in such a way that it eventually comes back to that premise. It’s pretty easy to think on your feet when you have an anchor like that to ground your performance (and an audience that has willingly suspended their disbelief, and is bound and determined to support you and what you are saying)

Not saying that there’s anything at all wrong with positive thinking, of course. But grounding that in reality is always nice too.

If she really is channeling, there’s a million bucks waiting for her from James Randi. That would be an easy million that she could donate to her favorite charities.

Just once, I would love to see a ‘channeled’ spirit/entity/what-have-you explain some sort of difficult to understand concept, or reveal the answer to some sort of scientific, environmental or social issue. You know, something that could be tested and verified, and that could do a whole lot of good for a whole lot of people.

THE LADY DOTH REPEAT TOO MUCH, METHINKS

From The Secret Behind the Secret:

BEAMISH: What could you say to someone who finds this all spooky?

ESTHER: I understand. And, and if it were not happening–if it had not happened to me, I’m not sure that I would–um–it’s hard to say. Because before it was happening to me, I was willing to go hear Sheila…

From Oprah’s XM show:

OPRAH: Now you must admit that this sounds strange.

ESTHER: It has to. It has to. I know how I felt about it. I know how I felt about it in the beginning and I have to say if it hadn’t happened to me, I probably. Well, I can’t say that because I was listening to Jerry read Seth to me and I was captivated by what I heard from Theo.

I like how in two completely different interviews she starts to say that she understands why someone would see what she does as weird cause she would had she not experienced…oh wait, she can’t say that because she was already going down that metaphysical road. Very rehearsed.

It also amuses me how today they are all about us just lining up, but in 1989, they had their A New Beginning book and the Joyous Survival tape that discussed things such as the Great Quake and the massive, abrupt catastrophes that would take place simultaneously on the earth so that all parts of our world would experience volcanic ash. I have a heavily cited version of these predictions on my blog (www.abrahamhicksfraud.blogspot.com) They said, “Face masks and goggles” will be of immense value. They revised their predictions in 1994. They no longer discuss this and have said that they don’t know when it will be. Yet this event, according to them, was a definite and would and must occur in a way that would be so big that we wouldn’t question it.

Esther makes anticipation errors, endorsed John Edward (a notoriously bad cold reader) as a “superb reader of energy”, care way too much about book and CD sales for nonphysical beings (see the way they promote the Astonishing Power of Emotions” in this clip: http://www.youtube.com/user/AbrahamHicks#p/u/32/LpkrLqahToI. It is also suspiciously alarming how little we know about Esther and Jerry’s pre-Abraham lives. This is justified in their teachings, because we shouldn’t focus on things in the past that are unpleasant. I was also very suspicious when none of the people Jerry mentioned in his interview with The Independent (http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/interview-the-couple-who-claim-they-can-make-you-rich-beyond-your-wildest-dreams-456087.html), would vouch for him. They either didn’t respond to the interviewer or made it very clear that they had never met him or even heard of him.

There are a lot of people who I know who have been harmed by these teachings (or if you prefer, by those who claim to be following these teachings). They claimed they were not here to alter our beliefs, and yet, all their processes are to help us bridge our beliefs to something new.

I am also not pleased that so many who endorse Abraham Hicks speak in Esther’s rhetoric, talking about the vortex, source, vibrational escrow. They use the same philosophy as Abraham to justify their logic. And there are Abers who will attack if they catch you talking negatively about Esther or Jerry. I have found so much rage in their posts I have considered making a section called “When Abers Attack!”. This is not very Abrahamish of them. They should be doing focus wheels to get those things out of their vibration…not confronting those of us who do not believe as they do. Especially since according to their teachings they should not be trying to convince anyone of anything. One of the most ridiculous things I’ve seen was on a discussion forum at http://www.theabeforum.com/, an Abraham Hicks fanpage. They closed a thread because it was joking about the idea of Abraham Hicks being a cult. It was actually a joke, but they still didn’t want it on the website. Because of the nature of Abraham Hicks believers, negative thinking is highly discouraged, so they do not entertain dissent.

What a fantastically delighful post! I found your blog through a Google Alert and smiled ear to ear reading this. I’m a Nia teacher in Toronto, Canada. Nia changed my life, so I’m always keen to connect with others who have experienced it.

Thanks for sharing your first experiences with Nia. I love how you describe yourself as a “yes” person and took the opportunity to open yourself to something different! And your last sentence is priceless — definitely quotable!

May you continue to discover new things about your body and all it can do while having FUN and shaking your thang!

If you had begun and ended with that sentence, it could have saved you the effort of writing about what you believe. And following that assertion, it would have saved you the effort of commenting on other people’s beliefs, as it is their own business. But since you have… allow me to make this observation.

While it is not the focus of this site, you have raised some serious questions about Christianity that are worthy of answers. These are adult questions and as C.S. Lewis wrote, one should not expect children’s (soundbite) answers to adult questions. Not to imply that you are, but it may take more than dabbling to find answers that you raised in your post.

In like manner, and in your defense, other writers on this site before you made quick references to Christian viewpoints without explanation or support.

This intertwining of multiple issues, as seen in the entries above, is a hallmark of emotionally charged dialogues. Identifying, unwrapping and discussing each of the issues takes more time and effort than most people and forums of discussion are willing to allow.

As for this particular discussion, the broadest core elements of the entries above seem to revolve around the question of how we discover and know truth. Is it through personal experience and personal discovery? Or is truth objective–that can be perceived, that is unchanging regardless of one’s personal feelings and personal experiences?

You and I would have an interesting and enjoyable dialogue about that.