Esther Hicks has been a spiritual teacher for decades, and she is most well-known for her work with Abraham. She is best known as the author of the book “Ask and It Is Given” which was published in 2006. In this blog post, we will talk about Esther’s history, what she says to audiences, and what skeptics say about her.

By Peter McCarthy

for Assorted Ideas, Large & Small

Who is Esther Hicks and what is her background?

Esther Hicks was born in 1948. She grew up in Utah, and her family was mostly Mormon. Her life was unremarkable until meeting Jerry Hicks in the early 1980s.

Jerry worked in pyramid marketing with his wife, Trish. Esther was Trish’s bookkeeper and married to Richard. They had one child. Sometime after Trish and Jerry broke up, he and Esther became romantically involved, causing a crisis in her marriage to Richard and, finally, divorce. Jerry and Esther married in 1984.

Although Jerry’s personal history is obscure, it included at least four previous wives, according to interviews the pair allowed, early on. But in Esther, he seemed to find a perfect match.

Abraham appears…

Several conflicting stories about Abraham’s appearing in their lives have been offered by them. But the most popular has them riding in Jerry’s Cadillac, squeezed between a pair of trucks, when Abraham suddenly, taking over Esther’s vocal cords, tells Jerry to “take the next exit.”

He does, and after parking under a bridge, a long Q&A with Abraham/Esther ensues. Esther has referred to Jerry as “the questioner of all time,” a gift leading to countless revelations while chatting with Abraham.

Afterward, she began channeling otherworldly wisdom from what many call Spirit Guides or Angels and others refer to as Ascended Masters (who have evolved past human consciousness). The entities introduced themselves as Abraham, and Esther has been channeling them ever since.

Introducing Abraham to wider audiences grew into year-round lectures, cruises, books and gifts.

What does Esther Hicks say to audiences?

Esther Hicks delivers her messages in a very unique way – she channels thoughts from the beings known as Abraham in blocks of thought which she then interprets into spoken words while in a trance-like state. She stresses that there is no right or wrong answer and that each person’s interpretation will be their own truth.

In this way, her teachings focus on personal responsibility and creating one’s reality based on one’s thoughts and feelings. Her main message is that we are all creators of our own lives, and by understanding this, we can begin to create what we want instead of being at the mercy of outside circumstances.

Esther Hicks speaks about the law of attraction, which is the idea that like attracts like. If you focus on what you want, you will attract those things into your life. She also teaches about Abraham, who she channels as a group of spirits. Abraham’s messages are often interpreted into simple terms that people can understand and apply to their lives.

In Ask and It Is Given, readers learn how they can use techniques such as creative visualization using positive affirmations that bring what you want into your life without worrying or taking any action. Stop resisting and “Let it in,” she advises.

Practices like wish charts and scales of progress come into play. Images like a “vortex” where wishes are fulfilled but often blocked and “high flying disks” help teach the concepts.

After Abraham leads to success…

Jerry and Esther Hicks, diligently and with plenty of fun, gradually grew Abraham Hicks Publications into a money-making powerhouse. Packed audiences, sold out Law of Attraction cruises, book and gift sales built through the early 2000s.

But in November 2011, Jerry Hicks died after a six-month battle with leukemia. The fan base fell dramatically because the way it happened contradicted the core Abraham teachings. Over the next decade, much of it returned for a reduced lecture circuit. But no new books drawn from Abraham’s teachings followed.

At 73, Esther HIcks continues giving lectures and leading cruises.

Nowadays, Esther channels Abraham in live talks and online video sessions attended by people from all over the world. The teachings she shares focus on helping people connect with their divine nature to create lives that they love.

She also emphasizes the importance of taking inspired action towards our goals and desires, rather than simply sitting around waiting for things to happen. Abraham teaches that we are powerful creators who can manifest whatever we desire into our lives once we learn how to align our thoughts and emotions with what we want.

What do skeptics say about Esther Hicks?

Skeptics have a difficult time believing that Abraham speaks through Esther. They believe she is mainly reading from books written by Jerry and other members of the group. She also has been criticized for being more concerned with helping herself than others because she charges hundreds of dollars to hear her messages, while some people struggle just to pay their bills each month.