Book Review

Title: The Astonishing Power Of Emotions

Author: Esther & Jerry Hicks

Publisher: Hay House Books/ Raincoast Books

Released: August 20^th 2007

# Of Pages: 258

ISBN: 978-1-4019-1246-8

$17.95 CDN/$14.95 US

2 Stars

Reviewed By: Clairvoyant Medium Beverley Ann

Apprehension set in when I read the preface to The Astonishing Power Of Emotions and the authors husband must inform me twice in the first sentence that this is a ‘great book.’ I’d like to figure that one out for myself, but what follows is not a preface as more of an infomercial for Esther Hicks ability at channelling ‘The Teachings Of Abraham,’ a misnomer that is in actuality a group of nether people who speak to Esther, and not the biblical Abraham as one might easily conclude.

Essentially, within this 258 pages plus CD included, is an overly convoluted explanation of The Secret produced by Rhonda Byrne that seems to have swept the international circuit of self-help spirituality. A very sore spot that Esther & Jerry Hicks do make an obviously embittered response to, claiming that they had thought of The Secret first in their book The Law Of Attraction. I find this hard to believe that either Byrne or Hicks invented the theory of creating the world around you with thoughts and actions towards achieving those goals, in fact, I’d be inclined to believe that some East Indian guru a few thousand years ago invented such a concept that was passed down as a deeply sought after wisdom, or perhaps the first Buddha made this conclusion. In any case, whoever invented this idea is irrelevant, but being snippy about it actually detracts from the good works being done by this concept in modern day philosophy.

While reading The Astonishing Power Of Emotions, which is supposed to be the teachings of this otherworldly community of people speaking as one, known as Abraham (again, not a supposed Christian connection to the biblical Abraham), I did see distinct parallels between The Secret and the works of the Hicks couple. However, what was innately differing between the two is the level of discourse. Esther Hicks and her community of spirits appear to make the simplest of concepts overwrought with convoluted terminology. Hicks also seems a master at starting a sentence, taking a ride on it and ending up at the same spot as she started at; if you want you can hop on for the ride, but you’ll accomplish nothing in doing so. I strongly believe this is a tactic used to speak down to readers as if Hicks has a greater wisdom than the rest of us and her elaborate explanations are actually simplifying these intense theories. Not so. I had my daughter look at this book as she holds a degree in Communications, to see what her perceptions were on the book, her comment was that the book was wrote by a great ‘snake oil salesman.’

What use is saying ‘vibrational alignment,’ ‘upstream and downstream thoughts’ and ‘non-physical source energy’ when you are actually trying to say emotions, energy fields, positive and negative thoughts and if you mean God or a Higher Being why not just say it? At the end of chapter six Esther Hicks reveals the `the big question – the question that this book seeks to answer -- is: what are you, in your physical form, doing in relationship to the vibration of your expanded self? Are you letting yourself be up to vibrational speed with what you have become or not?`(books underlined and italicized emphasis). Couldn’t we just ask ourselves what we are doing to help achieve our goals by using our emotions as a positive forum for change? This exact point is where Byrne made an empire and Hicks is misleading a community. Byrne makes change simple, without the bells and whistles of making herself of great importance, so that her readers and viewers can get to work on achieving the goals they set for themselves in pragmatic and expedient ways.

I would have to agree with my daughter that this book would be an excellent example of how communicating can be manipulated and spun; Esther Hicks might have been better suited as a spin doctor for a politician (if not a politician herself) than a spiritual guide. Perhaps the best wrote part of this book is her husband, Jerry Hicks, preface as he seems to be a more linear author. If you are requiring some much needed guidance as how your thoughts and emotions can propel your life forward, I would recommend obtaining the straightforward book The Secret, or delving into Quantum Physics for easier to follow explanations.