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| Esther Hicks | |
|---|---|
| Name | Esther Hicks |
| Birth date | 1938 |
| Birth place | Boston, Massachusetts |
| Occupation | Author, speaker |
| Known for | Channeling "Abraham", Law of Attraction |
Esther Hicks
Esther Hicks (born 1938) is an American speaker and author known for presenting teachings attributed to a group consciousness called "Abraham". She became widely known through collaborations with Jerry Hicks, publications such as The Law of Attraction, and appearances on platforms associated with Rhonda Byrne and Oprah Winfrey. Hicks has led workshops and produced media that intersect with New Thought, New Age, and popular self-help movements tied to the Law of Attraction concept.
Hicks was born in Boston, Massachusetts and raised during the post-Great Depression era, later moving within the United States to pursue personal and professional opportunities. Early influences included exposure to New Thought circles and popular metaphysical figures active in mid-20th century America such as Norman Vincent Peale, Florence Scovel Shinn, and authors associated with the Unity Church. She married Jerry Hicks in the 1960s; their partnership later became central to workshops and events linked to organizations and venues across North America and international spiritual circuits involving promoters and speakers tied to self-help and personal development industries.
Hicks commenced a public career as a motivational presenter and workshop facilitator alongside Jerry Hicks, organizing seminars at venues including auditoriums and retreat centers frequented by followers of New Age and self-help movements. Their workshops often included live channeling sessions, question-and-answer segments, and experiential exercises, and they collaborated with event producers connected to the touring circuits of figures like Wayne Dyer, Deepak Chopra, and festival organizers who booked speakers from the broader personal development milieu. Hicks's events were promoted through networks of independent publishers, lecture series, and multimedia distributors that also marketed works by Louise Hay, Esther Robertson (note: different individuals), and other metaphysical authors.
Central to Hicks's presentations is the articulation of the Law of Attraction as a metaphysical principle that she attributes to a non-physical collective called "Abraham". The framework used in her teachings references ideas found in prior works such as Phineas Quimby-era New Thought writings, the modern popularization by Rhonda Byrne in The Secret, and earlier metaphysical texts by figures like Charles Fillmore and Ernest Holmes. Hicks emphasizes concepts such as vibrational alignment, deliberate manifestation, and focusing techniques often paralleling practices promoted by Tony Robbins, Marianne Williamson, and other motivational authors. Her approach incorporates methods for emotional guidance and vibrational coherence presented in workshops, recorded seminars, and instructional media distributed alongside companion materials used by practitioners in self-improvement and spiritual communities.
Hicks's work has been published in books and audio/video recordings produced by independent presses and distributors that handle works by other New Age and self-help authors such as Rhonda Byrne, Louise Hay, and Deepak Chopra. Prominent titles associated with her teachings include collaborative works that circulated in paperback and audiobook formats marketed within the same retail channels as publications by Eckhart Tolle and Joel Osteen. She and Jerry Hicks appeared on televised programs and at live events promoted by networks and producers who previously booked figures like Oprah Winfrey, Larry King, and hosts of public radio series featuring spiritual and motivational guests. Media distribution included partnerships with companies and festival organizers known for showcasing speakers from the personal development and New Age scenes.
Hicks's claims of channeling a non-physical collective drew skepticism from critics in journalistic outlets and from academic commentators in fields such as psychology, philosophy, and religious studies. Critics compared her methods to techniques analyzed in studies of suggestion and group dynamics conducted at institutions like Stanford University and Harvard University, and raised concerns similar to those voiced in critiques of The Secret and other popularizations of manifestation teachings. Legal and consumer advocates have scrutinized the marketing of self-help seminars and the claims made by speakers; such scrutiny parallels controversies surrounding seminar promoters and authors like Tony Robbins and debates over regulation seen in cases involving infomercial and motivational-tour industries.
Esther Hicks is widely associated with the partnership and joint enterprises with Jerry Hicks, and their collaborative outreach has influenced numerous contemporary writers and presenters in New Age and self-help circles, including proponents of manifestation techniques, workshop formats, and multimedia teaching models used by figures such as Rhonda Byrne, Eckhart Tolle, and Marianne Williamson. Her teachings continue to be cited, debated, and practiced within networks of spiritual entrepreneurs, retreat organizers, and independent publishers across North America and internationally, contributing to ongoing discussions about popular spirituality, the commercialization of metaphysical teachings, and the cultural impact of the Law of Attraction movement.
Category:American spiritual teachers Category:New Age writers