I first heard about the phenomenon The Secret, by Rhonda Byrne in 2009- it was released in 2006. I was instantly besotted by the whole premise of the Law of Attraction, which basically suggests that we create our own realities through our energy: thoughts, actions, intentions, etc.
However, back then I was engaged to be married, and completely in the throes of codependency. I had no idea who I was or what I wanted from life; therefore the impact of such a message wouldn’t fully register until many years later.
Then, in 2019, Abraham resurfaced. I was now divorced and found myself in an apartment with my latest in a string of roommates- her name was Jo. As she popped in her headphones prior to her daily stroll, she asked if I’d ever heard of Abraham Hicks, whom she enjoyed listening to. Jo then followed her question with the disclaimer that Abraham was considered to be somewhat controversial. “Some people think Abraham is a cult,” she shared. This got my attention. At the time I was unaware that it was Abraham Hicks who ultimately inspired Rhonda Byrne to create The Secret.
Oprah herself was intrigued, interviewing Esther Hicks on her radio program in 2007. During that interview, Esther explained that she is able to sense the vibrations of a collective consciousness she refers to as Abraham. According to Esther, this consciousness asked to be called Abraham- a name which is significant in many religions. When Esther taps into these vibrations, it’s all about the Law of Attraction and how humanity can benefit from it. Notably, she has countless videos on YouTube and does paid speaking engagements to this day.
For many, the concept of channeling is concerning at best. However, my thought is this: if you believe in a higher power, or at least the possibility of one, why not entertain the notion that that higher power might want to communicate with us, and that communication is/would be attainable? Personally, I think almost any belief system can be used for good or bad, and as I’ve said before, I strongly feel that any ideology taken to an extreme has the potential to do great harm.
Additionally, I believe part of our apprehensiveness towards channeling is that our minds tend to venture almost instantaneously into the occult realm: demons, possession, etc. – blame our cultural fascination with horror flicks, if you will.
Though I’m no expert on this topic, I do know that any responsible person will be careful and discerning about whom they communicate with, which should be true for human to human communication as well- protect your energy and your peace, people! For example, when I meditate, I ask for the spirit guides of light and love; light has more power than darkness, and love is the highest frequency there is. I’m not interacting with random entities who may not have my best interests at heart.
Essentially, when it comes to the Law of Attraction, I landed on this- if a certain mindset is beneficial to you and not harming others, who cares what anyone else thinks? Go ahead and drink the Kool-Aid! Some people, myself included, have found the Law of Attraction to be quite empowering. However, there are those who have valid arguments against it, which I’m excited to delve into in my next article.
Ultimately, I believe we do ourselves a great disservice as a society when we automatically define things we perceive to be weird or abnormal as being synonymous with wrong and/or bad.
That said, maybe with all the heaviness weighing down our overstimulated nervous systems on a daily basis, we could use a little more Abraham (weirdness) in our lives;)