I thought that this book would be an ideal one to start learning off of since it's author was one of the "teachers" featured in "The Secret".
First things first....
The author Ester Hicks claims that a non-physical presence (or spirit) can enter her body and can communicate through her. The name of this non-physical entity is Abraham, hence the "Teachings of Abraham" in the title of this book. "Abraham" is apparently quite knowledgeable about the Law of Attraction and was willing to teach all those interested.
Honestly, had I known this, I probably would have steered clear of this book as it sounded a little too far off the edge for me.
Second thing about this book is that it's contents is in the form of question and answer interview. The author's husband and co-author Jerry Hicks asks "Abraham" (remember, he's the spirit that inhabits the author) about using the Law of Attraction and how to apply it.
Now had I know that the entire book would be in an interview format, I would have definitely wouldn't have purchased this book.
If all this sounds like nonsense or hard to believe, you are not alone. Upon learning of the format and context in which this information is presented, I couldn't help but feel as though the credibility about the authors just fell through the floor and I began to have doubts about this book.
But I had an open mind and I diligently finished reading the book.
I had several problems with the book. The number one thing for me was that it didn't really feel as though this book had any structure. Trying to learn or understand something through an interview was a little difficult to grasp and I felt as though the answers to many of the questions posed by co-author were repetitive in nature.
Something that could have taken a page to explain was drawn out, repeated, and sometimes beaten to death in some chapters. In fact, there were many times when my mind began to wander while I was reading the book simply because of the repetitiveness of some of the concepts being presented.
In fact, I remember at least twice while reading the book thinking that I had already read a certain page, when in fact, I did not.
You know, I read a lot of books and you can give me an extremely boring book and my mind wouldn't wander as much as it did when I was reading this book. Again, maybe it's just me, but I just feel as though you cannot convey the same message in an interview-type format.
Another thing that bothered me somewhat was that the questions that co-author asks seemed very scripted and were posed in such a way that would allow "Abraham" to get out a specific concept. For me, I felt that this made the book appear to lack credibility.
Don't get me wrong - I was really into this book until maybe about 1/3 of the way through - that is until I noticed the repetitiveness and the somewhat scripted questions.
I will admit that this book does give you a more thorough understanding of the Law Of Attraction and some new concepts like "Segment Intending" and the "Art Of Allowing" were very helpful (and at least it made me feel as though I got something out of this book). "The Secret" just scratches the surface when it comes to the Law of Attraction, but this book delves deeper into the topic.
It also provides some good habits and exercises that can help you through your day and other ways you can apply the Law of Attraction.
Overall, I feel as though my first steps into exploring the Law Of Attraction has taken a shaky start with this book. If I had to do it over again, I probably wouldn't have started learning about the Law Of Attraction with this book. Don't get me wrong - it would appear as though hundreds of others really like this book and you might find it useful as well.
However I do not share the same enthusiasm about this title as most others and as a result, I would not recommend this book, especially to those who are somewhat skeptical about the topic (as this book will only push you over the edge).
The Good
- Provides some new topics of interest like "Segment Intending" and "Allowing"
- Provides some good examples/exercises one can do on a daily basis to attract what it is you want
The Bad
- I don't like the idea of the author being "possessed" by a spirit and that all the answers about the Law of Attraction is coming from this "spirit"
- Entire book is in a question and answer format
- Found it very repetitive - sometimes I felt as though 5 or 6 questions in a row were answered in the same way with a few words interchanged
- I also found that some of the questions the co-author asked seemed somewhat scripted and hence the author's credibility took a hit (in my opinion anyway)
Overall Rating
2 Out Of 10
