• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Curious, Healing

Curious, Healing

Books about healing, business, and fun

  • About Sonia Connolly

“Ask and It Is Given: Learning to Manifest Your Desires” by Esther and Jerry Hicks

December 20, 2009 by Sonia Connolly Leave a Comment

Recommended to me by: Emma McCreary, and Jeannette Maw

This is the original source for the term “Law of Attraction”, as described by “Abraham” (a collective of Non-Physical Beings) and conveyed through Esther Hicks.

The Law of Attraction is defined as:

  1. Ask (we are doing this all the time with our desires)
  2. Source answers immediately
  3. Allow the response (by matching its vibration – this is the hard part)

According to the book, humans are here to experience contrasts that illuminate our preferences, which lead to desires, which lead to manifestation. We are meant to exist in a state of joyous trust and expectation, which allows our desires to manifest.

If desires are not manifesting, it is because either our vibrations/emotions are not allowing them, or because our attention/requests are focusing on what we don’t want. It is easy to interpret this as victim-blaming, although the book tries to avoid that.

At the same time, it is clearly stated that we are here to experience contrasts, so there is nothing wrong with negative experiences.

It is also emphasized that our emotions are signposts for our thoughts and beliefs, so there is nothing to be gained by denying our emotions, and everything to be gained by noticing them. A list of 22 emotions is arranged from highest vibration (joy) to lowest (despair).

Thoughts are said to attract similar thoughts, so improving vibration is a gradual, incremental process.

The second half of the book contains exercises or games to improve our vibration. To my surprise, several of them are already an important part of my life.

  • Express appreciation and gratitude.
  • Notice how you feel, and look for thoughts that feel true and also make you feel slightly better. Repeat.
  • Meditate.
  • Clear clutter, gently and incrementally.
  • Notice the essence and feeling of what’s desired, and look for ways you already have that, or can easily bring it in.

One I plan to add to my toolbox:

  • At each transition in your day, pause and set an intention for the next segment.

I am less engaged by the games that involve pretending, or ignoring what is happening right now.

Before reading Jeannette Maw’s Good Vibe Blog, I was very skeptical about the Law of Attraction, in part because I had heard about it filtered through many layers of interpretation. I’m glad I encountered her non-judgmental take on it, and that Emma McCreary suggested reading the original source.

I still balk at the idea that reality is entirely malleable. I feel very uneasy and ungrounded with that thought, so I will continue to believe that there are essential truths underlying our experiences.

At the same time, I also believe that it is beneficial to notice our internal environment, and seek out thoughts and experiences that feel better. I see a lot of wisdom and power for healing in this book.

I am sitting with the question of whether our desires are all trustworthy. Is there truly enough abundance to accommodate everyone’s desires? What about environmental limitations, and desires which cause harm to others?

I recommend the book if you want clarity on what the Law of Attraction really is, and if you like reading new ideas and keeping the parts that work for you.

Available at bookshop.org.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: psychology, spirituality

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Recent Books

  • “Very Far Away From Anywhere Else” by Ursula K Le Guin
  • “Seaward” by Susan Cooper
  • “Surviving Domestic Violence” by Elaine Weiss
  • “The Book of Love” by Kelly Link
  • “Alexandra’s Riddle” by Elisa Keyston
  • “Weaving Hope” by Celia Lake
  • “The Fortunate Fall” by Cameron Reed
  • “Remarkably Bright Creatures” by Shelby Van Pelt
  • “Childhood’s End” by Arthur C. Clarke
  • “If the Buddha Married” by Charlotte Kasl, Ph.D.

Tags

activism aging anti-racism bodywork business childhood abuse childrens CivicTech communication disability domestic violence fantasy feminism finance Focusing food fun healing health at any size illustrated Judaism leadership lgbt marketing memoir music natural world neurodiversity politics psychology relationship romance science science fiction software spirituality survival story trauma writing young adult

Categories

Archives

Please note: bookshop.org and Amazon links are affiliate links. Copyright © 2025 · Genesis Sample on · WordPress