There’s a lot of talk about spiritual teachers out there, but what do we really know about them? In this post, we’ll take a closer look at two of the most popular ones – Paul Selig and Esther Hicks. We’ll explore the difference between their teachings, and see which one might be right for you. Stay tuned!
By David Stone
Assorted Ideas, Large & Small
Following the Trail
Jerry and Esther Hicks, flying a “law of attraction” flag, tapped a vein of hope many hold, sensing there’s more. More than the world of things we find in front of us.
More than a hunt for material gain never satisfied.
And more than “just this,” the material world where we live and die.
The law of attraction, as described by Esther Hicks, relies on invisible forces controlling why we love, hate, live and die. And your thoughts align you with those forces.
Or sometimes, she says it’s your feelings. Or sometimes fate.
Consistency’s not her trump card.
And then, there’s Esther Hicks…
Appearing on stage before growing audiences through the 1990s, Hicks fueled hope, channeling Abraham in structured “workshops.”
That’s Esther Hicks. Judge for yourself.
But doubt disrupted faith, and distrust rose as contradictions increased. Messaging muddied.
Years after Esther, in trance as Abraham, told followers that the road to riches was easy, followers increasingly asked, “So, where’s my stuff?”
That’s when Jerry and Esther Hicks came up with “The Vortex,” a place where all that good stuff you asked for waited for you to turn the key, a kind of holding tank when you were ready.
Somewhere in there, they stirred “the buffer of time,” an all-purpose remedy for handling complaints.
Whatever that meant, the problem is, she said, “You’re not letting it in.”
And it wasn’t teachings peppered with nonsense and contradiction.
Complications magnified after Jerry Hicks died.
Hope dwindled, but now, is Paul Selig an answer for those who lost trust in Esther Hicks but continue looking?
Heavyweights: Paul Selig vs Esther Hicks
When it comes to trust, a lot of people trust Esther Hicks. Many have for years.
They trust her as a conduit for Abraham’s teaching, once centered on the law of attraction, but as clear now, decades later. That trust, as I wrote in Fifteen Reasons You Can’t Trust Esther Hicks, is misplaced.
Read the article for an in-depth look, but if you’re looking for a teacher guiding you on a path to enlightenment, trust is crucial. You must believe, comfortably.
That’s where Esther Hicks as Abraham lost me.
Esther takes on death…
Inspired by Abraham in books and extracts from workshops on Hay House Radio, I was stunned when she broke bad.
When Esther cracked…
In the aftermath of the World Trade Center disaster on September 11th, 2001, Esther insisted that all 3,000 lives lost were suicides.
You can look it up. The workshop was in Buffalo, just two weeks later.
And she was blunt about it. She got right in a doubting followers face. It was painful.
Hicks long preached that everyone, even sentient animals, picked their moment to die, and she kept with it now.
But imagine, if you can, the family of a pregnant woman who jumped from the 90th floor rather than burn alive, hearing that “wisdom.”
It wasn’t just “maybe” or “mostly,” it was certain. “No exceptions. It is law,” she demanded.
But it didn’t end there. She insisted that every death was also “delightful,” and she called it “croaking.” Then, she laughed because it was “so disrespectful.”
Forget those who died. How callous was that for loved ones left behind?
Forced to think about it, to investigate, I became a hardcore skeptic.
The more you know…
The Trust Thing: Paul Selig vs Esther Hicks
Having read Paul Selig’s work now as I did with Esther and Jerry Hicks’s writings, back when, I can’t find anything that might spark anyone to turn skeptical of Selig and his “Guides.”
And I’m a skeptic, by nature, until proven wrong.
Note: “Guides” are Selig’s term. They have a group name or, they say, you can call them anything with which you’re comfortable.
And it’s not just me.
Selig exposed himself and his work on numerous public broadcasts, answering questions sincerely and humbly.
Hicks, on the other hand, rarely does interviews, not even while Jerry was alive. Any done now are arranged with credulous interviewers.
No skeptics allowed.
After a writer reported on Jerry’s admission of at least five marriages — he said he lost count — Esther and Jerry Hicks talked only with true believers, like Oprah Winfrey.
The last “open” public conversation found her paired with Wayne Dyer, a misplaced shill in Jerry’s recently emptied chair, at a Hay House event.
The interviewer? Her Hay House publisher. Also, Dyer’s.
And guess what? They turned the transcript into a DVD as well as a book, one light on content, giant typeface filling it out.
I didn’t need glasses for that one.
Conclusion: Is Paul Selig the Esther Hicks We Wanted
There’s no simple answer.
If you’re an Esther Hicks follower and satisfied with her guidance, you’re likely to find clarity with Paul Selig.
But be aware.
Just as Esther has long been considered the low I.Q. version of Seth, her teachings are simplistic, unclear and conflicted next to Selig’s “Guides.”
On the other hand, the truths each offers have much in common, but Selig’s are more of a challenge.
The Guides teach in step by step format, handing out assignments for self-realization as well as gentle encouragement and affection.
One big difference, Hicks presents Abraham as an entity separate from God, wise teachers with connections for inspiration and wisdom.
The Guides start with the simplest truth: “I am the word,” and with that, suggest that everything in the world, including you and me, are physical manifestations of God.
Not separate.
Their lessons nudge students toward realizing their own divinity and finding wisdom within.
With Paul Selig, there’s none of the polarizing big me/little you established by religions.
And finally, Abraham celebrates spiritualism embedded in materialism. Always big on big cars. And perfect mates nothing more in mind than meeting your desires.
As a bottom line, the Guides don’t offer anything more than expanding awareness, and fulfillment through self-realization.
And escape from fear-based selfishness.
[…] Related: Is Paul Selig The Esther Hicks We Wanted? […]
Hi David Stone, I casually gone through many “Abraham Hicks hater” articles. You claim that all this kind of chanelling stuff is bullshit, etc. I understand, every person has his own truth.
But what is strange and contradicting to your belief mentioned above, is that now you are posting the commercial advertisement(lets call it article) for Paul Selig chaneling 🙂
Interesting.
Have a nice day
You seem to have missed the point entirely, but thanks for your comment.
Of all the channellers, dead and alive, which one do you think it’s the most authentic?
Like so many things, readers resonate with those who match up well with them at the time. I happen to like what comes through Paul Selig now, but he only other channelers I’ve ever paid any attention to are Esther Hicks and Shiela Gillette. I tried with the Seth books, but at the time, around 15 years ago, they were way over my head, although they struck me as very genuine.
So, I’m no expert, but I agree with what Wayne Dyer always said: Be open to everything.
Thanks for asking.
As a person who has explored many spiritual ideas including the Abraham Hicks ideas, the end conclusion is that there are no spiritual entities, or entity, at all. We are here on earth and have the plain and simple task of living worthy lives in our our time on earth, with great care and empathy for other humans and animals. There is much human wisdom about how to live worthy lives available from both ancient and modern sources. We also need to remember to throw out any clearly unhelpful ideas that advocate selfish and negative behaviour. We are alone here on earth and that’s scary at times, yet we are wonderful beings who could make the world wonderful to live in. We can do it, and remind ourselves daily that humans are not the pinnacle of creation and we would be wise to be cooperative with others creatures and nature itself. Earth blessings to all.
Thank you, Patricia. Smart, clearly stated thoughts on these topics are rare. I appreciate it.
Paul Selig, is my go to guy when it comes to channeled material. His humility in always reminding people, that he did not write the books, they just have his name on it. Where by you have Neal Donald Walsh who takes full credit for all of his books, even though the where channeled by The God.
Thank you for another insightful post David
Regards
Aron
I couldn’t agree more. Could not get through a single Walsh book. Not only does he take credit, it’s frequently for ideas and information already well-known to scholars. He claims it’s channeled. Maybe somebody’s got an echo.
I commented on your last article, all I will add in this one is…the trouble is that these people are not telling you that you need no teacher. You need no one to follow. All you need do is to turn off the outside world, all of the chaos and really quiet your mind. I find the best place to do that is somewhere outside, as close to being “in nature” as I can get. Some meditate, I can NOT meditate. However, if you really quiet your mind, and listen to YOURSELF. You already know all you need to know! If you listen, you will begin to remember you already know. It is written in your DNA, in your heart, whatever you want to call it…just give yourself the opportunity to remember. You need no one else to do that.
Thanks for your comment, Aidan.