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Esther and Jerry Hicks spent years studying why some people manifest their goals while others struggle despite equal effort. Their research into what they call "the teachings of Abraham" — a non-physical collective consciousness channeled through Esther — revealed something unexpected: you can't attract what you want while feeling bad about not having it. The emotional state you're in matters more than the actions you take.
'Ask and It Is Given' became the foundation for modern Law of Attraction teachings, predating and influencing 'The Secret' and countless manifestation frameworks. The book presents two sections: understanding how attraction works, and 22 practical processes for shifting your emotional state to match what you want to attract.
In 2026, as goal-setting culture collides with burnout and people search for approaches beyond constant hustle, interest in intentional manifestation has exploded. The professionals who seem to attract opportunities aren't necessarily working harder — they're managing their emotional state and focusing differently.
Headway, a daily growth app trusted by 55 million users worldwide, breaks down Esther and Jerry Hicks's 'Ask and It Is Given' into quick insights you can apply immediately. Whether you're commuting or waiting in line, you can start understanding how your emotions affect what shows up in your life.
Your emotions are a guidance system, not just feelings
The Hickses explain that emotions aren't random — they're indicators of whether you're aligned with what you want or resisting it. When you feel good, you're in alignment with your desires. When you feel bad, you're focused on the absence of what you want, which attracts more absence.
This contradicts how most people approach goals. You want a better job, so you focus on how much you hate your current one. You want a relationship, so you dwell on being lonely. You want financial security, so you stress about bills. Each of these emotional states — frustration, loneliness, anxiety — sends out a signal that attracts matching experiences. You get more things to be frustrated about, more loneliness, more financial stress.
The book presents an Emotional Guidance Scale ranging from joy and appreciation at the top to fear and despair at the bottom. Your work isn't to jump immediately from despair to joy — that's too big a vibrational gap. Instead, you climb gradually. If you're angry, reaching for blame feels better. From blame, you can reach for worry. From worry, you can find hope. Each step up the scale shifts what you attract.
The insight that changes everything: You can't attract what you want from a place of not having it. Wanting something while feeling its absence creates resistance. The goal is to find ways to feel good now, regardless of current circumstances, which removes resistance and allows what you want to flow in.
📘 Download Headway to explore the Hickses' full framework for understanding how emotional alignment affects manifestation. The app's gamified streaks help you practice emotional awareness daily, not just read about it once.
The 22 processes match your emotional starting point
The second half of 'Ask and It Is Given' provides 22 specific exercises for shifting your emotional state. Each process works for different positions on the Emotional Guidance Scale. If you're already feeling hopeful, visualization works great. If you're depressed, attempting visualization while feeling terrible just creates more resistance. The Hickses match processes to emotional states.
Some key processes include:
The Rampage of Appreciation: When you're already feeling good, spend time noticing and appreciating everything around you. The more you appreciate, the more you find to appreciate. This builds momentum toward higher emotions.
Pivoting: When you notice yourself in a negative emotion, identify what you don't want, then flip it to what you do want. Don't fight the negative thought — use it as contrast to clarify your actual desire. The shift in focus changes your emotional state.
Segment Intending: Break your day into segments — morning routine, commute, work meeting, lunch. Before each segment, set an intention for how you want to feel during it. This prevents unconscious negative momentum from carrying through your entire day.
The Prosperity Game: Imagine receiving increasing amounts of money daily (start with $1,000, add $1,000 each day) and mentally spend it. This trains your vibration to match abundance without attachment to current financial reality.
The practical shift: Stop trying to fix everything through action alone. Before taking action, get into a better emotional state. Actions taken from frustration, fear, or desperation attract results matching those emotions. Actions taken from hope, confidence, or eagerness attract different results. Same action, different emotional source, different outcome.
Headway's 2,500+ book summaries let you explore mindset, emotional intelligence, and goal achievement from multiple perspectives. The more frameworks you understand, the better you get at managing your internal state.
📘 Check it yourself. Users report that understanding emotional management across multiple books dramatically improved their ability to maintain positive momentum even during challenges.
Allowing matters more than forcing
The Hickses introduce three Universal Laws: Law of Attraction (like attracts like), Law of Deliberate Creation (you create through focus), and Law of Allowing (removing resistance). Most people focus entirely on attraction and creation while ignoring allowing. They want something, visualize it, take action — then notice it hasn't arrived and start forcing.
Forcing comes from lack. If you had what you wanted, you wouldn't be forcing anything. The energy of forcing says "I don't have this and I need to make it happen." That vibration attracts more not having it. Allowing means trusting that what you've asked for is already coming and relaxing into that knowing.
This doesn't mean doing nothing. It means inspired action versus desperate action. Desperate action feels obligatory, draining, pushed. Inspired action feels natural, energizing, pulled toward. The Hickses argue that when you're in alignment emotionally, the right actions become obvious and effortless. When you're out of alignment, even correct actions feel like struggle.
What this means for you: Pay attention to how actions feel before deciding whether to take them. If thinking about doing something creates anxiety or dread, you're not in alignment to do it yet. Get into a better emotional state first, then reassess. Sometimes the action changes. Sometimes your approach changes. Sometimes you realize you don't need that action at all. Trust your emotional guidance more than external pressure.
📘 Start building your emotional awareness with Headway's bite-sized wisdom delivered every morning that you can practice throughout your day. Users consistently report that small daily doses of Law of Attraction concepts compound into major shifts in how they approach goals over months.
Master your vibration to master your life
The Hickses' book proves that manifestation isn't about willpower or positive thinking alone — it's about emotional alignment. In 2026's high-stress world, the ability to manage your emotional state has become essential for both wellbeing and achievement.
Headway makes building this skill simple and fun. Beyond 'Ask and It Is Given,' you'll find 2,500+ book summaries in text and audio covering manifestation, mindset, emotional intelligence, and personal development. The app's gamified challenges turn abstract concepts into daily practices — whether you're standing in line, floating in a pool, or commuting to work.
The app adapts to how you learn best, making self-growth more convenient, enjoyable, and intuitive. Start with 15 minutes today and discover how shifting your emotional state changes what shows up in your life.
📘 Download Headway and join 55 million people who've made daily growth a habit.
Frequently asked questions about Law of Attraction and 'Ask and It Is Given'
What exactly is the Law of Attraction and how does it work?
The Law of Attraction states that like attracts like — whatever you focus on expands. Every thought and emotion carries a vibration, and the universe matches those vibrations with corresponding experiences. If you focus on lack, you attract more situations that feel like lack. If you focus on abundance, you attract circumstances that match abundance. This happens whether you're aware of it or not. The Hickses argue that by becoming conscious of your thoughts and emotions, you can deliberately create rather than unconsciously attract.
How are the 22 processes different from regular positive thinking?
Positive thinking without addressing underlying emotion doesn't work if the emotion contradicts the thought. You can affirm "I am abundant" while feeling financially stressed. The emotion is the more powerful signal. The 22 processes are designed to shift your actual emotional state, not just your surface thoughts. Each process targets specific emotional ranges on the Guidance Scale. You use different techniques depending on whether you're feeling hopeful, overwhelmed, angry, or depressed. The goal is genuine emotional shift, not forced positivity.
Can you really attract anything you want just by feeling good?
The Hickses don't claim feeling good alone manifests everything. They argue that feeling good removes resistance, allowing what you've asked for to flow to you. You still need to ask clearly (know what you want), allow (remove resistance through emotional alignment), and recognize opportunities when they appear. The manifestation includes taking inspired action. Feeling good doesn't replace action — it makes action more effective. You attract opportunities, insights, connections, and resources. You still participate in bringing desires into physical reality.
What if you can't control your emotions because of circumstances?
The Hickses flip this: your circumstances result from your habitual emotional state, not the other way around. You can't change circumstances from within them — you have to shift emotionally first. This doesn't mean denying real problems. It means finding any thought that feels slightly better about the situation. From depression, anger feels better. From anger, frustration feels better. From frustration, hope feels better. Climb the emotional scale gradually. As your dominant vibration shifts, circumstances begin matching the new vibration.
How long does it take to manifest using these techniques?
Timing varies based on three factors: how much resistance you have, how aligned your current vibration is with your desire, and how big the gap is between current reality and desired outcome. Small desires with little resistance can manifest quickly — sometimes within days. Larger desires with significant limiting beliefs require consistent emotional work over months. The Hickses emphasize that trying to force timing creates resistance. Focus on feeling good and taking inspired action. Manifestation happens in its own timeframe.
Is this compatible with taking practical action toward goals?
Absolutely. The Hickses don't advocate magical thinking where you sit around visualizing with no action. They distinguish between action from alignment versus action from resistance. Aligned action feels natural, energizing, and productive. Resistant action feels forced, draining, and often counterproductive. Get into emotional alignment first through the processes, then take whatever action feels inspired. You'll accomplish more in less time because you're not working against your own resistance.
What about manifesting things for other people or changing others?
The Hickses are clear: you can't create in another person's reality. You can hold a vision for someone and emit a vibration that might inspire them, but you can't manifest their desires for them. Each person creates their own experience through their own vibration. The most helpful thing you can do for others is maintain your own high vibration and alignment. When you feel good, you're more beneficial to everyone around you than when you're worried about fixing their problems while feeling terrible yourself.
