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Jan Mag A2.qxp 12/12/2009 2:17 PM Page 6 spiritual hero 6 Science of Mind Jan Mag A2.qxp 12/12/2009 2:18 PM Page 7 he has been called a pioneer and the Queen of New Age. SSheS ranks sixth on the list of the best-selling female authors of all time, and no other American female author has sold more copies of a single title. She is the founder of a publishing empire that has become a spiritual beacon for the Western world. Few people have done more to spread the message of personal empowerment and the New Thought philosophy than Louise Hay, Science of Mind’s Spiritual Hero for 2009. Still speaking publicly and granting interviews at the age of 83, she was open, upbeat, and enthusiastic as she spoke with Science of Mind. January 2010 7 Jan Mag A2.qxp 12/12/2009 2:18 PM Page 8 A Life That licensed Religious Science practi- Defied the Odds tioner and popular workshop Louise Hay was raised in a home leader. It was her self-published where her stepfather ruled and book of affirmations titled Heal violence, mental cruelty, and sex- Your Body that began what would ual abuse were the norm. She was be an amazing career as a writer, molested by a neighbor at the age publisher, and owner of Hay of five, dropped out of high House, a spiritual self-help em- school and ran away from home at pire. fifteen, and at sixteen, gave up a Her own experience with cer- newborn daughter for adoption. vical cancer in the late ’seventies She eventually made her way to provided the opportunity to go New York City, where she deeper, practicing the principles became a successful fashion she had learned and healing her model. In 1954, she married life. In You Can Heal Your Life, Andrew Hay, an English business- Hay recalls that experience. man who introduced her to a “With my background of being world of wealth and status; after raped at five and having been a fourteen years of marriage, how- battered child, it was no wonder I ever, he left her for another manifested cancer in the vaginal woman. area. I knew that a deep resent- In the midst of despair, Louise ment literally eats away at the walked into the First Church of body. I had been unwilling to dis- Religious Science on 48th Street solve all of the anger and resent- in New York City, and her life ment over my childhood.” She found a new direction. She embarked on a holistic journey to remembers, “Someone was say- heal the cancer, but at the core, ing, ‘If you change your think- she learned to forgive and love ing, you can change your life.’ It herself. She deepened her know- was like a penny dropped. I ing that “Dis-ease can be healed if thought, ‘Really? Really?’ I had we are willing to change the way not studied anything in my entire we think and believe and act.” life, but I became an avid learner. I went twice a week. It opened The Birth of a up a whole new, wonderful Publishing Empire world to me.” The message of self-love and the Hay went on to become a empowering principles of Sci- 8 Science of Mind Jan Mag A2.qxp 12/12/2009 2:18 PM Page 9 ence of Mind spread through But I want you to know that I Hay’s work. “I did not start Hay don’t know what we will do, but House; I just started my pathway. no one else knows that either. So I never thought it would be any- we can start a group and we can thing but what it was at the work on forgiveness, releasing moment, teaching a few classes resentment, and loving ourselves. and selling a few books. I wrote And we will see what happens.” my little book (Heal Your Life) in In 1988, she was invited to 1976. The beginning was so appear on the Oprah Winfrey small; I had no idea what it Show. “At that time, anyone who would grow into.” did an interview about AIDS In 1984, Hay published You would start with, ‘We all know Can Heal Your Life, which has that everyone with AIDS is going sold nearly 40 million copies. “I to die.’ With that sort of opening, have always said that since the how do you get a positive mes- moment the book came out, life sage out? But Oprah allowed us took over and determined that to say what we wanted to say. I my book needed to go around went to the bestseller list for the world, and I had very little to fourteen weeks and Hay House do with it.” The message—you became a voice.” have the power to change your The message she taught in life—continues to resonate those groups was simple: love because it empowers. yourself and love others. At the The AIDS epidemic was at its core was learning self-care, height in the 1980s when Hay started a support group for peo- ple living with the disease. The group, which started with six men in her living room, became known as the “Hayride” and grew to over 850 when they found a space to meet in a large hall in West Hollywood. “On some level, AIDS made me famous because I was the first To order You Can Heal Your Life by person who opened my arms and Louise Hay, visit scienceofmind.com or call said, ‘Yes, I will work with you. DeVorss & Company at 800-382-6121. January 2010 9 Jan Mag A2.qxp 12/12/2009 2:18 PM Page 10 self-love, and forgiveness. “When but in a different way. I think we people have a lot of self-hatred, have to know that we are safe, all they don’t take care of them- is well, and life loves us.” selves. They think, ‘Why bother?’ Far too many people Hay House—A Voice died during that time, but today I for New Thought still see many people who say, Today, Hay House has offices in ‘Remember me? I was at the Hay countries around the world, and ride,’ and I see a healthy, happy the message of love continues to person. I almost burst into tears be the focus. Hay states the mis- because it is so wonderful. sion: “The entire purpose of Hay House has always been to help people improve the quality of their lives. Every book, every Hay House puts card, gives the person that buys or receives it an opportunity to principle into action improve their life. If they take the by giving back. opportunity or not, they have a choice.” Not only does Hay House change the world by spreading a “Life brings you challenges, message of positive thinking and and AIDS was a challenge to me. spiritual enlightenment, it also It was a big learning lesson for all puts those principles into action of us. I call it six and a half years by giving back. “We have an in the trenches because that is office in South Africa, and we do how long it lasted for me. By the not take any profit from that com- end of that time, other people pany at all. Every bit of profit were developing groups to take goes into a foundation that takes care of those with AIDS, and I care of the AIDS orphans. These didn’t have to do it all myself. In little children watched their par- the early days there were just two ents die. They have nothing and of us doing anything positive in no one there for them, so we give the way of AIDS: Carolyn Myss our money to programs to take on the East Coast and me on the care of them.” The Hay West Coast. The challenges we are Foundation supports many other dealing with now are just as drastic efforts, including providing books 10 Science of Mind Jan Mag A2.qxp 12/12/2009 2:18 PM Page 12 to homeless shelters. Hay com- the amount of teaching I used to ments, “I give to people or chari- do. I find people who are excel- ties that touch my heart.” lent teachers and support them so In an era where self-help pub- they can have larger audiences lishing has grown exponentially, and reach more people. I don’t perhaps Hay’s largest contribu- have to change the world alone. I tion has been in bringing new used to think I did. We don’t teachers and spiritual masters to want to listen to those people the public. When asked about who sell fear. There are many her favorite teachers, Hay people speaking the truth and responded, “I was trained by Dr. doing the work. The point of all Raymond Charles Barker and this is that we are learning that Rev. Eric Pace in New York we are all one, and what blesses City. They were brilliant teach- one blesses all.” ers. They opened the doors for me. There are so many good Reflecting on Life’s Lessons This past October, Louise Hay turned 83. This beautiful, vibrant We are learning woman is an elegant model of how to age gracefully. When she that we are all one. turned eighty, she announced that was going to be the best decade of her life, and so far she seems to be proving that point.