An interview with Louise L Hay, bestselling author, speaker and inspirational teacher whose healing techniques, affirmations and positive thinking have inspired millions worldwide. She is the founder of Hay House Publishers. By Patricia Crane
Recently dubbed “the Queen of the New Age”, Louise L Hay is also known as one of the founders of the self-help movement. Her first book was published in 1976, long before it was fashionable to discuss the connection between the mind and body. Louise now heads Hay House, a successful publishing company which includes many notable authors in the self-help movement. She has also founded two non-profit charitable organizations and has recently released “You Can Heal Your Life: The Movie”, a film on her life and work.
Patricia Crane, Heal Your Life® workshop leader, was privileged to conduct an exclusive personal interview with Louise for Positive Life.
Patricia: From knowing you all these years, I know the depth of your intention to share all the healing that you have learned about with people. We now have some fantastic Heal Your Life teachers in Ireland. It has just spread around the world in absolutely amazing ways. I also see your book and teachings as being absolutely timeless.
Louise: It is a timeless book. It’s been over 22 years and is still going strong.
Patricia: Absolutely. And let me ask you this, do you think that your work has changed at all? Has anything been added over those years?
Louise: Well, I think it’s simplified in a lot of ways. It comes down basically to fear and anger, which are very closely related, being the negative things that get in our way, and also love and forgiveness that open the doors again. As to what I’m actually doing these days… I don’t speak very much anymore at all, but I find people who are doing really good work and I support them and open the gateways so the world can know about them. I find that very satisfying. I don’t have to do it all myself anymore.
Patricia: That is wonderful, and certainly Hay House has expanded in amazing ways with your influence and guidance and has an incredible number of authors these days that are really doing fantastic things.
Louise: Yes. It just does my heart so much good to find someone like Bruce Lipton, who is so passionate about his work and he’s such an excellent teacher and speaker, and to broaden his audience. It’s the same thing with Abraham, with Jerry and Esther Hicks. It gives them a really huge audience. See, the people I discover, I never want to change their work. I don’t want to change a word about what they are doing. I just want to open that gateway so that more people know about them.
Patricia: Wonderful. I know that Hay House has been publishing a number of books about the shift for 2012. Where do you see consciousness going with that kind of a shift?
Louise: I don’t know actually. I don’t know. But, what I am very much against at the moment is a new movie that has just come out and it’s called 2012. They advertise it joyfully as the most dismal of catastrophic movies that has ever been made. I think a lot of people are going to take advantage of this date and sell fear, and that’s just such a stupid thing to do. Remember when 2000 came?
Patricia: Yes. And the computers were all going to crash and everything.
Louise: People were selling fear. All of these horrible things were going to happen, etc. We would never get past the year 2000. And nothing happened! There was a glitch and we had to take care of it. I think whatever is coming up will be a positive thing for humanity. But, between now and then we have some cleaning up to do. It’s very obvious. If you look at the government and the industries and business and everything, there’s too much greed going on in this world. It needs to be let go of. People need to trust that they will actually be safe without having to fight for themselves, because as you know, it’s all consciousness.
Patricia: Absolutely. Also, I think your point about so many things needing to be cleaned up is really accurate. I think something that a lot of people do struggle with in the spiritual realm, which I want to ask you about is: when does attracting abundance and affirming for abundance go over the line and become greed? I’ve had a lot of people ask me that question.
Louise: Well, are those people who have abundance or don’t have abundance?
Patricia: Mostly they don’t have abundance.
Louise: But they’re worried about someone else getting too much. See I think we concentrate too much on abundance. Yes, money is wonderful and it’s important to have. It does make life easier. But, what is the point of driving down the street in a brand new car if you’re having road rage and screaming at people? The inner things are so much more important than the outer things: peace of mind and feeling good as you walk down the street, and knowing when you wake up in the morning that it’s going to be a good day. You know, knowing that the people in your life are friendly. One of the affirmations I say a lot is, “I bless and prosper everyone in my world, and everyone in my world blesses and prospers me.”
Patricia: That’s beautiful.
Louise: Well, you know, what you give out is what you’re going to get back. And if people would just remember that one little thing, that “what you give out, you’re going to get back.” If you give out a lot of fear, you’re going to get back things to be frightened about. If you give our a lot of anger, you’ll find many things to be angry about. But you need to really make peace with yourself. Decide that this is a good day.
Patricia: Lovely. I think that really answers one of the questions I’ve gotten from Ireland in that it seems like even though we’re looking at (financial) recovery here (in the US), there’s still a tremendous amount of fear going out in the media in Ireland. So, you know, what you’ve just said about peace of mind and focusing on the positive is going to be so helpful for them.
Louise: I think that an affirmation which is very important for people to use right now is, “Life loves me and I am safe.”
Patricia: That’s beautiful.
Louise: It’s a good thing to hang onto. Then watch the nice things happen.
Patricia: As you mentioned there are so many wonderful people out there really sharing such fantastic positive ideas in their work, and that’s where people need to focus. Are there any other authors or light workers from Hay House or elsewhere that you want to recommend?
Louise: Well, I think it’s very interesting that psychics used to predict dire things. But, the psychics that are coming around today are much more positive. They give positive messages to people. We have John Holland, who is an excellent psychic, and he gives a wonderful message to people. Dorene Virtue talks about the angels and fairies and she gives beautiful, soothing messages to people. I’m pleased that there are so many people doing that sort of work.
Patricia: What fun things are you doing for yourself these days?
Louise: I’m gardening. Well, you know, I live in a high-rise and I haven’t had a garden for some time. Two years ago I bought a little weekend place up in Carlsbad and it’s right on a lagoon. The first thing I did there was put in a vegetable garden so I can have my food again. I love that.
Patricia: Oh, wonderful. I’m sure you enjoy it a lot.
Louise: I put in a pond and there are fishes. It’s very soothing for me. It is 35 minutes away and it’s like another world.
Patricia: That’s wonderful. That’s exciting. Well let me just ask you one final question. As you know, we do have a number of Heal Your Life® teachers in Ireland who are sharing your work and new ones that will be trained very soon. Is there anything that you would like to say to them?
Louise: I would like to thank them for putting their foot on this pathway and deciding to do this work. It will not only be healing for everybody that they come in contact with, but it will be very rewarding for them. I just congratulate them for having made this decision.
Patricia: Wonderful. Thank you so much Louise. I do so appreciate your time. I and all of those who have benefited from your work thank you and wish you many more years of sharing your wisdom.
For more info, visit www.louisehay.com or www.hayhouse.com
For information on the upcoming one week Love Yourself, Heal Your Life® workshop leader training in Ireland, go to www.eileenclair.com
