A Legend Passes Away
October 2017
By Suzy Singh
Suzy Singh pays rich tribute to the legend called Louise L Hay who generously shared the secrets to a healthy, happy and prosperous life with the world before bidding goodbye to it
Louise L Hay, the goddess of self-love, passed away peacefully in her sleep on August 30, 2017, at her residence in San Diego, USA. She was 90. And with that, an era came to an end. As the news of her demise spread, a legion of her admirers across the world began to mourn her death, expressing how deeply she had impacted their lives. The world cannot repay the debt of her priceless gift to humanity. She simplified spirituality down to its roots and made it a deeply personal affair for the individual. Her method revolved around having a loving dialogue with your own self and giving yourself the best treatment you can. Undoubtedly, it had a phenomenal impact on those struggling with low-self esteem and its subsequent crippling effects.
When a legend passes, she leaves behind the richness of her life's conquests so that others can reap the fruits of her travails. We are indeed blessed to receive the unique inheritance of Louise Hay’s teachings, which shall continue to guide our lives, and hopefully, teach us to become more loving and accepting of ourselves and others. Despite the difficult early life challenges she faced, which could easily have broken her resolve and spirit, Louise endured all the hardships with great courage, choosing to address her adversities bravely and rising above them. As her fortitude grew, so did her charisma.
Her early life
The young Louise grew up in an impoverished environment, and by the time she was a teenager, she also had to battle with abuse. At 16, she had to give away her only child. But instead of letting bitterness, fear and scarcity dwarf and overwhelm her, she chose to put the past behind, get away from that toxic environment and become self-reliant. She arrived in New York City and started her life afresh with her modelling career. Louise was beautiful, but thankfully, not just on the outside. Her soul was like a fragrant flower that became more beautiful with every difficulty she experienced. She morphed from being a victim of poverty and abuse to healing the wounded hearts of millions across the globe. Even at that young age, she taught us never to be broken by our circumstances.
After being married for 14 years, Louise found herself alone once again. That’s when she truly came into her purpose. She joined the Church of Religious Studies and trained in the ministerial program. She could have ended up lonely and resentful as many who have experienced broken marriages, but once again she chose the better, more loving way. She committed herself to help, counselling and healing others, which became her full-time career. This led to the compilation and publishing of her first book, Heal Your Body, which explained how all illnesses had underlying mental causes which could be healed in metaphysical ways by using positive affirmations.
Healing her own cancer
Soon the universe provided Louise with an opportunity to provide evidence of her teachings and demonstrate to the world that her ideas truly had the power to heal. Struck by cancer, Louise overcame the terrible disease by using only alternative methods such as positive affirmations, visualisation, nutritional cleansing and psychotherapy to heal herself. This sent out a clear message to everyone that we are all personally responsible for our health and healing. It also proved what Louise was emphasising in her philosophy _ that the body knows how to heal itself, provided we listen to it and support it in loving ways.
Her recovery from cancer paved the way for her greatest offering in the form of her next book, You Can Heal Your Life, that went on to transform the lives of uncountable people on the planet. Over 50 million copies of the book have been sold till date and its wisdom continues to be shared through her 'Heal Your Life' workshops. Louise went on to support the Aids afflicted, set up a robust publishing business that popularised the self-help genre of books, launched Hay House radio and set up the Hay House Summit that brought home cutting edge ideas on healing and recovery to millions of people.
A life well lived
She was a late bloomer in many ways. But that's probably what made her contributions so powerful. Just days before her 90th birthday, Louise said that she still wrote, lectured and taught, besides reading and studying. And yet, it wasn’t just the big things she focussed on, like owning a very successful publishing house and two non-profit organisations, but also the small stuff she was passionate about, like growing her own food, attending parties, travelling, painting and enjoying with her many friends. In her own words, her life was a “treasure trove of experiences.”
For the elders who feel too old and defeated by life, she had this to say, “I want to help you create a conscious idea of your last years so that you realise that these can be the most rewarding years of your life. I want you to know that your future is always bright, no matter what your age. Watch your last years become your treasure years.”
Louise aged brilliantly like great wine. She gave the sunset years a whole new meaning and value. Even in her passing, she leaves behind the spirit of her undying love and cares for her fellow sisters and brothers through the Hay Foundation that was set up in 1986. This non-profit organisation continues to support battered women and others who need help by providing food, shelter, counselling and hospice care.
Thank you, Louise, for teaching us just how precious life is at every age, and for demonstrating to us how the drudgery of everyday existence can be transformed into love and hope for a better future. Your presence shall be dearly missed on this planet, but your legacy shall continue to inspire and guide us in creating more love and healing in our lives.