Farewell Louise Hay

I met Louise Hay in 1996 at an Aura-Soma Color Therapy workshop in Texas. When she sat next to me the first day, I was delighted but nervous. The one and only Louise Hay, famous New Age pioneer and author of the best seller “You Can Heal Your Life” was seated just inches away. What should I say? If there ever was a time I wished I possessed the gift for making small-talk it was then. I searched my brain for the perfect, or at least acceptable words but alas, my mind was blank.

She graciously broke the ice by speaking first.

“Hello, I’m Louise.”

“Nice to meet you, I’m Maria.”

As the day progressed we were partnered for several interactive exercises, that required us to “read” each other’s soul colors—an intimate exchange. Fortunately for me, this allowed us to skip right over the small-talk phase of our relationship and go straight to the personal stuff.

Louise was right-on with her color interpretation of me and whatever I said to her must have been equally accurate. For the rest of the weekend we were nearly inseparable. We attended class together, dined together and had wine together in the evenings. Two kindred spirits had met.

Louise was down-to-earth and no-nonsense with no airs or pretense whatsoever. When other classmates gushed over her she was polite, but I could see the boundary go up.

One evening someone approached our table and asked, “May I join you?”

“I’m sorry, right now we in the middle of an important conversation,” she replied.

As the person walked away, she whispered to me, “I hate schmoozing. Don’t you?”

The next time I saw her was at her home in California, for her 70th Birthday party (picture above). It was a posh affair with fine catered food and a martini bar set up on the lawn. I had expected to see celebrities and famous Hay House authors, but instead I hobnobbed with a couple hundred remarkable yet, unrecognizable people. It was clear Louise’s guest list was compiled of people she’d made a heart connection with. A woman walking her talk.

If you’ve seen any of her books, you know that there is a symbol that Louise always used: the heart. Love was her mantra. Love yourself, love others, love animals, love the earth, love God. Love for the sake of loving. Love because it feels good. She believed that love could heal all wounds, right all wrongs and correct all missteps. Love could even heal disease. Simply put, love was all that mattered.

She also believed in following her heart, which is how she came to establish Hay House, which would become one of the largest new-thought publishing houses in the world; and charitable organizations such as The Hay Foundation. All this she accomplished after the age of 60. Not surprisingly, Louise did not believe in limitations of any kind—especially age.

My personal appreciation of Louise will be cherished forever. I admired her innate authority and her amazing insight. Her powers of observation were keen and she was an impeccable judge of character. Louise did not mince words—if you asked her opinion you would get her truth. She never pushed her opinions on you, yet if you asked her for advice it was wise, often profound and always accompanied with an apt affirmation. She was incredibly supportive, generous and compassionate with a soft spot for the underdog. She was genuine, authentic and practical. Did I mention intuitive, artistic and funny? But most of all, Louise had a heart as big as the world, which is why she is beloved across the planet by the millions of people she helped and inspired. Maybe the universe is big enough to contain all the love she fostered during her 90 years on this earth.

Thank you Louise for sharing your love and light with us all. I can only imagine the wondrous things your soul has planned for your next lifetime.

Louise Hay

October 8, 1926 – August 30, 2017

Donations in memory of Louise can be made to:

The Hay Foundation

Thehayfoundation.org

© Maria Hart 2017

#love #AuraSoma #NewAge #soul