Ask Louise
Louise L. Hay is a metaphysical teacher and the bestselling
author of 18 books, including You Can Heal Your Life, Empowering
Women, and Life! Reflections on Your Journey. Since
beginning her career as a Science of Mind minister in 1981, she
has assisted thousands of people in discovering and using the
full potential of their own creative powers for personal growth
and self-healing. Louise's works have been translated into 25
different languages in 33 countries throughout the world.
Dear Louise,
I have been working for the past nineteen years in the medical
profession, and I work with a lot of elders. So many of them are
very sad, bitter people. When I greet them with a cheery "Good
morning," the response I often get is "Don't get old,"
or "It's hell to get old."
After many years of hearing this message over and over again,
I finally decided to ask one woman, "What's the alternative?"
She replied, in a very low, gravelly tone, "Death!"
I try to affirm all good and wonderful things for the patients
I see. But I'm feeling stuck. I don't want to hear that message
anymore. I want to laugh and dance until my final days on this
planet. What can I say to these people? Or better yet, what can
I say to myself that will put a stop to this repeated negative
message?
J.H., St. Louis, MO
Dear J.H.,
A lifetime of eating the "Standard American Diet," high
in sugar and fat, using medications for every little ailment,
having a negative outlook on life, and believing that getting
older means getting sick will produce the elders that you describe.
These are people who feel that they are victims of life. In the
medical profession, you don't get to see a lot of really healthy
older people. It is time for us to totally revamp the way we view
our later years. We do not have to live out our lives the way
our parents did. It is time to change the rules and the old beliefs.
You and I can create a new way of living. We can both laugh and
dance until our final days, and so can anyone else who wants to
join us.
When people around me are negative, I say to myself, "It
may be true for you, but it is not true for me." Perhaps
it would be more rewarding for you to work in the holistic health
field, where you would find those who are actively pursuing health.
I would like to see someone create a retirement home that includes
a holistic health center. In addition to traditional doctors and
nurses, there would be chiropractic, acupuncture, homeopathy,
traditional Chinese medicine, nutrition, herbology, massage, yoga,
a health club, and so on. This would be a place where everyone
could look forward to healthy, carefree later years. I am sure
such a place would have a waiting list in no time.
Use the affirmation: I AM SURROUNDED BY HEALTHY, HAPPY PEOPLE.
Then watch to see how the Universe manifests that for you.
Dear Louise,
My childhood was very challenging, to say the least, due to my
parents' drinking. I was never sure which personality I would
come home to -- the silly, fun drunk people; or the frightening,
sometimes abusive ones. Needless to say, I very rarely brought
friends home to play.
I bolted from home at age 18, and then my parents finally started
attending AA meetings, enjoying ten years of sobriety. Our relationship
became incredibly close, and I got to know them as the beautiful,
caring people they are.
My problem is this: All of a sudden they've begun to drink again,
and even though I know that they're both on their own paths and
I can't be responsible for them, I still wonder if there's something
I can do or say so that they don't slip back into that alcohol-induced
world. Any words of wisdom?
H.C., Bloomington, MN
Dear H.C.,
How discouraging for you, and I'm glad that you realize that it
is not your problem. We always want what is best for our parents,
and yet it is hard for us to see the larger picture. We cannot
always be aware of what experience is needed by an individual
on a soul level. We know that all of life's experiences have value.
What your parents are going through has value to them on a soul
level. Our parents are our greatest teachers, and sometimes the
lesson they teach us is "how not to behave." Be glad
that you did have a period of ten years of closeness with them
to cherish in your memory. Love them and know that the Intelligence
within them is always available to them at all times.
If you want help from experts on how to handle the immediate situation,
I would suggest that you go to Al-Anon. They are a wonderful organization
and have far more answers than I do. Love yourself, be very kind
to your inner child, and affirm: I AM AT PEACE WITH EVERY ASPECT
OF MY LIFE.
Dear Louise,
I am a long-time student of metaphysics, plus a reader of your
books. I believe that I have been absorbing the information and
am studious, but on one point, I am confused.
Often, I read the phrase, "the center of your being,"
and I am not certain at all where the center is. Is it the heart,
the lungs, the solar plexus, or the top of the head at its center,
or the spine?
This may seem like an odd question and one I should know by now,
but perhaps many others may be in the same confused state.
M.E., Santa Cruz, CA
Dear M.E.,
What a great question. I am sure many people wonder where "the
Center" is.
Thank you for asking. It certainly made me think, and I had an
enjoyable discussion about this with my friend Jessie Jennings.
The "Center of Your Being" is not in any organ. Your
being encompasses far more than just your body. I believe the
"Center of Your Being" is a mental place. It is that
place in consciousness where we dwell as the observer.
The "Center" you are referring to is behind the body,
behind the thoughts, behind the emotions and behind the memories.
It is that place you go to when you meditate and where you become
the observer of yourself. We decided that there must be "One
Center" that we all use. It would be the Oneness we talk
of, that place that is all-encompassing for all of us. And like
intelligence, it would be everywhere, equally present. Remember
that much of Life is beyond our comprehension, for Life is far
greater than our human minds.
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(Letters used in this column may be edited for length and clarity.)
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