The Essential Louise Hay Collection Read online

  ALSO BY LOUISE HAY

  BOOKS/KIT

  All Is Well (with Mona Lisa Schulz, M.D.)

  Colors & Numbers

  Empowering Women

  Everyday Positive Thinking

  Experience Your Good Now! (book-with-CD)

  A Garden of Thoughts: My Affirmation Journal

  Gratitude: A Way of Life (Louise & Friends)

  Heal Your Body

  Heal Your Body A-Z

  Heart Thoughts (also available in a gift edition)

  I Can Do It® (book-with-CD)

  Inner Wisdom

  Letters to Louise

  Life! Reflections on Your Journey

  Love Your Body

  Love Yourself, Heal Your Life Workbook

  Meditations to Heal Your Life (also available in a gift edition)

  Modern-Day Miracles (Louise & Friends)

  The Power Is Within You

  Power Thoughts

  The Present Moment

  The Times of Our Lives (Louise & Friends)

  You Can Create an Exceptional Life (with Cheryl Richardson)

  You Can Heal Your Life (also available in a gift edition)

  You Can Heal Your Life Affirmation Kit

  You Can Heal Your Life Companion Book

  FOR CHILDREN

  The Adventures of Lulu

  I Think, I Am! (with Kristina Tracy)

  Lulu and the Ant: A Message of Love

  Lulu and the Dark: Conquering Fears

  Lulu and Willy the Duck: Learning Mirror Work

  CD PROGRAMS

  All Is Well (audio book)

  Anger Releasing

  Cancer

  Change and Transition

  Dissolving Barriers

  Embracing Change

  The Empowering Women Gift Collection

  Feeling Fine Affirmations

  Forgiveness/Loving the Inner Child

  How to Love Yourself

  Meditations for Personal Healing

  Meditations to Heal Your Life (audio book)

  Morning and Evening Meditations

  101 Power Thoughts

  Overcoming Fears

  The Power Is Within You (audio book)

  The Power of Your Spoken Word

  Receiving Prosperity

  Self-Esteem Affirmations (subliminal)

  Self-Healing

  Stress-Free (subliminal)

  Totality of Possibilities

  What I Believe and Deep Relaxation

  You Can Heal Your Life (audio book)

  You Can Heal Your Life Study Course

  Your Thoughts Create Your Life

  DVDs

  Dissolving Barriers

  Receiving Prosperity

  You Can Heal Your Life Study Course

  You Can Heal Your Life, THE MOVIE (also available in an expanded edition)

  You Can Trust Your Life (with Cheryl Richardson)

  CARD DECKS

  Healthy Body Cards

  I Can Do It® Cards I Can Do It® Cards … for Creativity, Forgiveness, Health, Job Success, Wealth, Romance

  Power Thought Cards

  Power Thoughts for Teens

  Power Thought Sticky Cards

  Wisdom Cards

  CALENDAR

  I Can Do It® Calendar (for each individual year)

  and

  THE LOUISE L. HAY BOOK COLLECTION

  (comprising the gift versions of Meditations to Heal Your Life, You Can Heal Your Life, and You Can Heal Your Life Companion Book)

  All of the above are available at your local bookstore, or may be ordered by visiting:

  Hay House USA: www.hayhouse.com®

  Hay House Australia: www.hayhouse.com.au

  Hay House UK: www.hayhouse.co.uk

  Hay House South Africa: www.hayhouse.co.za

  Hay House India: www.hayhouse.co.in

  Louise’s Websites: www.LouiseHay.com® and www.HealYourLife.com®

  Copyright © 2013 by Louise Hay

  Published and distributed in the United States by: Hay House, Inc.: www.hayhouse.com® • Published and distributed in Australia by: Hay House Australia Pty. Ltd.: www.hayhouse.com.au • Published and distributed in the United Kingdom by: Hay House UK, Ltd.: www.hayhouse.co.uk • Published and distributed in the Republic of South Africa by: Hay House SA (Pty), Ltd.: www.hayhouse.co.za • Distributed in Canada by: Raincoast: www.raincoast.com • Published in India by: Hay House Publishers India: www.hayhouse.co.in

  Cover design: Aeshna Roy

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced by any mechanical, photographic, or electronic process, or in the form of a phonographic recording; nor may it be stored in a retrieval system, transmitted, or otherwise be copied for public or private use—other than for “fair use” as brief quotations embodied in articles and reviews—without prior written permission of the publisher.

  The author of this book does not dispense medical advice or prescribe the use of any technique as a form of treatment for physical, emotional, or medical problems without the advice of a physician, either directly or indirectly. The intent of the author is only to offer information of a general nature to help you in your quest for emotional and spiritual well-being. In the event you use any of the information in this book for yourself, which is your constitutional right, the author and the publisher assume no responsibility for your actions.

  Library of Congress Control Number: 2013942780

  Hardcover ISBN: 978-1-4019-4419-3

  16 15 14 13 4 3 2 1

  1st edition, September 2013

  Printed in the United States of America

  CONTENTS

  YOU CAN HEAL YOUR LIFE

  Acknowledgments

  Foreword

  Part I: Introduction

  Suggestions to My Readers

  Some Points of My Philosophy

  Chapter 1: What I Believe

  Part II: A Session with Louise

  Chapter 2: What Is the Problem?

  Chapter 3: Where Does It Come From?

  Chapter 4: Is It True?

  Chapter 5: What Do We Do Now?

  Chapter 6: Resistance to Change

  Chapter 7: How to Change

  Chapter 8: Building the New

  Chapter 9: Daily Work

  Part III: Putting These Ideas to Work

  Chapter 10: Relationships

  Chapter 11: Work

  Chapter 12: Success

  Chapter 13: Prosperity

  Chapter 14: The Body

  Chapter 15: The List

  Part IV: Conclusion

  Chapter 16: My Story

  Afterword

  Deep at the Center

  Holistic Healing Recommendations

  HEAL YOUR BODY

  Acknowledgments

  Preface

  Introduction

  The Point of Power Is in the Present Moment

  Mental Equivalents

  Replacing Old Patterns

  Healing Affirmations

  Spinal Section

  Further Comments

  Loving Treatment

  Epilogue

  THE POWER IS WITHIN YOU

  Preface

  Introduction

  Part I: Becoming Conscious

  Chapter 1: The Power Within

  Chapter 2: Following My Inner Voice

  Chapter 3: The Power of Your Spoken Word

  Chapter 4: Reprogramming Old Tapes

  Part II: Dissolving the Barriers

  Chapter 5: Understanding the Blocks That Bind You

  Chapter 6: Letting Your Feelings Out

  Chapter 7: Moving Beyond the Pain

  Part III: Loving Yourself

 
Chapter 8: How to Love Yourself

  Chapter 9: Loving the Child Within

  Chapter 10: Growing Up and Getting Old

  Part IV: Applying Your Inner Wisdom

  Chapter 11: Receiving Prosperity

  Chapter 12: Expressing Your Creativity

  Chapter 13: The Totality of Possibilities

  Part V: Letting Go of the Past

  Chapter 14: Change and Transition

  Chapter 15: A World Where It’s Safe to Love Each Other

  Afterword

  Appendix A: Meditations for Personal and Planetary Healing

  Appendix B: Self-Help Resources

  Recommended Reading

  About the Author

  You Can Heal Your Life

  Dedication

  May this offering help you find the place within where you know your own self-worth, the part of you that is pure love and self-acceptance.

  Acknowledgments

  I acknowledge with joy and pleasure:

  My many students and clients who taught me so much and who first encouraged me to put my ideas down on paper.

  My dedicated staff at Hay House, who share my dream of disseminating books, audios, and videos that help to heal the planet spiritually, emotionally, and physically.

  My wonderful readers and listeners, who have shown their loving support for my work and who continue to be a source of inspiration for me.

  All those whose hearts are opening more and more each day.

  My dear friends throughout the world, who surround me with unconditional love, laughter, and just plain fun!

  Foreword

  If I were cast away on a desert island and could have only one book with me there, I might well choose Louise L. Hay’s You Can Heal Your Life.

  Not only is it the essence of a great teacher, it is also the powerful and very personal statement of a great lady.

  Louise shares some of her journey to where she is in her evolvement now in this wonderful new book. I resonated in admiration and in compassion to her story—too briefly sketched here, in my view, but perhaps that’s another book.

  It’s all here, is my point. All you need to know about life, its lessons and how to do the work on yourself is right here. And this includes Louise’s reference guide to probable mental patterns behind dis-ease, which is truly remarkable and unique—in my experience. A person on a desert island who found this manuscript in a bottle could learn all he or she needs to know to make this life be the one that gets the job done.

  Desert island or not, if you have found your way to Louise Hay, perhaps even “accidentally,” you’re well on your way. Louise’s books, her remarkable healing tapes, and her inspired workshops are wonderful gifts to a troubled world.

  It was my own deep investment in working with persons with aids that led me to meeting Louise and utilizing concepts from her healing work.

  Each aids person I worked with and for whom I played Louise’s tape, A Positive Approach to AIDS, got Louise’s message on the first hearing—and many made playing this tape part of their daily healing ritual. One man named Andrew told me, “I go to bed with Louise, and I get up to her every day!”

  My respect and love for Louise grew as I observed my beloved aids people make their transitions enriched and at peace and complete—more full of love and forgiveness for themselves and everyone else for having had Louise in their lives—and with a quiet respect for having created that precise learning experience.

  I have been gifted in my life with many great teachers, some of them saints, I’m sure, and even avatars, perhaps. Yet Louise is a great teacher one can speak with and be with because of her enormous capacity to listen and to be in unconditional love while sharing doing the dishes. (In the same way another teacher I hold as great makes terrific potato salad.) Louise teaches by example and lives what she teaches.

  I am deeply honored to invite you to make this book part of your life. You—and it—are worth it!

  DAVE BRAUN

  VENTURES IN SELF-FULFILLMENT

  DANA POINT, CALIFORNIA

  Part I

  INTRODUCTION

  Suggestions to My Readers

  I have written this book to share with you, my readers, that which I know and teach. It incorporates portions of my little blue book, Heal Your Body, which has become widely accepted as an authoritative work on the mental patterns that create diseases in the body.

  I have had hundreds of letters from readers asking me to share more of my information. Many persons who have worked with me as private clients, and those who have taken my workshops here and abroad, have requested I take the time to write this book.

  I have set up this book to take you through a session, just as I would if you came to me as a private client and attended one of my workshops.

  If you will do the exercises progressively as they appear in the book, by the time you have finished, you will have begun to change your life.

  I suggest you read through the book once. Then slowly read it again, only this time do each exercise in depth. Give yourself time to work with each one.

  If you can, work through the exercises with a friend or with a member of your family.

  Each chapter opens with an affirmation. Each of these is good to use when you are working on that area of your life. Take two or three days to study and work with each chapter. Keep saying and writing the affirmation that opens the chapter.

  The chapters close with a treatment. This is a flow of positive ideas designed to change consciousness. Read over this treatment several times a day.

  I close this book by sharing with you my own story. I know it will show you that no matter where we have come from or how lowly it was, we can totally change our lives for the better.

  Know that when you work with these ideas, my loving support is with you.

  Some Points of My Philosophy

  We are each responsible for all of our experiences.

  Every thought we think is creating our future.

  The point of power is always in the present moment.

  Everyone suffers from self-hatred and guilt.

  The bottom line for everyone is,

  “I’m not good enough.”

  It’s only a thought, and a thought can be changed.

  We create every so-called illness in our body.

  Resentment, criticism, and guilt

  are the most damaging patterns.

  Releasing resentment will dissolve even cancer.

  We must release the past and forgive everyone.

  We must be willing to begin to learn to love ourselves.

  Self-approval and self-acceptance in the now

  are the keys to positive changes.

  When we really love ourselves, everything in our life works.

  In the infinity of life where I am, all is perfect,

  whole, and complete, and yet life is ever changing.

  There is no beginning and no end,

  only a constant cycling and recycling

  of substance and experiences.

  Life is never stuck or static or stale,

  for each moment is ever new and fresh.

  I am one with the very Power that created me, and this Power

  has given me the power to create my own circumstances.

  I rejoice in the knowledge that I have the power

  of my own mind to use in any way I choose.

  Every moment of life is a new beginning point

  as we move from the old. This moment is a new point

  of beginning for me right here and right now.

  All is well in my world.

  Chapter One

  WHAT I BELIEVE

  “The gateways to wisdom and knowledge are always open.”

  Life Is Really Very Simple. What We Give Out, We Get Back

  What we think about ourselves becomes the truth for us. I believe that everyone, myself included, is responsible for everything in our lives, the best and the worst. Every thought we think is creating o
ur future. Each one of us creates our experiences by our thoughts and our feelings. The thoughts we think and the words we speak create our experiences.

  We create the situations, and then we give our power away by blaming the other person for our frustration. No person, no place, and no thing has any power over us, for “we” are the only thinkers in our mind. When we create peace and harmony and balance in our minds, we will find it in our lives.

  Which of these statements sounds like you?

  “People are out to get me.”

  “Everyone is always helpful.”

  Each one of these beliefs will create quite different experiences. What we believe about ourselves and about life becomes true for us.

  The Universe Totally Supports Us in Every Thought We Choose to Think and Believe

  Put another way, our subconscious mind accepts whatever we choose to believe. They both mean that what I believe about myself and about life becomes true for me. What you choose to think about yourself and about life becomes true for you. And we have unlimited choices about what we can think.

  When we know this, then it makes sense to choose “Everyone is always helpful,” rather than “People are out to get me.”

  The Universal Power Never Judges or Criticizes Us

  It only accepts us at our own value. Then it reflects our beliefs in our lives. If I want to believe that life is lonely and that nobody loves me, then that is what I will find in my world.

  However, if I am willing to release that belief and to affirm for myself that “Love is everywhere, and I am loving and lovable,” and to hold on to that new affirmation and to repeat it often, then it will become true for me. Now, loving people will come into my life, the people already in my life will become more loving to me, and I will find myself easily expressing love to others.

  Most of Us Have Foolish Ideas about Who We Are and Many, Many Rigid Rules about How Life Ought to Be Lived

  This is not to condemn us, for each of us is doing the very best we can at this very moment. If we knew better, if we had more understanding and awareness, then we would do it differently. Please don’t put yourself down for being where you are. The very fact that you have found this book and have discovered me means that you are ready to make a new, positive change in your life. Acknowledge yourself for this. “Men don’t cry!” “Women can’t handle money!” What limiting ideas to live with.