Louise Hay's Interesting Comment About Sylvia Browne

[RSLancastr]

A recent article in the New York Times (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/04/magazine/04Hay-t.html?_r=1&oref=slogin) profiled Louise Hay, self-help author and founder of Hay House Publishing, which publishes both self-help and New Age titles, including many of Sylvia Browne's books. They also produce her cruises (which often include other Hay House authors) and her lecture tours.

On page five of the web-based version of the article, is the following:

This ambivalence about credentials shades into an ambivalence about what most of us would call truth. Nobody at Hay House, including the founder, says that they endorse everything each author writes. I asked Louise Hay if she likes the work of Doreen Virtue, and her answer was very telling: “People love her,” she exclaimed. What about the TV psychic Sylvia Browne? “Now don’t ask me that,” Hay replied. “She’s one of our most popular authors.”

Interesting.

[ExMinister]

Interesting, yes.

To say that publishing their books is good business completely side-steps the issue of whether or not she believes they are legitimate.

With Sylvia Browne, though, it could also be a matter of differing philosophy, since Louise Hay has a Science of Mind background, much of which would be at odds with what Sylvia teaches. Hay heavily endorses Esther and Jerry Hicks who present a philosophy that is vastly different from Sylvia's (nothing is charted, no themes, you can create your own reality).

Since there is no way to know her feelings, it does make one wonder.

ETA: I imagine it would be hard to successfully operate a New Age publishing company if one had to endorse all the material published. I've noticed over the years that most of the New Age writers have their own channeled entity (sometimes even the same one as somebody else, such as St. Germain) but they still can't seem to agree on anything. For example, they tend to say different things about the purpose of life, the nature of God etc. They don't even agree on the simplest things, like how many angels there are what their names might be. Confusing, for sure.

[Kilgore Trout]

"Now don't ask me that" seems to imply it was a taboo subject, rather like, "You already know the answer." Might be reading into things, but since it is followed by what amounts to "she makes money for us" I'd, personally, take it as animosity.

[Minarvia]

"Now don't ask me that" seems to imply it was a taboo subject, rather like, "You already know the answer." Might be reading into things, but since it is followed by what amounts to "she makes money for us" I'd, personally, take it as animosity.

I think you are right. I'm sure there is some animosity because she is coming under scrutiny regarding Browne. Likely not as much as Montel but Hay has to be taking some amount of heat, I think.

[RSLancastr]

Hay heavily endorses Esther and Jerry Hicks who present a philosophy that is vastly different from Sylvia's (nothing is charted, no themes, you can create your own reality).What do you mean by "heavily endorses?"

but they still can't seem to agree on anything. For example, they tend to say different things about the purpose of life, the nature of God etc. They don't even agree on the simplest things, like how many angels there are what their names might be.It's almost like they are making it up or something! :)

Since it is followed by what amounts to "she makes money for us" I'd, personally, take it as animosity.Or perhaps distaste.

I think you are right. I'm sure there is some animosity because she is coming under scrutiny regarding Browne. Likely not as much as Montel but Hay has to be taking some amount of heat, I think.I wonder.

[ExMinister]

What do you mean by "heavily endorses?"

As in highly recommends/promotes. For example, she writes at the top of the back cover of their first book (published by Hay House), "One of the most valuable things about Ask and It is Given is that Abraham gives us 22 different powerful processes to achieve our goals. No matter where we are, there's a process that can make our lives better. I love this book and I love Esther and Jerry Hicks!" (bolding mine)

Oh, and this, from the dedication page of the same book, written by the Hicks: "And these teachings are especially dedicated to Louise Hay, whose desire to ask and learn - and disseminate around this planet - the principles of Well-Being, has led her to ask us to create this comprehensive book of the teachings of Abraham."

[RSLancastr]

Interesting, Ex-M. I don't know that I've ever seen any quotes from Hay on, or in, any of Browne's books. Have you?

[ExMinister]

Interesting, Ex-M. I don't know that I've ever seen any quotes from Hay on, or in, any of Browne's books. Have you?

No, never. That doesn't mean one doesn't exist but, again, I'd be very surprised if it did.

She did include Doreen Virtue in her movie (You Can Heal Your Life), along with the Hicks and Wayne Dyer and several others who all basically teach some form of "create your own reality" and/or mind-body medicine, but Sylvia is not a member of the create your own reality philosophical camp to which Hay and these others belong. By choosing to have "Francine" teach that everything is charted and you are just here to survive your life and that all your choices were pretty much made before you were born, she can't now switch to what the other New Age writers are saying, which is that your thoughts control your life, happy thoughts vibrationally attract happy events, there is no limit to what you can create outside of your own thinking (yada yada).

However, one of Sylvia's stories was included in one of Hay's books (I believe it was The Times of Our Lives, which I didn't read), which was a compilation of brief stories from many Hay House authors. Sylvia's was similar (if not identical) to one she published in If You Could See What I See, about her grandmother. So not a philosophy book but more of a collection of New Age inspirational stories.

[monoman]

So Rob, when's your book coming out? ;)

I'd buy it as I can't read the internet in bed/on the toilet/garden etc.

[rjh01]

I hope it will be out before Christmas 2008 otherwise it will be too late.