During the height of the AIDS crisis in the 1980s, Louise Hay became a crucial source of support for the LGBTQ+ community. At a time when fear and social stigma were rampant, she opened her home to people with AIDS, creating a support group called “The Hayride.” These weekly gatherings provided a safe and loving space for individuals who were often ostracized by their families and society.
Louise (sometimes called Mama Lou) studied the Science of Mind at First Church of Religious Science in New York City and became an ordained New Thought Minister. She never led a church but started a publishing company, wrote several books, trained life coaches, spoke at conferences, appeared on television, and operated the Hayride. Her ministry touched and continues to touch people all over the world.
Hay’s philosophy, rooted in the power of affirmations and self-love (which includes forgiveness of self and others), offered a message of hope. She taught that a person’s thoughts and emotional state could influence their physical health. While this approach was met with controversy from the medical community, her unwavering compassion and belief in the individual’s inner strength provided immense comfort. Her empathy for others and passion for healing might have come from her own experiences as a sexual abuse survivor and a cancer survivor. She lived to be almost 91. Louise was a powerful advocate for unconditional love and acceptance (which she believed contributed to healing), leaving a powerful legacy in her support for a marginalized community.
Over the years, Louise embraced philosophies beyond the Science of Mind, such as tapping, A Course in Miracles, Positive Psychology, Reiki, Homeopathy, the channeled works of Abraham, and Transcendental Meditation. She was sometimes called in the media, the Queen of New Age. By any name, love, forgiveness, self-care, and positive affirmations were her spiritual bread and butter. She loved our community, and many of us loved her back.
