Helene Hadsell, the woman with the 50 year winning streak, is one curious, extraordinary, brilliant woman. I and everyone at the Silva Institute would like to wish her a big, joyous happy birthday!
She turned 85 on June 1st and I'm sure this year will be better than the last and filled with both excitement and tranquility.
As a happy birthday gift to Helene (and a gift to you), we want to share one of her best stories. This story is no ordinary story. It is strange and may even scare some people. It is the type of story that can send a chill up your spine or give you the goosebumps.
Read, enjoy, and be inspired!
Encounter with a fellow traveler
How about turning off the boob tube ‘TV’ and develop some of the dormant talents that are God given for you to enjoy? That’s just a suggestion for anyone that is ready to experiment. I’m certain that most of you meditate and it can be a plus for relaxation, but how many of you concentrate; I mean really concentrate and project an object? I have. I got such a charge out of this fun experiment I squealed with delight when I succeeded.
This happened in the late sixties while on a lecture tour. During the day I had free time to do as I pleased. The malls, parks, and art galleries was where I chose to spend my time. My favorite mental game during my travels as that time was to develop the power of concentration.
To start out I sat quietly and studied my hand with such intensity that I was oblivious of not only my surroundings, but also noises and smells. It took a lot of practice, but when I focus on a project I am relentless until I succeed. One thing I hadn’t expected was to ‘become one’ with my hand and actually see through it. I could see the blood moving through my veins as if I had a bird’s eye view of branches of a river. The bones of all sizes were locked together yet able to move freely. It was awesome.
The next technique was to imagine an object, place it on the table and concentrate on it until it became so real that someone else could see it. This is called illusion. The person doing the projection can become so adept they can influence everyone in his or her immediate perimeter to see what they projected. Fakirs in India are masters of illusion. My goal, however, was to be able to hold an object in one spot with concentration, and make it appear so solid one would think it was the real thing and attempt to pick it up.
I confess I made a number of attempts with this experiment without success but that day was different. I was in Boston at a park two blocks from my hotel, ready to experiment. I sat on a bench and mentally projected a shiny five-dollar gold piece on the sidewalk. I used that object because it was something that would draw attention to a passer by and make him or her want to bend down to pick it up. Feeling confident that I had projected enough energy to make the gold piece look real, for I could see it, I began to study the people that walked past.
I noticed a young mother and her son coming. The child, who must have been 2 to 3 years old, was tired of being in his stroller. He was holding onto the side of the stroller while his mother was patiently guiding it. They were walking at a slow pace. All of a sudden the child’s face lit up and he stopped to reach down for my gold piece. He kept trying to retrieve it, but nothing happened. The mother looked down to investigate what he was trying to pick up.
“Honey there is nothing there,” she said. He made several more attempts. All of a sudden he turned and gave me the biggest grin as if he knew I had something to do with his behavior. I smiled back, he turned and put his hand back on the stroller and as they moved away he kept looking back at me and grinning. I was elated as I realized I had been successful.
“If just one more person could confirm for me that they could see the gold piece.” I didn’t have to long wait. An elderly man leisurely strolled my way, perhaps out for his daily walk. He appeared to be in deep thought, as his eyes were downcast oblivious of me and the young couple that passed him. Suddenly he paused, for what seemed to be a second, and looked down on the spot where I had projected the gold piece. No, he didn’t stoop to pick it up; instead he turned, grinned at me and said, “Young lady, I know what you’re doing, but you can’t fool a Fellow Traveler.”
This is a fun experiment, if you are interested in developing concentration. Again I remind you-practice-practice-practice. While in Russia, I was told by the professor, who was conducting experiments with volunteers on concentration, that one out of forty-three people could accomplish this feat within fifteen minutes. The rest of the group with practice was all able to do it within a three-month or less period.
Helene Hadsell
I can't express how much gratitude I feel everytime I read stories like the ones below. They fill my day with joy and they inspire so many people, me included.
As I learnt to speak, I started to stutter. Nobody is sure why, but the fact was that I developed a serious stutter and I had communications problems. During my primary school years I managed to get by, but every day was a struggle.
How has your weight loss been going? Are you happy? Healthy? Do you feel stable? If you're not, you need to reevaluate your body and mind until you fully understand your health and your weight loss goals.
My name is Laura Silva Quesada, and I'm the President of Silva International. After my father Jose Silva passed in 1999, I've dedicated my life to spreading his teachings across the world. If you want to learn more about the Silva Method and what it can do to change your life for the better, feel free to browse through my blog. You'll find plenty of valuable information on the fields we specialize in, from meditation to intuition to healing. Enjoy, and may the rest of your life be the best of your life :).
