Laurel Elizabeth Keyes was an American author

Author

An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...

, lecturer

Lecturer

Lecturer is an academic rank. In the United Kingdom, lecturer is a position at a university or similar institution, often held by academics in their early career stages, who lead research groups and supervise research students, as well as teach...

 and counselor

Mental Health Counselor

Mental health counselors practice mental health counseling which is a dynamic, holistic, strengths-based and psychoeducational discipline born in the late 1970s when several mental health professionals realized that the master’s degree level counselors working in community settings lacked a...

. She is best-known for her early works on sound therapy and weight management.

Biography

Keyes was a writer from an early age. Over the years, she wrote stories

Short story

A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...

, articles

Essay

An essay is a piece of writing which is often written from an author's personal point of view. Essays can consist of a number of elements, including: literary criticism, political manifestos, learned arguments, observations of daily life, recollections, and reflections of the author. The definition...

 and poetry

Poetry

Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...

 for magazines and newspapers. She received her education in the transpersonal field from a variety of Eastern and Western sources, having started her studies in comparative religions

Comparative religion

Comparative religion is a field of religious studies that analyzes the similarities and differences of themes, myths, rituals and concepts among the world's religions...

 and philosophy

Philosophy

Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...

 when she was 19. She lectured and conducted retreats for churches of all the major religions, and for more than 16 years lectured for adult education in the public school system. Her writings reflect a practical blending of popular in-depth methods of modern psychology and the ancient traditional teachings of metaphysics

Metaphysics

Metaphysics is a branch of philosophy concerned with explaining the fundamental nature of being and the world, although the term is not easily defined. Traditionally, metaphysics attempts to answer two basic questions in the broadest possible terms:...

 and philosophy

Philosophy

Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...

.

In 1952 Mrs. Keyes founded Overweight Overcomers International, one of the first self-help groups dedicated to problems of obesity

Obesity

Obesity is a medical condition in which excess body fat has accumulated to the extent that it may have an adverse effect on health, leading to reduced life expectancy and/or increased health problems...

, and wrote the book How to Win the Losing Fight, a weight-control guide that helped thousands to better health. In 1963 she founded the Order of Fransisters and Brothers, a lay order

Laity

In religious organizations, the laity comprises all people who are not in the clergy. A person who is a member of a religious order who is not ordained legitimate clergy is considered as a member of the laity, even though they are members of a religious order .In the past in Christian cultures, the...

 following the outline of the well-known prayer beginning "Lord, make me an instrument." It is a non-profit, inter-religious movement, sponsoring silent retreats, study and research. Keyes' most popular book is her 1973 work Toning: The Creative Power of the Voice, which is cited by sound therapists. Her legacy also includes the Restorium, a chapel and retreat house in the mountains near Denver. Keyes resided in Denver, Colorado

Denver, Colorado

The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...

 until her death in 1983.

The sound and toning healing work of Keyes is again being carried on throughout the world in the integration of cymatics (sound) and light therapies. In the form of "giving voice" to bodily ailments, it has been integrated by Manhattan oncologist Dr. Mitchell L. Gaynor. Keyes' work has inspired VibrationsHeal, an on-going support and toning study group based in Burlington, Vermont. VibrationsHeal http://www.vibrationsheal.com teaches bi-weekly outreach meetings and seminar programs on the use of toning to maintain optimum health and restore health from many types of ailments and situations.

Published works

• Toning: The Creative Power of the Voice
• Seeing Through Your Illusions
• How to Win the Losing Fight
• What's Eating You?
• Mystery of Sex
• Living Can Be Fun
• Close the Door Softly as You Go
• Sundial
• Knowing God
• The Angel Who Remembered
• The Gift
• I Am a Child
• Seedlings from the Vine
• Transform Your Life
• Dust Thou Art
• Discussion of Happiness
• The Person I Was Meant to Be
• Let Your Light So Shine
• The Lost Village
• The Way to the Village
• Order of Fransisters and Franbrothers
• The Fransister Communion
• Fransister Foods

External links

• Gentle Living Publications (Keyes' literary executor
  Literary executor
  A literary executor is a person with decision-making power in respect of a literary estate. According to Wills, Administration and Taxation: a practical guide "A will may appoint different executors to deal with different parts of the estate...
  
  )