Most people know psychic/spiritual medium Sylvia Browne from her appearances on 'The Montel Williams Show' and 'Larry King Live,' but she is first and foremost a spiritual author. Her latest book, 'Afterlives of the Rich and Famous,' features several accounts of celebrities who've passed away, and what they're up to in heaven.
Browne's spirit guide Francine, who's been with her since she was a child, communicates the messages of the deceased celebrities to her. Francine speaks with various stars, ranging from James Dean and Marilyn Monroe to Michael Jackson and Heath Ledger. Browne sat down to talk with PopEater about the afterlife, where heaven is exactly and some predictions she has for the upcoming year.
How could you first tell that you had a psychic ability?
I was doing things at age 3 … I knew who was going to call, I knew who was going to come by. I remember at 5, sitting in my front room with my two great-grandmothers, and I saw their faces run. I ran from the room screaming. My dad grabbed me and took me to my grandmother, who was a working psychic at the time, and she said, "What you saw is them being called to God's House." And sure enough, in two weeks, they both died. So that was not a pleasant way to be introduced to the whole thing.
Wow. Not really, no. So is this gift hereditary?
We go back 300 years. It's actually validated by ancestry. I think it comes from God, but I also know that there's probably a genetic component to it. My son has it, my grandmother had it, her brother had it, my granddaughter has it, on and on it goes.
How can you tell if a psychic is the real deal?
Oh, please. Some of them play a guessing game. One "psychic" I saw got up there and was like, "Does anyone here drive a truck?" I was like, "C'mon!" That's what we call a generalized cold reading, like when someone says they're sensing the initial "D." Or to say you're going from darkness into light. It's just nuts.
Do you have any opinion on other psychics – like John Edwards or James Van Praagh?
I like John Edwards. Van Praagh is the one that I have trouble with. He constantly wants validation. He's always playing the guessing game. Nobody expects anyone to be 100 percent. Only God is.