John Edward has no problem with the word "fraud".
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The prominent psychic medium has had decades to get used to the word. Because to him, that's all it is. A word.
Edward became a household name in the early 2000s with his hit show Crossing Over with John Edwards. For four years, the New Yorker "read" members of his audience, gaining a global TV following and becoming one of the most prominent mediums in the world.
As well as a second stint on television with John Edward Cross Country in 2006, the medium has since made a career of travelling the world doing readings. As part of his upcoming tour of Australia, he will be visiting Canberra in an effort to connect audience members with their departed loved ones.
While crowds still flock to his shows, others question his legitimacy.
"I always find it really interesting that people have to try to define or attack the person or me, and then always paint the audience as being stupid and gullible. It's such a disrespectful thing to the audience, to basically say, you're stupid because you're going to that event, bought that book, and believe that thing," Edward says.
He likens it to religion. Edward himself is Roman Catholic and has a solid belief system. But he also respects atheists. They're solid in their humanity, he says. And for the most part, they don't push their beliefs, or lack of them, on others.
The same can't always be said for those who have a religious faith. Or people who don't believe in psychics.
There has been more than a few times when Edward has been forced to defend the scientific basis of psychic abilities and it's an argument that won't go away.
But the thing is, Edward has taken part in a scientific study.
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In the late 1990s - before Edward was on television - a team of scientists at the University of Arizona invited him to be on a panel of mediums to test their abilities.
While facing a wall - and without seeing the person they were reading - each of the mediums asked yes or no questions to try and clarify the impressions they were given.
On several occasions, the mediums were able to pick out the names and personal information of those deceased. There were also several "jaw-droppers" when the mediums revealed highly personal information or obscure facts.
"I spent quality time at the University of Arizona, myself and a number of other people doing double-blind studies. And when I brought it up in an interview, the journalist dismissed it," Edward says.
"You can't just do that, because it's fitting a narrative for you, and whatever network you're working for."
Edward understands where people are coming from. He understands why people would be protective of others. Edward understands because he was once the same.
The medium comes from a long line of psychic enthusiasts. And one day, at aged 15, Edward went to a reading held at his grandmother's house, ready to out the psychic as a fraud.
"I'm a very logical person, so I used to make fun of people who would get read at my grandmother's house, and now I was the person getting the reading," Edward says.
"I kind of had no choice but to acknowledge what this woman said in the details - and when I say details, I mean names of who I was hanging out with, and what was happening - was accurate.
"And she dropped in pieces that I had no knowledge of, where I was living at that moment. Those pieces of information made no sense at the time, but also tied everything together a few weeks after that. And that just blew my mind."
It was the moment that changed the course of Edward's life. Not because he was simply a believer, but because he felt violated. He was motivated to find out everything he could about psychics, the paranormal and the occult because he never wanted to know what it was like to have someone know more about his life than he did again.
But he says it took time. It started with reading about theory, and then how to apply the techniques. And then, practice.
"I've seen people who would literally take a weekend course, or they would take a six-week course on tarot," Edward says.
"The next thing you know, they're world-renowned tarot readers. And I do think that damage can be done if a client is meeting up with a person who's coming from a place of ego, and who is coming from a place of not [being] well trained with their abilities.
"And also, mediumship is something that people should not reach out to after the immediate loss of a person.
"Mediumship is not a cure for grief. Mediums are not therapists, mediums are just conduits between the physical world and the non-physical world. If the client can't handle being around the subject matter, or if the client can't handle going for a reading, and not hearing from the person that they want to hear from, that means that they're not ready."
Edward says you can't even go into a group setting, if you don't want to participate in a reading. If you go to any of his upcoming Australian events, participation is required, but not guaranteed.
A few months ago, Edward was at an event in a United States hotel where everyone was engrossed in what was going on, except for the audio company employees who had been hired by the venue.
"You didn't have to be a psychic to know that as I was reading for other people, there was behind-the-scenes commentary," Edward says.
Halfway through, one of the audio team members went to leave the auditorium and as he did, the medium started to read him.
"He looked at me and he's like, what me? And then I proceeded to read for him in the back of the room," Edward says.
"My intention wasn't to read for him. It was just kind of cool that his family showed up in that moment. It was a great job. It was a great juxtaposition. I kind of wish I had that on camera. I wish there was a camera on the stage so that people could have seen my vantage point and then seen him cry when I was done. It was a great moment."
- John Edward will be at The Rex Hotel in Braddon on November 16. For tickets go to johnedward.net.
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