James Van Praagh Interview
29 September 2009
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James Van Praagh, US Psychic to the stars is joining forces with Tony Stockwell for the Across and Beyond UK tour later this year, and having read for the likes of Cher, Eva Longoria, Jennifer Love Hewitt and Wesley Snipes, I couldn’t resist having a chat…
Hello James - how are you?
Yes I'm fine thanks - I've just arrived in the UK after spending ten days on a cruise through Italy, Spain, Africa and France where I was holding Psychic development workshops and working with the people on board for spirit communication.
How often do you get to come across to the UK?
I don't get to come to the UK as much as I'd like to. Across and Beyond is my first ever UK tour and I'm really excited about joining forces with someone of Tony Stockwell's calibre. We have very similar beliefs so it will be great to be working on stage side by side, revealing special moments of contact, which can make such a difference to peoples' lives.
Although the tour only lasts for seven dates we start in Brighton and then head to Cardiff, Bradford, Blackpool before ending up in Newcastle so I'll get to see a real snapshot of the UK and I'm really looking forward to it.
What can people expect to see from the tour?
A wonderful evening that will change your life for ever. It includes spirit communication and profound spiritual teachings. Anyone that is sceptical, their minds and hearts will be open forever.
How did you discover your skills?
Spirits have been around me for as long as I can remember. As a young boy living in Bayside, Queens, I'd amuse myself by sitting in church every morning at 7am with my mother, a very staunch Irish Catholic, watching from the choir loft in my altar boy's robes as the spirit children played with the kids down below who had been dragged along to Mass by their parents. They were everywhere, poking the physical children and playing tricks on them. I'd sit and smile, wondering if anyone else could see what I saw.
My life was very like the film The Sixth Sense, and though I can't state for certain, I'm sure that film was based on what happened to me. I saw dead people that's for sure, and one night as I was praying for God to reveal Himself to me, an open hand appeared through the ceiling of my room, emitting radiant beams of light. It didn't scare me, instead I considered the priesthood and at 14 entered a seminary.
Did you ever feel like the child from the movie - The Sixth Sense?
Funnily enough that movie was based on my actual childhood except that Hollywood made the images alot more violent and negative. The experiences that I had were all very positive and loving in nature.
Have you ever been scared during a reading?
No I'm more afraid of the living than I'm afraid of the dead - it's quite the opposite.
What's the most bizarre thing that's happened to you during a reading?
At one of my demonstrations, a gentleman was in the audience wearing biker gear and was very drunk. I had his dead son standing next to him and he told me that his name was Michael and he wanted to thanks his father for tattooing his name on his chest in his memory. The father freaked out. Rolled up his t-shirt and displayed on his chest were the words - to my beloved son Michael.
Wow, that’s amazing! Now, you've read for Cher, Eva Longoria, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Wesley Snipes - it's an impressive list of stars. Does you find that the big stars are searching for the same kinds of things when they want a reading as ordinary people do?
Despite what you may read in the papers, we are all human and have the same needs and desires. In the end we long to be loved and lead a happy life, knowing that our loved ones who are no longer with us are being taken care of.
I've read for politicians, heads of state, singers such as Cher and actresses including Goldie Hawn and Shirley Mclaine, but my favourite has to be Jennifer Love Hewitt, the star of Ghost Whisperer - we have a special connection.
What happens if you do a reading and uncovers something unpleasant... do you feel obliged to divulge it to the person in question?
I guess it's just a part of who I am and what I do. Readings are orchestrated by a love connection between the living and those in sprit, so there is nothing to be scared of, to the contrary it's a lovely feeling to be part of that reunion. Although I am purely a vessel for this communication, I use my experience to decide whether to pass everything on. Ordinarily I'm not here to interpret the messages I receive.
How do you deal with the many people who are skeptical about the line of work you're in?
What people think of me is none of my business! One should never measure themselves against anyone else, for no one knows you better than yourself. The only way that it affects me on a physical level is when people are ignorant and closed down. It can be very draining.
FemaleFirst - Ruth Harrison
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