Whether you believe in the work of psychic mediums or not, there is no doubt that John Edward is set out to make people’s lives better – and he’s doing it in, arguably, the weirdest possible way. 

Jeeves Verma talks to John Edward about dealing with sceptics, his advice on stress and suicide and his work as an educator.

Hello friends! I’m joined today with none other than the world’s foremost expert psychic medium, author of numerous critically acclaimed best sellers – John Edward – welcome! Thank you for your time today.

Thank you for having me. 

Now John, this might sound like a stupid question: What even is a psychic medium? How do you define what you do?

Love the question; it’s not stupid at all. A psychic medium can be broken down to two different things: The word ‘psychic’ and the word ‘medium’. So I want you to think about a doctor and a surgeon. A surgeon has to be a doctor first, but is still a doctor. So a psychic in the person who has the ability to connect with energy of their client and talk about events that have taken place in their life, now; validate things from their past; and talk about things coming up for them in their future. Some people might refer to them as ‘predictions’, I like to look at them as ‘projections’. The reason why I like the word ‘projection’ is it implies the fact that we’re projecting the future and the outcome can be shifted and changed in case something negative comes up. The ‘medium’ part of my ability uses the same faculties as being psychic except the person that picks up the instrument and plays it would be the energies of the loved ones and friends of the client that I’m sitting with - people who have crossed over. So when I’m doing a reading for someone, its usually a little bit of both – I connect with their loved ones and friends who’ve crossed as well as talk about what’s happening in their lives now, what are the lessons and what’s coming up for them.

Right, so would I be correct in saying that you can interchangeably use the words ‘psychic’ and ‘clairvoyant’? I understand you used to be a clairvoyant before being a medium?

So, nope, clairvoyant is an ability. There are different way people receive information. The way we have senses: we have sight, we have hearing, we have taste, we have touch. Same thing with being psychic. We have clairvoyance – which is a French word that means “clear seeing”, so clairvoyance is when you see in formation – but you also have clairaudience. Clairaudience is when you hear your information. You have clairsentient, when you feel your information. So that’s how I get the information – I see, hear and feel (clairvoyant, clairaudient and clairsentient) and then I interpret in my frame of reference what is hitting me and how it makes me feel and what it is I think I’m supposed to be saying or imparting to the person and that’s the mediumship part of my job.

I’ve see you do a lot of these readings, and you know what, there’s a torrent of videos on YouTube, for our listeners who are curious. I disappeared into a YouTube wormhole just watching your videos and it was wonderful. Is this exhausting for you?

You know what, as I’m getting older, yeh. It’s actually becoming a little bit exhausting. It’s really funny because when I was a kid, I started doing this when I was 15 – its been a couple of years, lets leave it at that – I remember having a colleague who was my mother’s age. I remember one night we were getting ready to do readings – she was in her house doing readings, and I was doing readings in my house – she said:

 

Are you seeing clients, tonight?                                    

Yeh. are you?

I am.                                                                     

How many clients are you seeing?

Three.                                                                                 

That’s it?

Yeh, that’s it. Why? How many are you seeing?          

Ten.

Ten? You’re reading 10 people today?                         

Yeh.

How old are you?

18.

Talk to me when you’re in your 40’s and see if you want to read 10 people a night.

 

So now that I’m approaching fifty I think back to that conversation to be like “wow”. And I can, by the way, just to put that out there, I can still do it, but it’s extremely draining.

That’s amazing. Do you ever connect with spirits from your own past? And do you ever use your gift outside of doing readings?  

I can tell you that my family and friends will come through, directly to me. It’s a little bit more difficult – I don’t have the objectivity that I do for a complete stranger, so I always get my own way, a little bit. But it is possible. They often try and come through in a dream. They’ll come through in a way that I’ll pay attention to it, peripherally, and in a dream state it’s very easy for me to pay attention to it.

Using this outside of my actual work life – I use it when it comes to looking at life, but not to know things about other people. For example, if you and I decided that we were going to go to a restaurant, somewhere in Australia, And you were like, “that table over there, tell me about those people”. I could do that. I could actually do that. But it’s not ok – its kind of not appropriate. Like you and I can find out where they live, too, and go inside their home without them knowing that we’re doing that – we could do that – but that’s not appropriate, either. So from an energetic standpoint, its no ok to enter somebody’s vibration without their permission. So I never attack read people – it’s not something I feel it’s appropriate. Unless its something somebody’s asked me to do it, it’s not ok to do that. So whenever I do use it outside of my clients, is looking at understanding lessons: what am I supposed to learn when something’s happening. You know, Jeeves you might have to add, for your viewers/listeners might have had experiences where there is a recurring theme, or pattern, lets say, in relationships. Let’s say if somebody who’s always getting involved with someone that’s attached. You’ll want to know where is that coming from? Well if someone looked at their astrology, if they looked at their numerology, if they went to a reading, they might understand why they are perpetuating a pattern of something, relationship, after relationship, after relationship. So just like that for a client, I would do that for my family. I would be like ok, what is it that my son’s supposed to learn? What is it that my wife’s supposed to learn? What is it that I’m supposed to learn? And I might look at things differently through an energetic lens – not so much in a predictive way - more of an understanding.

Yeh, I think that something that’s very relevant to our students here. Often I’ll come across people like “ah why do I keep doing this?? I’m like well, that sounds like a behaviour that you have to change…

And I think what really important for people to recognise is, and lets talk about energy, because that’s what we are, one of the times for me that I had an amazing time doing was I was invited to the University of Arizona to participate in something called the Human Energy Systems Laboratory. And it was where they studying energy, survival of consciousness, cellular memory, all of these types of things. So we did the double and triple-blind studies (they’re ongoing, I’m sure), but for me it was a really cool thing to do because I got a chance to dive into the world of studying energy. And I think from where we were back then to where people are now, when you look at what you’re doing at the university level, its kind of a microcosm of what’s coming next for you: it’s the social environment, it’s the learning environment, its emotional, its physical, right? How many people put weight on when they’re in the university setting cos they’re a little bit more sedentary if they’re not into sport. So how do you balance everything that you’re doing? That’s a conscious decision. So when you look at your choices, all of a sudden now you’re more engaged in your energetic decisions that’s what’s coming now. Your own thoughts manifests your reality. So that’s the way I look at energy. So it’s not just all “woo, woo, talk to dead people”, its understanding energy, the choices, creating a carbonate energy, and here’s a big one – boundaries – making sure people know that its ok to bounce someone’s butt right out of their life if its not a conducive relationship for them.

You’re sort of touching on a topic I’d like to cover, actually. Its very relevant to our student population about balance and choices and stuff. I feel like particularly now, at our university, a lot of our students are feeling stressed and Wellness has become more of a relevant topic – and a sort after topic. I’ve heard you often talk about people who have passed through suicide. What are your personal thoughts/feelings/wisdoms on suicide?

I don’t know about Australia, but in the States there was a Netflix release called 13 Reasons Why. I watched it and on my online show I had a whole discussion about it, brought on an expert in grief therapy in suicide to talk about the relevance and I didn’t like it. I didn’t like the fact that it was glamorised or glorified and it caused quite a debate amongst the people that were a part of the community that I was interviewing. So I think it's important for people to realise that suicide is never the answer. Suicide is a permanent solution to what right now could be a temporary problem and if anybody is hearing that and they’re feeling like they’re seeing that as an opportunity, let me tell you after thirty-four and a half years of doing the work that I do, nobody ever comes through and says “I’m really happy that I did that”. Nobody comes through and says “It was the answer. I’m much better now.” It quite the opposite, actually. People when they transition usually show me that its much harder and that everything they were trying to escape, they have to deal with, times ten. Deal with no longer in the physical world, where they can actually work through the classroom of stuff that they need to deal with, because they see life to be in the classroom, oh and by the way now we’re going to add on the grief and the responsibility that ripples out of the three generations left behind. So for the people who are feeling stressed that are hearing this, or are dealing with a lot of stuff, find someone to talk to that is outside of your circle you feel like isn’t going to be harassing you every single day because you opened up, but find a counsellor, find a suicide prevention hotline, talk to people, because like I said, it’s a permanent solution to what right now could be a temporary problem. And everything always feels harder in the moment. Take few breaths. Sleep on something. The next day it's always better.

That’s wonderful. That’s incredibly insightful, thank you for that. I’d like to ask you how you respond to sceptics and cynics about your ability?

I’m happy that you discern the difference between them, there’s two different answers. Cynics, I don’t really have the time of day for – I don’t really respond.

Cynics are people who dismiss it, right?

Not even just dismiss it, but come at you with mean vitriol – they’ll call you a fraud, they’ll attack your morals, they’ll define you personally and they don’t even know you, or have met you, they’ve never had a reading with you. It’s almost like they’re coming from an angry and hostile place – those people I have no time for. But the sceptical part – I want everyone to be that. And the reason I want everybody to be sceptical is I think that its really important, where we are in the world today, to be a critical thinker. And its really important for people not to join the group mind or the hive mind, or to become a part of a circular conversation where only the people that you follow agree with you, or the news media that you watch has the same belief system. I think its important to stretch, really stretch, and to question things. So I’ve been doing this work now for decades, but if someone walks up to me, if I’m in Australia, and somebody says to me “Oh I do what you do!” I don’t go “Hey mate, great! Let’s go hang out in the psychic club!” I don’t do that. Actually, my wall goes up and I go to the place of “OK, well hold on. I don’t know you and I’ve never seen you work.” So I’m going to restrain from agreeing with you until I see what it is that you do, unless I’ve seen you do what you do and I know you do it. So, we might share a philosophy but I would never say this person is the real deal unless I’ve actually had a reading with them, or I’ve watched them work and I can see the validity of their message. There have been places I’ve gone in this world where I have heard of the carnage left behind in the shadows of a person who’s done a reading – it’s horrible. And I literally say “That’s not real. What you had – I’m so sorry you had this experience – that person is not real” or they’re using their ability in a way that’s extremely negative and they’re making it a performance as opposed to somethings that’s an education. So I think its important where we are today, timewise, to be a critical thinker, to embrace scepticism, because it’s really what’s making you is an explorer. If you are an explorer, that leads to discovery, which could raise your awareness. 

After all, you were a sceptic, yourself, when you stated out, I believe.

Yeh and I still am! And that has not gone away. And that scepticism makes me go for a deep dive every single time I do a reading for someone because I have to validate the information, because that’s all I have. I could be in a room of a hundred people and I could be 100% right by the end of the night be cause someone in that room is going to be like “oh that’s for me!” and that’s not what I want. I want to be as close to 100% accurate with the information as possible. So you’ll see me in a live event saying “No, no. It’s not over here. It’s over here to that people.”

I’ll be honest with you John. I’m a little bit of a sceptic. I prefer to be a sceptic about everything, to be honest, but one thing I really like about your readings is that you’ll say something but you won’t try and fit it into what they’re saying and you’ll stand your ground saying “no, that’s not what I’m getting through.” Even if it’s a zero result, you’ll still stand with your convictions…

One hundred per cent. One hundred per cent. And thank you, honestly, you’re one of the few people who has actually interviewed me over the years to recognise that and not to do a kind of broad brush stoke when it comes to how psychics read. Because whenever somebody comes at me in a really cynical way and they say “oh its just a bunch of stuff just thrown to the wall” I’m like “you’ve not watched me work” because that’s not how I work. And I do do that and the reason is very simple: If there is a dog, sitting next to you, and I’m seeing a dog, that dog can never be a cat. It’s a dog. I can’t go “yeh, its got fur, and it’s a pet.” No, it’s a dog!

It doesn’t seem to me, that psychic mediums feel its too important to make believers out of everyone – my question is why? I mean if its real to you – you’re channelling in energy – why not make believers out of everyone?

Well you can only do what you do. For example, who’s you favourite singer?

Um, let's pick on Michael Buble for now…

Ok. Michael Buble is your favourite singer and Michael Buble has a beautiful voice. But somewhere, there is going to be someone who thinks he can’t sing. Somewhere there’s going to be someone who thinks he doesn’t have a really nice voice. Somewhere they’re going to say that they don’t like his songs or his style of music, right? Now, should Michael Buble seek out that grouping of people and only sing the songs that they want to sing in that style or should he just use his voice in the way that he possibly can to help the people - to entertain the people, in his case - in my case, help the people that he can? I think that’s the goal for me – I’m just going to do what I do, and I’m not here to convince of convert, but I am here to share. And I don’t mind being challenged. Like I said, I was part of a double-blind study. I don’t mind the challenge and stepping up because I think that when we’re challenged, we grow. But I won’t do a challenge where it’s ego-based, if that makes sense.

The thing is, my argument is that have you ever seen an environmental scientist fight tooth and nail to educate someone who doesn’t believe in global warming? But its happening. And the world would be a much better place if everyone was on the same page about it. So if everyone knew about the after life and knew where we were heading do you think everyone’s perspectives would change on stuff and we’d approach the world, differently?

I do, but that would mean that I would have to be in everybody’s family from birth on in order to help them establish from an early age what their belief system is going to be because they’re born into a pattern of energy and a frame of belief from birth to the family they’re born into, which means whether they’re Christian or not Christian, or Muslim or not Muslim, whatever it is that their philosophy that they’re born into, and wherever I’m hitting them in their life, where I’m getting them – they’re already established. So it’s trying to take somebody with an established viewpoint, that they’re stuck into – and by the way, let’s take non-believers and put them to the side – lets take people who are actually sitting in front of me who really want me to do it for them – but who are so grief stricken, they’re stuck in their own way. I can’t prover to a person that even wants me to do it, if its not what they want me to hear. So I can only do what I do. I can only demonstrate. I can only share what I’m getting and teach about it and hope that it helps and then try to disconnect myself from it because if I attach my ego to it, too much then it would be detrimental. It would be like going online and only reading the message board comments about what people say or literally taking your social media posts to heart and going like ”Oh my god! Toosieroll527 hates me. How am I going to sleep tonight?”

John, I’m a comedian; I’m completely on board with what you’re saying – some people you just can’t make laugh. Some people just wont find you funny. So you’re right, you’ve just got to do what you do. John you are coming to the State Theatre in Sydney in November. I’m extremely excited about that – you’re doing two shows. So what can we expect from you show? Is it a giant reading?

Um, it is a classroom. So it is a classroom that’s happening at the State Theatre. I’ve got two events that are going to be there. I don’t see them as shows or performances – they’re events – and they’ll be different. There’s a framework: I teach a little bit in the beginning; I answer questions for people in the beginning; I’ll read for as many people that are there that I possibly can. But the people who come through become the teaching tools for the rest of the group. And each night will be different – it will be two separate nights. In your world, you said you’re a comedian, right? So in your world, its improv, because the audience in front of you is different so if the audience gives you something different to work with, then your jokes will be different based upon who’s sitting in front of you. In my world its based upon who’s crossed over and coming through which will shift the dynamic, and you know, one event might be really, really heavy and emotional and one event might be really funny. I never know what’s going to happen. The only thing I know is what I’m going to get to when it comes to teaching and then it’s my job t try and leave them better than when I found them.

Wow. Well, either way, I’m sure it will be am amazing event to witness and people, if you are planning to go to it (I’m talking to my listeners), to go with an open mind and just enjoy the experience. What is it called? Evolve? Evolve is our online community, isn’t it?

Yeh, Evolve is my online community – it was the answer to when I left television, I decided I still wanted to have a platform to teach. TV, I did it and I kind of felt that I did it, then I was done with it, and I needed to something more on an educational level, and TV wasn’t going to let me teach in a way that I wanted to teach. You have to answer to people that say “No, that’s not what the audience wants. The audience wants this…” and I’m like “Well, my audience wants that.” So, I decided to go a little bit more niche. I decided to go online. So for the last thirteen seasons I’ve been doing something called Evolve with John Edward. So there’s 13 season online of me doing that show.

And that’s on Facebook, isn’t it?

There are some episodes that pop up on Facebook – there’ll be something there, but most it’s through johnedward.net.

Ah ok, cool. When you say “teach” is reading energies something you can teach? Is it something you can pass onto someone?

You can raise someone’s awareness, one hundred per cent, but I’m not in the business of training psychics and certifying people. That’s not my deal.

Yeh, I understand your children have some psychic ability.

They do! I have a son who will be seventeen in September. Just saying that I have to sit back and go like “Oh my god I have a seventeen year old.” I have a seventeen year old son, in September, and my daughter is going to be thirteen in January. Both of them are extremely intuitive. Both of them can legitimately do readings and neither one of them has an interest in doing what I do, professionally.

Hahahaha. “Wasted talent! Join the family business!!” - my parents would say.

No interest whatsoever. They’re on their own path.

John, this has been wonderful! I wish I had an entire day with you because I have questions coming out the wazoo!

Oh, thank you!  

Thank you again for the opportunity to talk with you. Friends! Go catch John Edward: State Theatre, Sydney. Friday, November 22 and 24. Bookings at Ticketmaster. John Edward, thank you very much!

Thank you.

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John Edward - Live Event

Sydney State Theatre

Friday November 22 and Sunday November 24

Bookings: www.ticketmaster.com.au