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Browne has often spoken of working with the police and [[FBI]] as a [[psychic detective]], but according to The [[Skeptics Dictionary]], in 21 of Browne's 35 cases, the details she gave were too vague to be verified, and in the remaining 14 Browne played no useful role. <ref name="Skepdic Psychdet">{{cite web | url = http://skepdic.com/psychdet.html | title = psychic detective, blue sense| accessdate = 2007-02-01 | author = Skeptics Dictionary}}</ref>
Browne has often spoken of working with the police and [[FBI]] as a [[psychic detective]], but according to The [[Skeptics Dictionary]], in 21 of Browne's 35 cases, the details she gave were too vague to be verified, and in the remaining 14 Browne played no useful role. <ref name="Skepdic Psychdet">{{cite web | url = http://skepdic.com/psychdet.html | title = psychic detective, blue sense| accessdate = 2007-02-01 | author = Skeptics Dictionary}}</ref>



==Bibliography==
*Browne, Sylvia; & Antoinette May (1990). ''Adventures of a Psychic'' Carlsbad, CA: Hay House, Inc. ISBN 0-7394-0178-5
*Browne, Sylvia; & Harrison Lindsay (1999). ''The Other Side and Back: A Psychic's Guide to Our World and Beyond'' New York, NY: Signet. ISBN 0-451-19863-8
*Browne, Sylvia; & Harrison Lindsay (2000). ''Life on the Other Side: A Psychic's Tour of the Afterlife'' Dutton Adult. ISBN 0-525-94539-3
*Browne, Sylvia; (2000). ''God, Creation, and Tools for Life'' Carlsbad, CA: Hay House, Inc. ISBN 1-56170-722-8
*Browne, Sylvia; (2000). ''Astrology Through A Psychic's Eyes'' Carlsbad, CA: Hay House, Inc. ISBN 1-56170-720-1
*Browne, Sylvia; (2000). ''Meditations'' Carlsbad, CA: Hay House, Inc. ISBN 1-56170-719-8
*Browne, Sylvia; & Harrison, Lindsay (2000). ''Blessings From the Other Side'' New York, NY: New American Library. ISBN 0-525-94574-1
*Browne, Sylvia; (2000). ''Souls Perfection'' Carlsbad, CA: Hay House, Inc. ISBN 1-56170-723-6
*Browne, Sylvia; & Harrison, Lindsay (2001). ''Past Lives, Future Healing'' New York, NY: New American Library. ISBN 0-451-20597-9
*Browne, Sylvia (2001). ''The Nature of Good and Evil'' Carlsbad, CA: Hay House, Inc. ISBN 1-56170-724-4
*Browne, Sylvia (2002). ''Prayers'' Carlsbad, CA: Hay House, Inc. ISBN 1-56170-902-6
*Browne, Sylvia (2002). ''Conversations With the Other Side'' Carlsbad, CA: Hay House, Inc. ISBN 1-56170-718-X
*Browne, Sylvia; & Harrison, Lindsay (2003). ''Visits form the Afterlife'' New York, NY: New American Library. ISBN 0-525-94756-6
*Browne, Sylvia; & Harrison, Lindsay (2003). ''Book of Dreams'' New York, NY: Signet. ISBN 0-451-20828-5
*Browne, Sylvia; (2003). ''Book of Angels'' Carlsbad, CA: Hay House, Inc. ISBN 1-4019-0193-X
*Browne, Sylvia; (2004). ''Mother God: The Feminine Principle to Our Creator'' Carlsbad, CA: Hay House, Inc. ISBN 1-4019-0309-6
*Browne, Sylvia; (2004). ''Lessons For Life'' Carlsbad, CA: Hay House, Inc. ISBN 1-4019-0087-9
*Browne, Sylvia; & Harrison Lindsay (2004). ''Prophecy: What the Future Holds for You'' New York, NY: Dutton. ISBN 0-525-94822-8
*Browne, Sylvia; (2005). ''Contacting Your Spirit Guide'' Carlsbad, CA: Hay House, Inc. ISBN 1-4019-0532-3
*Browne, Sylvia; (2005). ''Secrets & Mysteries of the World'' Carlsbad, CA: Hay House, Inc. ISBN 1-4019-0458-0
*Browne, Sylvia; (2005). ''Phenomenon: Everything You Need to Know About the Paranormal'' New York, NY: Dutton. ISBN 0-525-94911-9
*Browne, Sylvia; & Dufresne, Chris (2005). ''Animals on the Other Side'' Cincinnati, OH: Angel Bea Publishing. ISBN 0-9717843-4-5
*Browne, Sylvia; (2006). ''If You Could see What I See: The Tenets of Novus Spiritus'' Carlsbad, CA: Hay House, Inc. ISBN 1-4019-0648-6
*Browne, Sylvia; (2006). ''Exploring the Levels of Creation'' Carlsbad, CA: Hay House, Inc. ISBN 1-4019-0891-8
*Browne, Sylvia; (2006). ''Insight: Case Files from the Psychic World'' New York, NY: Dutton. ISBN 0-525-94955-0
*Browne, Sylvia; (2006). ''The Mystical Life of Jesus'' New York, NY: Dutton. ISBN 0-5259-5001-X
*Browne, Sylvia; (2006). ''Light A Candle'' Angel Bea Publishing. ISBN 0-9717843-6-1
*Browne, Sylvia; & Dufresne, Chris (2006). ''Christmas in Heaven'' Angel Bea Publishing. ISBN 0-9777790-0-9
*Browne, Sylvia; (2007). ''Father God'' Carlsbad, CA: Hay House, Inc. ISBN 978-1-4019-0533-0
*Browne, Sylvia; (2007). ''Spiritual Connections'' Carlsbad, CA: Hay House, Inc. ISBN 978-1-4019-0881-2
*Browne, Sylvia; & Harrison, Lindsay (2007). ''Psychic Children'' New York, NY: Dutton. ISBN 978-0-525-95013-4
*Browne, Sylvia; (2007). ''Secret Societies'' Carlsbad, CA: Hay House, Inc. ISBN 978-1-4019-1675-6
*Browne, Sylvia; & Dufresne, Chris (2007). ''Spirit of Animals'' Angel Bea Publishing. ISBN 0-9777790-1-7
*Browne, Sylvia; (2007). ''The Two Marys'' New York, NY: Dutton. ISBN 978-0-525-95043-1


==See also==
==See also==

Revision as of 19:39, 29 March 2008

Sylvia Browne
Born (1936-10-19) October 19, 1936 (age 87)
Kansas City, Missouri
Occupation(s)self described psychic and medium
ChildrenChristopher Dufresne, Paul Dufresne
Websitewww.sylvia.org

Sylvia Browne (born Sylvia Celeste Shoemaker October 19, 1936) is a best-selling American author on the subject of spirituality and is a celebrity psychic and medium.[1]

She is a weekly guest on The Montel Williams Show and hosts her own hour-long show on Hay House Radio, discussing paranormal issues and giving callers advice in her role as a psychic.

Critics such as James Randi have argued that Browne uses mentalist techniques to produce the illusion of mind reading and clairvoyance. Reports about her false predictions and claims have appeared in several newspapers.[2][3][4]

Biography

Browne was born in Kansas City, Missouri to Bill and Celeste Shoemaker; she is the eldest of two daughters.[5] Her father was Jewish and had many jobs including mail delivery and jewelry salesman, and was vice president of a major freight line. Her mother was Episcopalian,[6] and her maternal grandmother Ada Coil was a devout Lutheran.[6] To establish stability; the family decided to convert to Roman Catholicism and they were all baptised together when Browne was a young girl, [citation needed] but Browne said in 2001 that she was Jewish. [7]

Browne says that visions started appearing when she was three years old and that her grandmother Ada Coil, who she said was a psychic medium, helped her understand why she had them. Browne also asserts that her great-uncle also says to be a psychic medium and was “rabid about UFOs.”[8]

Browne began giving psychic readings in 1974 and has attracted followings of supporters and detractors.[5] She has given thousands of one-on-one readings and with a wide variety of groups and individuals; as of 2007, she charges $750 for a 20-30 minute telephone reading.[9] Browne claims to have provided information to police departments and the FBI. [7]

Marriage and children

She was married to Gary Dufresne from April 1959 until 1972, and is divorced from Kenzil Dalzell Brown. Sylvia acquired the surname Brown during the third of her four marriages, and enhanced it with a final e for her professional name.[10] In September 2002 she and Larry Lee Beck ended their marriage.[11]

Sylvia says her son Christopher is psychic, and attributes this to a genetic predisposition.[12] Her website says "If Sylvia is the best psychic around - then Chris is the second best."[13]


Television and radio

Browne is a frequent guest on US television and radio programs. She has appeared numerous times on Larry King Live as well as the Montel Williams Show and Coast to Coast AM. In 2005 Browne told Newsweek that Larry King, a believer in the paranormal, asked her to do private psychic readings.[14] During these appearances she usually discusses her abilities with the host and then performs readings of audience members or callers.

On some occasions other guests at her appearances have included skeptics, with James Randi being one of the more frequent. These shows often feature verbal sparring between the two, with both trying to convince the audience that the other is wrong. In March 2004, their feud escalated on the popular St. Louis radio program, The Paul Harris Show, when Randi came out and called Browne a liar.[15]

Browne has also appeared on the television soap opera The Young and the Restless as herself in December 2006.[16]

Books, business, and church

Browne is the head of the Sylvia Browne Corporation, Sylvia Browne Enterprises, and the founder of a church in 1986 in Campbell, California, known as the Society of Novus Spiritus.

According to its website, the church employs forty ministers, though only a small number are actually paid employees, and those who are paid also work for Sylvia Browne Corporation and Sylvia Browne Enterprises, and are members of the Board of Directors of Novus Spiritus.

Novus Spiritus refers to itself as "Gnostic Christian."[13] It states that it follows the same traditions and teachings which Jesus himself followed, yet does not exclude Buddhism, Judaism, Islam, or Hinduism. The society teaches the Biblical works of Jesus Christ while also incorporating the Gnostic Gospels (ex: Gospel of Mary Magdalene), and says that while the Bible is a "marvelous book" and should be used as a teaching tool, it is not the "unaltered word of God".[17]

Novus Spiritus Study Groups and Churches are not allowed to teach anything other than what Sylvia Browne has written, thus excluding any other religious or spiritual texts.

The tenets of the church have expanded, as discussed in her 2006 book "Exploring the Levels of Creation", including the idea of a "Mother God" and "Father God". She further elaborated about this during a segment on the Montel Williams show while promoting the book. [18]

Though Sylvia Browne claims publicly to support her forty ministers and churches, neither she or Novus Spiritus has financially supported any of the satellite churches that were formed. These churches rely solely on their founding ministers for funding, and they are required to send money to Novus Spiritus headquarters in Campbell, California. These churches are also required to purchase all of their material (Study Group Books, Sylvia Browne Books, etc.) from Novus, and are only allowed to cover and teach Sylvia Browne's written work.

In 1992, Browne and her estranged husband were indicted on several charges of investment fraud and grand theft.[19] The Superior Court of Santa Clara County, California, found that Browne and her husband sold securities in a gold-mining venture under false pretenses.[19] In at least one instance, they told a couple their $20,000 investment was to be used for immediate operating costs.[20] Instead, the money was transferred to an account for their Nirvana Foundation for Psychic Research.[19] Browne pled no contest to securities fraud and was indicted on grand larceny in Santa Clara County, California on May 26 1992.[21]

Sylvia and her estranged husband Kenzil Dalzell Brown pleaded no contest to a felony charge of "sale of security without permit," made restitution, and received one year probation each.[19] Dalzell's disposition included "County Jail 4 months with credit for time served of 21 days," while Sylvia's included 200 hours of community service.[19]

Criticism and controversy

Main article: Criticism of Sylvia Browne

Sylvia Browne has been involved in numerous controversies regarding her claims and predictions. She has had a long-running feud with skeptic James Randi, who has said that her readings are indistinguishable from those achieved by mentalists using cold and hot reading techniques. In addition, reports about her psychic abilities by independent observers and the press have cast doubts on them.[22] Her first husband, Gary Dufresne, said in a February 10, 2007 interview that he does not think Sylvia has any paranormal abilities, and that she admitted it, saying that the gullible deserve to be taken advantage of.[22][23] Also supporting this conclusion are several incorrect predictions shown when the actual truth was revealed through other than psychic means, including those of Holly Krewson,[24][25] Opal Jo Jennings,[26] Lynda McClelland,[27] Ryan Katcher,[28] and Shawn Hornbeck.[29]

Browne has often spoken of working with the police and FBI as a psychic detective, but according to The Skeptics Dictionary, in 21 of Browne's 35 cases, the details she gave were too vague to be verified, and in the remaining 14 Browne played no useful role. [30]


See also

References

  1. ^ Browne, Sylvia. "About Sylvia Browne". Retrieved 2007-01-02.
  2. ^ Roeper, Richard (22 January 2007). "Be not deceived: Psychics are in it for the cash, nothing more". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved 2007-01-31.
  3. ^ Boyle, Christina (18 January 2007). "She told them boy was dead: Crystal ball fails psychic in Mo. kidnap". New York Daily News. Retrieved 2007-01-31. (Link dead as of 8 April 2007)
  4. ^ Wright, Leif (25 January 2007). "Leif Wright column: Dupe or no dupe: Show exposes the superstition in nearly all of us". Muskogee Phoenix. Retrieved 2007-01-31.
  5. ^ a b Dulin, Dann (December 2005). "Soul Advice". A&U Magazine. Retrieved 2006-08-18.
  6. ^ a b Browne, Sylvia; & Antoinette May (1990). Adventures of a Psychic. Carlsbad, CA: Hay House, Inc. ISBN 0-7394-0178-5
  7. ^ a b King, Larry (March 6 2001). "Are Psychics for Real?". CNN/Larry King Live. Retrieved 2006-08-18. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  8. ^ Browne, Sylvia (2005). Secrets & Mysteries of the World. Hay House. pp. 94–96. ISBN 1401900852.
  9. ^ "Sylvia Browne". Official website. Retrieved 2007-10-25.
  10. ^ Nickell, Joe (September 2005). "Sylvia Browne's Latest: Ghost-Written?". Skeptical Inquirer. Retrieved 2007-03-15.
  11. ^ Santa Clara County Court, Number: 1-02-FL-104268, Larry Lee Beck And Sylvia Celeste Browne, Dissolution Of Marriage/No Minor Children
  12. ^ "Sylvia Browne". Official website. Retrieved 2007-10-25.
  13. ^ a b "Novus Spiritus- FAQ". Novus Spiritus, Founder Sylvia Browne. 2006. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |retrieved= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  14. ^ Setoodeh, Ramin (January 14 2005). "Predictions: Jacko Convicted, But Blake Gets Off". Newsweek. Retrieved 2007-01-31. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  15. ^ Browne vs Randi March 2003 The Paul Harris Show "Instead, she's been spreading lies about Randi, who has been holding his tongue, but has now decided to fire back at her both on his website and on my radio show -- with no holds barred."
  16. ^ Adams, Diane. "Young and the Restless Recap: [[December 18]] [[2006]]". Retrieved 2007-01-28. {{cite web}}: URL–wikilink conflict (help)
  17. ^ "Novus Spiritus- The Bible". Novus Spiritus, Founder Sylvia Browne.
  18. ^ [1] transcript of segment available from StopSylviaBrowne.com.
  19. ^ a b c d e Nickell, Joe (2004). "Psychic Sylvia Browne once failed to foresee her own criminal conviction". Skeptical Inquirer. Retrieved 2006-08-18.
  20. ^ "Spiritualist, Ex-Husband Plead No Contest in Securities Case" by Bill Romano, San Jose Mercury News March 9, 1993
  21. ^ "Psychic Gets 1-Year Probation For 'Good Feelings' About Venture," by Sandra Gonzales San Jose Mercury News December 18, 1993
  22. ^ a b Is she for real? Saturday October 27, 2007, The Guardian by Jon Ronson
  23. ^ "Interview: Gary and Ree Dufresne". StopSylviaBrowne.com. March 15, 2007. Retrieved 2007-03-15.
  24. ^ Hughes, Joe (March 24, 2007) Remains found in 1996 finally identified, signonsandiego.com
  25. ^ Turegano, Preston (November 27, 2002) Psychic Wrong?, signonsandiego.com
  26. ^ "Opal Jo Jennings: Reading on the Montel Williams Show". StopSylviaBrowne.com.
  27. ^ Fuoco, Michael (March 18, 2003) N. Braddock man held in mother-in-law's killing, post-gazette.com
  28. ^ Lancaster, Robert Sylvia Browne gives a reading to a woman whose son is missing., stopsylviabrowne.com
  29. ^ Sigman, Leroy (2003-02-27). "Psychic's clues lead to new searches, but no luck". Daily Journal Online. Retrieved 2007-01-20.
  30. ^ Skeptics Dictionary. "psychic detective, blue sense". Retrieved 2007-02-01.
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