My Spiritual Journey with Sylvia Browne

This week, the world witnessed the passing of a "Major Metaphysical Celebrity" on Wednesday morning: self-proclaimed "psychic" Sylvia Browne.  Her cause of death is being held close to the vest by her family; but it is quite possible that she died resulting from heart failure.  While she was attending a speaking engagement in Honolulu, Hawaii on Sunday, 20 March, 2011 she was hospitalized after she suffered a significant heart attack.  Of course, this shall remain mere speculation until these details are released.  It should be noted, however, that she died eleven years before she predicted she would on an episode of Larry King Live:  When Larry asked her if she knew when she was going to die, she responded, "Yes, when I'm eight-eight".  Of course, anyone who's familiar with her writings and some of her media appearances knows that she has long been adamant about her view that she is unable to glean any psychic insights about her own life, and how her life might end.  Where she came up with that number we may only guess.

I freely admit that I have long been one of Sylvia Browne's detractors within the Pagan community, but that wasn't always the case...I was also one of her most ardent admirers!  She first entered my life, as I'm confident she did with many people, each Wednesday afternoon on the Montel Williams Show.  I was at first skeptical of her "ability", but I gave her the benefit of the doubt because I rather enjoy paranormal-themed programming.  But, the more I sat and watched, the more I was astounded by her apparent accuracy!  I was to discover, much later, that I had been the victim of slick editing!

It was several years after my initial introduction to Ms. Browne that I came across a well-meaning website by skeptic, Robert Lancaster called StopSylvia.Com.  To my questing mind, however, I was able to dismiss a fair amount of his criticisms over her accuracy because no one is correct 100% of the time in every reading!  (This was before I was aware of the slick televised editing that gave the impression that she was far more accurate than she really was.)  But, it was not until I began to observe how she  infamously mistreats her staff and the people closest to her, when the cameras were off, that my perception significantly changed for the worse.  Some of her ministers call this realization, getting to know "the real Sylvia"!

One of the most spiritually heart-wrenching testimonies was given on behalf of a former member of Sylvia's church, the Society of Novus Spiritus (SNS), when he or she attended the week-long Accelerated Minister in Training program back in 2004.  During the first seminar Sylvia made it abundantly clear that each individual "satellite" church, as she called them, was not only expected to send monthly  $20 membership dues from each church member and 10% of any donations received back to Sylvia's headquarter, but that they were also expected to be financial autonomous.  This grossly contradicts what Sylvia has expressed during her many media appearances and lectures wherein she directly states that she uses the money from her extravagantly expensive readings (more than $800.00) to financially support her ministers and their collective mission.  In fact, Browne told her ministers for several years that the collected dues, donations, and book sales would lead to the foundation and construction of nursing homes, day care facilities, and soup kitchens, etc...none of which ever came to fruition.  This minister-in-training also described how each of the thirty-three invitees had brought heart-felt gifts with them: "These gifts were all from the heart, and meant to convey to Sylvia the love and appreciation we felt for her in our belief that she was the herald of a spiritual path that had changed our lives, one that promised to boost the spirituality and joy of all humanity."  Many of these gifts were handmade and held a great deal of sentimental value.  However, not only did Sylvia refuse to acknowledge the gifts, when the author and several of the other attendees returned from lunch they found that Sylvia's staff were picking over, critiquing, and walking off with the gifts.  No one was ever thanked for their generosity.  Indeed, the author was "shocked by this behavior [and]...by the apparent disregard for the feelings of those that had brought the gifts".

Another former minister recounted to Robert Lancaster of his own unscrupulous and equally heart-wrenching dealings with Ms. Browne.  Sylvia had brokered an arrangement with her satellite church from Delaware to vend a booth during a few of her speaking engagements throughout the north-east, with the understanding that all the money raised--save for a last minute "donation" of 25% sent to Sylvia's headquarters in California--would be kept by the local church for their support and financial needs.  As he and his fellow ministers followed Browne from state-to-state he began to observe the true face of Browne and her staff as the mask began to slip.  During the event in Philadelphia, PA. the members from the Delaware church were told that they would be allowed to have an informal meet-and-greet with Browne at the conclusion of the day's events.  As Browne was being escorted to her dressing room she was politely stopped by a senior staff member, which incensed the "psychic", at which point she was informed that her church members wanted a precious moment of her time.  This probably meant the world to the Delaware church members!  However, one of the minister's overheard Browne say, "Let's get this over with!"  As he [the minister] stood in the hallway with one of Sylvia's sons, Paul Dufresne, and her assistant--watching the Delaware church members present Sylvia with a card, a photo album from their church, and a specially made pin named after Sylvia's own granddaughter, Angelia--he heard them make the disparaging comment to each other, "These freaks only come out at night!"  Sylvia, herself, showed no interest in her gifts and pushed them to the side before handing them dismissively to an assistant.  As she was escorted out of the building, she was heard saying, "Get me the Hell out of here!"

At one point, during an engagement in Atlantic City, NJ. this minister became acquainted with Browne's driver, who is an Asian-American, and learned that in her career she was once shot at!   During another rare private moment with Browne her minister mentioned to her the travails of her driver, at which she barked, "I wanted to shoot her myself because she was a stupid bitch who couldn't find the right convention center!"  Then she and her son, Paul, made some racist comments about their driver "no speak English" because she has a pronounced accent, that she was too stupid to drive, and Browne herself made the remark that the driver "probably couldn't find her way around because her eyes were too squinty!"  The following day, however, it was announced that Browne would be taking all of the money and credit card receipts that the Delaware church had raised back with her to California, but with the understanding that they would be sent their cut of the proceeds when they had been calculated.  The church's cut would have been well over $1000, and they never did receive one penny of the funds that they had raised.  When speaking with another minister over the phone he discovered that it was not uncommon for her staff and ministers to heft luggage filled with cash to the airport after these engagements, and also that  Browne is frequently hostile and abusive to her staff, ministers, and even to her own children.  Indeed, he likened her to the fictitious character "Miranda Priestly" from the film, The Devil Wear's Prada!

As if this was not salacious enough, shorty after the publication of her book Secrets and Mysteries of the World (Hay House, 2005), she was discovered to have plagiarized a significant portion of it from--ironically enough--an article by Joe Nickell featured in the magazine, Skeptical Inquirer from the July/ August, 1998 edition!  In a review of Browne's book, Nickell writes:

...it is Browne's ideas on the Shroud of Turin (the reputed burial cloth of Jesus) that interests me most.  She shows some admirable skepticism, concluding: "I believe that the Shroud is a representation and not a true relic--but I don't think that should put a dent in our Christian faith" (199).  Citing a fourteenth-century bishop's report that the image was painted, Browne writes (196):

"If the Shroud were in fact painted, it would explain some image flaws that have always raised questions.  For example, the hair hangs as for a standing rather than a reclining figure; the physique is unnaturally elongated (like figures in Gothic art); and the 'blood' flows are unrealistically neat (instead of matting the hair, for instance, they run in rivulets on the outside of the locks).  You see, real blood soaks into cloth and spreads in all directions rather than leaving picturelike images." (sic.)

I found that passage intriguing since I had written:

"That the Shroud is indeed the work of a medieval artist would explain numerous image flaws.  For example, the physique is unnaturally elongated (like figures in Gothic art).  Also the hair hangs for a standing rather than recumbent figure...everywhere the 'blood' flows are unrealistically neat.  Instead of matting the hair, for instance, they run in rivulets on the outside of the locks...In addition, real blood soaks into cloth and spreads in all directions, rather than leaving picturelike images." (sic.)

Now the shared phrasing between Browne's passage and mine may give new meaning to the term ghost-written.  Considering the book's lack of any reference to my article, one may wonder: Has Francine stooped to plagiarism?

I am fairly certain that this level of depravity is not what Z. Budapest had in mind when she fought to repeal the statute criminalizing the practice of fortune-telling in Browne's home state of California.  In fact, the symbol for Browne's church is a pyramid with three interlocking rings.  Each bar of the pyramid is inscribed with one of the following words that crystalize the core values of SNS: Gratitude, Loyalty, Commitment.  While these are certainly laudable, I cannot see how Sylvia Browne embodied them in any meaningful way considering the events that I have described!  She has unfortunately shown herself to be ungrateful, uncommitted to anyone but her own financial desires (she owned more than one multi-million dollar home!), and she appeared less than loyal to anyone save for herself.  Since her passing I have been asked why I seem to be so harsh with her?  And, in all honesty, I am continuing to speak out against her so that her unfortunate legacy is never forgotten.

I sympathize deeply for her friends and her family; but not for her.  By the end of her life she was making millions of dollars by lying to the innocent and the grief-stricken, as well as exploiting her ministers and their churches.  What has always worried me is that people might judge us as frauds because of people like her.  But, I am not so naive that I am not aware of another factions within the Pagan community that insists it is a "sin" to question Browne--and probably any "Celebrity Psychic"--because, to them, it is an acknowledgment of a lack of faith in psychic ability itself (a self-depreciating act) to the world at large.  On the other hand, however, it is my faith in psychic ability that has led me to speak out against the fraudulent "mediums" when I encounter them, because they cause just as much damage to us and our image by association.  As a servant of the Old Gods, I consider it a Sacred Charge to expose these frauds when I encounter one!  Browne once said of her believers, to her first husband, "Screw 'em.  Anybody who believes this stuff ought to get taken."  I consider this mistreatment by Browne and her staff to be a Social Injustice, and my Piscean heart cannot abide that behavior.  I must speak out against it.  Am I happy that she is dead?  Of course not.  Will I mourn her passing?  No.  She does not deserve my grief.  That is reserved for those whom she has exploited, bullied, manipulated, and lied to all in the name of faith and religion.  Indeed, to use someone's faith as a tool for manipulation, and as a weapon, is utterly deplorable and inexcusable!  It saddens me to know that many of her supporters, including some Pagans, will turn a blind eye to anyone that writes a detraction of the late Ms. Browne, despite the fact that the people whom they ought to be heeding are those that knew her best: her former ministers and staff members.

What else can I say of Sylvia Browne, other than that she was once a very minor stepping stone in my own individual spiritual journey as I explored the spiritual world and made my own mistakes along the way, but finally arriving with a steadfast resolve to worship the gods of old?  And so, for that saving grace, I wish her a bittersweet adieu.  Good bye my former friend and part-time adversary!  I pray that the Mysteries you once encouraged your readers to seek out for themselves are finally at your own infamous fingertips...even if you did not believe in them.