When Courteney Cox, Jennifer Lopez, Sean Young, Goldie Hawn, Jenny McCarthy and Adam Lambert need someone to help them know the future and/or connect with loved ones on the ‘other side’, they all go to world famous psychic medium Thomas John (http://www.mediumthomas.com)!
From writing best selling books, speaking in front of crowds of thousands, and predicting some of pop cultures biggest things (such as the divorce of Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes and the passing of both Whitney Houston and Etta James), Thomas has grown his reputation to the point where sometimes booking him for a reading has to be booked months/years in advance, and his ‘abilities’ have been the subject of countless studies.
The Levity Ball sat down with Thomas in New York to find out more, and to see what the future has in store (watch out Miley Cyrus!)…
How did you first realize your talents as a medium and decide to do this as a career?
As a young child, I would see energy around people and spirits. As a child, you think the world is the same for everyone, and I thought that this was how the world was seen. As I got older, I started to realize that not everybody saw the Spirit world the way that I did. When I was 8 or 9 years old, I realized that many people were uncomfortable with the energy that I saw around people. When I would talk about it, they would tell me to stop bringing it up.
What did your friends and family think when you first told them what you could do?
I never really told people what I could do. In fact, I didn’t realize I was different from anyone. I think my parents were very skeptical about it at first, but in time, they couldn’t deny it because it was so obvious that I was actually connecting with someone. The information that I received from my grandfather was accurate, clear, and could not be denied, so it was obvious that I was actually connecting with something. It wasn’t until I was much later—like 18 or 19 years old—that I realized that people did this professionally and made a living from it. That came much later.
Did you encounter a lot of skeptics when you first started out and turned your talents into a career?
Yes, and I still encounter a lot of skeptics. One of the important things to make a notice of is that there is a difference between skeptics and cynics. Skeptics are people who are open minded, but have not received enough evidence to believe in the Other Side. Cynics are people who don’t believe, but are not open minded at all. Skepticism is something I encourage. In this profession, it’s important to be skeptical. Like the profession of lawyers, doctors, and psychologists, there are people with a range of abilities, and there are some that are fabulous, and some that are not so fabulous, and some that are scammers and frauds.
What do you say to people who “don’t believe” in what you can do?
This work is not for everyone, and I completely understand people who can’t accept that what I do is real. It’s not for everyone. Just like some people enjoy different types of movies or music, I understand that for some people, this just doesn’t make any sense and it’s not helpful. I’ve even had people who have had excellent readings, but just really don’t feel very moved by it all. But for those who do believe and connect with the work, it can be a life changing and powerful experience.
What do you feel sets you apart from other mediums and individuals who can connect with the dead / predict certain things?
I feel that everyone who does this work is really part of a unique group of people, though in a way, we are all psychics and mediums. For me, I try to make this work relatable and down-to-earth. I don’t want it to be something spooky and scary for people. Everyone has the ability to communicate with Spirit, everyone has the ability to be intuitive and receive information from the other side. What I do is just a little more targeted and it comes to me a little easier. This is an ability that is just like shooting baskets or playing music—everyone has the innate ability. Some are born with it more developed, some people have to practice. It just depends. But we all have the ability to play music. In fact, on my website, I have a bunch of mp3 recordings that are designed to help people connect with their own innate intuition.
What is something people should be aware of when trying to hire someone like yourself elsewhere? How do you spot a fraud?
First, the best way to find a great medium or psychic is to visit someone who has been recommended to you by someone. I find that leads to the best readings. Approaching street psychics or gypsy storefronts is generally not a great way to get a reading. Also, look for someone who has some credentials—either they have written a book, publicly been in the media, or teach classes. People who are in the media and write books generally are not trying to hide something. Finally, go with your own intuition. A psychic reading should feel comforting and calming. When you leave the reading, you shouldn’t have more questions than when you started. The psychic should not be asking you lots and lots of questions. If the psychic reading feels wrong or bad, it’s probably best to stop the reading and leave.
Your new book, Never Argue with a Dead Person, is quite clever… Have you ever argued with a dead person? Also, tell us more about this new book…
The point of the title of the book was to communicate that those in Spirit love use, and they are on our team. They want us to succeed and be happy. They root us on. The book is 15 stories about what happens when I help clients and friends connect with the Other Side. The stories happen in my office and out and about in my daily life. There are all sorts of different situations and experiences. Every story has an overall message that the deceased person shares with the person I am reading. I tried to create stories that had universal messages and messages that everyone could understand and relate to. I wrote it realizing that many people may never get to experience an actual reading, so I wrote this book to really explain my process and how all of this works for me. I tried to be as detailed as possible. You can purchase the book on Amazon.com
Who are some of your role models in your line of work?
This work is very spiritual based so I tend to admire people in the spiritual field—to be honest, I do not follow the work of many psychics or mediums. Some of the great modern spiritual teachers of our time like Caroline Myss, Marianne Williamson, and Deepak Chopra inspire me tremendously. I am inspired by spiritual leaders who think about the implications of their work on humanity. We live in a time of great change and great fear, and if we are to correct the course of action that we are headed on, it seems clear to me that we are going to need to incorporate spiritual thinking and spiritual direction into our politics, government, and education. It can be no other way. I think my work as a intuitive guide and expert on the afterlife can be a piece of this, but it’s really much broader than this too.
What is the best advice you have ever received?
If you mean from a spirit or dead person, it’s probably been when they talk about the ultimate meaning of life. I think many of us struggle with our purpose here and why the world can be so challenging and so difficult. Many of the Spirits I have worked with offer guidance about the challenges we face in the world. Many Spirits share that the physical world is primarily about learning and spiritual evolution.
You have worked with countless celebrities… What was the scariest thing you ever predicted for one of these celebs?
I can’t talk about personal readings that I’ve given to clients because that would go against confidentiality. However, I don’t normally predict scary things. Of course, sometimes, the information that comes through might not be the happiest information. Sometimes there is information about health or finances that might seem scary or stressful. However, a good psychic, will always explains ways to correct or change a course that someone might be on. Someone that is a fraud or a scammer would say something scary, and then might suggest that you pay them X amount of dollars to remove it. That’s not how a legitimate psychic works.
You predicted the deaths of both Whitney Houston and Etta James… We are scared to ask, but who do you predict is on their way out next within the next couple years?
Celebrity deaths that I am seeing in the next two years (some surprises, some not): Betty White, Dolly Parton, Michael J Fox, Hilary Clinton (I see her being elected, by I see her having massive health problems), Burt Reynolds, and Miley Cyrus.
What is one thing in the world you would change if you could?
We are in a time of great change and turmoil in the world. Leaders of the world are shifting and evolving. One of the things that is very clear is that we have to renew our connection with spiritual direction and spiritual purpose. To that end, the spiritual side of things needs to come to the front of the line. The great leaders of our time—Martin Luther King, Lincoln, Kennedy—were spiritual thinkers at their core as well. I believe we have lost that in the current political climate. Our leaders are not spiritual thinkers, and I think in order to heal this world, religious leaders, political leaders, and spiritual leaders and teachers need to be organized in the same forum.
