Browne, Sylvia 1936-

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Browne, Sylvia 1936-

PERSONAL: Born October 19, 1936, in Kansas City, MO; daughter of Bill Shoemaker; children: Paul and Christopher. Education: Roman Catholic College, Kansas City, MO, M.A.

ADDRESSES: Office— Sylvia Browne Corporation, 1700 Winchester Blvd., Ste. 100, Campbell, CA 95008.

CAREER: Psychic, spiritual teacher, and author. Sylvia Browne Corporation, Campbell, CA, president; Society of Novus Spiritus, Campbell, CA, founder.

WRITINGS

(With Antoinette May) My Guide, Myself: The Psychic Odyssey of Sylvia Browne, New American Library (New York, NY), 1990.

(With Antoinette May) Adventures of a Psychic: The Fascinating and Inspiring True-Life Story of One of America’s Most Successful Clairvoyants, Hay House (Carlsbad, CA), 1998.

Angels and Spirit Guides: How to Call upon Your Angels and Spirit Guide for Help (sound recording), Hay House Audio (Carlsbad, CA), 1999.

(With Lindsay Harrison) The Other Side and Back: A Psychic’s Guide to Our World and Beyond, Dutton (New York, NY), 1999.

Sylvia Browne’s Tools for Life (sound recording), Hay House (Carlsbad, CA), 2000.

Soul’s Perfection, Hay House (Carlsbad, CA), 2000.

The Other Side of Life (sound recording), Hay House Audio (Carlsbad, CA), 2000.

Meditations, Hay House (Carlsbad, CA), 2000.

Life on the Other Side: A Psychic’s Tour of the Afterlife, Dutton (New York, NY), 2000.

God Creation and the Tools for Life, Hay House (Carlsbad, CA), 2000.

(With Lindsay Harrison) Blessings from the Other Side: Wisdom and Comfort from the Afterlife for This Life, Dutton (New York, NY), 2000.

Astrology through a Psychic’s Eyes, Hay House (Carlsbad, CA), 2000.

(With Lindsay Harrison) Past Lives, Future Healing: A Psychic Reveals the Secrets of Good Health and Great Relationships, Dutton (New York, NY), 2001.

The Nature of Good and Evil, Hay House (Carlsbad, CA), 2001.

(With Nancy Dufresne) A Journal of Love and Healing: Transcending Grief, Hay House (Carlsbad, CA), 2001.

(With Lindsay Harrison) Sylvia Browne’s Book of Dreams, Dutton (New York, NY), 2002.

Prayers, Hay House (Carlsbad, CA), 2002.

Conversations with the Other Side, Hay House (Carlsbad, CA), 2002.

Sylvia Browne’s Book of Angels, Dutton (New York, NY), 2003.

(With Lindsay Harrison) Visits from the Afterlife: The Truth about Hauntings, Spirits, and Reunions with Lost Loved Ones, Dutton (New York, NY), 2003.

Contacting Your Spirit Guide, Hay House (Carlsbad, CA), 2003.

Sylvia Browne’s Lessons for Life, Hay House (Carlsbad, CA), 2004.

Mother God: The Feminine Principle to Our Creator, Hay House (Carlsbad, CA), 2004.

Prophecy: What the Future Holds for You, Dutton (New York, NY), 2004.

Angels, Guides & Ghosts (sound recording), Hay House (Carlsbad, CA), 2004.

A Day in the Life of a Spirit Guide, Hay House (Carlsbad, CA), 2005.

(With Lindsay Harrison) Phenomenon: Everything You Need to Know about the Paranormal, Dutton (New York, NY), 2005.

Secrets & Mysteries of the World, Hay House (Carlsbad, CA), 2005.

(With Kat Shehata) Animals on the Other Side, Angel Bea (Cincinnati, OH), 2005.

The Mystical Life of Jesus: An Uncommon Perspective on the Life of Christ, Dutton (New York, NY), 2006.

If You Could See What I See: The Tenets of Novus Spiritus, Hay House (Carlsbad, CA), 2006.

Exploring the Levels of Creation, Hay House (Carlsbad, CA), 2006.

Light a Candle, Angel Bea (Cincinnati, OH), 2006.

(With Lindsay Harrison) Insight: Case Files from the Psychic World, Dutton (New York, NY), 2006.

Spiritual Connections: How to Find Spirituality throughout All the Relationships in Your Life, Hay House (Carlsbad, CA), 2007.

Secret Societies—And How They Affect Our Lives Today, Hay House (Carlsbad, CA), 2007.

Father God: Co-Creator to Mother God, Hay House (Carlsbad, CA), 2007.

ADAPTATIONS: Author’s books have been adapted for audio, including Life on the Other Side, High-Bridge (St. Paul, MN), 2000;Blessings from the Other Side, Simon & Schuster Audio, 2001;Past Lives, Future Healing, HighBridge (St. Paul, MN), 2001; and Contacting Your Spirit Guide, Hay House (Carlsbad, CA), 2005.

SIDELIGHTS: Sylvia Browne is known as one of the most famous spiritual teachers and psychics in the United States. She is the best-selling author of a number of books about her own psychic abilities, the world of psychic phenomena, and spiritual philosophy. Browne has touched a chord with fans and readers and is a publishing phenomenon in the area of new age and psychic teachings.

Browne quotes her spirit guide Francine in The Other Side and Back: A Psychic’s Guide to Our World and Beyond. The focus is on the intricacies of life and the spirit life with an emphasis on the age-old issues of why we are born, what our purpose is, and what happens after death. The author addresses more than forty major life themes overall, with advice on overcoming fears, and daily affirmations that people can make to improve their lives. She also makes predictions. Ilene Cooper, writing in Booklist, noted the author’s “cheerful, down-to-earth attitude about her gift and the state of our souls.” Referring to the book as a “comprehensive manual on living a spiritual life,” a Publishers Weekly contributor commented that it offers “ample fare for readers with a taste for comfortable excursions to the other side.”

Life on the Other Side: A Psychic’s Tour of the Afterlife has been compared to a spiritual travel guide by some reviewers. The author describes the afterlife, for example, providing details about buildings, concert halls, schools, and libraries. She also writes about how to get to heaven and discusses concepts such as reincarnation. Cooper, writing again in Booklist, commented: “For believers,. . . Browne offers a comforting view of the other side.” A Publishers Weekly reviewer called the book “a well-written and entertaining cultural bellwether.”

In Contacting Your Spirit Guide, Browne writes about her own life and how to recognize and contact spirit guides. A Bookwatch contributor recommended the book for “personal Metaphysical Studies reading lists.”Prophecy: What the Future Holds for You examines the role of prophecy in modern-day life and its historic role in mainstream religions such as Christianity and Islam, as well as in Native American religions and other beliefs. The author profiles prophets old and new and writes of her own prophecies. She also makes many predictions concerning the future of science, technology, and medicine. “In the end, all readers, even those skeptical of specific forecasts, can applaud the author for her strong spirituality,” wrote a Publishers Weekly contributor.

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES

BOOKS

Encyclopedia of Occultism and Parapsychology, 5th edition, Thomson Gale, 2001.

PERIODICALS

Booklist, July, 1999, Ilene Cooper, review of The Other Side and Back: A Psychic’s Guide to Our World and Beyond, p. 1898; May 15, 2000, review of Life on the Other Side: A Psychic’s Tour of the Afterlife, p. 1698.

Bookwatch, February, 2006, review of Contacting Your Spirit Guide.

PR Newswire, November 10, 2003, “World Renowned Psychic Sylvia Browne Explores the Spirit World in Indianapolis.”

Publishers Weekly, May 10, 1999, John F. Baker, “Beyond the Grave,” p. 25; June 28, 1999, review of The Other Side and Back, p. 66; June 19, 2000, review of Life on the Other Side, p. 70; July 5, 2004, review of Prophecy: What the Future Holds for You, p. 50; August 9, 2004, Daisy Maryles, “Browne’s Future Is Rosy,” p. 120.

ONLINE

43People.com, http://www.43people.com/ (December 17, 2006), brief profile of Sylvia Browne.

Sylvia Browne Home Page, http://www.sylvia.org/home/index.cfm (December 17, 2006).

[Sketch reviewed by agent, Bonnie Solow.]

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