AN INTERVIEW WITH JULIE

Talking from the heart, Julie McKenzie, a Natural Medium, Psychic, Author, Mother, Wife & Friend, has some inspiring & powerful words to share with us, “Allow no fear into your heart..” she says gently in this one on one interview.

Where were you born? Gladstone, Queensland

When did you realise you had the ability to communicate with spirit? I always had imaginary friends and often played with the fairies when I was young but, I was nearly four when I recall the first Angel I had ever met. I was in a car accident with my Mum and the Blue Angel helped me calm down as I watched Mum receive medical treatment. He was so beautiful and strong. I never felt scared as he held my hand. As I grew up with no electricty and the outback toilet I connected really quickly with animal and nature and it wasnt until I hit main stream school did I realise that my friends were not seeing what I was.

What are your likes? I love connecting with people and showing the world that even though I maybe a Psychic Medium there is much more to me. I am quite normal and have a beautiful life with a loving and fabulous family…and Yes I still loose the keys to the car occassionally…. but I want people to see that I am as normal as the person next to me but I have the extraordinary gift of being able to help people get that second chance to talk to their loved ones from the heart and I am 100% respect of this gift and the people I connect with! On an everyday level I love outdoors and nature, animals, horse riding, meditation, but on a more grounding note I like basketball, netball and most off all having fun with my family and kids.

What are your dislikes? I do not really dislike anything as I always try to find a positive to match and balance each situation. But on a everyday level, house cleaning (is good exercise though!) Now that is where i would love to tickle my nose and have my house cleaned magically!

Who inspires you the most? My husband and my children, my kids always look for the bright side and can let a grievance go so quickly. They have no fear and will try anything even if it means getting in trouble. My kids think it is worth it just to see what happens, what it feels like, (such as jumping out of a high tree). I learn so much for them. They teach me to sometimes look at the world through a child’s eyes. And of course my soulmate husband who loves, trusts and believes in me even though he doesnt have a psychic bone in his body. I have never met such a wonderful man who supports and love me so much. I thank him for letting me just be me!

Tell us a little about your family? I love my family they are so supportive of me. My husband helps keep me grounded, not to float off all the time with the fairies too much. My children help me float with the fairies. My Mum is so proud of me and helps me so much to look for the sparkles of life. My Sister and her family always help me in any circumstance and has always been there to catch me when I fall. I am so lucky to have such a wonerful family. Dont get me wrong yes we all still have a few disagreements but in all we are quick to heal and love one another. And My Dad in heaven who I love so much and has helped guide me through my life and my hearfelt passion as a Medium… I will be forever grateful!

How have the events in your life changed the way you live your life? I feel life is too short to worry about all the “what ifs and maybes in life.” The time is now; it is what is front of you that is the most important, not money, not career but passion and love to life after all We Dont Choose a Life… We Live One! I love to look and appreciate the good things in life as I believe that everything is a lesson and that there are no mistakes. I believe that we need to learn from our mistakes and move forward in life, to believe in who we are inside and follow our hearts true soul.

What is your favourite music? This is really grounding but my all time favourites are U2, Bon Jovi, Birdy, Coldplay, Adele, Florence & the Machine, Pink, Maroon 5 (ahh just so many artists because I just love music it is a soul cleanser!)…. But on a softer note I love Bliss, Sarah McLaughlin and Karunesh.

What is your favourite Food? Anything, I love food but mainly I love seafood!

What is your favourite film? Mist of Avalon. I have a real connection to these times. A past life thing!

What are you working on at the moment? I am workings on my next book ….. All will be revealed later in the year 2013..

Why did you choose to become a Psychic Medium? I felt this was not something I chose but something that chose me.  It is part of me! In my book Dancing with Spirit I wrote about my spiritual journey a autobiographical account of my life so far and how things I couldn’t explain kept happening to me from a young age into adulthood. I could see things that others couldn’t and knew things about people around me and people I had never even met that I couldn’t explain.  It felt strange at first when I really realised I was very different to others and what I thought was very normal was not normal for them. After many years and the fear of ridicule growing up I had to eventually trust and open myself up to helping others feel and understand what I could see.  People started coming to me asking me questions and asking for guidance about what was happening in their life.  Then people started to realise that I could see loved ones who had passed over and that was when I couldn’t fight it anymore people wanted answers and somehow they believed I could be the key to unlock the door to the other side. I started seeing and understanding that everyone has lost someone close to their heart and I understood that people need to know that their loved ones are okay and watching over them.  After a few years of helping people to connect I realised this was not just a passion of mine but My Life’s Purpose and something I was meant to share.  That’s when professionally I would read for people, teach workshops and write books about this subject. It was important for people to understand at our deepest and darkest we are never alone. Then in 2011 I won The Psychic of the Year – QUEENSLAND and later in 2011 I was in the Top 10 and appeared on a National Television Series ‘THE ONE’ – Search for Australia’s Most Gifted Psychic. Unfortunately I was taken out pretty early in the show but made life long friendships and believe this was only the starting block on my journey and there will be more televison for me in the future. I know people ask why television??? Is it the fame??? Well No its not about me… you see the most important part about television and other media is by being able to be out there on a global scale sharing my stories, sharing my gift with the world so people can see that there is life beyong what we know now. My guys up there have told me this is my life purpose to show my gift and let others see for themselves that we are not alone. Thats why I am called The Natural Medium, because I wasnt taught by anyone, I was never lucky enough to have a mentor I had to learn straight from up above because out in the country where I grew up there were more pubs on corners than psychics. However I love that now because I dont second guess and know my connection clearly and love to give true and accurate messaging.

Why do you give readings and demonstrate live shows etc.? I feel very honoured to help people find that connection to their loved ones. Sometimes my clients need closure or understanding to what exactly happened on the day they passed and sometimes they just need to know they are okay and they are loved or that they are sorry. Whatever it is needed on that day I try to do my best to help my clients understand their messages not just through Readings and Medium Shows but also through my touring with Workshops and my Books.  All of these aspects go hand in hand on a broader scale to educate and give people messages from beyond.  Spirit and our loved ones want us to be happy and live our life fully with no regret and this is why I love doing this!  To me it’s a lifestyle, mastering ourselves and practicing what we preach. I try to teach people to be more positive, loving and understanding to everyone around us. I teach that we must taking responsibility and ownership in our lives. When I do my readings whether it is a Live Medium Demonstration or a Private Reading either Face to Face or via the Phone I give my all to help people find the answers or guidance they look for bring clarification and understanding to the situation. I believe whole heartedly that when I do these readings I have my client’s life in my hands and I am working with real people with real emotions and real feelings. That responsibility is overwhelming and I honour them for having the trust and faith within me to open up and share their story. Sometimes in my Private Readings I can see and open up a connection or part of their life story that has been hidden for so long. They share with me their inner most vulnerability that they have and will never shared with absolutely anyone ever. Once we identify this issue they then find relief in being able to talk to someone and release their true feelings bringing the situation into the light. I then like to help my client find a support system to help them deal with these issues such as qualified counsellors, doctors and other therapists that may help them with their situation.  I feel sometime just helping them to open that initial connection can really help them on a healing path to release the pain and suffering this issue has brought to their life.

Does everything that come up in a reading strictly confidential? Yes definitely! Whatever is said in my Private Readings are strictly confidential.  It is no one’s business but theirs!  Even in my shows if I feel something has come up during the show that I feel is too personal I ask that person to see me after the show to bring up those issues and sometimes this can lead to me giving further clarification with the person and arrange a private reading at a time that suits the client.

How do you connect to the other side? This is a question I am asked all the time! I guess the best way to describe it is like it’s another language I have had to learn. I suppose just like sign language or charades. Sometimes I hear voices or see images or people who have passed. Other times I may see words written or have a physical feeling or sensation in the body.  Overall I use all our 5 senses of Hearing, Sight, Touch, Taste and Smell and I believe the sixth sense is Extrasensory Perception (ESP) or what I call a Knowing!  Using a combination of all the senses helps me to understand the messages.  I wish connecting with people on the other side was simple as the deceased loved one opening their mouth and telling it just as it is. But it is not that simple it doesn’t work with just one aspect but all of these aspects. Like a person who unable to speak I have to find another way for them to communicate their messages!

If you are a Psychic Medium Why can’t you win the lotto? Well of course I loved too, after all I am human! But unfortunately it doesn’t work like that! I remember when I was a child I would watch the television and call out the lotto numbers as they were falling and this unnerved my Dad a little he would ask how would I know the numbers and I would always reply, “I don’t know. I just know!” It would scare him enough he use to send me off to go and do other things ignoring what had just happened.  After a few times of doing this my Dad said to me, “Darling if you could get Daddy the numbers by lunchtime it would help a real lot.” I would always laugh and then say, “It doesn’t work like that Dad!” “Why” he would ask. “I don’t know why, just because!”  The funny thing is that is totally correct! If I could predict the lotto numbers I would only be letting in my ego.  I explain in length about ego in my book, ‘Dancing with Spirit’ but to explain a long story short imagine a tunnel flowing down and this tunnel contains all the light and energy that is a direct connection from you to the other side giving precise and accurate information all the time and now imagine the ego like a gate that can sometime close when ego is activated and this blocks the flow and closes down the information. This is when the ego takes control and there is no flow the messages are shut down.  We are all human and we all have ego so a psychics job to give direct and correct information is to distinguish what is flow and what is not and unfortunately thinking you have the gift that can automatically pick the winning numbers uses the ego so guess what? NO FLOW!  We are human and we too also have to learn our life’s lessons just as much as the person next to us.  I don’t claim to be perfect and I never will.  I just try to do the best I can and trust in my connection to the other side and recognise when there is no flow.

Are you 100% correct with every reading? No one in this world can do something for example a job or a certain skill 100% correct every time, so why would working with the Spirit World be any different. After all we are all human! We all have our good days and bad days and that’s okay! The Spirit world does exist and when you have done thousands of readings for people all over the world the ‘chances’ of guessing right is pretty low and when the direct hits about exactly how they passed or what age they died and sayings that were said etc come up these direct hits dont come from playing a game of chance I am pretty sure the word would get around quickly enough and these people drop out of this industry pretty fast as they have no credibility. Yes sometimes pressure interferes especially if have to give an answer under pressure such as what coloured undies is a certain person wearing today. Sometimes we get it wrong just the same as if someone was watching over your shoulder at work all the time looking that you have done the perfect job every single time.  I laugh when people ask me questions like that. I believe sometimes we just have to have a go and have some fun as we do not have to be so serious all the time! The big thing is to have a go!  Sometimes when we do this we can meet amazing people and have a ball of fun!

What do you say to Skeptics? As for skeptics I love them and think they play an important part of balance in our industry. They are like the investigators that search and weed the people who may be taking advantage of people for that thing called ‘money’.  All I say that it is important that the skeptic finds out the truth and realises that being a Psychic or a Medium is not about being 100% correct on everything all the time. But looks at the truth and assess the integrity and the honesty of each Psychic or Medium and understand how they go about their process before making a judgement. The skeptic should look for a pattern that the Psychic or Medium might actually have some insight or knowledge that doesn’t come from books and science and sometime can’t be explained or if they are simply as I like to say ‘Not cutting the mustard’. It is also their job to be fair and assess the factors and not to march out on a search and destroy mission. To quote a wonderful and funny man who is a professional sceptic, Richard Saunders (Judge on the Channel Seven series of ‘THE ONE’) “It’s not up to me to prove a Psychic does not have powers, but is up to the Psychic to prove they do!”  Simply enough some things cannot be explained and sometimes we have to agree to disagree as the debate can go on and on.  I believe Psychics and Skeptics can work together with each other to find a balance and we could research, explore and discover the secrets of this subject. However we all Psychics and Skeptics need to respects people’s rights to have an opinion on a human and dignitary level.  So let me ask you this? “If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?” This is a philosophical thought that raises questions regarding observation and knowledge of reality. Not everything can be explained. Not everything is set in concrete therefore there is still so much to learn! I believe it is important that we as Psychics and Mediums really have to trust in what we do and be responsible and respectful along the way. So remember life’s a journey so enjoy it live it in the good times and the bad if you stand up believe in yourself anything is possible!

Why is it important to give feedback to a Psychic or a Medium? I believe in a reading it is important to sometimes where applicable answer the questions some Psychics or Mediums may have when they do their reading. When I do my audience readings I like for them not to give me too much as I like to just trust on what I am receiving however sometimes as a Psychic or a Medium we may get stuck with something we can’t figure out such as a loved one who a have identified as someone’s father and I see the colour green around him and the number 835.  To me this makes no sense as I can’t quite figure out this part of the language or what this symbolizes.  The father shows me over and over again until it drives me nuts and I the person why I keep seeing your father and the colour green and the number 835. The person then reacts with joy and says his Ute was green and the 835 was part of his number plate. The person then tells me this was the sign I asked my father to bring through from the other side to know it was definitely him.  Instead of me taking up so much time trying to understand what he clearly wanted me to tell this person. They answered the question and we got even more details and moved faster through the reader. And for people who like a good bargain, time is money and when an appointment is only so long you can help the Psychic or Medium by confirming so they can travel through the reading giving you as much information as possible.  However you must make sure you don’t offer up too much as I know I still like to figure it out myself so make sure if you are going to a psychic or Medium make sure they make a clear statement first before they ask you why or how does this fit .  Sometimes readings can run like clockwork to time and sometimes readings run overtime. I find I like to make sure that my reading finishes when all the questions are answered and the client is satisfied.

How often should I have a reading? You should definitely not consult a Psychic or a Medium every week as this is not a healthy situation as the individual starts giving up the right to make their own decisions.  However having a reading every six months if you feel like it is fine. However most people only have one reading in a lifetime and some like to have a little guidance once a year. Another time to have a reading is if you gone through a loss and need to know that a loved one that has passed over is okay.  Whatever the reason always make sure you are not dependant and run your life according to a Psychic or Medium and if you feel you need that guidance each week maybe seek advice from a counsellor or a professional in their field.  When people say they pay too much for a reading I explain that this is not a weekly cost but something you pay for every now and again. Most good Psychics or Medium have in place a way to give back sometimes with no costs to the clients. I do alot of pro bono work that is not seen in the public eye as these are very private matters. I also quite often have draws giving away free copies of my books and even ticket to my Live Events.  I also like to give my help to people when they are going through a tough time or when they have lost someone suddenly.  Quite often I give people a little crystal angel or heart just to help them further on their journey.