As I stepped out of the taxi that brought me to The Toronto New Age Centre, I felt both excited and anxious. It seemed to me, symbolically, that I was stepping into a whole new life and yet I couldn’t say why. I wondered what kind of people taught psychic development and what a psychic reading would predict for my future.

     The Psychic who was giving me a reading used colorful Tarot Cards. He predicted that within six months I would be leading a completely different life, have a different job, residence and friends. I couldn’t believe it, but I enjoyed the promise of a strange new life to come.

     As I stood up from my reading and glanced around the room, I suddenly received the impression that I would be in this same room giving readings just like these Psychics. “That’s crazy!” I told myself, but I filed it away in the back of my mind.

     I was very excited by what the Centre offered. In particular I really wanted to take the weekend course called The Mind Awareness Basic.

     From the Basic I learnt to meditate. More than just learning relaxation techniques, I was taught how to visualize the future I wanted so that it would come true. Mind Awareness taught some excellent human potential psychology about achieving goals and about communicating and relating to people. It was, however, the final exercise of the weekend that I remember most.

     Graduates of the Basic teamed up with new students, guiding them into the meditative state to do psychic diagnosis. Each student was given the first name only of some person who was sick or injured or debilitated in some way.

     My case was a man named John. The first impression I got was of a large man. The lungs appeared to be gray in my visualization, so I interpreted that as cancer. My helpers confirmed my correct diagnoses and then I blurted out, “This is John Wayne!” Again I was right, it was the famous actor. We went on to do two more cases, both non-famous, both accurate diagnoses. I was, the graduates said, a natural and gifted Psychic.

     After the course ended, I attended every evening workshop I could manage, where I learnt about Healing, the Aura, and such. We were taught a format for giving professional readings and exercised with weekly mystery guests. While I always did well giving readings in the class, I wasn’t ready to go professional. The very thought scared me to death. Instead, I kept practicing in workshops and attended small Psychic Fairs as a volunteer, helping out in any way I could. Just to be learning, practicing and associating with Psychics was enough for me.

     It was at one such mini-fair that I made my unexpected debut. The response of the public to advertising had been overwhelming but many of the scheduled Psychics had failed to show. Having seen me at The New Age Centre and having heard that I was good, the Fair’s organizer asked me to help her deal with the crowds by giving readings.

     I was trapped.

     I was very insecure about giving professional readings but too shy to say no. But my mentor at the New Age Centre, Dick Alterman insisted I was ready and I couldn’t let all the people down who were hoping for readings. From opening to closing that night, I did continuous back-to-back, twenty-minute readings and the impressions just flowed.

     A few years later I met Sandra Henry  who ran the Scarborough Psychic Center. We had a wonderful receptionist named Bonny, a meeting area for workshops, and each had our own office. I hosted an open line television show with Sandra where we did readings for people who phoned in. We gave radio and newspaper interviews. My husband Peter taught Past Life Recall, Lucid Dreaming, and developed The Psychic Self Discovery Workshop.

     When our friend Jack Deurloo decided to organize Psychic Fairs throughout Ontario, Peter helped with the organization, and I did readings.  At each location we held a Psychic Fair, I would leave word that the following weekend I’d return to teach the Psychic Self Discovery Workshop. My Psychic Fair clients were so happy with my readings that I always had a full class. During these Workshops I taught the same explorations you'll find in my book.

     It was an exciting time but also a grind. My days were inverted, as we worked at the office basically from noon to 9:30 p.m. and slept in late. Weekends were spent teaching and there was little time to relax. Any time that was not spent doing readings, regressions, or teaching, was spent developing promotional materials or marketing.  I wanted to start a family and I felt that the best way to do that was in a more relaxed fashion than the mad-paced world of commercial psychism. So I retired from the full time field and focused upon raising my two daughters.

     Peter and I published BEYOND INTUITION to provide a way for folk to explore their psychic ability on their own. I recorded four guided meditations to help you along, and I am hosting a Facebook Page where you can ask us any questions about using the psychic explorations in the book. I don't do readings at the moment, but both Peter and I are happy to guide the psychic self discovery of anyone using our meditations.

     Now it's your turn to discover your Psychic Self.

Jeanne began her personal exploration into the psychic field by joining the New Age Centre in Toronto.