T J Higgs: A Medium Rare

Tracy Higgs - An Extraordinary Medium

Psychic Colleagues - Colin Fry and Derek Acorah

Living with the Gift - Tracy's new book is out now

TV's Psychic Private Eyes

Religion never played a major part in my life when I was growing up and since I am someone who prefers sound evidence to flowery speculation, I’m not easily swayed by faith when facts serve me much better.

The world of the psychic medium is an unknown quantity for me and not one I have had much direct experience of in the past. But when the opportunity to meet with one of its leading lights was presented to me, I was sufficiently curious to take up the challenge.

After all, I have no definitive answer as to what might lay beyond this life but if someone was willing to enlighten me then at the very least I would listen. It would also be reasonable to suggest that as we grow closer to the inevitable end that awaits us all our attitudes change and many of us open up to the idea of something else existing “out there”.

Tracy Higgs (know as TJ Higgs to her fans and contemporaries) is one of the UK’s most celebrated modern psychic mediums and I had the good fortune to catch her act at the Shaw Theatre along with spiritualist colleague Colin Fry this December.

There is a natural calmness about Tracy that is immediately striking and she is very comfortable being both interviewed and also when up on stage before her audience. Her confidence clearly comes from a strong self-belief that seems unshakable despite the negative criticism that her profession can sometimes attract.

“I’m not in the business of trying to convince people to believe. If they don’t believe then they don’t need to come to me. You’re not going to get an atheist going to church so I wouldn’t expect to see a sceptic at one of my shows.”

My idea of spiritualists and mediums was based on an age old image of darkened rooms and hand holding round a table but Tracy’s approach is much more engaging and playful. She demonstrates a compassionate sense of fun when communicating with the “spirit realm” on stage and she openly invites the audience to participate.

“We are so far removed from the traditional Victorian image of spiritualism – rising tables and phantom shapes in the dark – because we are not about fear. We don’t want people to be afraid of the spirit world. We’re all going to end up there eventually so the last thing our profession wants to do is promote the whole thing in a negative fashion.”

Tracy Higgs was born in 1970, a young, sensitive child with a unique gift that her family did not encourage.
“When I was very little and I lived with my mum the event that really triggered a change in me was when my great-granddad died. After he had “passed over” I could still see him but this was not something anyone felt comfortable talking about. My mother was raised a Catholic and she constantly admonished me for what I said. In her mind this was one step too close to the devil.

“I was only 2 or 3 at the time of my first visions and life was not easy. Being different as a child presented me with many hurdles but I am convinced that the challenges I faced then played an essential part in turning me into the medium I am today.

“I didn’t realise my true potential until I was 30. Once I began exploring my “gift” my childhood started to make a lot more sense – things that I’d seen when I was very young all came together.

“For example, I could see energy particles in the air and I thought everybody could see them. I know what I know. I don’t try and prove it to everyone. I provide evidence, I don’t give proof. I am not here to prove anything. So as long as my clients keep coming to see me, and as long as I’m doing a good, honest job, I’ll continue to practice what I’m doing. I gave up a very good career to do this – I was a Sage accountant. Although at times it can be mentally exhausting I find great satisfaction with my work”.

Spending much time on the road and running a business at the Dragonfly Spiritual Centre in Waltham Abbey (a centre open to all those who wish to develop and understand their psychic and mediumistic abilities or would like to have a psychic, mediumistic consultation or healing appointment) I wondered how Tracy managed to juggle family life and her work.

“I have two sons, James, 22, and Ryan, 17. Ryan is more mediumistic than James, more connected to the spirit world. James can see and they’re both clairvoyant, but James channels it all through emotion and music, whereas Ryan uses it in his performing arts. James often accompanies me on the road; it is lovely to have such a close connection with my children”.

And yet despite all the assurances and fan adoration, I’m still plagued by the sceptical side of my nature. Is she talking to spirits or just able to connect in some unseen way with her audience? Was Tracy’s difficult childhood an excuse to throw herself into a world that only she felt connected to? Many young infants talk about imaginary friends; was this just another cry for help in a complicated early life?

Whatever the answer, I wouldn’t suggest for one minute that she is a charlatan because she has a genuine empathy and understanding for the people that come to her. Still, there remains something in me – even after what I have seen at her show - that prevents me from completely embracing the concept Tracy and her colleagues are promoting.

In the meantime Tracy continues to take advantage of the growing media interest in spiritualism and she has been featured on TV and in the national press. Aside from Spirit and Destiny, Fate & Fortune; Take a Break and Now Magazine,  she was on the X Factor during series two, which Shayne Ward eventually won, where she correctly predicted the top three.

She has also been on Richard and Judy and after being persuades by Colin Fry she joined him on Psychic Private Eyes – a TV programme which used psychics to investigate unsolved murders.

Ultimately, my time in her company was both enjoyable and unpressured and whilst I retain an open mind towards the subject, I will continue to follow Tracy’s progress with interest and if the topic takes your fancy then I suggest you do the same.

For more information and performance dates visit www.tracyhiggs.co.uk