Sylvia Browne's earliest memory of her psychic abilities is knowing that both her great-grandmothers were going to die soon. She was 5 years old when it happened.

"It scared me to death," Browne said. "Thank God I had my grandmother there to help me through it."

Paranormal abilities run in Browne's family, she said. She believes the ability has a genetic component that is passed from generation to generation.

"My grandmother was my mentor," she said, "and my son, Christopher, has wonderful abilities."

So, how does it work?

"I don't have to turn it on," she said. "It's always there. I just open my mouth and it comes through."

Browne describes herself as both a medium and a psychic, and also as a spiritual teacher.

"Lots of people can be called psychics," she said. "Psychics have premonitions. A medium is a conduit between here and the other side."

Browne's work has a spiritual component which she said she feels is absolutely essential.

Some psychics don't mention God, Browne said, but "everything comes from God," she said, "why not this, too?"

She said much of what happens in our lives is a result of what happened to us in past lives. She describes herself as a "gnostic Christian." She taught in Catholic schools for nearly 20 years.

"I think Catholicism seeps into all religions," Browne said. "After all, it was the first religion.

"But do I think there's only one religion? Of course not."

She acknowledges belief in a loving God and tells stories about that God in her spiritual teaching. But her work is logic-based, she said, it is not left up to fate.

When talking about past lives, Browne said this life, the current one we have now, "is as bad as it gets.

"This is Hell," she said. "When you go through the tough parts in your life, it makes your soul grow."

A prolific writer as well as spiritual teacher, medium and psychic, Browne has authored 47 books and has been on the best-seller list 23 times. She researches her writings thoroughly, she said, citing two years of research on "The Life of Jesus." Her next book, she said, will be about Judas.

Browne will be at the Celebrity Theatre for an 8:30 p.m. show Saturday. This is her last tour of American cities, sharing her gifts with others. How does she conduct her live shows?

"Everyone (in the audience) gets a number. I call out numbers and people come up and I ask them to give me a category. Don't lead me, just give me a category, like romance or finances," she said.

Curiosity draws a lot of people to her shows, she acknowledged, but believes it's a sign of the times that people don't believe in psychic abilities, despite the popularity of the TV shows depicting mediums and their abilities.

"I say to people, ‘do your research before you consult anyone. Find out, do they belong to the Better Business Bureau, the local Chamber of Commerce? Or do they just have a tent, a magic board or a deck of cards they use for a while and then leave town?'"

"All of my proceeds go to my foundations; Sylvia Browne Enterprises, Sylvia Browne Corporation and my church."

Skeptics, she said, only want to deny the abilities of psychics and mediums. She said logic always wins in arguments with skeptics. Fakes and charlatans, who are in it for a profit, cannot stand up to skeptics. Browne said she has put herself through testing at several institutions, to verify her paranormal abilities.

One of Browne's more memorable readings came when a 5-year-old boy, who had been diagnosed with leukemia, came to see her. She said she took both of his hands in hers and told him in a past life he died of blood poisoning.

"Don't bring it with you to this life, I told him," she said. When the family returned home, and his parents took him for blood tests, all signs of the leukemia were gone.

"That was pretty remarkable," she said. "But that's the way it works. If you can leave the things that happened in past lives in the past, this life will be better. Sometimes you have to ask God for help, and because He is a loving God, he helps."

IF YOU GO

WHO: Sylvia Browne.

WHEN: 8:30 p.m. Saturday; club doors open at 7, theater doors open at 7:30.

WHERE: Celebrity Theatre, 440 N. 32nd St., Phoenix, four blocks south of the Loop 202 freeway.

COST: Rows 1-3, $85; Rows 4-13, $75; Rows 14-25, $50. Seating is in the round.

TICKETS: At the Celebrity Theatre box office or by phone, call 602-267-1600, Ext.1. Tickets will be held at will-call.