Entertainment

Psychic medium Matthew Fraser shares insight on life after death

"As a psychic medium, I communicate with the dead every day," Matthew Fraser wrote in the introduction to his book, "We Never Die: Secrets of the Afterlife."

"As a medium, I help connect the living with friends and family members who have passed," he continued.

Describing his work as a mission to reconnect families and friends with those who have passed on, Fraser will bring his "Undeniable Proof of Life After Death" experience to the Maui Arts & Cultural Center's Castle Theater on Wednesday for an evening restricted to attendees 18 and older.

A New York Times bestselling author who has done readings for stars like Kelly Clarkson and Gloria Estefan, Fraser has conducted thousands of readings for people around the world.

"When I walk onto a stage, I have absolutely no idea who is going to come through, who in the audience I'll be drawn to or what they're going to say," Fraser explained. "There's no script, no preparation and no way of knowing what will happen until spirit starts communicating."

Fraser doesn't promise that every person in the audience will receive a message. No one knows whose name might be called, what memory might surface or what story might unfold.

"At a live event, there are many people hoping to hear from someone they love, and obviously, I can't physically read everyone," he said. "I've learned to trust that spirit knows who needs a message at that particular moment. I tell people to come with an open mind. You never know who might come through, and sometimes the most unexpected readings become the ones that affect the entire room."

Fraser said he can sometimes be bombarded with messages and must sift through them to determine what is relevant to share. "When I open myself up onstage, it can feel like several conversations starting at once. I might be hearing one soul, feeling the physical passing of another and seeing memories from somebody else. Over the years, I've learned how to slow everything down, lock onto the strongest connection and follow it. It's almost like tuning a radio until one signal becomes crystal clear."

In the books "When Heaven Calls: Life Lessons from America's Top Psychic Medium" and "Don't Wait Till You're Dead," he offers a deeper look into his work and the lessons he has learned.

Saying he began receiving messages as a young boy, Fraser reported how spirits came into his bedroom and tried to give him messages. "As a child, I didn't know I was a medium. I just knew I was seeing and hearing people who had died. I would hear voices when nobody was there, see people standing in my room and experience things that other children weren't experiencing. For years, I wanted nothing to do with it."

As an adult, he began working as an EMT, "because I wanted a career that felt grounded and completely removed from the spirit world," he said. "Eventually, I realized I couldn't keep running from this ability. Once I understood it and learned how to control it, the thing I had been most afraid of became something that could actually help people."

Asked about the role of spirit guides and angels in our lives, he suggested, "I believe we're surrounded by far more spiritual help than we realize. Our loved ones in spirit remain connected to us, but I believe angels and spirit guides serve a different purpose. They help guide, protect and inspire us throughout our lives. Their guidance can be subtle: an intuitive feeling, a vivid dream, an unexplained coincidence, a sign that appears at exactly the right moment or that inner voice telling you which direction to take. I also believe we have free will. Angels and guides aren't living our lives for us or making every decision. They're helping illuminate the path."

Is he able to turn it off?

"When I'm walking onto a stage, I consciously open myself up and invite spirit to communicate," Fraser responded. "When I'm finished, I close that door and go back to being a husband, a dad and a regular person."

Fraser will bring his "Undeniable Proof of Life After Death" experience to the MACC's Castle Theater at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday. Prices range from $51 to $71 with VIP tickets at $171 at MauiArts.org.