AT just three years old Louise Maginnes began having visions and hearing things other people couldn’t.
By her teens Lisburn woman Louise, 38, was sensing tragedy and predicting the death of people’s loved ones.
Now a spiritual energy healer and psychic medium Louise has published her remarkable journey from her troubled childhood through exploring her gifts to becoming a spirit counsellor in her book Angels, Demons and Me.
The mother of seven’s autobiography is more than a life story – it’s a story of endurance and joy.
“I hope that by reading Angels, Demons and Me you not only gain a deeper understanding of who I am and how I developed my gifts but that you will also have a better understanding of some of those gifts themselves” said Louise.
“Maybe some will find comfort in the pages, there might even be a smile or two. One thing I do hope is that this book will encourage others who may have had similar experiences know that they are not alone.”
Louise believes her journey began at just three years old when she started having visions that no one else could see.
“Having visions of people around me that no one else saw is one of my oldest memories” she explained.
“I’m lucky to be able to remember incidences as far back as when I was three years old. That’s when the visions began, in the following years the voices too.
“I think I was about eight when I finally realised that others couldn’t see what I could. To be honest I never really cared what others thought or believed because I knew it was my truth and I was confident about that. Over the years I lost friends because I was the ‘weird’ kid.
“At night I used to run into my mum or sister’s room when I had visions but they were put down as nightmares and dreams.
“I became really aware that I could see, hear and feel things that others couldn’t.
“I remember a young girl who I now know as Jelina, she just stood right in front of me when I was five years old, the image of her is etched in my mind as if it was yesterday. The first time I saw her I didn’t know she would become one of my spirit guides.
“I would play with her for hours and over the years I learned more and more about her, I believe she is my sister from a former life in 1810.”
Eventually as a teenager Louise began to gain a deeper understanding of her gifts, but it wasn’t an easy road to take.
“I properly connected with my spirit guides at the age of 16 and I began to gain a real understanding of how I could use them to help others” she said.
“For some people I am a spiritual counsellor or I connect with the other side to receive messages from their loved ones or spirit guides to pass on to that person. In many cases I perform past life regression, as well as removing dark or negative forces from people or places.
“I’ve also found over the years that I have the ability to help improve the health and wellbeing of people and animals through energy healing. I also have clients who come to me for spiritual guidance or to gain insight as to what their future path may hold for them.”
In early adulthood Louise was more secretive about her gifts as she became acutely aware that she was the centre of ridicule.
“As a young person talking about my visions and auditory experiences wasn’t easy. People either laughed and accused me of making up stories or they simply accused me of being mad. For many years I hid them. I would tell those closest to me because I couldn’t avoid it, but in general whilst I wasn’t worried about what people would say I realised it was easier to say nothing. The medical professionals decided I had a mental illness.”
For Louise there has been no question that what she experiences is real, however, every now and again the spirit world give her confirmation in visions or messages about the future.
Not all these messages are pleasant and for Louise they can often be distressing.
“I don’t think I can say exactly when I really started communicating properly with people who had passed over but it was definitely from when I was a small girl.
“One of my earliest memories of this was walking home one day when I was about seven years old and realising that someone very special was going to be taken from us. As I was walking into my back garden I ‘heard’ the other side, although at the time I didn’t know who was communicating with me.
“Of all the things I have predicted over the years not one thing hasn’t come true. I’ve even been contacted by mediums in America to help them with cases.
“When I was about seven or eight I was playing on my roller boots and went flying down a hill and smashed into a van that they think was going about 35mph. The driver was in shock and dragged me out from under it. I didn’t have a mark on me. I ended up telling him that everything was ok and then added ‘it’s fine, your mum Betty said that was close’.
“With an even more shocked look on his face he told me she was dead and I just replied that I knew because she was standing to my right and the colour drained from him.
“Another incident happened when I was with friends and I saw one of the boy’s dads falling off step ladders. The kid just laughed at me. Sadly, a week later that’s exactly what happened and he lost his dad.
“In recent years there was an incident where myself and my partner Jackie were driving down the M1. Out of nowhere I started feeling really sick. I was filled with dread and sadness. I knew what had happened, in my heart I just knew. There was no evidence on the motorway, the lanes were clear, traffic was moving smoothly and to anyone driving along nothing would have been suspicious. I turned to Jackie and explained that I knew we were driving towards a really bad crash.
“As we got further up the motorway we arrived at what I can only describe as a horrific pile up. There were numerous cars and people involved. It’s not easy knowing these things, but maybe it’s how the other side confirms that what I do see is real.”
Whilst putting her gifts out there has certainly seen Louise come under fire from critics she felt writing her book Angels, Demons & Me, published by local company Excalibur Press, was an important part of her journey.
She said: “I won’t lie, at times it has been hard to cope, but I’m lucky to have my wonderful partner Jackie, a long time friend of 24 years, who has been at my side for the last six years as I developed, enhanced and began sharing my gifts with more and more people.
“Going public with my unusual gifts wasn’t easy, the questions came in full force. There have been serious questions, silly questions, sad questions and snarky questions and I’ve tried to answer them all truthfully, patiently and repeatedly.
“I suppose this book is an attempt to answer all the questions I’ve been asking over the years and to give people an understanding.”
Angels, Demons & Me by Louise Maginnes is out now and available from Amazon or www.excaliburpress.co.uk/
To connect with Louise direct log onto www.psychicenergyhealer.co.uk