Psychic Joyce Keller vividly recalls giving her first reading at the age of 5.
“When I was in kindergarten,” said the Weehawken resident last week, “I looked at my teacher, named Miss Harris, and I just knew that her mother was dying. She was trying to get the other kids organized, but I raised my hand and asked her to come to me. She came and said, ‘This better be important.’ I said to her, ‘You have to go home. Your mommy’s sick.’ ”
The next day, Keller’s teacher came over to her.
“She knelt next to me and took my hand and said, ‘Joyce, when you said what you did yesterday, how did you know?’ ” Keller said. “I said, ‘I don’t know.’ She said that her mom went to the hospital that day and had a heart attack. She said that she wished she had listened to me. I realized I had something special for the rest of my life.”
Keller grew up in Brooklyn and has called Weehawken’s Riva Pointe development home, with her husband Jack, for the last year. She utilizes her talents as a psychic and medium in her weekly radio show on WGBB Radio (AM 1240) every Wednesday from 11 p.m. to 12 a.m. She and her husband produce the call-in program in her home.
She has also written several books, including a new one entitled, “Why, God?” published by Galde Press, which deals with the death of a young person who was killed in a tragic accident.
Her previous book, “Seven Steps to Heaven: How to Communicate with Your Departed Loved Ones in Seven Easy Steps,” published by Simon and Schuster, was a best seller.
Keller has appeared on “Live with Regis” and all three of Regis Philbin’s co-hosts over the years. She has also been spotted on shows hosted by Merv Griffin, Oprah Winfrey, Sally Jessie Rafael, and Phil Donohue, providing predictions and discussing astrology on the shows. She has been Lifetime Television’s resident love relationship expert, psychic, astrologer since 1995. Keller is also a regular columnist for Fate Magazine.
But her association with Philbin’s show and that show, with more than 100 appearances over the years, has drawn her attention and acclaim.
“I’ve done psychic readings on the show, and I’ve been the one to make Regis’ predictions at the beginning of the year,” Keller said. “Because of the radio show, which I’ve done for 20 years now, I’ve received millions of letters and e-mails from people, mostly women, and I started answering the letters and e-mails on the air.”
Keller said she did not pursue a career in mysticism until she was an adult, even though her mother in Brooklyn was a talented psychic as well.
“All through my school life, I did nothing with my psychic abilities,” Keller said. “I just put that all on a shelf.”
Keller later pursued a performing career and had her own daily exercise television show on local TV on Long Island.
“It was a health and fitness show,” Keller explained. “I also did yoga on the show. The yoga part just morphed into doing psychic work.”
Exercise your mind
Keller did the Long Island show for several years and then was fortunate to attend a party in Manhattan.
“One of the producers of the ‘Regis’ show, Jane Eubell, was at the party and I was fooling around, doing handwriting analysis and astrology,” Keller said. “She was impressed with what I could do and asked if I could come on the show. Of course, I jumped at the chance.”
Since then, Keller has become friendly with the affable Philbin.
“We’ve become buddies,” she said. “He endorsed my last book.”
Keller’s radio show draws calls and e-mails from all over the country and the world.
“We get e-mails and calls from Hong Kong, Germany, Greece,” Keller said. “The spirit connection is very strong and people always ask a lot of questions.”
One particular question inspired Keller to write her latest book.
“A young person who is close to me, who lives in Monkton, Maryland, lost a friend who was 15 years old in a horrible accident,” Keller said. “He was run over by a lawn mower and killed. The friend then went into a deep withdrawal and depression. His mother contacted me. She said that he wouldn’t speak. He just stayed in his room and cried because he was in so much shock. It made me think of the questions parents have in situations like this: Why did my child have to die?
Added Keller, “I think everyone wants to know why these tragedies happen. It’s very spiritual, why we’re the ones to survive and the others died.”
Keller often invites fellow psychics to appear on the radio show with her.
“I always have psychic guests with me,” she said.
Spirits of 9/11
Keller said that there has been a rise in popularity with psychics and mediums that reach out to those who have “crossed over” to the afterlife, ever since the World Trade Center tragedy on Sept. 11, 2001.
It’s an event that hit very close to home to Keller – literally.
“Jack and I had an apartment less than 1,000 feet from the World Trade Center,” Keller said. “After that horrific day, we couldn’t go back there for a while. Then when we did, there were all these spirits who came through. It was almost impossible to handle them all.”
She added, “Since 9/11, people were smacked in the face with death and trying to reach those who passed. There’s been a tremendous resurgence of people wishing to know about death and what happened on that day to their departed loved ones.”
Keller said that she feels a special kinship with her listeners and readers in her ability to provide insights to their questions.
“I think it started with being on live television and relating to people so well,” Keller said. “I think a lot of people have the same problems and issues and I have compassion for them. I can’t hide it. I leave it right out there and people trust me. I never had anyone help me, but I can help people.”
Keller said that she has been very busy lately. Although she doesn’t do personal readings and concentrates on her radio show, the demand for psychic services has never been higher.
“Psychics are hotter than ever,” Keller said.
“The Joyce Keller Show” can be heard on WGBB Radio-1240 AM every Wednesday evening from 11 p.m. to 12 a.m. The public can call the show at (631) 888-8811 or e-mail Joyce at joycekeller@mindspring.com. The book, “Why, God?” will be available in all bookstores in a few weeks.