| You & Your Angels The EDGE Interview with Doreen Virtue by Tim Miejan Doreen Virtue, author of 22 books on mind-body-spirit issues, including Healing with the Angels, Divine Guidance, Angel Therapy and The Lightworker's Way, returns to the Twin Cities April 19-20 at Unity Church Golden Valley to present "Messages from Your Angels." She also will be presenting an evening Angel Workshop on Wednesday, April 24, at Unity on the Plaza, in Kansas City, Mo. Virtue, a clairvoyant medium and doctor of psychology, will give audience angel readings and teach participants how to clearly hear, communicate with and see their guardian angels and deceased loved ones. "My belief is simple," she says, "everyone is born with some form of psychic ability or sixth sense, and that ability, like all other God-given ability, needs to be nurtured and exercised to maximize its strengths." Dr. Virtue cites more than 300 scientific studies from Harvard, Cornell and other leading universities supporting her beliefs in people's natural psychic abilities and in the power of prayer in healing. Dr. Virtue currently lectures and gives experiential workshops on spiritual psychological issues worldwide. Many of her students are medical and psychological professionals, including medical doctors, registered nurses, psychologists and social workers. She has appeared on “Oprah,” “Good Morning America,” “The View with Barbara Walters” and other national programs. The public is invited to her Friday evening workshop, from 7-9:30 p.m. at Unity Church Golden Valley, 4000 Golden Valley Road, and to her Saturday program from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tickets are $34 for Friday, $111 on Saturday or $133 or both days. Contact Ticketworks at (612) 343-3390 or toll-free 1 (888) 862-3421. For more information on Dr. Virtue’s Kansas City Angel Workshop on April 24 at Unity on the Plaza, call (816) 561-1627 or e-mail information@cornerstonefoundation.com The EDGE spoke with Dr. Virtue about her upcoming presentations. Doreen, you are known as a person who works directly with angels to gain insight and inspiration to help us in our lives. If you can put it into words, what is the energy of an angel like and how would you describe them in terms of their personality when they interact with you? Doreen Virtue: If you asked 100 people who their angels were, 50 of them would say they were deceased loved ones, and the other 50 would say their angels were winged beings. In my workshops, I conduct mediumship (similar to John Edwards and James Von Praagh) and also angel readings. That means, that I tell people who their angels and spirit guides are, and deliver any messages from them. The departed loved ones are very sweet people, nothing frightening as they are depicted in Hollywood movies. Their personalities are similar to when the person was living. If someone was spiritual, optimistic or caring while living, that's how they come across in a reading. If they were mischievous, then they tend to make a lot of jokes during the session. During my Friday evening seminar, I'll also help people who worry how their departed loved one is doing. Many people worry if their deceased loved one is sad or alone in heaven, and these sessions help to relieve the living's worries. When did you have first contact with an angel, and how did you know it was an angel and not some other entity disguised as one? Virtue: I was born a psychic medium, although I didn't realize it until much later, because I couldn't tell which people I was seeing were dead and which were alive. They all looked 3-D and solid to me. Today, the deceased look more wispy than the living world, so I am able to distinguish the two. I've always seen the bright lights of the angels, and I know that lower-entities can't disguise this light, because it only comes from the Love of God. They could dress up in an angel costume, but they couldn't mimic the Divine light or the loving messages of true angels. Some people believe Jesus' words in the Bible are the only divine source of guidance -- not angels. What do the angels say in response to such a belief? Virtue: When I use the term, "angel," I'm using it as an umbrella term to describe anyone who helps us, and that definitely includes Jesus. I work with him very closely, and follow his guidance carefully. However, I'm very clear that my mission isn't to "push" Jesus onto other people, but to instead live according to his example as best as I can. In my workshops, I teach people how to better hear the voice of Heaven. For some people, that means that they'll have more clear interactions with Jesus. For others, it means that they'll be better able to hear the voice of God, their guardian angel, departed loved one, an ascended master, or all of the above. People come to my workshops to learn how to clear the static off the line, so that they can see, hear, feel and know their spiritual helpers. It's up to them who they choose to contact. I think people are smart enough to choose wisely. Angels are non-denominational, and that's one reason why I love working with them and teaching about them. No one holds wars over angels! All religions, Eastern and Western, ancient and modern, have archetypes of benevolent spiritual helpers. They may use terms other than, "angels" to describe them, but it's clear from their descriptions that we're all talking about the same thing. You will be returning to the Twin Cities for two days to present "Messages from Your Angels." What does it really take for an average person to get such messages on his or her own, and to what extent is your mission about helping people to do just that? Virtue: On Friday night, I'll walk through the audience giving as many readings as possible to random audience members. I'll also interweave, between the readings, a general discussion of life-after-death, heaven and angels. I'll also answer questions, of course. On Saturday, I'll be teaching audience members how THEY can access these same sort of messages on their own, without a psychic or other intermediary. After my life was saved by an angel during a carjacking in 1995, I asked God how I could repay him for sending an angel to save my life. I was told, "Teach as many people as possible, as quickly as possible, how to hear their angels." The very next day, I embarked on this mission. Since then, I've traveled nearly non-stop around the globe, teaching tens of thousands of adults and children of all backgrounds. I help people to clear the fears and doubts that block our spiritual hearing and vision. I think that my training in psychology (I hold doctoral, master's and bachelor degrees in psychology) helps me to identify and clear away these fears. Every weekend, more than 70 percent of the audience tells me that they experience clairvoyance during my workshops -- meaning that they've been able to see an angel, departed loved one, aura or some visual symbol in their mind's eye. I constantly hear from audience members, "This workshop changed my life," because it teaches them how spiritually powerful they truly are. Why should someone make a specific effort to connect with his or her angels? Virtue: It's vital that we all open up to the voice of the Divine. It's the "emergency broadcast system" that keeps us safe and protected. After my carjacking, I knew that in times of danger, God always sends angels. However, I learned first-hand that it was up to me to listen to the angels' warnings. They tried to help me, but if I hadn't listened, they couldn't have helped me. The world is changing so rapidly, and many people are paralyzed with fear and anxiety about the future. The angels can guide us through these changes and give us solid guidance that we can trust. They also help us to stay calm during crises and heal away negative situations, while extracting the lessons contained therein. What's the difference between angels and spirit guides and how does the information given by each compare? Virtue: The departed loved ones (or spirit guides) give "down to earth" advice, such as whether to return to night school, selling your house, your love life, health concerns and such. You might say that our departed loved ones function like "micro-managers" when helping us. Our guardian angels and archangels are "macro-managers," who help us with more global and spiritual concerns, such as our life's purpose, releasing fears and doubts and avoiding the ego's traps. It's just as easy to hear the voice of God and the other higher-ups as it is to hear the voice of dear old Uncle Fred. For important life issues, you'll want to contact God, Jesus or some other pure soul. But there's nothing wrong with contacting Uncle Fred to say, "Hello, I love you and am thinking of you!" or to ask him about his secret for cleaning 1957 Chevy carburetors. Give us a picture of what someone will experience at your event in the Twin Cities. Virtue: The workshops are fun and inspiring experiences. For one thing, you will be surrounded by audience members who are like-minded. Many of them have had angel experiences or recent losses, and I love when audience members create a community of support and encouragement for each other. On Friday night, I walk through the audience with a wireless microphone, so that I can give as many readings as possible. Usually, the departed loved ones will call me over to their living loved one, and ask me to deliver specific messages. So, I'll follow their lead. The angels and ascended masters come through to let the person know that their prayers have been heard, and are being answered. Saturday morning begins with a wonderful concert with the incredible band, AngelEarth, which is touring with me. Then, I give a general overview of the most common fears and doubts that block our Divine guidance and intuition. I firmly believe that all of us possess spiritual gifts that allow us to see and hear angels, if we'll only give up these fears. Then, after the morning break, the audience members enjoy a deep, clearing meditation with the angels, accompanied by beautiful music. They conduct angel readings on each other, learning how to do mediumship, see and interpret aura colors (which reveal our life purpose and general emotional state), and to see and hear the voices of angels. They might see these angels in their mind's eye, as whispy fragments, or as full-color, three-dimensional visions -- everyone is different. But the point is that these angel readings help audience members to get corroboration that validates their spiritual visions as being real, instead of imaginary. At the end of the day, we hold question-and-answer sessions. And graduates of my Angel Therapy Practitioner course are on-hand to provide personal counseling or encouragement for audience members. Describe why you chose to have AngelEarth accompany you, and what effect does its music have on you? Virtue: I'll tell you, God is so good to me! AngelEarth is one of the greatest bands I've ever had the privilege of knowing, hearing and working with! The band consists of Michael Wise on guitar and lead vocals, his son Shaun on bass and vocals, and Mark Watson on keyboards. They travel all over the U.S. and Canada with me, and audiences are wowed by their talent and music skills! Every weekend, their music sounds better than ever! People keep telling me, "When I first heard them, I thought they were lip-syncing to a CD, because their sound is so rich, I couldn't imagine it was live music." The band plays originals and it covers soft rock before and after the workshops. And Mark Watson plays the most amazing meditative piano music during the angel meditations. His music just takes people away from ordinary consciousness! For those who plan to see you in April, what advance homework would you give if they would like to prepare in advance for what you will be teaching them? Virtue: No homework or preparation is needed for Friday night -- just come as you are, and be prepared for some powerful and very pleasant experiences. I am not out to convert or convince anyone about life-after-death or angels. I think that only experiences can create our beliefs. So, my only goal is to create experiences during the workshop where people can make up their own minds about what they believe. On Saturday, we ask that you dress in layers, as the room temperature fluctuates due to the influx of angels in and out of the room. Also, it's great to bring a pillow and blanket, so you can lie down during the morning meditation. Someone once commented that my meditations look like slumber parties -- people don't fall asleep, but the angels do take them to a very deep place in the unconscious, where healing can occur. Our featured topic this month is on death and dying. What special message do the angels have for our readers at this time on how to cope with the fear of dying or the loss of a loved one or pet? Virtue: Mediumship is the fastest route to healing from grief that I've found. I used to practice traditional grief counseling, but I've given it up in favor of mediumship and angel therapy. Most grief comes from the living person being worried about their departed loved one. They worry, "Is my loved one happy? Are they in heaven? Are they angry with me? Could I have prevented the death? Was I there for them enough? Are they alone in heaven?" and so forth. Of course, they miss the physical presence of their departed loved one, but the large share of grief is these worries. Through mediumship, you get rapid answers to these questions. You begin to understand that there's no such thing as death. Only the body dies. The soul and personality live on. Not only that, but the soul is usually much happier in heaven. If they didn't finish their life's purpose, they'll often act as "spirit guide" to the living person, to vicariously fulfill their mission through that living person. There are many ways to conduct mediumship, and we'll be going through them thoroughly during the Saturday workshop. Some of the methods include seeing a medium such as myself at a workshop, seeing a medium privately, writing a letter to a departed loved one, holding silent conversations with the loved one, or asking the loved one to visit you in your dreams. But most of all, remember to tell your loved ones, living or deceased, that you love them. We can't say those words too often! For more on Doreen Virtue, go to her website at www.angeltherapy.com Tim Miejan is editor of The EDGE. Contact him at (651) 578-8969 or editor@edgenews.com Copyright (c) 2002 Tim Miejan |
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