CITY FOCUS: Spirits at hand

Doreen Virtue was on her way to a church in Anaheim when a disembodied voice suddenly spoke to her. The voice didn’t reveal any divine secret or spiritual epiphany. In fact, the message was rather mundane.

“It just said you better put the top up on your car or it will be stolen,” Virtue said.

The voice repeated instructions three times, Virtue said. But the top was broken, and it was a warm day in the summer of 1995. So Virtue ignored the message.

When Virtue arrived at the church, she was confronted by two armed men who tried to carjack her.

“My mind was saying ‘my God, this can’t be happening in broad daylight on a Saturday in a church parking lot,’” Virtue said.

Virtue says the voice spoke to her again and told her to scream as loud as she could. This time, she listened. Another woman heard the scream and started honking her horn. The men were scared away.

The more Virtue thought about the issue, the more she became convinced the voice was that of a very literal guardian angel. She decided from that point on, she would listen to the angels.

She learned to listen to her angels. Virtue said anyone can communicate with their angels, if they are willing to listen.

Those “gut feelings” people often get are actually angels sending a message, Virtue said.

Virtue holds a doctorate in counseling psychology. After learning more about angel communication, she decided she was going to put the two fields together.

Angel Therapy is a process where Virtue helps people get in touch with their own angels. This helps the individual work on their problems.

“The more we all listen to our intuition, the better the world becomes,” Virtue said.

With more than 30 books to her credit, Virtue has written on various topics. Angels and Angel Therapy are large portions of her work, but there are also titles on other New Age subjects like chakra clearing and crystals.

Most recently, Virtue published her first novel, “Soloman’s Angels.” The book takes a fictional look at the relationship between the ancient Jewish King Soloman and Makeda, Queen of Sheba.

Living in Laguna Beach has served as inspiration to Virtue’s work, she said. As a child, she often visited her grandmother in Laguna.

“I always dreamed of living in Laguna Beach,” Virtue said.

To Virtue, the art and natural beauty combine to make Laguna Beach a mystic’s haven. She’s glad to see such an element of spirituality in town.

“Laguna is on par with the spiritual powerhouses in the world,” Virtue said.