Robbie Williams loves them instead. Jimmy Stewart was guided by one in It's a Wonderful Life. Charlie kept three of them in hot pants and hairspray for the duration of the 70's. They are angels, and apparently they do a lot more than sit around on clouds and scoff Philadelphia.

Angel therapy is a new age treatment that holds that communicating with angels leads to all kinds of healing. Angels, who are around us all the time, would love nothing better than to sit down with us for an oul' chinwag, but first we have to learn how to channel their presence. Once we do, they can help us deal with grief, move on from people/places/things and answer specific question that we might have for them (who will win the 2.15 at the Cheltanham perhaps?).

Although there are quite a number of angel therapy courses out there, the mother of all angel therapists, Dr. Doreen Virtue, is coming to what she terms "Magical, Mystical Ireland" to conduct an Angel Therapy Practitioner (ATP) certification course. Dr. Virtue is a spiritual clairvoyant and a Doctor of Psychology who holds BA, MA, and Ph.D. degrees in counselling psychology. She has written the grand total of twenty-two books on mind-body-spirit issues, including "Healing with the Angels" "Divine Guidance" and "Angel Therapy".

During the course, you will be guided through a series of exercises designed to clear any worries and doubts you have about your ability to heal, counsel and teach. You go on to will learn about angel therapy, how to give angel readings and also how to channel automatic writing and spiritual healing; spiritual solace doesn't come cheap - the cost of the course is $1444 U.S. dollars and numbers are limited to a mere 125.

If your budget doesn't quite stretch to the thousands, then there are other courses that can help you find your wings. The Complementary House, for example, runs a weekend workshop called How to Talk to Angels with Marnie Sheridan. According to the course description:

"Channelling happens when you are relaxed and feeling comfortable within your environment. You need to relax yourself to let the energies flow before you will become an effective channel. Throughout this course you will learn various techniques and create some of your own to help you become more aware of the energies which exist all around you. You will find out what type of channel you are and learn to communicate using the techniques best suited for you."

The course also covers topics such as relaxation, tuning into your own senses and recognising negative and positive energies and costs €150.

Angelic advice can take many forms - automatic writing, telepathic thought projection, signs such as recurring numbers cropping up in your everyday life. However, if you are hoping for the full Touched by an Angel experience, you will be disappointed. It is unlikely that a smug-looking woman with a hokey Irish accent and major backlighting will materialise beside you as you face a moral dilemma. Those immortal words - "I am an angel - sent by Gohd" will not ring around your sitting room. Despite this, angel followers believe that their lives have been intrinsically improved by the intervention of these celestial beings so why not see for yourself?