Many of us have felt the influence of a benign presence,here ,and expert on angels tells BEL JACOBS why

Do you believe in guardian angels? Terry does. To a soundtrack of tinkling, otherworldly music, he recalls the first time he encountered his. 'I was in bed one night and I woke with a pain in my stomach. It got so bad I had to get up. I was sitting there, thinking there's nothing I can do about it. At that point, a voice in my head said: "There is something you can do. You can ask your angel." So I asked my guardian angel, please, take this pain away so I can get back to sleep. And, just like that, the pain stopped.' Angels have performed a range of roles across and literature defending  the Isreallites to telling Mary she was carrying the Son of God.In the earliest Biblical accounts, they are the servants and instruments of God.In Egyptian religious beliefs,they are divine figures with powers of their own. Looking after the welfare of Terry's tummy, one would assume, would be low on the list of any angel's priorities. Priorities,priorities Not according to Jacky Newcomb, angel expert and co-writer and presenter of Angels, a new DVD. Each of us, says Newcomb, is born with a guardian angel whose sole responsibility is to guide and protect us. If you think Terry's angel had something better to do, you're wrong. Terry was the only thing it had to do. 'People have always worked with angels but they've become more aware of them again recently,' says Newcomb. 'I'm not certain why. What's happening now is, when people are in trouble, they are calling on their guardian angels' 'It's very common' Every week, Newcomb receives hundreds of e-mails from those claiming to have seen or felt something they believed was an angel. People don't know what to do with this news,' she says They can't assumlate it into their everyday lives. I reassure them; tell them it 's very common.' And it is common, says Newcomb, if you know what to look for. Just don't expect a 12ft angel to leap out of the wardrobe at you in all its glory' 'It doesn't work like that,' she says. 'Most of the time, it's sparkles of light. Sometimes people just sense an angel's around.' A random white feather is a typical calling card. Believing in angels is part of a historic tradition. The guardian angel is a staple of Catholicism. In Islam, two angels record the actions of people through their lives. As long as gods have existed, so have their divine ' intermediaries - although their roles and substance have been hotly debated through the ages by philosophers such as 13th century theologian Thomas Aquinas. You can see why. All sorts of metaphysical problems arise. If angels are there to protect us, for example, whose responsibility is it when things go horribly wrong? 'Free will,' says Newcomb, firmly. 'Angels are limited in that they can't interfere with our paths if we don't want them to.' The DVD's pick-and-mix attitude towards New Age philosophy may grate. There are angel meditations, angel poems, angel sightings and angel affirmations. There are photographs of angels - plumes of white smoke-like substances in suburban corridors - taken by believers. By the time he or she gets to the porcelain figurines available for purchase, the cynical observer may be jumpier than a Mexican bean on feast day. It's worth remembering at this point that aeons of religious belief have been based on as much - or as little. Are we alone out here? There have been many reported sightings of angels but the most intriguing are those by astronauts who encounter angels in the sphere with which we most commonly associate them. In his book Meetings With Angels, Dr HC Moolenburgh relates the experience of three Russian astronauts -Vladimir Solovyev, Oleg Atkov and Leonid Kizim (below left)- aboard spaceship Salyut 7 (below right). The three men claimed to have witnessed gigantic figures of human appearance during the course of a long space flight. Although Moolenburgh was inclined to believe their report, other astronauts have made similar claims. Another cosmonaut was reportedly followed by huge angels for 3 days during a space flight, .He did not report the sighting until after the collapse of theSoviet state· because he was afraid of being silenced. Dr Cynthia McVey, lecturer in psychology at Glasgow Caledonian University and a chartered health psychologist, can see the appeal. 'Everyone would get a certain amount of comfort believing in angels,' she says. 'I don't see that it can do any harm if it provides a source of support in times of trauma. Source of comfort 'There are those who reckon that anybody who says there are angels is insecure or unstable or making it up but it may be that they're actually there and we just don't know. 'We're very scientific about our world. If you can't see it and measure it, then it doesn't exist.' But has McVey seen angels? 'No, but I'd like to.' Whatever the cynics say, Newcomb and her fellow believers may have the last laugh. 'Because of my experiences and the ones I've heard about, I don't fear death in any way,' she says. '[Believing in angels] brings contentment to my life.' Angels costs £14.95 and can be purchased from New World Music. Tel 01986 891 600, www newworldmusic.com Voices in one's head are more likely to be schizophrenia from high levels of dopamine-see Frontiers of Complexity. Think about this for a minute - how can we have an angel each when mankind evolved? When did angels start taking up with what used to be apes? And why has not the brain over millenia evolved to see angels - if they are truly part of our surroundings - we would all know very well we had one - the sheer fact that only certain people do - means either they have special brains or they have lost the plot. Just because someone BELIEVES something is the case - does not mean it is. Anything that is traditional is most likely folklore or based on a myth - like - "foxhunting needs to be done" This argument is bogus - you can't have it both ways - either we have freewill and are free to make decisions - and science suggests we are - or we are able to have intercession and miracles - the laws that give us freewill do not suggest that they are messed with from time to time by intercessors - they follow strict rules. This is the most likely reason to believe anything - comfort - it helps the psyche deal with reality - the problem is it IS harmful - it's untrue. The burden of proof is with those who believe such things - saying "they may be there" is not proof - the use of OCCAMS RAZOR is necessary to determine what is most likely - and what is most likely is that such people are schizophrenic - it is worrying then that it is "common".The nature of proof should be beyond a reasonable doubt - which in this case - it isn't. Let's try and remember that astronauts are subject to low oxygen and have also said they've seen UFO's - which in seemingly all cases were debris or high atmosphere meteorological phenomena. The idea that Angels in space is more ludicrous than upon earth - since we then have to imagine whether they breathe air or not - one imagines not - and so we are talking about something which breaches physics even moreso than in the first place. What happens after death? Let's have a look shall we?

[Metro Apr12,2005] focus@ukmetro.co.uk

Angels of Deliverance

The trenches of World War I sparked many tales of soldiers getting help from beyond the grave

In 1916, Commonwealth and French soldiers on the Western Front were set for a battle that would be one of the most bloody of World War I. On July 1, the first day of the Battle of the Somme, there were 58,000 Allied casualties, a third of whom died. The Somme has become a permanent reminder of the horrors that modern war can  unleash. But if World War I was a new kind of conflict for a newly industrialised world,it was also a war in ghost stories, miracles and visions played a suprising part, according to the Fortean Times. on the killing fields of Western Front and back home in Britain, the forces of The supernatural were often said to be at work.
One of the most common stories reported was that of the Comrade in White, a mystenous figure who comforted wounded or dying soldiers, untouched by the hail of bullets and the exploding of shells. To some the figure appeared as Jesus or the Virgin Mary, to others as a fellow soldier or officer who had been killed earlier in the war. Many British troops believed that their dead comrades continued to fight alongside them at times of danger. One bizarre story even claimed that soldiers had seen the ghost of a famous footballer impervious to gunfire and kicking a ball as he led troops on an attack against the German lines.
Sometimes entire ghostly armies were said to have appeared out of nowhere to help on the battlefield. Most famous is the 1914 legend of the Angels of Mons, in which St George and an angelic host saved retreating British troops from destruction. This story - widely believed both by soldiers at the front,and civilians back home - was a huge morale booster, although most believe its origin can be traced back to a story by writer Arthur Machen. But there were similar tales.

Morale booster
One officer at the 1915 battle of Neuve Chappelle reported that, just as his men were about to retreat, he heard a voice behind him saying: 'Don't retire!' He then witnessed a company of khaki-clad soldiers appear and then see off the terrified Germans; the ghostly figure leading them was a general the officer recognised as a former enemy he had fought in the Boer War. Another soldier, James Wentworth Day - who went on to be a war correspondent in World War II- claimed to have witnessed a ghostly battle between phantom French and German cavalry late in 1918, after hostilities had ceased. British soldiers often dealt with the horrors of war by carrying lucky charms or special talismans to protect them. Some retained bullets or pieces of shrapnel that had missed them, others sewed black cat patches on their uniforms or carried religious medals or pictures of saints. One particularly popular charm was a little imp with sparkling eyes called a Touchwood. Often carved from oak, they were said to relate to some ancient form of tree worship and more than l million were sold in the first two years of the war. With the country's young men dying on a massive scale, it's perhaps not surprising that belief in the supernatural was just as strong on the Home Front. Sherlock Holmes creator Arthur Conan Doyle was one prominent supporter of spiritualism, particularly after some members of his family were killed in action. Another was physicist Sir Oliver Lodge, whose book Raymond - a series of spirit communications from the 26-year-old son he lost on the Western Front - was a bestseller during the war.
 Fortean Times issue 210 is on sale now
Edited by JAMES ELLIS mysteries@ukrnetro.co.uk  [Metro May8 2006]

CELEBRITY GHOST HUNT

Who? Harry Houdini Where? Talk about hearing the clanking of chains The famed illusionist may not have believed in spirits when alive but following the one sticky situation from which he failed to escape his spectre is said to reside at the Plaza Hotel In Las Vegas, which holds a magic show celebrating his talents. How? Staff say they have had items moved around the theatre and feel a presence Let's hope he doesn't spirit away the hidden key to the padlocks. Anything else we should know? Like most ghosts, Houdini is a rather restless spirit. He's also said to hang around the site of his former mansion in Laurel Canyon, Los Angeles. And that's despite the fact the building was razed by fire in 1959.

CELEBRITY GHOST HUNT

Who? Liberace Where? The ghost of the diamante studded piano genius, who successfully sued the Mirror when they accused him of being gay, is said to frequent Cariuccios Tivoil Gardens - the Las Vegas restaurant he once owned. How? Sadly, Liberace fails to tinkle the ivories but has rather been seen outside the restaurant's windows (though we suspect that could be an Elvis impersonator). Staff also report poltergeist activity and bizarrely, given his sexual orientation, his spirit has also been seen in the ladies' loo. Anything else we should know? On one occason, the lights in Carluccios went off and came back on only when someone realised it would have been the flamboyant showman's birthday and offered a toast in his memory.

CELEBRITY GHOST HUNT

Who? Florence Nightingale Where? 'The lady with the lamp' and a leading luminary of the medical profession in Britain, our Flo's kerosene-soaked spirit can be found at St Thomas'sHospital in Lambeth,founded The Nightingale School (now called the Florence Nightingale School of Nursing and Midwifery.) How? How else do female ghosts appear? As a grey lady wandering the corridors at night. Some say they have seen the light of a lamp mysteriously bobbbing up and down, seemingly unsupported by a human hand. Anything else we should know? Our Florrie's spirit gets about a bit. She is also said to haunt Claydon House, near Aylesbury and, bizarrely, Derby railway station.

CELEBRITY GHOST HUNT

Who? Abraham Lincoln. When? The ghost of 'Honest' Abe is said to occupy the White House. How? President Theodore Roosevelt, First Lady Grace Coolidge and even Queen Wilbelmina of the Netherlands reported seeing a tall gaunt figure in several rooms. People on the street have seen a shadow of Lincoln's dimensions in the Oval Oftce window. Anything else we should know? Lincoln's ghost is also said to wander the graveyard in Springfield, Illinois, where the former president is buried. The White House is also said to have a phantom black cat in its basement that is only seen by staff before a national tragedy.

CELEBRITY GHOST HUNT

Who? John Lennon. Where? The ghost of one quarter of the world's most popular beat combo is said to Twist and Shout at the Dakota Building on the corner of 72nd Street and Central Park West in New York City. How? In 1983, musician Joey Harrow said he saw Lennon's spectre in one of the entrances, shrouded in a silver fog. His story was backed up Amanda Moores, a writer, who was with him at the time. Psychic Shawn Robbins also claims to have seen the ghost here, while Yoko Ono is supposed to have seen him sitting at his piano in their apartment. Anything else we should know? Many celebrities have lived at the Dakota over the years and the spirit of former Frankenstein actor Boris Karloff is aiso said to have been spotted.

CELEBRITY GHOST HUNT

Who? Lon Chaney Jr - one of the greatest horror stars of all time. Where? The Werewolf actor's ghost has been spotted at Los Angeles' Universal Studios sound stage 28. How? Some staff report seeing a caped figure walking around the lot while others have seen apparitions and felt cold spots. Anything else we should know? In life, Chaney was fond of a bench at a bus stop on the intersection of Hollywood and vine. His ghost was also seen here until the bench was removed four years ago..

CELEBRITY GHOST HUNT

Who? King Henry VIII Where? The ghost of one of Britain's most famous kings is seen in the largest occupied castle in the world, Windsor. How? Guests at the castle have seen a thick-set spectre walking the halls and his footsteps and agonising moans are said to have been heard by hundreds of people. Anything else we should know? Windsor is reportedly riddled with ghosts. Anne Boleyn, Elizabeth I and Charles I have also been spotted here.

CELEBRITY GHOST HUNT

Who? Mary Queen of Scots Where? Stirling Castle, Scotland How?: Mary's apparition is said to wander the corridors of the castle that was her second home in a fetching pink dress. Anything else we should know? Mary's ghost gets around a bit. It has also been seen at Craignethan, Hermitage and Loch Leven castles as well as Babington Hall in Derby and the remains of Fotheringhay Castle in Northamptonshire, where she was executed...

CELEBRITY GHOST HUNT

Who? Comedian Sid James. Where? The ghoul of the Carry On... cackler is said to haunt the backstage area of the Sunderland Empire Theatre. He suffered a heart attack on stage and died in the dressing room there on April 26,1976. How? A mysterious dark figure has been spookng people in the theatre for the last 30 years. Fellow comic Les Dawson famously refused to play the theatre again after one scary encounter in 1989. Anything else we should know? The theatre's front of house is also said to be haunted by two music hall legends, Vesta Tifley and Molly Moselle.

The Myth: Marilyn Monroe had six toes The Truth: The tale of Marilyn being a polydactyl sterns solely from one piece of evidence - a photo taken of her by pro-snapper Joseph Jasgur in a 1946 shoot long before she became famous. Although it looks like she has a sixth toe on her left foot, it is a trick of the light. All subsequent photos of Monroe show nothing of an extra digit and it would have been impossible for her to afford an operation before she became famous. Jasgur's shot only came to light 40 years later when he published the book The Birth of Marilyn: The Lost Photographs of Norma Jean and was almost certainly a publicity stunt. None of Monroe's family or friends ever gave the claim credence.	The Myth: You can still be hanged for treason in Britain. The Truth: This is not so much a myth as people not knowing the law of the land. When hanging was banned in the UK in 1965, there were certain crimes for which you could still be strung up. These included treason, piracy and causing a fire in a naval dockyard. However, the latter penalty was abolished under the 1971 Criminal Damage Act and, in 1998, the House of Commons voted to implement the 6th Protocol of the European Convention on Human Rights. This outlawed capital punishment for murder except 'in times of war or imminent threat of war'. In October 2003, Britain acceded to the 13th Protocol of the act, which abolished the death penalty under all circumstances.
The myth: Tiddlywinks is about to join the Olympic Games. The truth: Periodically, some obscure sport is meant to join the Olympic roster, whether it be tiddlywinks, sumo or ballroom dancing. However, in 1992, in order to save costs and time, the International Olympic Committee capped the Olympic Games at 28 sports, 391 events and 19,599 athletes, So, for any sport to be added, another has to be dropped. Tug-of-war and golf are among the sports that have been lost in past years, while baseball and softball will be dropped from the 2012 Games in London, with squash and rugby union among those hoping to take their places. However, as long as a sports federation meets certain limited criteria and signs up to a no-doping policy, the IOC will recognise them - without necessarily intending to allow them into the Games. Such non-medal sports include life-saving, mountaineering, bridge and ballroom dancing.	The myth: Opening a bottle of wine a couple of hours before drinking it allows it to breathe. The truth: It's tme that allowino wine to breathe will make it taste better but simply de-corking the bottle is definitely not the way to do it. For, if the wine is left in the bottle, there is only an area about the size of a five pence piece that is breathing, while the rest of the bottle strangles. The only way to allow a wine to breathe is to decant it into a jug with a much wider mouth, allowing more of the wine contact with air. And, while we~re at it, a 'corked' wine is usually one bottled with a cork contaminated by a substance called TCA (2,4,6- tnchloroanisole), causing a musty flavour. It is not one where bits of the cork float in the glass; that's simply clumsy use of a corkscrew.
The myth: The V-sign originated from archers at the Battle of Agincourt. The truth: According to the popular myth, English and Welsh archers at the Battle of Agincourt (which was fought in 1415 during the 100 Years' War) would 'flick the V' at their French enemies. The sign was supposed one of defiance in the face of the French habit of cutting off two fingers from the right hand of captured archers, However, one of the first mentions of the V-sign came in the writings of French historian Jean Froissart (circa 1337-circa 1404), who died at least ten years before Agincourt. Some people believe the origins of me sign came from an eanier battle in the same war but many more think it originated in ancient Rome, where the middle finger was given as the sign of a penis. It is thought the second finger was added as litting two flreeers is easier than one. Ohe thing is for certain though, it did not originate at Agincourt.	The myth: A coin left in a glass of Coca-Cala overnight will melt. The truth: No, it won't. And naither will atooth, a nail nor many other obj6cts. The myth simply springs from protective parents: 'If Coke can magically dissolve things, imagine what it dces to your teeth, stomach etc.' And the way to dispel it? Simply try it. Nope, dcesn't work, does it? For those of a scientific disposition, Coke dces contain both citric and phosphoric acids but the acid content is nowhere near strong enough to dissolve a coin overnight. For the record, orange juice has similar acids but no one advises against drinking it.