Doreen Virtue (née Hannan, born 1958), is an American former leading

New Age New Age is a range of spiritual or religious practices and beliefs which rapidly grew in Western society during the early 1970s. Its highly eclectic and unsystematic structure makes a precise definition difficult. Although many scholars conside ...

author, who rejected those beliefs and embraced

born again Born again, or to experience the new birth, is a phrase, particularly in evangelicalism, that refers to a "spiritual rebirth", or a regeneration of the human spirit. In contrast to one's physical birth, being "born again" is distinctly and sepa ...

Christianity in 2017.

Early life and education

Doreen Virtue was born Doreen Hannan in

Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. It includes the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the second most po ...

, spending her childhood in

North Hollywood North Hollywood is a neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, located in the San Fernando Valley. The neighborhood contains the NoHo Arts District, the El Portal Theatre, several art galleries, and the Academy of TV Arts and Sciences. The North ...

until her family moved to Escondido, San Diego in 1968. She grew up as a student of

Christian Science Christian Science is a set of beliefs and practices associated with members of the Church of Christ, Scientist. Adherents are commonly known as Christian Scientists or students of Christian Science, and the church is sometimes informally know ...

. Virtue earned a master's degree in

counseling psychology Counseling psychology is a psychological specialty that encompasses research and applied work in several broad domains: counseling process and outcome; supervision and training; career development and counseling; and prevention and health. ...

from Protestant-affiliated

Chapman University Chapman University is a private research university in Orange, California. It encompasses ten schools and colleges, including Fowler School of Engineering, Dodge College of Film and Media Arts, Fowler School of Law, and Schmid College of Scie ...

and a distance learning PhD in

psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Psychology includes the study of conscious and unconscious phenomena, including feelings and thoughts. It is an academic discipline of immense scope, crossing the boundaries betwe ...

from

California Coast University California Coast University (CCU) is a private for-profit online university based in Santa Ana, California. It is accredited by the Distance Education Accrediting Commission and approved by the State of California. Approximately 8,000 students ...

, before it was accredited.

New Age career

Prior to 1995, Virtue worked as a psychotherapist. She was the victim of a

carjacking Carjacking is a robbery in which the item taken over is a motor vehicle.Michael Cherbonneau, "Carjacking," in ''Encyclopedia of Social Problems'', Vol. 1 (SAGE, 2008: ed. Vincent N. Parrillo), pp. 110-11. In contrast to car theft, carjacking is ...

that year and attributed "angelic intervention" for preventing her from death or serious injury; following the event, she chose to close her therapy practice and begin performing tarot readings. Over the next two decades, Doreen published over fifty books and divination cards through the New Age publishing company

Hay House Hay House is a publisher founded in 1984 by author Louise Hay, who is known for her books on New Thought. Hay House has its headquarters in Carlsbad, California, and is (as of 2018) run by Reid Tracy. Hay House descr ...

. The primary focus of Virtue's spiritual practice was "angel spirituality", a strain of New Age thought that attributes esoteric and occult qualities to traditional Christian angels. Her works drew from symbolism across several religions; as well as Christianity, they incorporated elements from

Hinduism Hinduism () is an Indian religion or '' dharma'', a religious and universal order or way of life by which followers abide. As a religion, it is the world's third-largest, with over 1.2–1.35 billion followers, or 15–16% of the global p ...

Celtic mythology Celtic mythology is the body of myths belonging to the Celtic peoples.Cunliffe, Barry, (1997) ''The Ancient Celts''. Oxford, Oxford University Press , pp. 183 (religion), 202, 204–8. Like other Iron Age Europeans, Celtic peoples followed a ...

, and Native American spirituality.

Conversion to Christianity

In February 2017, she was baptized at Kawaihae Beach (Hawaii), by an Anglican (Episcopal) priest, Rev. David Stout from St. James Episcopal Church, where still today the Catholic mass is held. Later that year Virtue publicly announced that she was renouncing her

beliefs, and embracing

Christianity, and encouraged her followers and readers to do the same.

Personal life

Virtue has been married five times. She lives on a 47-acre estate in Hawaii, with her fifth husband Michael and 100 rescue animals.

Bibliography (selected)

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References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Virtue, Doreen Living people 1958 births American spiritual writers New Thought writers American self-help writers American motivational writers Writers from Los Angeles Women motivational writers American women non-fiction writers New Age writers Angelic visionaries Chapman University alumni California Coast University alumni 20th-century American women writers 20th-century American non-fiction writers 21st-century American women writers 21st-century American non-fiction writers