As a child she was able to relate to and understand people on a different level, but it wasn't until she tried angelic reiki four years ago, after exploring other forms of healing and meditation, that she found her answer.

Now a certified angelic reiki practitioner, Christopher harnesses angelic energy to help people heal and find inner peace.

Angelic reiki originated in England a decade ago and calls specifically on angelic energy to assist with healing. During traditional reiki, practitioners activate a healing lifeforce passed to the client through the hands.

"With the angelic reiki we call on another dimension, if you want to call it that, it's the angelic kingdom of light, so that means we're calling on higher energy to assist us with drawing down this life force energy so we can assist the body to heal," Christopher says.

Christopher, who practises around the Illawarra, describes the first time she had angelic reiki performed on her as a surreal but beautiful experience, a feeling she still has when she does it on clients.

"It really feels like an angel wraps me in its wings and it is the most beautiful feeling. It is really hard to describe with the limited words we have, but it's a feeling of being loved, being completely supported no matter what happens, and I immediately relax and things I thought were very difficult in life suddenly appear not as dramatic anymore," she says.

A typical angelic reiki session includes an interview with the client to establish their needs and issues, followed by the healing itself, in which the practitioner allows the angelic energy to merge into their body and work through it to help heal the client, and a final feedback discussion.

Christopher says angelic reiki is deeply relaxing and allows people to connect with their true selves to let go of people, situations or beliefs that are no longer serving them.

Most clients seek her out to find inner peace or resolve anxiety or uncertainty in their lives, but she also had people come just out of curiosity.

She says people don't have to believe in angels for this form of reiki to be helpful, they just have to be open to trying it.

"You don't have to believe it is beneficial, you only really need to have an open mind," she says.

"Whether you are able to maintain that state of peace and love is up to you, whether you accept it in your love or are sceptical and push it away and say 'that was nice, but I don't believe in it'."

Even for people committed to following through, it can be a struggle to maintain the sense of calm and peace achieved in an angelic reiki session.

"Once you want to make it a part of your day to day living, it is challenging, because we battle with our ego. Although I have integrated it quite well, every day I have to make the choice that today I am living out of love and put my ego aside," Christopher says.

"Really, the angels are beautiful tools to help you hand over your anxiety, hand over your worry and find that inner peace deep within you."

Angelic energy is here to help

Most people picture angels as beings with wings and halos and cherubic faces, but angelic reiki practitioner Virginie Christopher says they are simply energy forces that show themselves in certain colours and frequencies.

During an angelic reiki session, she says people often envision angels based on what they have seen or heard about in art.

While there is no wrong way to perceive angels that come to you during an angelic reiki session, Christopher says you will experience something different if you can forget your previous perceptions.

‘‘It comes down to the individual, but because our brain sees the closest reference to what we have seen in the past, if you have seen pictures of angels in religion or art, then this angel will appear for you as that archetype,’’ she says.

‘‘When you are able to stay in a neutral state and connect with the angel, you will find they are an energy form and appear in a certain colour and frequency.’’

Specific angels can be called upon during an angelic reiki session to help with particular issues or ailments.

For example, archangel Michael, who appears as a blue form, assists in helping you cut ties with people, places and events that no longer serve you, and protects you from harmful environment, while archangel Raphael is called upon to help with physical problems.

Ascended masters, including Jesus and Buddha, can help you find strength within yourself.

Christopher stresses that calling on angelic energy is not a religious process, despite their inclusion in many religious texts, as angels are available to every being regardless of their belief system.

She says nearly all of her sessions result in clients receiving a message, seeing an angel or colour, or feeling a presence in the room.

‘‘There’s a common thread on how they appear, they always make themselves known, but every experience and meeting with the angel is unique.’’