As a child, I was introduced to the world of angels and devils. The evil ones were everywhere, but the only angel I remember was my guardian angel. That one angel was enough comfort to ward off any despair from being in the company of too many devils. The guardian angel is a wonderful concept and has been adopted in many myths and movies, though in the movies the guardian angel is usually transformed into a superhuman master of occult powers. Somehow, a bodiless, translucent, winged spirit in a gossamer gown wielding a laser sword isn't convincing. The angel is still popular, though, as evidenced by the recent publication of several books by "experts-by-experience" on the subject. Just browse through the acres of self-help books the next time you are in one of those monster size book barns and you will find at least half a dozen angel books. (Look for the one which proves scientifically that disbelief in angels is caused by low self- esteem. No, don't.)
Why are these bodiless beings always depicted as humans with wings? Because the idea of a bodiless being who thinks and speaks and has experiences is an absurdity. We can imagine a non-bodily being only by suspending our belief in reality as we know it. If we imagine a bodiless being, how does it think or feel? To talk of spirits as non-bodily beings is to utter words without any more meaning than the expression `round square.'
See entries for astral projection, mind and souls.