About Carla
Carla van Raay is the author of God’s Callgirl, the memoir of a Catholic girl who became a nun and then a prostitute. The healing journey described in the book is just as colourful as the details of convent life in the 60’s and life as a callgirl. God’s Callgirl has been published in 7 languages and has sold around 450,000 copies around the world. It has become a best seller particularly in Australia, UK, Holland and Germany. The sequel, called Desire (The Price of Passion in the UK) is an extremely frank love story. Carla is now a therapist in the sexual wellbeing arena, writing a series of workshop courses deliverable to your inbox. Having had firsthand experience of sexual, emotional, physical and religious abuse, and being trained in the energy therapies that were most effective in her own healing, Carla is able to travel anywhere emotionally with you, and help you discover an innocence you thought you had lost.
Carla was born in Holland, came to live in Australia in 1950 with her family, and now lives in Perth, Western Australia. She has two daughters who both live in Perth, and two grandchildren. She loves her work, and her hobbies include reading, gardening, walking, good movies, spending time with close friends.
Dear Carla,
A small note from Holland; just wanted to thank you for writing two beautiful books that have been/are very helpfull to me.
With love,
Veronie
Dear Carla, I just finish to read your God’s Callgirls and I enjoyed it so much.Thank you.
Like you Grown up in a Catholic atmosphere and beleived learned in Italyin my youth. Like you, in Australia for over 50 years, i had to rediscover what really hide behind the heavy doors of our mather religion, and abbandon it well over thirty years ago.
You had an adventurous life and you are using it to teach to the many the real importance of life in seach of of our real inner feelings,
Thank you Carla. I wish you the best in your new career as a writer.
Love, Carlo Gabbi
Hi Carla
I am presently reading your beautiful book God’s Call Girl which came into my hands by ‘coincidence’! I am a counselor and have had many clients back in England that were taught by nuns and found their stories about cruelty metered out to them in direct opposition to my own naive beliefs about the life in a convent and that nuns are gentle loving creatures. To see through your story some of what may be going on under the surface and the reasons that some may be drawn to this type of life has clarified it totally for me.
I truly believe this is a time for women to step into their own passive power and to realise their true potential by examining from the heart and challenging the social and religious beliefs that have been rolled out for centuries from a patriarchal world. The sad thing for me is that the beliefs have been passed on to women by other women; their mothers, teachers and sisters in both sense of the word.
I am profoundly grateful that I have not suffered the deep levels of oppression that has been your journey this lifetime but we all have experiences that show us a path of truth, self-value and spirituality; our true God given right. It is the traveling and exploration that gives us the choices we take and I do not believe we ever make mistakes – just move along another path that shows us the way and teaches us more about ourselves and who we really are.
I have never been particularly religious but have studied its history truly and I believe in a Divine Power that is greater than us and that should we access the true message of Jesus to humanity it provides an amazing example of truth and love and gives gentle guidelines to live from the heart.
Thank you so much for volunteering to walk your path and for sharing the experiences with us through your book. You could so easily have chosen not to.
I look forward to reading your other books and hearing more about your work with entities, lost souls and your healing work.
Kind regards
Jane
Dear Carla, I agree with Jane wholeheartly. I have read your Gods Call girl again this month and have found so much more in it than when I read it the first time. Through your courage which I mean you never gave up, you found simple wisdom by adopting self acceptance and I think this is what I needed to learn this time I read the book. I just want you to know that your story is (and hopefully) will always be reaching out to people. Thank you Carla for being you and teaching people to be just them.(whatever that might be)
Debbie
Thanks Debbie, thanks Laura, thanks Jane, thanks Carlo and thanks Veronie for your appreciative comments.
I promise to be a more active blogger from now on!
Carla
Hi Carla
I have just finished reading your book, I too have no idea how it came into my hands but I am so thankful that it did. I am an avid reader and this book has touched me on many levels.
I am moving into a new phase of my life as I turn 40 and your book has helped me to better understand myself and to accept myself as I am. I am excited about the future and about discovering more about myself
Thank you, I am so looking forward to reading The Price of Passion.
Eva
Hello, Eva, you’ve got an exciting new life ahead of you! Taking the decision to get to know yourself and move past the conditioning of the past is so rewarding!
i just read my own previous comment, my promise to be more active on Blog…my, how some promises are easy to forget! I have not been in writing mode for some time but I feel it coming back on. My energies have been in working with a team to get Astarte Healing inc on the way.
dear Mrs. van raay
what’s the Name of the Ship you arr in Australia.
Tanks and Kind regstes
Rolf jaermann
It is indeed difficult to describe the depth of beauty in your marvelous book “Desire – Awakening God’s Woman”. As student of A Course in Miracles which points out that special relationships are amongst our greatest challenges, and as we all face this challenge your work is so very valuable. My sincere congratulations and appreciation for your candidness. I also think it would make a great movie!
I could perhaps mention a book you may find interesting to read. Norah Vincent wrote “Self Made Man”, a homosexual woman whose masculine appearance enables her to go rather courageously “undercover” and live as a man for eighteen months, giving her a unique insight into maleness. You may imagine the tensions that mount within her when she experiences sexual attractions!
Do you come over to the east coast? I would love to attend one of your functions? I live in Brisbane.
Love to both you and Aaron!
Ron
[...] About Carla | Carla van Raay's Blog 23 Jun 2010. Carla van Raay is the author of God's Callgirl, the memoir of a Catholic girl who became a nun and then a prostitute. About Carla | Carla van Raay's Blog [...]
hi Carla what great books you wrote i thought id lived an interesting life but nothing like yours.i only wish i was Aaron you could say i was alittle jealous.i always went for older ladies some how.hope your still having fun and enjoying our lovely perth and WA countryside.take care.Tony
Hi Carla,
I’m in the middle of reading ‘God’s Callgirl’. I’m Polish and was raised in a very catholic family (that’s why I’m a protestant now, lol). Could, and maybe should, write a book about it, too. Although Poland is very catholic and full of nuns, monks and prists (used to live next door to nuns) and I knew they have rules they have to obay and their way of living is totally peculiar I didn’t realise how bad and hypocritical they can be. What’s the point of pretending otherwise? From 10 or more nuns who were living next door only one was approachable and nice to children playing outside (used to play and laugh with us and gave us sweets out of her pockets – maybe at the cost of later punishment behind closed doors), others never spoke, run away or were right down rude. As a child, I could never understand that behaviour and I thought they were just freaks. Untill one of them made an effort and explained some things. Still, I thought, they were strange and have strange ways of ’serving God’ and being rude to children at the same time, just because they ask questions. ‘Great’ example. I always thought this is different planet they were from… And it’s a disgrace they don’t change their ways despite of the pope’s encouraging.
We also have a family friend who is about to become a prist and is petriffied by the hypocrisy, issues and agendas some prists have. He thought it’s all about God… so far, thankfully, he can rise above that, but it’s very hard.
Just wanted to say thank you for this book, there should be more testimonies like this so people are more aware what’s it all about and young girls and boys are not foolled.
But, as you know best, sometimes you need to go through things to learn and find yourself in life. And that’s a beautiful outcome and it’s never too late for it.
All the best!
Aleksandra