As those of you who regularly watch this space will be aware, I have not been a diligent person and have not updated this website for absolutely ages. But those of you who are new visitors will not know this, so we can start afresh! Welcome to my wonderful world!

There are plenty of great reasons for browsing the internet. Originally, I just thought of it as a nice place to show off pictures of myself that have been touched up to make me look good, or pictures of myself with famous people or just generally to show off my fabtasticness. But then I had an epiphany and realized that we human beings are actually miserable when we only do things to show off, and in order to be truly happy, we have to do things that make other people happy as well and generally contribute to making the world a nicer place for everyone to live in, because lets face it we are all made of the one universal whatever, just pretending to be lots of different people and what you do affects me and what I do affects you and on and on. And we all like to be happy, so if I can do something to make you happy, then that makes me happy too.
In the course of my forty odd years on the planet, I have experimented with a lot of different things, which are meant to make you happy. Different clothes and shoes and bags and hats and haircuts. Different boyfriends. Different cocktails, cigarettes, parties, drugs, movies, books, comics. Different bars and clubs, different cities, new beaches, nice massages, pretty places to live, friendly friends, famous friends, glamorous friends. Exciting sports, hobbies and interests. Every therapy known to exist. If it is supposed to be fun, whatever it is, I will probably try it once, to see if I like it. And I continue to do so.

Over the years, I have experimented with activities as diverse as scuba diving in Thailand, smoking crack in Claridges, kissing Johnny Depp, carol singing, composting, and just sitting quietly cross legged on the floor. All of these activities have their merits. But in my experience, happiness comes not from the activities but from the way you feel inside while you are doing them. No amount of stimulation, NOT EVEN A GUCCI FROCK can make you happy if you are determined not to be.

In the course of meeting people and doing journalism in particular, I have had the opportunity to meet a great many people, some of whom inspired me and who greatly added to my own happiness, just because of what they have learned in their lives and were willing to teach me. Some of the ones I really liked are Deepak Chopra, Paulo Coehlo, and The Barefoot Doctor. Some were musicians who made me happy with their music, like Van Morrison and Pete Doherty, some were famous movie stars like Goldie Hawn, some were spiritual leaders like Dadi Janki. And some of the most inspiring people were not famous at all, they were ordinary people who had dealt with difficult circumstances, such as serious illness, or a tragic bereavement, or cancer and had triumphed in a way that gives hope to others in the same situation.

If you click on 'articles' you will be able to read a selection of them.
Out of all the millions of things that have made me happy and improved my life, there has been one thing that stands out as being not only the most useful, but also the most reassuring, and the thing that influences everything else in my life, from what people I meet, and how well I relate to those people to what opportunities come to me, how well I feel, physically, mentally and emotionally and how fantabulous and exciting my life is, generally. That one thing is my contact with what I have come to call ‘angels’. Having been educated as a Catholic, and been thoroughly put off Catholicism and organized religions in general, I was reluctant, at first, to entertain the notion of angels as we were taught to think of them, that is as creatures with wings flying around the place and not really being of much practical use. But as you will see, if you read my new book ‘Angel In Disguise?’ (formerly known as Why Did God Make Gucci?’) you will see that when I was at my most completely and utterly miserable, homeless, broke, alone, fat and nearly forty and feeling suicidally depressed and lonely, the angels did in fact come along and prove extremely useful to me. The way I experience life now and the way I felt when I met them are so different that I actually have to read the book to remind myself how bad things were.

Although I don't actually see them floating around the place, I experience angels as beings that are loving and supportive and helpful in all kinds of ways. And they are quite willing to talk and answer questions in a completely straightforward, no-nonsense manner, with humour and compassion. I have had long conversations with them, over the years and they have helped me with all kinds of problems, ranging from money issues (being broke and unwilling to even open the letters from the bank) to what to do about boyfriends who don't call when they say they will. If you click on ‘Angel In Disguise?’ you will be able to read the first chapter and if you like it, you can order a copy.

I keep a reasonably regular blog at www.myspace.com/victoriamaryclarke, where you can keep up with my fascinating and fabulous adventures.

The website is still in its early stages of creation. But in time, I would like it to be a resource that you can return to again and again, in your own pursuit of happiness. I will be posting the interviews that have inspired me the most, in the hope that they will inspire you too. I will also be offering a news section, where I bring you up to date on the best that I can find on offer in the field of holistic health, in this country and on my travels. There will be recipes that I have tried and tested with success, recipes for energy and vitality as well as flavour. There will maybe even be a shop, selling books, tapes, incense, candles and paraphernalia. Who knows?

In due course, also, I will be offering links to therapists, centres and workshops on offer around Ireland and world wide. And links to a variety of organisations, products and centres around the world, that I have personally investigated. I warmly welcome feedback. Email me, Victoria@victoriamaryclarke.com, or visit myspace.com/victoriamaryclarke with your comments and suggestions.