In the Celtic tradition, there is a beautiful understanding of love and friendship. One of the fascinating ideas here is the idea of soul-love; the old Gaelic term for this is anam cara. Anam is the Gaelic word for soul and cara is the word for friend. So anam cara in the Celtic world was the “soul friend.” In the early Celtic church, a person who acted as a teacher, companion, or spiritual guide was called an anam cara. It originally referred to someone to whom you confessed, revealing the hidden intimacies of your life. With the anam cara you could share your innermost self, your mind and your heart. This friendship was an act of recognition and belonging. When you had an anam cara, your friendship cut across all convention, morality, and category. You were joined in an ancient and eternal way with the “friend of your soul.” The Celtic understanding did not set limitations of space or time on the soul. There is no cage for the soul. The soul is a divine light that flows into you and into your Other. This art of belonging awakened and fostered a deep and special companionship. In his Conferences, John Cassian says this bond between friends is indissoluble: “This, I say, is what is broken by no chances, what no interval of time or space can sever or destroy, and what even death itself cannot part.”
In everyone’s life, there is great need for an anam cara, a soul friend. In this love, you are understood as you are without mask or pretension. The superficial and functional lies and half-truths of social acquaintance fall away, you can be as you really are. Love allows understanding to dawn, and understanding is precious. Where you are understood, you are at home. Understanding nourishes belonging. When you really feel understood, you feel free to release yourself into the trust and shelter of the other person’s soul.
- John O’Donohue
http://www.johnodonohue.com/books
http://being.publicradio.org/programs/john_odonahue/
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Every day I awaken, I awaken more. The majority of the thoughts I share here are from the hand of others that speak unto my own heart so very clear.
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Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Soul Friend
The words of John O’Donohue:
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- artistdeb
- I'm a passionate fine art painter and spiritual writer awakening to a deeper sense of purpose and connectedness with the universe everyday. As an artist, I express the the joy I feel with the voice of color. Just I as I have been inspired to sing the song of my soul with paint and palette, I am now being prompted to pick up a pen and write. Listen Hear, A Divine Love Story journals a year of my awakening to the Voice of Love. I used to have to guard my thoughts; now my thoughts guard and guide me. It’s like I have a life coach in my head, but the wisdom is from a whole different source than my brain. I invite you to spend sometime here perusing excerpts from my soon to be published book and browsing a gallery of my paintings. It is my wish that what I offer may open a window of new possibility within your heart and mind. And like a “breath of fresh air,” awaken a part of your soul. May your joy be full, Debra Clemente artist/author www.DebraClemente.com www.artistdeb.com
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