title: Anam Cara, A Book of Celtic Wisdom
author/editor: John O'Donohue
reviewed by: Gail
ANAM CARA
John O'Donohue's book, Anam Cara, A Book of Celtic Wisdom, has affected me like no other. As one attempts to read it, it is necessary to rest and absorb the thoughts -not read it straight through. It is heavy because every word he writes has a purpose and IS weighty.
Anam Cara in Gaelic means "soul friend." O'Donohue is a poet, philosopher and scholar. The beauty of his wisdom touches my heart and causes me to weep with the knowledge that truth is beauty. He says things like He says things like: .. beauty likes neglected places…, and … the body is the angel of the soul. He writes, …light is generous…, and …solitude is luminous. . A final phrase I'll share is, ... true listening is worship.
He has answered my question about the longing of my heart for the landscape of my birthplace: He says that stone contains memory. The clay from which we came is the clay to which we long to return.
The book is full of poems and blessings. It is a treasure.
Gail adds," Frances wrote about Ninepatch's spiritual ( prayer ) group (Jan.'02). When I read that, I recalled that forming sacred circles of meditation and study is powerful. The circle is powerful. O'Donohue reminds us that it is symbolic of the circle of life. There are many powerful examples: the circle of our earth, the seasons, the day circled by the moon, the ancient stone circles as a way of surviving, telling time, and the seasons. There is also the Celtic cross that uses a circle to soften the linear and painful lines intersecting the cross and the AA symbol of the triangle is also inside the circle."