Anam Cara: A Book of Celtic Wisdom

Front Cover
Harper Collins, Mar 17, 2009 - Body, Mind & Spirit - 256 pages

"Anam Cara is a rare synthesis of philosophy, poetry, and spirituality. This work will have a powerful and life-transforming experience for those who read it." —Deepak Chopra

John O'Donohue, poet, philosopher, and scholar, guides you through the spiritual landscape of the Irish imagination. In Anam Cara, Gaelic for "soul friend," the ancient teachings, stories, and blessings of Celtic wisdom provide such profound insights on the universal themes of friendship, solitude, love, and death as:

  • Light is generous
  • The human heart is never completely born
  • Love as ancient recognition
  • The body is the angel of the soul
  • Solitude is luminous
  • Beauty likes neglected places
  • The passionate heart never ages
  • To be natural is to be holy
  • Silence is the sister of the divine
  • Death as an invitation to freedom

 

Contents

THE MYSTERY OF FRIENDSHIP
1
Intimacy as Sacred
17
The Circle of Belonging
24
TOWARD A SPIRITUALITY OF THE SENSES
37
SOLITUDE IS LUMINOUS
78
WORK AS A POETICS OF GROWTH
126
THE BEAUTY OF THE INNER HARVEST
162
THE HORIZON IS IN THE WELL
199
Death Transfigures Our Separation
224
FURTHER RECOMMENDED READING
233
vii
235
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About the author (2009)

John O'Donohue (1956-2008) was a poet, philosopher, and scholar and a native Gaelic speaker from County Clare, Ireland. He was awarded a PhD in Philosophical Theology from the University of Tübingen, with post-doctoral study of Meister Eckhart. John's numerous international bestselling books include Anam Cara, Beauty, Eternal Echoes, and the beloved To Bless the Space Between Us (published as Benedictus in Europe), among many others, guiding readers through the landscape of the Irish imagination.

Michael D. Higgins was inaugurated as the ninth President of Ireland on November 11, 2011, and was then inaugurated for a second term on November 11, 2018. A passionate political voice, a poet and writer, academic and statesman, human rights advocate, promoter of inclusive citizenship and champion of creativity within Irish society, Michael D. Higgins has previously served at almost every level of public life in Ireland, including as Ireland’s first Minister for Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht.

Pat O'Donohue was born in County Clare, Ireland. He attended Maynooth College studying the Arts and Philosophy, receiving his B.D. in Theology in 1978. After living in London, he returned to County Clare, writing and continuing to further the legacy of his beloved brother, John O'Donohue.

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