Anam Cara: A Book of Celtic Wisdom
- Book Review,
by John O'Donohue
Amazon.com
Anam Cara: A Book of Celtic Wisdom offers an exploration of the secret universe we all carry inside us, the connections we forge with the worlds of our friends and loved ones, and the products of our worlds reflected in the things we create outside of ourselves. Anam Cara, Gaelic for "soul friend," is an ancient journey down a nearly forgotten path of wisdom into what it means to be human. Drawing on this age-old perspective, John O'Donohue helps us to see ourselves as the Celts did: we're more than just flesh, blood, and bone; we comprise individual worlds. The comprehension of the sublime architecture of the worlds we are born with will engender a new appreciation for the outside world and the way we contribute to its evolution.
From Booklist
The Gaelic title refers to the "soul-friend," a lovingly stern companion to whom you can, in stringent honesty, unburden your heart as you move toward enlightenment. O'Donohue positions himself to be that soul's companion for readers who yearn for a spirituality that is accepting of bodily wisdom but does not deny the power of the Christian vision. The Celts--well, the Irish, anyway--grappled with that yearning more than a millennium ago. Irish traditional ways were never subjected to the kinds of discouragement--racks, skewers, lions, and the like--practiced on the continent and so were able to wed pagan sensuality to the ethical challenges of the new creed. Reperforming that marriage, O'Donohue is as much at ease with Heidegger as with Yeats, with Rilke as with Jung, as he discourses on solitude, work, love, and death and works snippets of ancient Irish poetry seamlessly into the fabric of his text. Eloquent and learned, O'Donohue is more than just another Paddy-come-lately cashing in on River Danceera Celtophilia. He is the real thing: a poetic priest with the soul of a pagan. Expect demand! (HarperCollins does, to the tune of a 150,000-copy first printing.) Patricia Monaghan
"John O'Donohue is an unassuming man with a grand sense of humor... charming."
Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"A lively spiritual companion to all Celts--or to those who are Celtic in their hearts."
Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"A lively spiritual companion to all Celts--or to those who are Celtic in their hearts."
"Anam Cara is a radiant source of wisdom, a link between the human and the divine. This work is a blessed, rare gem."
"This beautifully written book proves that tireless wisdom can bring an amazing understanding about ourselves and the world around us even today."
"John O'Donohue is an unassuming man with a grand sense of humor... charming."
Book Description
Discover the Celtic Circle of Belonging 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 benatural is to be holy Silence is the sister of the divine Death as an invitation to freedom
About the Author
John O'Donohue is the author of the award-winning and international bestseller Anam Cara: A Book of Celtic Wisdom and Eternal Echoes: Exploring Our Yearning to Belong. He also is the author of a book on Hegel's philosophy, Person als Vermittlung, published in Germany in 1993, and a collection of poetry Echoes of Memory published in 1994. He is an Irish poet and Catholic scholar whose acclaimed writings reveal an original thinker rooted in an unorthodox blend of Irish heritage, German philosophy, and an intimate relationship with the wild, luminous landscape of his Connamara home. A gifted and delightful speaker, John O'Donohue lectures and leads seminars throughout the U.S. and Europe, encouraging audiences to become artists of their own deepest possibility.His other works include a series of monographs on the four elements:Stone as Tabernacle of Memory; Water: The Tears of the Earth; Fire: At Home at the Hearth of Spirit; and Air: Breath of God.
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