30 April, 2017

Anam Cara ( Soul Friend) - A celtic Sense of Presence

Anam Cara - Soul Friend

A Celtic Sense of 

PRESENCE 
 and Friendship 


The Celtic people had a deep spirituality that pre-dated the arrival of St Patrick by about 1500 plus years. One of their many inspiring ideas is that of an Anam Cara ( Gaelic for Soul Friend)

Before looking at this in greater depth it is important to outline the basic principle on which  the Celts based their belief and understanding of the Mystery they called Blessed Presence.
 John O Donoghue, an Irish Poet and Author of Anam Cara, states this in the following way

The Celtic mind was not burdened by dualism. It did not separate what belongs together. Celtic imagination articulated the inner friendship which embraces nature, divinity, underworld and human world as one”

This rejection of dualism is similar to the Eastern Tradition of Advaita ( Not- Two) and is in stark contrast to the Greco-Roman, and Western, tendency to separate everything into a false either: or choice.

O Donoghue goes on to develop this and lead towards an understanding of the Anam Cara as follows

“ The dualism which separates the visible from the invisible, time from eternity, the human from the divine was totally alien to them“

This idea leads on to the sense of a gift , granted by God’s Grace, of a special friendship and this is termed the ‘ Anam Cara’  When you had an Anam Cara , this friendship cut across all boundaries of race, gender, culture etc. It was a pure gift of a Soul Friend, to whom 
  you could reveal the hidden intimacies of your life”

This concept of the Anam Cara, is based on a sense of Blessed Presence, one of the 4 great Ps of the Celtic Tradition. The other 3 are ; sacredness of Place, the all embracing and everyday place of Prayer and finally, the power of Pilgrimage; both the Inner and Outer Journey through life.

For a further and deeper  at Anam Cara see the book

John O Donoghue  - Anam Cara  Spiritual Wisdom from the Celtic World

and 5 short reflections Echoes of Creation   to be found in the resources section of www.satsang-companionship.org.uk

No comments:

Post a Comment