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Anam Cara [Twenty-fifth Anniversary Edition]: A Book of Celtic Wisdom Paperback – November 29, 2022
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“In this twenty-fifth anniversary edition, you will find John a “soul friend” on your own journey through life, offering support and solace, clarity, and consciousness—expanding narratives that invite you to experience relationships with people, nature, and even your inner world in new ways that nurture well-being and resilience in these challenging times.” —Daniel J. Siegel, MD, Neuropsychiatrist and New York Times Bestselling Author
A special twenty-fifth anniversary edition of the classic work of Celtic spirituality and mysticism by beloved poet and philosopher, John O'Donohue, with a new introduction by the President of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins, an afterword by the late author’s brother, Pat O'Donohue, and insightful material from O'Donohue's circle of close friends.
In this revered classic, John O’Donohue excavates themes of friendship, belonging, solitude, creativity and the imagination, among many others. Widely recognized for bringing Celtic spirituality into modern dialogue, his unique insights from the ancient world speak with urgency for our need to rediscover the thresholds of the soul.
With lyrical wisdom and fluency, O'Donohue encourages pathways of discovery to come home to the natural rhythm in ourselves in sacred connection with one another and the landscapes we inhabit. This timeless collection nourishes the heart and elevates the spirit. It is "a book to read and reread forever.” (Irish Times)
- Print length256 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherHarper Perennial
- Publication dateNovember 29, 2022
- Dimensions5.2 x 0.71 x 7.95 inches
- ISBN-100063270587
- ISBN-13978-0063270589
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Review
"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’s unique voice and heart and his exquisitely elevating poetic imagination are immortalized in these pages, saturated as they are with his lyrical and contagious love of life and love for people and nature. Even reading it at random is profoundly healing and affirming, especially in hard moments.” — Jon Kabat-Zinn, author of Meditation is Not What You Think and the bestselling classic, Wherever You Go, There You Are
"The moment I read Anam Cara...I felt like I had found a kindred spirit. I love everything John has written. It comes from such a deep, profound, wise, and insightful space." — Maria Shriver, author, advocate, and journalist
"What a profound joy it is rereading Anam Cara, John O'Donohue's glorious book of teachings about nature, human life, friendship, love, and loss. Anyone who ever spent time with John came away changed, as do his readers." — Diane Ackerman, bestselling author and poet
“In this twenty-fifth anniversary edition, you will find John a 'soul friend' on your own journey through life, offering support and solace, clarity, and consciousness—expanding narratives that invite you to experience relationships with people, nature, and even your inner world in new ways that nurture well-being and resilience in these challenging times.” — Daniel J. Siegel, MD, bestselling author, neuropsychiatrist
“This book is a phenomenon in itself . . . a book to read and reread forever, its style of varied narration responds to our times.” — Irish Times
"With this twenty-fifth anniversary of Anam Cara, John's fervent call to dignify each other reverberates in every corner of our beautiful broken world with more urgency and presence." — Ellen Wingard, Advocate for Social Impact Leadership
"A lively spiritual companion to all Celts—or to those who are Celtic in their hearts." — Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"For almost twenty years the poetic and prophetic words of John O'Donohue have held sacred space and holy weight in my heart." — Rev. Dr. Otis Moss III, Senior Pastor-Trinity United Church of Christ (Chicago, Illinois)
"Anam Cara is a radiant source of wisdom, a link between the human and the divine. This work is a blessed, rare gem." — Larry Dossey, M.D., author of Be Careful What You Pray For, Prayer Is Good Medicine, and Healing Words
"John O'Donohue is an unassuming man with a grand sense of humor. . . charming." — Joy Redfield Kwapien, author of The Celestine Journal
"John brightens the way for you, if you have the courage to go there--he was obviously sent here with the light." — Davy Spillane, Grammy Award-winning musician/composer at North Atlantic Music Studios (Ireland) and Producer of Anam Cara Audiobook
"John O'Donohue's book of Celtic wisdom comes at you like a blast of fresh wind rushing above the din of modern noise and cynical contemporary conversations, revitalizing the spirit to effectively face this turbulent world. Indeed we need John's wildly original and provocative voice more than ever." — Gail Straub, Co-Founder--Empowerment Institute, Author of The Rhythm of Compassion
"From the very first sentence, Anam Cara takes us on an exhilarating journey through the human soul and its many wondrous and mysterious labyrinths, and John O'Donohue is the perfect guide to light the way--a radiant soul full of deep wisdom, true compassion, and boundless joy." — Andrew Carroll, New York Times bestselling author and co-founder, with Nobel Laureate Joseph Brodsky, of the American Poetry & Literacy Project
"Anam Cara has accompanied me on my spiritual journey from its very inception. I have returned to this book often, for solace, wisdom and --most of all--to be reminded that I am not alone in what I desire for myself and for our world. John O'Donohue has been my "soul friend" for years, and his brave revelations of his mind and heart have changed my life. Get ready for a life-altering journey." — Edward L. Beck, Roman Catholic Priest, CNN Faith and Religion Commentator
"In the age of social media in which we add and discard friends with the tap of a screen, we need more than ever John O'Donohue's vital words of wisdom on how the right relationships can lift a life and feed the soul. This book is about deep love, belonging, and honoring nourishing ties that crush small-minded concepts of what friendship can be. A must read for all on the spiritual journey." — Sophfronia Scott, author of The Seeker and the Monk and Love's Long Line
"John blew away the dust of many years of spiritual disillusionment and blessed the world with an ancient message infused with beauty, love and divine truths. This was a man formed from the wildness of clay and rock of the West coast of County Clare. It was a privilege to know John and to witness him enliven weary souls in search of the divine spark. He was an continues to be an Anam Cara (soul friend) to those of us blessed to have known him and for all who continue to walk the path through his inspired writings." — Áine Minogue, Irish Musician
About the Author
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.
Product details
- Publisher : Harper Perennial; Anniversary edition (November 29, 2022)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 256 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0063270587
- ISBN-13 : 978-0063270589
- Item Weight : 6.4 ounces
- Dimensions : 5.2 x 0.71 x 7.95 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #4,563 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #2 in Celtic Religions (Books)
- #20 in Inspiration & Spirituality
- #179 in Personal Transformation Self-Help
- Customer Reviews:
About the author
JOHN O'DONOHUE was a poet, philosopher and scholar, 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 best-selling books include: Anam Cara, Beauty, Eternal Echoes, To Bless the Space Between Us, Walking in Wonder, among many others, guides readers through the landscape of the Irish imagination. On November 29, 2022, John's latest book will be launched, a 25th Anniversary Edition of his beloved classic, Anam Cara. The anniversary edition includes a new Foreword by Michael D. Higgins, President of Ireland, a new Afterword by John's brother, Pat, along with insightful reflections from John's inner circle of friends. More information can be found: https://johnodonohue.com/
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In a sense, this book is review proof. To anyone who has read my other reviews on fiction and non-fiction this may be seen as a departure. Personal philosophical contemplation of the big issues—life, death, eternity, etc.—are so subjective that to apply the same kind of critical analysis to them that I would apply to a novel misses the meat of the matter and becomes a stab in the air of Intellect. Just as all books are not created alike, so all reviews of those various books should also not be alike.
The anam cara can be found in another person although, whether one finds THE anam cara or AN anam cara in another person or not, there is the presence that travels with the individual from birth to death. An individual’s life span, like the seasons, is a cycle. O’Donohue traces the phases of the cycle throughout the book in explorations of solitude, friendship, love and death. These are all big abstract concepts but O’Donohue brings them inside our eyelids with his intimate, poetic language.
Donohue’s contemplation of the large themes is as intimate as poetry and as spiritual as any church service and yet this former priest never preaches. His pleasure in the novelties of creation and his meditations on the threshold of conscious and unconscious existence are contagious. He brought to my awareness a few insights that seem obvious except that I never thought to articulate them but here he has presented them to me.
Consider what he says about the human face:
“The human face carries mystery and is the exposure of the mystery of the individual life. It is where the private, inner world of a person protrudes into the anonymous world. While the rest of the body is covered, the face is naked. The vulnerability of this nakedness issues a profound invitation for understanding and compassion. The human face is a meeting place of two unknowns: the infinity of the outer world and the unchartered, inner world to which each individual alone has access…Your feet bring your private clay in touch with the ancient, mother clay from which you first emerged. Consequently, your face being at the top of your body signifies the ascent of your clay-life into intimacy and selfhood.”
He invokes the cyclical view of life repeatedly. It is inherent in the fact that he was born and died a Celt:
“The Celtic mind was never drawn to the single line; it avoided ways of seeing and being that seek satisfaction in certainty. The Celtic mind has a wonderful respect for the mystery of the circle and the spiral. The circle is one of the oldest and most powerful symbols. The world is a circle; the sun and moon are too. Even time itself has a circular nature; the day and the year build to a circle. At its most intimate level so is the life of the individual. The circle never gives itself completely to the eye or to the mind but offers a trusting hospitality to that which is complex and mysterious; it embraces depth and height together. The circle never reduces the mystery to a single direction or preference.”
Generally, O’Donohue’s imagery and metaphor is fresh and vibrant although he does use a phrase such as ‘neon consciousness’ or ‘neon awareness’ a bit too frequently for my taste. Once was fresh; more than that the impact is diluted. He also quotes people without citation. He will write, “Dostoevsky said…” or “Goethe said” without providing the specific source of the quote. I don’t doubt O’Donohue; I believe in his integrity. I would just like to read the original for myself to see the context in which the quote appeared.
Those are relatively minor quibbles. One of O’Donohue’s great achievements is to shed a fresh light on things we either take for granted or have never articulated. He presents them to us in a novel context, which is really what the best writers do for us.
The chapter on death is worth the price of the book for me. It provides the wisest, most consoling, most clear-eyed outlook toward death that I have encountered. He describes the Irish mourning tradition in which women keen and provide a sad liturgy, a ritual for externalizing the loss of the departed. This is followed by the wake:
“Its ritual affords the soul plenty of time to take its leave. The soul does not leave the body abruptly; this is a slow leave-taking.”
He provides a calm reassurance that assuages any fear of dying that touches me more than most anything else I’ve read about death. He died unexpectedly in his sleep in 2008. The cause of death was not disclosed outside the family. Reading his calming words, I could imagine them echoing through his consciousness in his last moments. His cycle was complete.