Anam Cara and the Essence of True Friendship: Poet and Philosopher John O’Donohue on the Beautiful Ancient Celtic Notion of Soul-Friend
Anam is the Gaelic word for soul; ċara means soul cara is the word for friend. So anam ċara friend. The anam ċara was a person to whom you could reveal the hidden intimacies of your life. This friendship was an act of recognition and belonging. When you had an anam ċara, your friendship cut across all convention and category. You were joined in an
... See moreJohn O'Donohue • Anam Cara: 25th Anniversary Edition
Writer C. Raymond Beran on friendship: "What is a friend? I will tell you. It is a person with whom you dare to be yourself. Your soul can be naked with him. He seems to ask of you to put on nothing, only to be what you are. He does not want you to be better, or worse. When you are with him, you feel as a prisoner feels who has been decla
... See moreliving, pure friendship, useless beauty, or moments of communion with nature or anything.
Richard Rohr • Falling Upward
The friend who leaps ahead is one who’s glimpsed what you’re called to be and is willing to let you be uncomfortable as you wrestle with the call, who loves you enough to let you struggle for your soul but is standing by with a bandage and a map.
James K. A. Smith • On the Road with Saint Augustine: A Real-World Spirituality for Restless Hearts
The foundation of friendship is not secured in one life; many lives are needed to build the mansion of friendship. It is built with souls you have known before, life after life. That is why, from among the throngs, Jesus called his disciples to him one by one—those whom he had known before. They met again in the bosom of eternal friendship.