Reflections from Anam Cara by John O’Donohue
I recently immersed myself in the profound wisdom of John O’Donohue’s Anam Cara: Spiritual Wisdom from the Celtic World, and a particular chapter titled “Love is the Nature of the Soul” deeply resonated with me.
This chapter beautifully explores how love is not just an emotion or state of being but an essential element that the soul needs to thrive, much like air for the body. O’Donohue reminds us that love awakens hidden dimensions of who we are, opening pathways to discovering and fulfilling our deeper human potential.
One of the most striking aspects is the concept of the Anam Cara—the “soul friend.” O’Donohue describes a friendship that transcends the boundaries of time, space, and even persona. In this friendship, the unity of souls defies separation or distance. The connection remains alive even when friends are far apart because they’ve connected at a soul level, breaking through the superficial barriers of ego and identity.
When we open ourselves to love and allow love to envelop us, we begin to access the eternal. This love has the power to transform turning fear into courage, emptiness into fullness, and distance into intimacy. The soul-friend relationship, as O’Donohue presents it, reflects the eternal nature of love—an enduring connection that isn’t easily severed by physical space or the limitations of the ego.
In our fast-paced, modern world, it’s easy to lose sight of these deeper connections, but this chapter offers a profound reminder: true love, at the soul level, is eternal, transformative, and essential for our well-being.
Do you have an Anam Cara—a soul friend—who touches your life in this profound way?
With love, Cate