Anam Cara, meaning "Soul Friend" is a book that is a song that we all seek to be sung. It shows how to find the divinity within ourselves, our own individuality and uniqueness, how to recognize this within others, and how to unite to make the sparks fly.


Reading this book causes us to look at the structures that starve our being from being and inspires us and guides us into breaking these structures, to actually become closer to others than any structure can achieve.


As someone said, this is also a perfect book to read by a blazing turf fire while the sidhe chatter and wail in the wind.

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Product Description

This text uses the Celtic vision of life as a means to examine the landscape of the soul. It argues that instead of seeking to satisfy our spiritual hunger on an everlasting journey of exploration, we should seek to gain an understanding that the soul lies within us always.

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #5578 in Books
• Published on: 1999-04-01
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 280 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
Anam Cara: Spiritual Wisdom from the Celtic World 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. --Simon Priestly

From the Publisher
Revealed in accessible and stylish prose, this book uncovers the mystical secrets of the ancient Celtic world - the world discovered by St Patrick in the 5th century AD.

From the Inside Flap
When St Patrick came to Ireland in the fifth century AD, he encountered the Celtic people and a flourishing spiritual tradition that had already existed for thousands of years. He discovered that where the Christians worshipped one God, the Celts had many and found divinity all around them: in the rivers and hills, the sea and sky, and in every kind of animal. The ancient Celtic reverence for the spirit in all things survives to this day – a vibrant legacy of mystical wisdom that is unique in the Western world.

Now, in this exquisitely crafted book, Irish poet and scholar John O’Donohue uses an intuitive approach to spirituality and, with authentic Irish prayers and blessings, shares the secrets of this ancient world. Here you will learn how to reconnect with the treasures that lie hidden within your own soul, how to discover your individual nature and understand the ‘secret divinity’ in your relationships. Here, too, you will see how the Irish ‘hospitality’ towards death can help you become more compassionate, generous and fearless.

As John O’Donohue traces the cycles of life and nature, he draws from the holy waters of Ireland’s spiritual heritage, from the Celts and Druid shamans, to lead you to a place where your heart can be healed and nourished – a place where you will discover your own anam cara, your true ‘soul friend’.

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Customer Reviews

An incredible, thought-provoking guide for all.
Even if you are not interested in the Celtic World the symbolism that the text provokes belongs more to the soul than to a culture or race of people. To be inspired, to question yourself as a person and the way of your life - this is a must, a great guide. It is not a script which demands that you follow a certain pathway, spiritually or otherwise, it invokes conscious thought and allows you to view life as it could be not as it is. It does not pressure as some religions do, it does not demand as society does, it gives you that space and depth to breathe in your own time and at your own speed.

I am no longer out of step
Having spent most of my life feeling 'out of step' with everyone else - this book put into words so much that I instinctively thought/knew and brought me 'home'.

Infested with verisimilitude and spiritually uplifting.
I bought this book about 6 months or so ago and now I have bought "Eternal Echoes". I found it hard to get into at first but when I did, I was very impressed. There are little Irish blessings and a couple of uplifting poems. The rest of the book is about looking within yourself and finding the peace and serenity that you and others hold. There is one particular part of the book that I always come back to. John describes that the most critical eye is yourself and your soul friend(anam cara translated from old irish)being the person that can get to see you for the person that you truly are, even if you don't see it. He describes it as you trying to look at yourself completely. If you look behind you, you still can't see the back of your neck or when you see the front of yourself, you can't see the back of you. No matter how much you try, there is no way possible fo you to be able to see yourself completely. That is what your Anam Cara is for. Your Anam Cara is your mirror. They can see you completely. Not just from the outside but inside as well. He is amazing the way he describes things and puts things into perspective. Put it this way, I really liked this book and have no hesitations in recommending it to you. It makes a great gift for someone!!!!