From the Library of Deacon Mike:
"It is strangely ironic that you can be very successful in this world, be admired by everyone, have endless possessions, a lovely family, success in your work, have everything the world can give, but behind it all, you can be completely lost and miserable. If you have everything the world has to offer but if you have never felt the compassionate touch of tender love, then you are the poorest of the poorest of the poor. No matter where we are, who we are, what we are, we all need the touch of a gentle, tender hand. May you always be in the gentle nest of belonging with your anam cara."
A book that has a rare synthesis of philosophy, poetry, and spirituality, a book that can have a life-transforming experience is entitled "Anam Cara: A Book of Celtic Wisdom" by John O'Donohue. This book is such a favorite of mine that I have two copies – one at home and one at work so that it is with me throughout the entire day! This book offers an explanation 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. The Gaelic title refers to a "soul-friend," a lovingly stern companion to whom you can, in stringent honesty, unburden your heart as you move toward enlightenment – a journey down a nearly forgotten path of wisdom into what it means to be human. Through the giftedness of John O'Donohue the ancient teachings, stories and blessings of Celtic wisdom provide such profound insights on the universal themes of friendship, solitude, love and death as: light is generous, the human heart is never completely born, love as ancient recognition, the body is the angel of the soul, solitude is luminous, beauty likes neglected places, the passionate heart never ages, to be natural is to be holy, silence is the sister of the divine, and death as an invitation to freedom.
It is nearly impossible (at least for me) to capture the magnificence of the book in one short review, nor do I think that I will ever be able to articulate what it has meant to my life. I simply encourage you to give it a chance – read it slowly as if it were a meditation and I truly believe it will come to mean as much to you as it does to me. Permit me to conclude with a blessing, which may be found in the book:
May you recognize in your life the presence, power, and light of your soul.Happy reading!!!
May you realize that you are never alone, that your soul in its brightness and belonging connects you intimately with the rhythm of the universe.
May you have respect for your individuality and difference.
May you realize that the shape of your soul is unique, that you have a special destiny here, that behind the façade of your life there is something beautiful, good, and eternal happening.
May you learn to see yourself with the same delight, pride, and expectation with which God sees you in every moment.
Amen
Mike
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