Anam Cara - Spiritual Wisdom from the Celtic World by John O'Donohue

By Zena Greene View Profile
This is a remarkable little book. When I first began to read it, I thought that it might be just another of those books full of platitudes that present themselves as spiritual wisdom, but I was very wrong - it is not. This book has a quality that lifts it far beyond the ordinary. John O’Donohue is an Irish poet who writes about philosophy and life from a unique, authentic perspective. He illustrates his points by using many beautifully described Celtic stories and anecdotes, writing in way that is a balm and a pleasure to read.

The ideal situation to read this book in would be a quiet, green, leafy place. But if you read it while you are struggling with work and transport – and relationships - in a major city, you will soon be transported to such a place. This is a book to treasure and to dip into. I think that I would like to be given this book as a gift. It has a very intimate (but not intrusive or patronising) and caring quality to it, which would always make the giver memorable. But it is also a very nice book to treat yourself to. We all need special, private parts of our lives that we can retreat to and which heal us. It is always a good plan to keep a few things that we can rely upon, to help us keep our heads above the water in times of stress. This book could certainly be part of anybody’s small ‘spiritual first-aid kit’. Every page had something to offer me, whether I was sitting down to read, or just dipping in, on a whim.