at 9:30 am - “Anam Cara, the Celtic Tradition of ‘Soul Friend’”

Facilitated by Peter J. Gallagher  

In the Celtic tradition, there is a beautiful understanding of love and friendship.  One of the tradition’s fascinating ideas is the concept of soul-love.  The old Gaelic term for this is anam cara.  Anam is the Gaelic word for soul — and cara is the word for friend.  In the Celtic world, anam cara means “soul friend.”   With your anam cara, you can share your innermost self, your mind, and your heart.  When you have an anam cara, your friendship cut across all convention, morality, and category.  You are joined in an ancient and eternal way with the “friend of your soul.”   At Sunday’s service, we will hear more about this concept, including readings of some traditional Irish poetry built around anam cara.  A sample: 

May you be blessed with good friends.  May you learn to be a good friend to yourself.  May you be able to journey to that place in your soul where there is great love, warmth, feeling, and forgiveness.

        We Irish deal with our joys and regrets through our stories, plays, and music.   On Sunday, be Irish for an hour … and bring a story of your special anam cara.