Anam Cara - Celtic Soul Friend
I’ve been
feeling a little overwhelmed lately with too-long-to-do lists, deadlines, forms , appointments and schedules packed to prevent completion
of just about any and every task at one sitting. Sound
familiar?
I found relief, a sense of spaciousness in preparing for a class I
taught yesterday called Hearing the Ancient Call of the Celts. With classes like this, I like to start with an
overview of beloved qualities associated with Celtic spirituality. I read that the word belief comes from the
word beloved. We believe what we hold with affection. The traits associated with Celtic Faith remind me why I’m so thrilled to travel this
fall to Scotland.
As an aside, a few spots remain in our September's group to Scotland. There is time for you to join and revel in Celtic land and spirituality with the following qualities,
- The Celts saw themselves as integrated with creation.
Their myths and hagiography (stories of the saints) show tenderness for
creatures and respect for the land, sea, trees, and the elements.
2- Out of this view of nature, the Celts
saw the divine presence in the matter of their own bodies.
3- Women and Men shared leadership.
4- The Celts loved travel, learning, and
the imagination as a way to live and honor the gift of life and access to the
other worlds.
5- They were learned and developed in
the arts, particularly esteeming poetry and storytelling.
6- They held great curiosity about the
other invisible worlds. They believed the dead to be present in one of these
near and unseen worlds.
7- They had a high view of friendship as
seen in the role of “anam cara” or soul friend which recognized the powerful
gentleness we can extend to another.
I like to
think about these qualities, especially friendship. Years ago I took a class at Vancouver School
of Theology on spiritual direction. A
good portion of the material studied was spiritual friendship. In fact we read a sweet little book called Spiritual Friendship, a classic by
Aelred of Rievaulx, a Celtic Cistercian Abbot, known for his practice and nuanced
teachings on friendship.
Modern day Welsh poet, David Whyte, conveys the sacred gentleness of an
Anam Cara in the following,
... the ultimate touchstone of friendship is not improvement, neither of the other nor of the self, the ultimate touchstone is witness, the privilege of having been seen by someone and the equal privilege of being granted the sight of the essence of another, to have walked with them and to have believed in them, and sometimes just to have accompanied them for however brief a span, on a journey impossible to accomplish alone. David Whyte, Consolations
To you my
friends, who have plans to travel with me this September and those who will
travel in spirit, remember the
nurture available in Celtic spirituality.
We have the
privilege in our autumn pilgrimage to be on the land that grew this sweet understanding of the Divine. Sue - May
