Anamchara is an old celtic spiritual concept that offers great potential in our lives today. The Gaelic term “anamchara” (sometimes spelled “anam cara”) may be most accurately translated into contemporary English as “soul friend.” An anamchara is one you can share anything with. It is a person with whom you have a spiritual connection that goes beyond a normal friendship or family relationship.
Facebook may use categories like friends, close friends, friends of friends, family, and acquaintances, but they have no place in their system to recognize one’s anamchara. Which is perhaps the way it should be. The anamchara relationship is an intimate connection between two souls. While it may become public knowledge to others who are close to them, there is no need to proclaim it to the world for it matters only to those souls that share this bond of intimacy.
In today’s world of limited relationships we often have hundreds of internet friends, perhaps much smaller extended families than in previous generations, many co-workers that we share a working relationship with, and mere acquaintances that are too numerous to count. We are in contact with masses of humanity, but do we ever really touch each other’s core of who we are as spiritual beings? Are we, for the most part, each in our own little bubble as we swim in this sea of humanity? Are we in contact, even close contact, with each other but not sharing the essence - the soul - of our being?
The harsh truth is that we put on and maintain facades in virtually all of our relationships. People see each other and even feel they know each other well, but in reality few relationships penetrate the masks that we wear.
Anamchara changes that. Soul friends share a link in which they are totally open to each other, mingling their thoughts, hopes, and dreams. They make a commitment to each other to tend and nurture each other’s souls with gentleness and perseverance. Don’t confuse this relationship with contemporary culture’s “best friend forever” type of friendship. Best friends have fun together and support each other within limits. Those friendships can be valuable and nurturing, but they are not anamchara. Anamchara is a touching of souls through time.
If you happen to find your anamchara you are most fortunate for the relationship will bless your living in unexpected ways as you learn to look at yourself in new ways, see the soul of the world around you through your friend, and as you cherish and nurture the soul of your anamchara.
Some people recognize their anamchara at their first encounter, but sometimes the process takes a little longer. There developes a deep realization of knowing each other for what you are and there comes a moment of realization and celebration that there exists such a soul friend who cares so deeply for you. Like the budding of flowers, you find yourselves opening up to each other. You openly give yourselves to each other and accept each other.
As you share your thoughts, feelings, lives, and souls, with each other you find many similarities in who you are, but you also find differences and uniqueness. You nurture those similarities and differences in each other. Just as a gardener nurtures and tends the garden, so you do with the soul of your friend, providing nourishment, protection, and loving attention.
This relationship calls forth a commitment. Anamchara promise themselves to each other and take their relationship seriously. Many even make vows of commitment to each other in words of ritual (see one form of this ritual in my next post). Much as a gardener faithfully works in the garden, so also the anamchara works at the relationship that is shared.
The anamchara relationship ties together surprising sets of people who have come to recognize a unity of their souls. Sometimes it is a relationship between people one would normally expect might develop a close relationship, but at other times it links together what might appear to be unlikely sets of people. It can be between people of the same gender, or of opposite gender. It can be between people of the same generation, or of people of different generations. It can be people people who come from the same culture, or of different cultures. It is the souls that are linked and not the gender, age, or culture.
How does this ancient spiritual concept hold promise for us today? What potential does this anamchara relationship offer us in this modern world? I will discuss this in a future post.
Facebook may use categories like friends, close friends, friends of friends, family, and acquaintances, but they have no place in their system to recognize one’s anamchara. Which is perhaps the way it should be. The anamchara relationship is an intimate connection between two souls. While it may become public knowledge to others who are close to them, there is no need to proclaim it to the world for it matters only to those souls that share this bond of intimacy.
In today’s world of limited relationships we often have hundreds of internet friends, perhaps much smaller extended families than in previous generations, many co-workers that we share a working relationship with, and mere acquaintances that are too numerous to count. We are in contact with masses of humanity, but do we ever really touch each other’s core of who we are as spiritual beings? Are we, for the most part, each in our own little bubble as we swim in this sea of humanity? Are we in contact, even close contact, with each other but not sharing the essence - the soul - of our being?
The harsh truth is that we put on and maintain facades in virtually all of our relationships. People see each other and even feel they know each other well, but in reality few relationships penetrate the masks that we wear.
Anamchara changes that. Soul friends share a link in which they are totally open to each other, mingling their thoughts, hopes, and dreams. They make a commitment to each other to tend and nurture each other’s souls with gentleness and perseverance. Don’t confuse this relationship with contemporary culture’s “best friend forever” type of friendship. Best friends have fun together and support each other within limits. Those friendships can be valuable and nurturing, but they are not anamchara. Anamchara is a touching of souls through time.
If you happen to find your anamchara you are most fortunate for the relationship will bless your living in unexpected ways as you learn to look at yourself in new ways, see the soul of the world around you through your friend, and as you cherish and nurture the soul of your anamchara.
Some people recognize their anamchara at their first encounter, but sometimes the process takes a little longer. There developes a deep realization of knowing each other for what you are and there comes a moment of realization and celebration that there exists such a soul friend who cares so deeply for you. Like the budding of flowers, you find yourselves opening up to each other. You openly give yourselves to each other and accept each other.
As you share your thoughts, feelings, lives, and souls, with each other you find many similarities in who you are, but you also find differences and uniqueness. You nurture those similarities and differences in each other. Just as a gardener nurtures and tends the garden, so you do with the soul of your friend, providing nourishment, protection, and loving attention.
This relationship calls forth a commitment. Anamchara promise themselves to each other and take their relationship seriously. Many even make vows of commitment to each other in words of ritual (see one form of this ritual in my next post). Much as a gardener faithfully works in the garden, so also the anamchara works at the relationship that is shared.
The anamchara relationship ties together surprising sets of people who have come to recognize a unity of their souls. Sometimes it is a relationship between people one would normally expect might develop a close relationship, but at other times it links together what might appear to be unlikely sets of people. It can be between people of the same gender, or of opposite gender. It can be between people of the same generation, or of people of different generations. It can be people people who come from the same culture, or of different cultures. It is the souls that are linked and not the gender, age, or culture.
How does this ancient spiritual concept hold promise for us today? What potential does this anamchara relationship offer us in this modern world? I will discuss this in a future post.