Journal of Sacred Work

[The following meditation is from Liz Wessel, Mission Director for Home Care at St. Joseph Health System in Orange, California]

   What better day to reflect on beliefs and Irish customs than on St. Patrick’s Day!
The late Irish poet and philosopher John O’Donohue wrote, "In the Celtic
tradition, there is a beautiful understanding of love and friendship. One of the
fascinating ideas here is the idea 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. So anam cara in the Celtic world was the "soul
friend."
  Personally, I hold a vivid soul feeling, a memory of early childhood. I was in first grade and my
little classmate Maria and became friends. Suddenly, one day mid-year, Maria
was gone without warning…

   Sadly, the teacher informed me that Maria and her family had moved away. My
beloved friend was gone but she left an indelible print on my heart.
   As a young girl my heart was open and expansive. I recall eagerly wishing I
could meet every person on earth and the twinge of disappointment that
descended when I realized that the world was just too big. While growing up, little wounds pierced my tender heart, unspoken
hurts; gradually, I began to shrink back from trusting the world and a protective
shield formed around my heart. Without knowing, I learned to wear the
mask of conformity as I tried to please others to earn love. I tried hard to
live up to the expectations required of me to fit in and to belong.
   In the unfolding mystery of life, enthusiasm returns as I sense a
new kind of belonging. As a seeker on an inward journey, I reacquaint myself
with the child who has long awaited my return. I embrace her with gladness, assuredness,
warmth, vulnerability, acceptance, weakness, and strength as I reach
out to embrace others.
   O’Donohue stated, “In everyone’s life, there is great need for an anam
cara, a soul friend. In this love, you are understood as you are without
mask or pretense. The superficial and functional lies and half-truths of
social acquaintance fall away, you can be as you really are. Love allows
understanding to dawn, and understanding is precious. Where you are understood,
you are at home. Understanding nourishes belonging. When you really feel
understood, you feel free to release yourself into the trust and shelter of the
other person’s soul."
   I am very fortunate to have friends with whom I can be real.
The Journal has become just such a place for me. A brilliant and favorite concept
was revealed in the Journal meditation titled, “Net of Indra,” dated May 3, 2007 (my birthday.)  Joseph Campbell explained the metaphor, “It’s an idea that appears …in the mythic image of
the Net of Indra, which is a net of gems, where at every crossing of
one thread over another there is a gem reflecting all the other… gems.
Everything arises in mutual relation to everything else…It is even as though
there were a single intention behind it all.” Francis Harold Cook
elaborated, “When any jewel in the net is touched, all other jewels in the node
are affected. This speaks to the hidden interconnectedness and interdependency
of everything and everyone in the universe.”
    This reflection brings me full circle back to my childhood dream
of meeting everyone, only with a twist of fresh insight. No longer does my
dream seem impossible. I find myself connecting on an intuitive level with
people, many who I have never met, from around the country, and the world, through
this extraordinary Journal. I gratefully receive the spiritual guidance offered
by a generous-hearted teacher as well as the discerning wisdom of kindred
spirits who risk entry to dance in this sacred circle. Often, I find myself
compelled to let spill out onto these cyber pages the intricacies of my heart’s
longing, as they flow forth to who knows where?
    O’Donohue affirmed, “In
the early Celtic church, a person who acted as a teacher, companion, or
spiritual guide was called an anam cara. It originally referred to
someone to whom you confessed, revealing the hidden intimacies of your life.
With the anam cara you could share your innermost self,
your mind and
your heart. This friendship was an act of recognition and belonging. When you
had an anam cara, your friendship cut across all convention, morality,
and category. You were joined in an ancient and eternal way with the ‘friend of your soul.’ The Celtic understanding did not set
limitations of space or time on the soul. There is no cage for the soul. The
soul is a divine light that flows into you and into your Other. This art of
belonging awakened and fostered a deep and special companionship."
   To my anam caras, Happy St. Patrick’s Day, dear friends of the
Journal, jewels of great light, Love, and belonging.
Special wish: May Love’s blessings shine warm upon the face of Thomas
Patrick Sorensen as he celebrates his 50^th birthday today and may
four leaf clovers grow ever plentiful on your path in life.

[Ed Note: A little exercise. Find the four leaf clover in the image above left. Click to enlarge. Also note: The same approach will work for finding a four leaf clover in real life. I’ve found several this way. Happy St. Patrick’s Day – Erie]