A Book Of Blessings - an inspiring and comforting and deeply touching collection of blessings for every moment in life from international bestselling author John O’Donohue

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Meanwhile, here is a blessing that your work may be guided by your soul. I find this greatly encouraging to me, to keep me on the path of following my heart. Enjoy…Neal x May The Light Of Your Soul Guide You, by John O’Donohue Every poet would like to write the ideal poem. Though they never achieve this, sometimes it glimmers through their best work. Ironically, the very beyondness of the idea is often the touch of presence that renders the work luminous. The beauty of the ideal awakens a passion and urgency that brings out the best in the person and calls forth the dream of excellence. Over the last few months I have very much been enjoying the writings and poetry of John O’Donohue. A writer of unique power to me (and many others), John captured a great sense of wonder of the natural world and a deep wisdom and kindness born from a life of studying philosophy and theology. He had also been a Catholic priest for 17 years and left that service to concentrate more on his writings.

As O’Donohue says in this beautiful blessing, “And though the darkness is now deep, you will soon see approaching light.”oh yes, a journey is indeed a sacred thing, no matter if a journey to a foreign land or the journey in our own town or city; it is all about the intention we set: are we taking the journey with an open heart, mind and soul? Are we allowing for the unexpected to awe us? Are we opening our eyes to truly see the beauty all around us, even if it is simply a tree on the street where we live? Are we engaging with people heart to heart? Are we seeking to grow and learn especially if immersed in a culture other than our own? I have found that many times when i travel, I've been to 27 countries so far: 20 of them through Storytelling performances/experiences, I seek to learn, grow and understand as well as soak in unexpected experiences whether that is a cultural celebration like the one i happened upon in Peru where hundreds gathered in a town square and ate a feast of seaweed, cuy, cheese, and tiny potatoes and there was singing and chanting too. i had little idea what was happen... [ View Full Comment]

When our responses are grounded in Love, in meditation, mindfulness, and prayer, we all have a greater resonance for right-action or non-action. Both might be useful. In my life, it’s often been those little pauses, some minutes, some seconds, and some fractions of a second that have helped me keep a level head and a grateful heart. Without the pauses, I can easily fall into panic and overwhelm. I’m built that way. Without the pauses, I drop into old habits and ways of doing, thinking and responding. I can easily abandon flow, trust and being. The pauses allow grace in. I’m going to write that again … give it space. Take a moment for yourself. Really feel into what’s activated in you around the Corona Virus pandemic. What would be the best way to serve yourself and the greater whole right now? We’d love to hear your gentle comments. Comment on how you aim to serve the Unified field of Unity, Peace, and Love. 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.” 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 inner-most 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. Illustration by Maurice Sendak from Let’s Be Enemies by Janice May Udry Then, become an ordained minister online with AMM and learn how to celebrate life rites in your community, including funerals, weddings, handfastings, and other blessings.In this love, you are understood as you are without mask or pretension. 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… This art of love discloses the special and sacred identity of the other person. Love is the only light that can truly read the secret signature of the other person’s individuality and soul. Love alone is literate in the world of origin; it can decipher identity and destiny. In the photo above, you can see a much younger version of my dad on the left, and my mom on the right with my brother Mark and I blowing out birthday candles. Photos of photos!) If you could offer up one wish for someone else, or humanity as a whole, today and right now, what would your blessing be? A call comes from within to wake up to explore new and unknown territories. Is it exciting? Is it frightening? Is it both exciting and frightening?

His ecclesiastical superiors became suspicious of his growing reputation. They sought to clip his wings by imprisoning him in a busy curacy where they hoped he would have less time for flights of fancy. O’Donohue’s poem has helped shape my attitude as I entered this stage of my life -- my marriage to my now-husband which happened three weeks ago today -- a threshold to a new beginning, an occasion for a fresh perspective and fresh energy. If I were only able to take three poems with me for the rest of my life, this would be one of them, from Irish poet and philosopher John O'Donohue: O’Donohue was a contemporary Irish priest, poet, author, and philosopher, who spent much of his life studying Celtic spirituality. His inspired words have brought comfort to many over the years.This afternoon, I recorded a short tribute of my own which will be broadcast as part of a montage of tributes tomorrow on Radio 4's Sunday programme. It turns out that the long interview I conducted with John in December is the last he ever gave (listen again here). On tomorrow's Sunday Sequence, I'll be talking to one of John's friends, Father Kevin Hegarty. John And Kevin were students together for seven years at Maynooth. In an article Fr Kevin wrote just before John's untimely death, he explains why John left the priesthood for the life of an independent writer. He writes: But AMM Ministers don’t just marry people. When they choose to, their roles can extend much further, supporting their communities in important ways, and celebrating not just new beginnings, but endings, too. This deserves to be highlighted. We are all called to respond in varying ways: professionals with skilled action, colleagues to boost morale, to be good neighbours and friends in looking out for one another, to be vigilant in our amplifying care and to tread softly with the varying emotional landscapes we find ourselves in, as the fear takes hold. We can always do something useful, worthy and kind. For people jaded by the blandness of conventional Irish Catholicism, John O'Donohue opened up new vistas of exploration and experience, writes Kevin Hegarty. When I was in a high school, I read and loved a poem in my language Gujarati. I still remember the title of the poem-

This all makes me want to burst out in song as in Tom Lehrer’s “We Are the Folk Song Army” (folksongs being so closely related to junk poetry) whose memorable lyrics go;We spend a lot of time talking about wedding ceremonies here on the American Weddings blog. This makes sense... Wedding ceremonies (and wedding officiants) are awesome! And they’re our primary focus and passion. While many of our ministers only conduct wedding ceremonies, others also conduct baptisms, funerals, baby blessings, and other meaningful rites. If you are currently struggling with questions of what to do with your life, your work and where it is all leading, read the blessing below by John O’Donohue. May your work be guided by the light of you, may you feel encouraged knowing that there is a path for you forward, a unique place where you are meant to be in this world. I find this greatly encouraging and hope that you find it encouraging too.