Anam Cara: Friend of the Soul
"Anam Cara" are two Irish words that mean "Soul" and "Friend", but the term itself is Anamchara, which means "Confessor" or "Spiritual Advisor". It is a term that refers to a practice in early Irish monasteries. Each monk or nun had a person who acted as Anamchara: a spiritual advisor to whom the nun or monk could confess to, share ideas with and receive advice from. These people developed a bond like no other, and this helped to nurture the soul.
We've come a long way from those early Irish monasteries, and the term Anam Cara in modern Irish means "friend of the soul". A friend of the soul can loosely be defined as someone who serves as spiritual advisor and companion. This person bears witness to the soul’s journey through life. They hold space, and offer suggestions or challenges to assist the individual through their growth and development as a spiritual person. The term is not exclusive to any particular spiritual path in modern practice; it is about soul-centred service.
If the soul is infinite, would it not be logical that people today would have such friends to help them in their spiritual journey, especially during challenging times?
My calling in life as a Death Doula, Grief Doula, Intuitive, and Celebrant is to provide compassionate, and personalized spiritual services and support to people at any point in life.
Whatever the need: support after traumatic events, celebrancy, blessings, rites of passage, soul-leading at death, death doula services, support for loved ones after a death, between-worlds soul-work, intuitive or oracular advice; I am honoured to serve.