Speaking The Subtle Language Of The Soul with John O'Donohue

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"If any growth is going to happen in the spiritual area," says John O'Donohue, "you need a bit of stillness, a bit of silence; then there can be a return, and a retrieval, and a reawakening." With elegant eloquence this Irish Catholic priest and poet tells us how to speak to our souls, to listen to stones, and to enrich our lives with what's already there. He reminds us that we don't have to journey far to find wisdom: "If you are true to yourself and if you let yourself alone, you will receive all that you need." Furthermore: "If there is a spiritual journey, it's about a quarter of an inch long!" And O'Donohue is offering us a glimpse of the roadmap. (hosted by Michael Toms)

Bio

John O'Donohue (1956-2008) was an Irish poet, philosopher, and Catholic scholar. He studied literature, philosophy and theology, and held a Ph.D. in Philosophical Theology. He conducted workshops throughout Europe and the United States.

He was the author of many books including:

• Anam Cara: A Book of Celtic Wisdom (Perennial 1998)
• Eternal Echoes: Celtic Reflections on Our Yearning to Belong (Perennial 2000)
• Beauty: The Invisible Embrace (HarperCollins 2004
• Benedictus: A Book of Blessings (Bantam Press 2007)
• Echoes of Memory (Salmon Publishing 1994)
• Stone As The Tabernacle Of Memory , and other books of reflections on the spiritual qualities of stone, fire, air and water (printed by Clodoiri Lurgan, U.K. 1994-95)
• To Bless the Space Between Us: A Book of Blessings (Doubleday 2008) (printed posthumously)

For more information of the work of John O'Donohue go to www.johnodonohue.com.

Topics Explored in This Dialogue

• Why the most sacred things are also secret
• What is the trouble with our "neon-light" approach to life
• How soul is like earth, and what that metaphor teaches
• How force and deliberation are enemies of sexual or spiritual life
• The Burren and other extraordinary places in Ireland are like
• How an anarchistic pagan spirit lies within Ireland's institutions
• How to follow the "folk dimension" of our subconscious
• What are the memory-keeping qualities of stone
• What are the benefits of philosophy
• What is the unique value of Hegel and Meister Eckhart to philosophy
• Why fundamentalism is a "hit job on the complexity of consciousness"

Host: Michael Toms      Interview Date: 6/11/1995      Program Number: 2536