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All holiness is about learning to hear the voice of your own soul.

John O’Donohue

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The Voice of Your Own Soul

Topic: Immanence & Transcendence

When you take the time to draw on your listening-imagination, you will begin to hear this gentle voice at the heart of your life. It is deeper and surer than all the other voices of disappointment, unease, self-criticism and bleakness.

All holiness is about learning to hear the voice of your own soul. It is always there and the more deeply you learn to listen, the greater surprises and discoveries that will unfold.

To enter into the gentleness of your own soul changes the tone and quality of your life. Your life is no longer consumed by hunger for the next event, experience or achievement. You learn to come down from the treadmill and walk on the earth. You gain a new respect for yourself and others and you learn to see how wonderfully precious this one life is. You begin to see through the enchanting veils of illusion that you had taken for reality. You no longer squander yourself on things and situations that deplete your essence. You know now that your true source is not outside you. Your soul is your true source and a new energy and passion awakens in you.

John O’Donohue

John O'Donohue was a multifaceted individual who gained prominence as a poet, author, priest, and Hegelian philosopher. Born on January 1, 1956, in County Clare, Ireland, O'Donohue grew up in a rural setting and was deeply influenced by the natural world, which would later inform his work. He was a native Irish speaker, which allowed him to engage with the rich literary and cultural traditions of Ireland. O'Donohue studied philosophy and theology at St. Patrick's College, Maynooth, earning a Ph.D. for his work on the German philosopher Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel. As a priest, he served in the diocese of Galway for several years before leaving the priesthood to focus on his writing and public speaking.

O'Donohue's work as an author has been instrumental in popularizing Celtic spirituality, and he has been widely praised for his ability to meld the ancient wisdom of Celtic traditions with contemporary life. His bestselling books, such as "Anam Cara: A Book of Celtic Wisdom," "Eternal Echoes: Celtic Reflections on Our Yearning to Belong," and "Beauty: The Invisible Embrace," among others, explore themes of nature, love, friendship, and the human experience. O'Donohue's poetic voice and keen insights have resonated with a global audience, and his untimely death on January 4, 2008, at the age of 52, marked the loss of a truly remarkable voice in the world of poetry and spirituality.

(1956-2008) Humanism, Arts and Sciences

O’Donohue, John. Beauty : The Invisible Embrace. New York, Perennial, 2005. [Divine Beauty, 2003]

John O’Donohue

John O’Donohue

Excerpts from his books: Divine Beauty (Europe) / Beauty: The Invisible Embrace (US):

“When our eyes are graced with wonder, the world reveals its wonders to us. There are people who see only dullness in the world and that is because their eyes have already been dulled. So much depends on how we look at things. The quality of our looking determines what we come to see.”

―John O’Donohue, Beauty: The Invisible Embrace.

“What you encounter, recognize or discover depends to a large degree on the quality of your approach. Many of the ancient cultures practiced careful rituals of approach. An encounter of depth and spirit was preceded by careful preparation.

When we approach with reverence, great things decide to approach us. Our real life comes to the surface and its light awakens the concealed beauty in things. When we walk on the earth with reverence, beauty will decide to trust us. The rushed heart and arrogant mind lack the gentleness and patience to enter that embrace.”

―John O’Donohue, Beauty: The Invisible Embrace.

“We have often heard that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. This is usually taken to mean that the sense of beauty is utterly subjective; there is no accounting for taste because each person’s taste is different. The statement has another, more subtle meaning: if our style of looking becomes beautiful, then beauty will become visible and shine forth for us. We will be surprised to discover beauty in unexpected places where the ungraceful eye would never linger. The graced eye can glimpse beauty anywhere, for beauty does not reserve itself for special elite moments or instances; it does not wait for perfection but is present already secretly in everything. When we beautify our gaze, the grace of hidden beauty becomes our joy and our sanctuary.”

―John O’Donohue, Beauty: The Invisible Embrace.

“The human soul is hungry for beauty; we seek it everywhere – in landscape, music, art, clothes, furniture, gardening, companionship, love, religion and in ourselves. No one would desire not to be beautiful. When we experience the Beautiful, there is a sense of homecoming. Some of our most wonderful memories are of beautiful places where we felt immediately at home. We feel most alive in the presence of the Beautiful for it meets the needs of our soul.”

―John O’Donohue, Beauty: The Invisible Embrace.

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