Eternal Echoes: Celtic Reflections on Our Yearning to Belong [Paperback]

John O'Donohue (Author)

Book Description

Release date: March 22, 2000

There is a divine restlessness in the human heart, our eternal echo of longing that lives deep within us and never lets us settle for what we have or where we are.In this exquisitely crafted and inspirational book, John O'Donohue, author of the bestseller Anam Cara, explores the most basic of human desires - the desire to belong, a desire that constantly draws us toward new possibilities of self-discovery, friendship, and creativity.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

John O'Donohue (Anam Cara), a Celtic poet, scholar, and philosopher with an Irish brogue, speaks to the deepest calling of our soul: the longing to belong. "To be human is to belong," he explains. "Belonging is a circle that embraces everything; if we reject it, we damage our nature. The word 'belonging' holds together the two fundamental aspects of life: Being and Longing, the longing of our Being and the being of our Longing." Although this may sound like an elaborate Celtic circle knot, O'Donohue has nevertheless woven a solid and easy-to-grasp book that speaks to the soul's constant yearning. Every passage is a delight for the senses, as O'Donohue shares his lilting poetic language, his Celtic imagery and stories, and his fireside-chat wisdom. This is a broad-reaching yet highly focused book that dares to explore the realm of legitimate angels, the meaning of suffering, and, most poignantly, how life on earth may never quench the soul's thirst for belonging. --Gail Hudson --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

Following his popular Anam Cara: A Book of Celtic Wisdom, O'Donohue offers a soaring, eloquent meditation on the art of living. In most people, he maintains, an innate, deep-seated hunger for belonging and relatedness is frustrated by our high-pressured, isolating consumerist culture. Distilling guideposts of Celtic spirituality from traditional Irish legends, fairy lore, lyric poetry and Druidic nature-worship, he also tosses into the pot some Zen Buddhism, Jewish mysticism and quotes from Simone Weil, Nietzsche, Yeats, Auden, Neruda, Merleau-Ponty and Romanian philosopher E.M. Cioran. O'Donohue invites readers to make their lives a constant pilgrimage of discovery. This, he says, involves freeing oneself from the mental prisons of guilt, rigid belief and self-punishment; learning to embrace one's individuality; and coming to terms with the loss, absence or death of loved ones. Though the writing occasionally gets syrupy, this intense, concentrated inquiry towers above most self-help or New Age fare. It includes pertinent commentary not only on addiction, parenting and music but also on the lure of cults and the resurgence of political tribalism, whether in Northern Ireland, Yugoslavia or Russia. A Catholic scholar who lives by a lake in Ireland, O'Donohue has produced a treasury for readers of all faithsAa demanding, high-wire existentialist adventure that will inspire readers to re-evaluate their goals and ways of being in the world. O'Donohue ends each chapter with a lyrical blessing or prayer, and his book itself is a profound, healing prayer. Agent, Kim Witherspoon.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Harper Perennial; Reprint edition (March 22, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060955589
• ISBN-13: 978-0060955588
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (31 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #46,904 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #4 in Books > Religion & Spirituality > Earth-Based Religions > Celtic

More About the Author

JOHN O'DONOHUE authored several books, including, most recently, Beauty, and the international bestsellers Anam Cara and Eternal Echoes, as well as two collections of poetry, Echoes of Memory and Conamara Blues. He lived in Ireland and frequently traveled to the United States to give lectures and conduct workshops before he passed away on January 4, 2008.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

62 of 64 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Silver prose as golden spirituality. October 22, 2004

By Peter M. Schogol VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

I can sympathize with the reviewer who found this book to be "vague, wordy, ambiguous, contradictory, and or no practical help." If you turn to John O'Donohue for a practicum on Celtic spirituality you will be similarly confounded.

All of O'Donohue's books are image-intensive lyrics for the songs of our souls. They are not meant to be discursive or systematic, nor are they in any way beholden to canons of Anglo-Saxon verb-driven prose. Perhaps the best way to appreciate this or any of his books is to sit in your garden with a cup of strong tea, a thick slice of toasted bread with butter or marmalade, and a copy of this book, and take small mouthfuls of each allowing time between to savor and digest.

29 of 29 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars It Will Move You ..... January 11, 2001

By Cliff L. Smith

Format:Hardcover

Mr. O'Donohue, in his masterful book - Eternal Echoes, takes you on an exquisitely organized, vastly scenic, interpretive journey through the corridors of the human soul. His profound knowledge and sensitivities in the realm of the human condition are astounding; and the language, with which he chooses to impart these insights to the reader, is equally fantastic. With lyric like imagery, he weaves words that touch the senses like beautiful music - pure literary excellence!

"It takes a lifetime of slow work to find a rhythm of thinking which reflects and articulates the uniqueness of your soul" - John O'Donohue

Eternal Echoes will forever rattle around in the brain, helping you gain a better understanding of others and, more importantly, a better understanding of yourself! READ this book! It will move you, amaze you, and give you a new appreciation of what it means to be human!

46 of 49 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Picks Up Where "Anam Cara" Leaves Off June 21, 1999

By A Customer

Format:Audio Cassette

A month ago I moved into my first home. As I made packing arrangements I had to decide which books I wanted to leave unpacked and keep near my side as I went through the transition. I chose one book I had read "Anam Cara" and one title I had yet to read "Eternal Echoes: Exploring Our Yearning to Belong."

O'Donohue's "Anam Cara" had already brought me tremendous joy and peace, yet a bit of a wake-up call, too. It felt like a good, trusty friend who will always be there whenever the need arises. I'm nearly two-thirds through "Eternal Echoes" and "the friend" is taking me on yet another wonderful journey -- a celebration of home and all that home represents. At least, that's my interpretation. Others, I'm sure, will be touched by other qualities of the work.

O'Donohue's writing is wonderful and, in many ways, his prose reminds me of Bruce Chatwin's writing in "On the Black Hill" and some of Chatwin's travel pieces. Except O'Donohue writing is an excellent companion for the travelling soul.

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Insightful, highly spiritual, peaceful. A great read. December 11, 1998

By A Customer

Format:Hardcover

John O' Donohue writes this very spiritual book with a simplicity that is hard to match. It touched deep into my soul on subjects such as friendship and relationships, prayer and the planet that we think is so modern and civilized. In my perspective, the ideas he wrote in the book were already known to me and did not have a sense of wonder anymore; little did I know that I had not considered other aspects and perspectives. The book is elegantly written. It touches many feelings and provides a sense of realism to a world that seems to be consumed by functionality. It is an excellent book to read and understand the Celtic beliefs and traditions and the reason why we are the way we are today.

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The book challenges as much as it confirms March 27, 2001

By Ned Hamson

Format:Paperback

I could go on for a long time about the book. Let me just say that in singing its way into my brain, heart and soul with the beauty and resonance of its words, it also challenges me in more ways than can be written down, or should be written down. If you buy it -- you must -- get ready for a real ride of a lifetime.

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars eternal echoes April 5, 2000

By joanbronson

Format:Paperback

I love this book, it touches the heart and soul. It expresses our inner beings like a layman never could. It makes you want to be all you can be ever and forever and forever. I also read Anam Cara and thought very highly of it as well. He knows the human being inside and out.

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars resonates January 11, 2000

By Jamie Tranter

Format:Hardcover

John O'Donohue gently counsels us while he walks the circles of time, gesturing to us to yeild to the compassionate mystery that is Life. His voice finds its echoe in the words of many poets. By quoting the elegant words of many cultures, he convenes a legion of comfortable friends to accompany the reader on his or her contemplative path.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Touches the soul December 27, 2006

By Whiteseagull

Format:Paperback

This book is from the soul, and we all need soul food every now and again. I picked it up in Ireland while chilling out from a broken marriage and it spoke to me like no other book has ever done. With prose like exquisite poetry, John O' Donohue touches the soul with a true taste of spirituality.

Very inspirational, it's wonderful to read a work of art that is so "biblical" in it's ability to motivate. It speaks metaphorically,pragmatically and is grounded in common sense. I'm looking forward to reading it again, and then sometime later, again.