Embers - a novel by j.m. bridgeman

Spiritual Genealogy I mentioned my thrill at finding in John O'Donohue's "embers of kinship" quote the idea of "spiritual genealogy," some mysterious non-physical connection which may click or spark like two magnets smashing together. This connection may be some sort  of "blood link" similar to D. H. Laurence's "blood memory"--the idea that within us are mysteries, often unknown to us consciously, which we  have inherited through the blood and DNA handed down to us. Or possibly, sucked into our essence by osmosis from, through,  physical places or things. When we encounter strangers within whom exists some of our own inheritances, we sense a connection. O'Donohue calls this person an "anam cara" or "soul friend" which, by definition, implies that we are already  aware of our own "soul" and that we recognize within some Other some aspect of our selves.  This is why I see the idea of a  soul fr...

"It could be a meeting on the street, or at a party or a lecture, or just a simple, banal introduction, then suddenly there is the flash of recognition and the embers of kinship glow. There is an awakening between you, a sense of ancient knowing." This quotation defines my novel. When it was within weeks of being finished, I found, serendipitously, in Bill's Used Books in Fort Saint John, BC, John O'Donohue's Anam Cara: A Book of Celtic Wisdom , and the quote contained within it, on p. 23. I wasn't able to get permission in time to include this in the published work, but I like to share it aloud before a reading and before talking about the book. I like the way it suggests a "spiritual genealogy" and the hidden connections of blood and of place. Anam Cara translates as "soul friend."