Hey, so I just got an ask recently about Anamchara(the soul friend/soulmate idea) being a New Age belief with no actual history or background, and I was wondering if you could share your knowledge/beliefs on it?
So, I admittedly have never head of this before. However, from a little research, I’d say that it’s not a New Age thing per se, but it wouldn’t surprise me if they’re using it in a specifically New Age way, devoid of historical context.
This website talks about the use of the term from an Irish Catholic perspective in which a new dedicant in a monastery or nunnery was paired with a more experienced devotee as a form of monitorship (as opposed to more traditional-style instruction in Continental Europe).
I also found this blog post that really explains some of the linguistics of the term, though not necessarily how old it is. That said, given the fact it has evolved as a phrase (popularized by John O’Donohue’s 1997 book, Anam Chara) tells me its likely much older than the modern era.
I know that doesn’t totally answer your question, but I hope it helps! If you find more, please let me know!
