Ancient Knowing

It could be a meeting on the street, or a party or a lecture, or just a simple, banal introduction, then suddenly there is a flash of recognition and the embers of kinship glow. There is an awakening between you, a sense of ancient knowing. – John O’Donohue

O’Donohue is speaking here of something many men know intimately — that strange, electric, wordless moment when you meet someone and feel like you’ve loved them forever. It’s not always sexual. It might not even be romantic. But it’s charged. It’s recognition. A soul glance. A body memory. A timeless nod that says, you too. For many of us, especially those who’ve grown up feeling hidden or unrecognized — this kind of meeting is a form of resurrection. It may come in the form of a flirtation, a glance on a train, or the warmth of a stranger’s hand. Suddenly, what was just another moment becomes sacred. There’s an awakening. A remembering. As if the universe briefly lifts its veil and lets two souls say: Yes. I see you. Honour these moments. Not as fantasy or coincidence, but as true erotic-spiritual awakenings. Because when the embers of kinship glow between two men, something ancient and holy is coming home.