Real intimacy is a sacred experience. It never exposes its secret trust and belonging to the voyeuristic eye of a neon culture. Real intimacy is of the soul, and the soul is reserved. When you had an ‘anam cara,’ (soul friend), your friendship cut across all convention and category. You were joined in an ancient and eternal way with the friend of your soul. – John O’Donohue, Anam Cara: A Book of Celtic Wisdom
For many men intimacy has often been limited to what is sexual or sensational. The HaPenis Project seeks to reclaim male closeness as emotional, spiritual, and tender—not just genital. That’s what O’Donohue is pointing to: the kind of bond that breaks through all roles and labels. The “anam cara”, the soul friend, is someone you don’t have to perform for. They see you as you are—and love you in that naked truth.