Matthew Del Nevo

This is a self-help book with soul. Soul is not something we have, soul has to do with what we are, with inner quality, not outward expression or success or achievement. Soul is not about getting happiness, but about dwelling in melancholic enjoyment. The way of soul is a middle way between sensualism or materialism (consumerism) on one hand and effete spirituality and religiosity, or abstract modes of reflection including philosophizing and theologizing, on the other. We see soul alive in art and hear it in good music and we sing along with it in our favorite songs. Soul is not spirit or an idea, it is sensibility. Finding harmony has to do with developing sensibility, which we need to be able to distinguish from being religious, having ideas and beliefs, purpose-driven living, self-help techniques, and so on. Soul is deadened by techniques, tech-speak, and method, because soul is tied to creativity and inspiration and the power of now. With this book I hope to open my readers to soul and soulfulness as the primary business of life. ""A beautiful book that, if read wisely, opens up the reader to a new dimension of soulfulness. In our modern age the idea of an inner journey has been reduced to a psychologism. Del Nevo's book re-presents us with its origin in the sacred, as distinct from the profane. Music, that of harmonia, is one of the keys. The journey into sensibility begins when we once more open the door to our soul. A book heartily recommended."" --James Cowan, Author of Desert Father ""Matthew Del Nevo has written a powerful, prophetic book that moves deeply into the spiritual and cultural malaise of our time. It is a profound work, and yet the lyrical style and narrative rhythm makes it far from difficult or heavy. Informed by scholarship, it wears its erudition lightly, and is thus one of the most accessible books available on soul and spirit. This is pitched to reach a wide and grateful audience."" --David Tacey, Author of The Spirituality Revolution ""In his distinctive lyrical and creative style, Del Nevo works the magic of integration between social critique, philosophy, and spiritual tradition to recover what is essential to human flourishing: soul and soulfulness. This small work is one that, true to its themes, requires soulful reading, pondering, and time. It is as an exploration as meaningful for religious and non-religious people alike, a real gem for anyone who is serious about the spiritual endeavor."" -- David Ranson, Vicar General of the Diocese of Broken Bay For WEBSITE: ""This is a wonderful book of inspirational literature bringing together deep religious reverence for life and profound existential meditation on the meaning of spirituality. . . . This is a remarkable synthesis of theology, philosophy and literature, a book that brings together the sensitivity of an individual and the current needs of a civilization on the brink of self-destruction. Is it's a swan song or the herald of new dawn? Readers must decide for themselves after reading this profound testament of beauty and spirituality."" --Vrasidas Karalis, Professor of Byzantine and Greek Studies, The University of Sydney Matthew Del Nevo is a creative writer, educationalist, and philosopher. He is the Associate Professor of Philosophy at the Catholic Institute of Sydney. Among his recent books are Art Music (2013) and The Work of Enchantment (2010).

This is a self-help book with soul. Soul is not something we have, soul has to do with what we are, with inner quality, not outward expression or success or achievement. Soul is not about getting happiness, but about dwelling in melancholic enjoyment. The way of soul is a middle way between sensualism or materialism (consumerism) on one hand and effete spirituality and religiosity, or abstract modes of reflection including philosophizing and theologizing, on the other. We see soul alive in art and hear it in good music and we sing along with it in our favorite songs. Soul is not spirit or an idea, it is sensibility. Finding harmony has to do with developing sensibility, which we need to be able to distinguish from being religious, having ideas and beliefs, purpose-driven living, self-help techniques, and so on. Soul is deadened by techniques, tech-speak, and method, because soul is tied to creativity and inspiration and the power of now. With this book I hope to open my readers to soul and soulfulness as the primary business of life. ""A beautiful book that, if read wisely, opens up the reader to a new dimension of soulfulness. In our modern age the idea of an inner journey has been reduced to a psychologism. Del Nevo's book re-presents us with its origin in the sacred, as distinct from the profane. Music, that of harmonia, is one of the keys. The journey into sensibility begins when we once more open the door to our soul. A book heartily recommended."" --James Cowan, Author of Desert Father ""Matthew Del Nevo has written a powerful, prophetic book that moves deeply into the spiritual and cultural malaise of our time. It is a profound work, and yet the lyrical style and narrative rhythm makes it far from difficult or heavy. Informed by scholarship, it wears its erudition lightly, and is thus one of the most accessible books available on soul and spirit. This is pitched to reach a wide and grateful audience."" --David Tacey, Author of The Spirituality Revolution ""In his distinctive lyrical and creative style, Del Nevo works the magic of integration between social critique, philosophy, and spiritual tradition to recover what is essential to human flourishing: soul and soulfulness. This small work is one that, true to its themes, requires soulful reading, pondering, and time. It is as an exploration as meaningful for religious and non-religious people alike, a real gem for anyone who is serious about the spiritual endeavor."" -- David Ranson, Vicar General of the Diocese of Broken Bay For WEBSITE: ""This is a wonderful book of inspirational literature bringing together deep religious reverence for life and profound existential meditation on the meaning of spirituality. . . . This is a remarkable synthesis of theology, philosophy and literature, a book that brings together the sensitivity of an individual and the current needs of a civilization on the brink of self-destruction. Is it's a swan song or the herald of new dawn? Readers must decide for themselves after reading this profound testament of beauty and spirituality."" --Vrasidas Karalis, Professor of Byzantine and Greek Studies, The University of Sydney Matthew Del Nevo is a creative writer, educationalist, and philosopher. He is the Associate Professor of Philosophy at the Catholic Institute of Sydney. Among his recent books are Art Music (2013) and The Work of Enchantment (2010).

The Metaphysics of Night acknowledges a post-secular philosophy, one that puts philosophy into serious dialogue with religion, rather than considering religion a thing of the past. Matthew Del Nevo deals with the cultural unconscious, inseparable from religious consciousness, and draws on psychoanalysis and literature as well as philosophy. The metaphysics of the night is Del Nevo's metaphor for the deep and mysterious expanse of the soul. Philosophically, the book is critical of Enlightenment presumptions about knowledge and truth and overly spiritualizing tendencies in religion. Its critical edge cuts against materialist and historicist tendencies in the humanities and abstract intellectualism in philosophy. Arguing for strong aesthetic values, Del Nevo defends and explains soul and soulful experience, the creation of depth, the ineffable, real presence, beauty, and saving words, noting that the sources of all these are in us, but often are blocked. Each of the five parts of this book testify to what the author notes may be forgotten, but which ought not to be forgotten. It is necessary for life as socially, religiously, and educationally instituted within culture and as constitutive for culture. Del Nevo deals with sensibility as a form of wisdom and instinct that is not cognitive or knowledge/information based. He argues for a shift of emphasis in culture from intellect to intuition. This well-written work, filled with Catholic, philosophic, and artistic thought will be of interest to all philosophers, theologians, and students of culture.

Listening to music is not merely something one does, but something central to a way of living. Listening has the power to transport one into another way of being. It is a mode of feeling and forms the bedrock of deep emotion. Written from the viewpoint of a philosophy of sensibility, Matthew Del Nevo notes that this perspective may not be in fashion, but it follows a long tradition. Del Nevo emphasizes the aesthetic experience of listening to art music as it has developed and disintegrated in Western civilization. He recognizes a deep psychological element to what he calls "soul" or more accurately "sensibility." He addresses music in a non-technical way, taking up the powerful art theory of Charles Baudelaire, the music philosophy of Schopenhauer and Richard Wagner, and takes a strong critical stand against modernist intellectual art music. The importance of this book for the musically- literate reader is its insight into the metaphysics of nostalgia. This comprehension is missing from nearly all musical instruction because we have lost sight of it. Del Nevo asserts that this understanding must be brought back into our culture. And since this is a book about listening to art music, it is no less about sensibility and its cultivation, which in its object form we call culture. An engaging book, Art Music will appeal to those interested in music, culture, and philosophy.

The Metaphysics of Night acknowledges a post-secular philosophy, one that puts philosophy into serious dialogue with religion, rather than considering religion a thing of the past. Matthew Del Nevo deals with the cultural unconscious, inseparable from religious consciousness, and draws on psychoanalysis and literature as well as philosophy. The metaphysics of the night is Del Nevo's metaphor for the deep and mysterious expanse of the soul. Philosophically, the book is critical of Enlightenment presumptions about knowledge and truth and overly spiritualizing tendencies in religion. Its critical edge cuts against materialist and historicist tendencies in the humanities and abstract intellectualism in philosophy. Arguing for strong aesthetic values, Del Nevo defends and explains soul and soulful experience, the creation of depth, the ineffable, real presence, beauty, and saving words, noting that the sources of all these are in us, but often are blocked. Each of the five parts of this book testify to what the author notes may be forgotten, but which ought not to be forgotten. It is necessary for life as socially, religiously, and educationally instituted within culture and as constitutive for culture. Del Nevo deals with sensibility as a form of wisdom and instinct that is not cognitive or knowledge/information based. He argues for a shift of emphasis in culture from intellect to intuition. This well-written work, filled with Catholic, philosophic, and artistic thought will be of interest to all philosophers, theologians, and students of culture.

Listening to music is not merely something one does, but something central to a way of living. Listening has the power to transport one into another way of being. It is a mode of feeling and forms the bedrock of deep emotion. Written from the viewpoint of a philosophy of sensibility, Matthew Del Nevo notes that this perspective may not be in fashion, but it follows a long tradition. Del Nevo emphasizes the aesthetic experience of listening to art music as it has developed and disintegrated in Western civilization. He recognizes a deep psychological element to what he calls "soul"—or more accurately "sensibility." He addresses music in a non-technical way, taking up the powerful art theory of Charles Baudelaire, the music philosophy of Schopenhauer and Richard Wagner, and takes a strong critical stand against modernist intellectual art music. The importance of this book for the musically- literate reader is its insight into the metaphysics of nostalgia. This comprehension is missing from nearly all musical instruction because we have lost sight of it. Del Nevo asserts that this understanding must be brought back into our culture. And since this is a book about listening to art music, it is no less about sensibility and its cultivation, which in its object form we call culture. An engaging book, Art Music will appeal to those interested in music, culture, and philosophy.