Divine Beauty : The Invisible Embrace - Softcover

John O'Donohue

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0553813099 ISBN 13: 9780553813098

Publisher: Bantam, 2004

Synopsis

In this eagerly awaited follow-up to his international bestsellers ANAM CARA and ETERNAL ECHOES, John O'Donohue turns his attention to the subject of beauty - the divine beauty that calls the imagination and awakens all that is noble in the human heart. In these uncertain times of global conflict and crisis, we are riven with anxiety; our trust in the future has lost its innocence, for we know now that anything can happen from one second to the next. In such an unsheltered world, it may sound naive to suggest that this might be the moment to invoke and awaken beauty, yet this is exactly the claim that this book seeks to explore. DIVINE BEAUTY is a gentle but urgent call to awaken. O'Donohue opens our eyes, hearts and minds to the wonder of our own relationship with beauty. Rather than 'covering' this theme, he uncovers it, exposing the infinity and mystery of its breadth. His words return us home to the dignity of silence, the profundity of stillness, the power of thought and perception, and the eternal grace and generosity of beauty's presence. In this masterful and revelatory work, O'Donohue encourages our greater intimacy with beauty, and celebrates it for what it really is: a homecoming of the human spirit. As he focuses on the classical, medieval and Celtic traditions, on art, music, literature, nature and language, O'Donohue reveals how beauty's invisible embrace invites us towards new heights of passion and creativity. DIVINE BEAUTY is an exquisite treasury of Forms of the Beautiful. Its surface employs narrative, image, anecdote and myth, while into the silence of its subtext are sown seeds of reflection that gradually blossom in the heart.

About this title

Book Description:

"When we awaken to the call of beauty, we become aware of new ways of being in the world," teaches John O'Donohue. The beautiful unites your feelings, your thoughts, and your dreams--it brings together all the different dimensions of your life. On Beauty: The Invisible Embrace, O'Donohue inducts listeners into this eternal world that lies beyond form and function. "The human soul is always hungry for beauty. It can be sought everywhere: in landscape, furniture, clothes, love, religion ... and in ourselves," he explains. Perhaps now, more than ever before, is the time to awaken and invoke beauty. There is a great coarseness in our time; it can be seen in our language, in the way we hold life, and in the way that we behave toward each other. Beauty: The Invisible Embrace offers listeners the opportunity to truly experience the beautiful, which--according to this Irish author, poet, and scholar--is to experience unity with the Divine. Drawing from his own Celtic wisdom and the writings of Keats, Rilke, Thomas Aquinas, and others, John O'Donohue guides listeners through five hours of poetry, vision, and imagination to attune to "that which shows us the surprise at the heart of everything."

About the Author:

John O'Donohue was awarded a Ph.D. in philosophical theology from the University of Tubingen in 1990. He is the author of several works, including a collection of poems, Echoes of Memory, a book on the philosophy of Hegel, Person als Vermittlung, Conamara Blues, and the international bestsellers, Anam Cara, Eternal Echoes and Divine Beauty. His latest work, Benedictus: A Book of Blessings will be published in 2007. John travels widely in Europe and the US, where he lectures and holds workshops. He lives in Ireland.

About this edition

• Publisher: Bantam
• Publication date: 2004
• ISBN 10: 0553813099
• ISBN 13: 9780553813098
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 389