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The Subversive Soul: The Gentle Revolution Everyone Needs
What do we mean when we use the word soul? What are the essential qualities of the soul, seldom explored in systems of faith? What happens when I allow my soul to work its own brand of magic in my life?
In The Subversive the Gentle Revolution Everyone Needs, Phyllis Mathis liberates the soul from of the confines of theology, and plants it deep within the lived experience of regular human beings.
Filled with deep wisdom and tender vulnerability, Mathis draws on her personal and professional experience, inviting us into the soulful revolution we’ve all been longing for.
In The Subversive the Gentle Revolution Everyone Needs, Phyllis Mathis liberates the soul from of the confines of theology, and plants it deep within the lived experience of regular human beings.
Filled with deep wisdom and tender vulnerability, Mathis draws on her personal and professional experience, inviting us into the soulful revolution we’ve all been longing for.
200 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 22, 2025
2 people are currently reading
5 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
August 12, 2025
The Subversive Soul: The Gentle Revolution Everyone Needs by Phyllis Mathis felt less like reading a book and more like sitting down with a wise, kind friend who’s been through the dark and found something luminous on the other side. It’s for anyone who’s ever felt disoriented, spiritually restless, or quietly aching for a more honest way to live.
Phyllis opens her heart and story with such grace, offering not just insight but companionship. Her reflections on soul—its wildness, wholeness, and quiet rebellion against the status quo—helped me name things I’ve felt but never quite known how to say. There’s something deeply comforting in the way she writes: clear, gentle, and full of compassion.
The chapters move like a journey, starting in the shadows and gradually guiding us toward light. I especially loved the soulful competencies in the second half—practices like “Breaking Up with Knowing” and “Leaving I-Suckville” that are both playful and profound. They’re not just ideas; they’re invitations to live differently, more tenderly, more truthfully.
By the time I reached the final chapter, “There’s No Place Like Home,” I felt something in me settle. This isn’t a book that tells you what to believe—it helps you listen more deeply to what’s already true inside you.
If you’re in the midst of a spiritual shift, or just longing to feel more at home in your own skin, I can’t recommend this book enough. It’s gentle, wise, and quietly revolutionary.
Phyllis opens her heart and story with such grace, offering not just insight but companionship. Her reflections on soul—its wildness, wholeness, and quiet rebellion against the status quo—helped me name things I’ve felt but never quite known how to say. There’s something deeply comforting in the way she writes: clear, gentle, and full of compassion.
The chapters move like a journey, starting in the shadows and gradually guiding us toward light. I especially loved the soulful competencies in the second half—practices like “Breaking Up with Knowing” and “Leaving I-Suckville” that are both playful and profound. They’re not just ideas; they’re invitations to live differently, more tenderly, more truthfully.
By the time I reached the final chapter, “There’s No Place Like Home,” I felt something in me settle. This isn’t a book that tells you what to believe—it helps you listen more deeply to what’s already true inside you.
If you’re in the midst of a spiritual shift, or just longing to feel more at home in your own skin, I can’t recommend this book enough. It’s gentle, wise, and quietly revolutionary.
July 23, 2025
The first thing that caught my eye with this book was the title. Subversive is generally not a word you think of to describe the soul. It intrigued me so much that I had to read the book.
Phyllis Hanna Mathis shares her spiritual journey through a crisis of faith and into an expanded awareness of the soul.
Her writing style flows easily so that it is like a conversation with a friend. Reader participation is encouraged with the inclusion of thought provoking questions at the end of each chapter. This allows the reader to adapt the knowledge to their own personal experience.
As a bonus at the end she includes a "knapsack" of information and tips that are designed to allow the reader to continue on their own journey.
Review submitted by Kate Riordan Gordon
Phyllis Hanna Mathis shares her spiritual journey through a crisis of faith and into an expanded awareness of the soul.
Her writing style flows easily so that it is like a conversation with a friend. Reader participation is encouraged with the inclusion of thought provoking questions at the end of each chapter. This allows the reader to adapt the knowledge to their own personal experience.
As a bonus at the end she includes a "knapsack" of information and tips that are designed to allow the reader to continue on their own journey.
Review submitted by Kate Riordan Gordon
July 22, 2025
Wise, Honest, and Unexpectedly Playful
The Subversive Soul is both profound and refreshingly human. With warmth and wit, Phyllis Mathis invites readers to “break [their] addiction to knowing and learn instead to befriend the unknown.” Her storytelling is rich with personal insight and quiet revelations, making this book a gift to both longtime seekers and those just beginning their inner journey.
The Subversive Soul is both profound and refreshingly human. With warmth and wit, Phyllis Mathis invites readers to “break [their] addiction to knowing and learn instead to befriend the unknown.” Her storytelling is rich with personal insight and quiet revelations, making this book a gift to both longtime seekers and those just beginning their inner journey.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews