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• By Gabriel McCaughry (Editor-in-chief of Anathema Publishing Ltd.)
• Preface by Shani Oates (Maid of the Clan of Tubal Cain, and author of Tubelos Green Fire, Crafting the Arte of Tradition, and The Devils Supper)
• Thoroughly illumined by the talented artist José Gabriel Alegría Sabogal (Handbook of Sacred Anatomy, and A Second Nature)
(h)Auroræ is a mystifying, albeit utterly profound journey. Part ontological synthesis, philosophical rambling, magickal diary, visual grimoire, inspired mystical poem, revelatory/individuation process, and part alchemical vessel of expression, the book exists under the umbrella of what the author refers to as Gnostic Luciferianism. First and foremost, however, (h)Auroræ exists as an act of eternal remembrance.
“This alchemical treatise walks us through a startling expression of emotive gnosis… (h)Auroræ seeks beyond and above the all-too-human condition in order to understand it, and advance it vis-à-vis a sensual Sophianic psychology, witnessed in cogitation. Mind in tandem with vision, incorporates a veiled process of subtle Jungian analysis leading to a Grail quest, of intent to remove the blindfold from the Holy Fool… A work of pilgrimage, conjunction and apotheosis, it directs the reader through pause, anticipation and intake. Sometimes rapturous, sometimes ponderous.”
(~Shani Oates, Preface to (h)Aurorae.)
G. McCaughry writes:
“This Opus Alchymicum is presented in a certain “light” and, at its core, (h)Auroræ is centred on the sempiternal theosophical discourse which sparks anew the Flame of Old within the heart of the predisposed reader, struggling, yet inclined, to separate the subtil from the dross so that we may uncover our inner philosophers stone or perfected being.
“Tis a work of Agapae, in the purest sense of the words
“This manuscript, far from being a modern-day grimoire by any means, is, primarily, a mystical handbook. A useful resource to have by ones side upon undertaking an initiatory odyssey on the Path of Exile & Exalt – regardless of which favoured system or tradition the practitioner employs.”
(h)Auroræ is Gabriel McCaughrys first published manuscript, a tome which correlates directly with Anathema Publishings mandate, and his views and methodologies on alchemical book-making. This is very much a continuation in the spirit of his previous contributions to the PILLARS occult periodical (and elsewhere), but within (h)Auroræ these concepts are fully developed and actualized.
“A supreme work of Beauty, in every sense of that aesthetic. A sublime work of Arte, in every sense of that metaphysic. In short, a meditational treatise of transformative alchemy of – and for – the Soul.”
(~Shani Oates)
¶ Hardcover Standard Edition (limited to approx. 500 copies):
5.25 x 8.5 inches. 304 pages. Hardbound 100pts, Tele Legatoria Bronze bookbinding Cloth from Italy. Gold foil blocking on rounded spine and on the cover. Colour interior, with fully illustrated Endpapers. Thoroughly illustrated throughout by José Gabriel Alegría Sabogal, Fine typography, printed on Cougar Natural 160M archive-quality paper. Individually hand-numbered. hAurorae. The recalling or the retelling of the many Pasts made Present Whole again.
A fantastic experience, albeit a little difficult to describe.
This book functions a little bit like an ouroboros (the serpent eating is own tail, you've seen one before). It's readable forwards or backwards. You need to definitely read it more than once. The first half was really instinctive and artistic. Borderline mystical. And the second was more of a prism through which understand the experience better and to prepare to go through it again. I can't go into details here, because there ideas are still dancing in my head and I have trouble pinpointing with words it made me experience, but it's exhilarating to read an allegory that casts a light on your own life you've never seen before. While I lack the tools to adequately translate my experience with (h)Aurorae, it made me want to seek them out.
I'll definitely come back to it. It's by design. hAurorae. The recalling or the retelling of the many Pasts made Present Whole again. (h)Auroræ is many things: A work of art, of poesis, of philosophy. Above all, it is a work of meditation. Another reviewer compared the book to the ouroboros, and this is a wise assessment. Reading from cover to cover is only the first way one might read this work. One might also begin with the Glossary & Allegories section near the end of the book, then jump to . . . wherever page feels right. This is ameditative work to be savored. Powering through this work(ing) dissipates Power. The author notes several times that these are, essentially, his notes for what he has found empowering and enlightening. He draws from several traditions in his search for gnosis, so there really is an entry point for just about anyone wanting to explore (h)Auroræ. It is as eclectic as it is esoteric, and that is a good thing.
McCaughty is best when he relies on the art of wordsmithing to overlay the artifice of philosophy. I'd much rather revel in his work than wade through it. When the open page can breathe and when compacted allusive poetry can convey as much as a block of text, why have the block of text? Let the words and art soar! Make their magic manifest!
Not surprisingly, the essay regarding the art in this book by Jose Gabriel Alegria Sabogal provides a grand key to this work:
More than once, I have dreamed of discovering strange books full of mysterious emblems. After these dreams, I felt I recognized the images as being the Aurora Consurgens . Later, I also found that Jung had almost identical dreams, and that he devoted 16 years of work to his Liber Novus . His drawing entitled 'Systema mundi totius' was the inspiration for the central circular piece in the present work. Borges's notion of a circular book in his tale 'The Library of Babel' inspired the work's overall structure and the format. Ultimately, the goal is to create that once-dreamed book, which, as a circle, may be read in all possible directions.
So, start wherever you think is best. Return when you need to. The door to the labyrinth is always open, one eternal round.
hAurorae. The recalling or the retelling of the many Pasts made Present Whole again. (h)Aurorae is by far the most beautiful book I own a copy of. The imagery of the language and the marvelous illustrations compliment each other and create what I could only describe as
allegorical Alchemical Haze through which the greater image (otherwise hidden) can be seen. hAurorae. The recalling or the retelling of the many Pasts made Present Whole again.
