Author Feature: Gabriel McCaughry
Welcome back, readers, to another Occult Library blog post. We thank you for your continued readership, support, and encouragement. We know you will enjoy this week’s feature.
Today, we will be taking a look at a figure who has no doubt been a major contributor to the occult publishing milieu, as well as a fine author in his own right. We are speaking of Anathema Publishing head Gabriel McCaughry.
Gabriel McCaughry
Gabriel, proclaimed as the “Hermit and Fool” behind the Canadian occult publishing house Anathema Publishing, has for many years remained at the forefront of fine edition & accessible fine paperback publishing. Prolific in both scope and output, Anathema’s works will no doubt be familiar to a wide swathe of our readers
Within the activities of Anathema, Gabriel occupies a number of roles: founder, head, editor, author, and more. Gabriel, according to Anathema, is a “A pilgrim in the Mystery Tradition,” and has found spiritual nourishment in the realms of alchemy, gnosticism, esoteric Buddhism, traditional witchcraft, and more.
A quintessential embodiment of Gabriel’s work is expressed in his first book (h)Aurorae, first published by Anathema in 2018. The work is, in a deep sense, an emanation of Anathema’s overarching ethos of occult transmutation & transformation. It represents a potent embodiment of the work carried out within the publisher’s activities. Further, the work corresponds to Gabriel’s own “...unique views and methodologies on alchemical book-making.”
(h)Aurorae Paperback Edition cover
According to Anathema:
“ (h)Auroræ is, functions as, an occult text; it is technically not a book ‘about’ the occult. The distinction is important here: the whole concept, presentation, and perennial philosophy underlying the book aim at provoking a mystical experience and stimulating the Divine Inspiration of the reader, so that they, in turn, become Inspiration.”
The work is manifold: it serves simultaneously as a magickal diary, a poetic text, an empowered alchemical vehicle, a pictorial grimoire, and – perhaps most importantly – a record of transformational process.
Thus, it is a reflexive work which is engaged – and engages – by way of “polysemic thoughts and counter-intuitive terminologies.” The aim of these modalities is the fixity of the Self upon a number of alchemical processes with the potential to ignite the athanor of the reader through text & images.
As for these images, McCaughry partnered with the formidable José Gabriel Alegría Sabogal. Sabogal, an artist, scholar, and art historian born in Berlin and raised in Lima, Perú. Sabogal has bestowed his unique works to a number of occult publications.
José Gabriel Alegría Sabogal illustration within (h)Aurorae
(h)Aurorae finds embodiment in four select editions: Paperback, Standard, Collector’s, and Artisanal.
Each iteration contains its own unique use of special material, and expresses a numinous character. The finest of these is the Artisanal Edition of the work.
(h)Aurorae Artisanal Edition cover and spine
At 304 pages, this edition measures 5.25 x 8.5 inches, with a coloured interior and fully illustrated handmade endpapers. The work is Three-Quarter-bound in genuine Black Galuchat Ray rawhide, respite with white cow leather. Gold foil blocking adorns the cover, and a blind-deboss decorates the back-cover of the book. The text block consists of Cougar Natural 160M archive-quality paper.
Each Artisanal Edition is hand number, signed, and glyphed by the author. Further, each of these editions contains a talismanic card which is both hand-drawn and illustrated by Sabogal, and inscribed by McCaughry. It is further “...fumigated and consecrated with a home-made incense blend of Daemonorops Draco Resin, Sandalwood, Abramelin’s Incense Blend, Myrrh, Pu’erh Black Tea, and Pure Virgin Olive Oil.”
Endpapers and talismanic cards contained in the Artisinal Edition of (h)Aurorae
This very special edition was published in a limited run of 15 copies. In many ways, the book represents the pinnacle of fine publishing craft, detail, and care.
While Gabriel’s (h)Aurorae serves as a culminating example of his own written work, other editorial and contributing efforts have marked the occult publishing realm in their own unique right. Of particular note is a set of periodical works from Anathema entitled Pillars.
Pillars contains writing from a diverse range of authors and voices across the spectrum of occult praxis, scholarship, and exploration. First published at the Autumn Equinox of 2012, the initial edition — Volume I, Issue I — is entitled Psychopompos. Contributors include Jeremey Christner, Orryelle Defenestrate-Bascule, Hagen Von Tulien, Ash Nostro Morg, and McCaughry himself.
Cover detail for Pillars (Volume 1, Issue 1): Psychopompos
Likewise created with an incredible standard of care & detail, Pillars ran 8 editions – including anthologies – until the 2021 publication of the Volume I, Issue III work Wayfarer’s Hearth. Further contributors across issues include Shani Oates, Clint Marsh, Brian Cotnoir, Geraldine Lambert, and countless others.
McCaughry’s written work is also to be found outside the parameters of Anathema Publishing. His work in the way of essays, forewards, and other pieces are featured in publications like Clavicula Nox (IV), Coire Ansic (#5), Silver Star Online Journal, Wild Alchemy Journal, and the Thirteenth Path Journal.
Gabriel’s work has long been a boon to the occult community. It represents a shining example of the potential for publishing, writing, and editorial care to reach a zenith as art, craft & ethos are merged.
We look forward to your explorations of McCaughry’s work through our own author page, which can be found here. The website of Anathema Publishing can likewise be found here.
Once again, we thank our readers for the opportunity to serve and explore the occult community. Your continued encouragement, feedback, and support has offered us a unique and rewarding experience.
Until next week,
– The Occult Library Staff