Anyway, encouraged by friends and colleagues I
took the insane decision to start publishing books myself, under the name of
Imagier Publishing. At the outset I was asked, more than once, just what
Imagier Publishing was going to offer the world that was of any value. What
could it say that hadn’t been said already? It was a question of fundamental
importance and it struck me hard, as I hadn’t thought of publishing any books
other than on my personal interests. Anyway, after giving this question some
thought I saw that this was an opportunity to do something beyond those
immediate interests: to make available past and present work about the many
radical streams of Christian spirituality that had in diverse ways underpinned
much of Western culture over the last two thousand years. This, of course,
meant finding new authors and new material, as well as reprinting books of the
past that had been rejected or forgotten. With this purpose in mind I found the
confidence to ‘go for it’ and entered what I discovered to be a very
competitive world.
Because
it was ready, my book The Secret Garden
of the Soul – an introduction to the Kabbalah was the first title to be
published. My approach when writing it was to make available the notes I had
accumulated over the years in teaching my students. I knew from the beginning
that The Secret Garden was not a
definitive work on the subject; it was never intended as such. It is simply an
introduction to certain aspects that beginners and the simply curious might
enjoy while gaining some insight into an ancient and profound subject that has
been central to much of our cultural history. It is a book about Kabbalah not a manual of instruction. And it is not only
about Jewish mysticism, for although most people don’t realise it, Kabbalah is
a vast field with many active and dynamic schools of thought, and it has a far
greater sphere of influence.
I know that in recent times many people have
associated this ancient system of Jewish mysticism with the pop star and
actress Madonna, with bits of red string and with expensive magic water, but
that’s ‘Pop Kabbalah’ and I prefer what I like to call the ‘real thing’. It is
not so much a case of prejudice but more because like many students of Kabbalah
I am a bit of a loner seeking real understanding – an oddball with my head in
the clouds, but I guess I will have to live with that.
However,
back to the main theme. I published The
Secret Garden of the Soul in 2008. It was my first title and I made a lot
of mistakes in promoting it. Yet, I’m very fond of it. People have said it is a
good introduction and others have enjoyed the writing style, so I’m happy about
that as I don’t see myself as a literary person. I suppose I should mention
that in keeping with the mysterious nature of Kabbalah I’ve hidden within the
text of the book a coded message, a secret that leads to a treasure – it is
also an exercise for aspiring or seasoned Kabbalists to get their teeth into –
a challenge if you will. It makes for an interesting exercise in Kabbalistic
thinking. I’m surprised that no one has yet been able to find it or crack it;
the treasure has yet to be won!
The second title that Imagier issued was Tales of Brother Marcus. This is an
allegorical tale written by myself about a man I knew many years ago. It is the
story of a fellow traveller on the path and his introduction to the mystical
life. It introduces the reader to a world of real people engaging with the
esoteric dimensions of our world and their gradual involvement with a bona-fide
mystical school. I really enjoyed writing it as it gave me the opportunity to
embody some of the teachings I received from my mentor, Mar Francis. The
intention of the book was to convey core information about the ‘Mysteries’
without it appearing to be a text-book sort of thing.
Since then several more titles have been
issued; Five English Alchemists by
Dr. Robert Black, a Research Chemist with a life-long interest in Alchemy. This
book is the first of three volumes; volume two is in progress. Details about
them may be seen on Imagier’s website Imagier.com and on Facebook.
The last title to be published was Symbolic Colours, written in 1837 by the
Baron Frederic de Portal. It was translated into English in 1845 but only
published in a limited edition of 100 copies. I know it has been made available
as a facsimile POD, but Imagier has re-edited the text and made it available
with many new footnotes. It’s a cracking book if you’re interested in
symbolism.
Several new titles are to be issued this year.
Some are reprints and some are new titles. One new title will be on Gnosticism,
another on the Desert Fathers, and of course, volume two of Robert Black’s book
on Alchemy.
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