Cork author: I hope that my book entertains ... and turns you on to magic

Astral Hours tells of the adventures of a young Irishman who goes to college to study the system of magical knowledge known as the Kabbalah, aka the Tree of Life.

He makes his way through various ‘astral spheres’ speedily, proving himself to be something of a prodigy.

Soon, it is revealed to him that there is a disorder at the heart of the Tree (and the universe) and he is tasked with fixing it by restoring love, order, and unity.

Astral Hours is a book with lots of ideas in it. But at its heart it is a story of adventure and discovery.

The hero discovers, not only the mystic country of the Kabbalah, but abilities and qualities inside him that he never knew he had.

At the beginning, there is a quote by WB Yeats: “Education is not the filling of a pail but the lighting of a fire.” The book seeks to align itself with this insight.

There is a strong Irish interest. The story takes place in Cork and there are landscapes and landmarks that Corkonians will recognise.

There are also many Irish mythical and cultural references. St Brigid plays a part in the book, and there are other figures that Irish people will recognise: characters and personas.

There is a love interest too. The hero falls in love with his guide to the Kabbalah: a young woman who is both a ranger and a goddess.

Again, Irish people will recognise her as a strong, independent Irish woman. As enigmatic as she is beautiful.

So, there is lots of love and lots of magic in the book.

But there is also a spiritual dimension to it. The hero of the book studies in a college named after St Brigid and, as already mentioned, the goddess / saint herself appears toward the end of the book.

Through her, the work suggests a close relationship between spirituality and imagination - both of which we need if we are to survive this world.

I’m hoping that readers will find the experience to be as enlightening as it is entertaining, just as it was for me when writing the book.

Astral Hours is heavily influenced by the work of Alan Moore, and especially his book, The Moon And Serpent Bumper Book Of Magic (co-authored with Steve Moore). This work served as a map for the entire system of astral spheres known as the Kabbalah.

The foundation of all western magical thought and practice, the Kabbalah is the means by which the magician can change the universe.

Our astral hero makes the journey through it via a technique known as ‘lucid dreaming’, and eventually reaches the centre of the Tree, known as Tiphereth: the sphere of order and balance and harmony.

He doesn’t go any further, as the higher spheres are perilous to mortals.

Of course, the book has its villain: a strange, eldritch creature known as the Qliphoth, who seeks to hamper the hero and keep the universe divided and fragmented.

The book has many aspects and will, I hope, have a broad appeal. As it is a short book and is written in a serene and clear style, reading it should be swift but satisfying too.

It might even turn you on to finding out more about magic and the kind of lifestyle it offers. This is the 21st century, so you don’t have to worry about being lynched or burned at the stake.

It’s easy to feel helpless about the state of the world today, but magic offers a way to try to do some good.

So, does that mean I believe in it?

The answer is yes, I do. But even if I didn’t, it’s still a fascinating subject with a long and interesting history.

The number of world-changing scientists and philosophers who were also magicians down through the ages is amazing. And there are artists and poets too.

Think again of WB Yeats. He was deeply into magic for most of his adult life and, if it did nothing else, it furnished his poetry with powerful and efficacious symbols. Symbols that changed the way we see ourselves and the world forever.

Indeed, as Alan Moore professes, writing and magic are really one and the same thing.

I mentioned earlier that the imagination and spirituality are closely related. If it does nothing else, magic provides us with a means to realising this. We all need it, but especially in this current age of rationalism and unquestioning faith in science.

These days, we need to remember more than ever that the imagination is divine and was gifted to us for that very reason.

And the best way to access the imagination is through works of fiction and poetry and song.

So, you might be thinking that this is all a bit ambitious for a novella about a guy who goes to college. You’re right. But I never lose sight of my main aim, which is to romance and entertain.

If, on the way, I can turn you on to opening your mind to this ancient and venerable tradition, then that would be a job well done.

Astral Hours can be downloaded as an eBook from amazon.uk or, if you would like to own a physical copy, you can order it at davidjordanwriter.wordpress.com

I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Ed Doyle for providing the beautiful cover artwork.