jaylibris

Bookplates

I have always had a strong aesthetic appreciation and respect for the bookplate. I have seen so many beautiful ones adorning the inside covers of so many beautiful books. One silly thing I might spend my lottery winnings on someday may be a specially commissioned engraving such as this one I found in my copy of Huxley’s Leda, a book of his poetry.

This copy was an associational copy because it was once owned by mystery author Dennis Wheatley. When you see the symbolic image he chose and its blasphemous caption, you immediately know alot about Mr Wheatley and his own personal philosophy about knowledge. In the caption, the Devil is praising Eve for her courage in eating the fruit and choosing knowledge over the security of the garden.

This wasn’t the only plate I found in the book. On the end flap there is a second plate that lists the title of the book, followed by such details as date purchased, price, and even a small personal review about the owners sentiments toward it. We still collectively engage in such behavior, except now it floats around the HTML pages at Amazon.com. I hold a special place in my heart for bookplates, and one of these days I think I may just buy some parchment stock and draw some of my own for someone else to discover.

Sermons in Cats

This is a memorable essay that came from Music At Night that I have only recently begun to understand thanks to two recent acquisitions to our family brood. We adopted two orange tabby kittens this past summer, each not unlike the one pictured in the above image perching on Huxley’s shoulder.

Strangely it was this advice he seemed proud to impart to a young writer who sought from him the secrets of the process of good writing. “My dear friend, if you want to be a psychological novelist and write about human beings, the best thing you can do is keep a pair of cats.”

He had a hunch that his young friend would not take him seriously on this point, and was probably correct. I did not appreciate the seriousness of his advice either when I first read this in high school.

I’m a true believer now. This pair of creatures has been a remarkable force of nature in our household. It is amazing to witness the bond of these animals with one another and their keen ability to sense and respond to their environment. I sometimes suspect that I am only an unwitting pawn in their agenda, and I resent their Jedi telepathy and their Houdini-like abilities with opening drawers and locked doors.

I have developed a heightened awareness of the competetive and hierarchical aspects of survival since observing my cats firsthand. It’s pretty hard to miss. Also the surprising depth of their affection for each other and for their human servants.

In one example Huxley draws parallels between the ‘Marriage of Cats’ ritual he has seen in his own Siamese cats and the marriage of men and women. He believes that the performance of the animal is the human performance unmasked. Strip away the polite cultural boundaries-the “lid” as Huxley refers to it, and we are exposed for all of our natural tendencies and conflicts we face as members of the human race. That makes sense. That’s why I rarely get shocked by what I hear in the news. I can say I benefit from my fuzzy companions sermons every day. The kids absolutely adore them.I will never regret taking a pair of cats. Huxley really nailed that one.

Perception and Reality

The opening quote on the title page of “Doors of Perception” contains a profound idea from poet and mystic William Blake. It expresses that there is another way to view the apparent world around us. It is a way that is accessible to our senses if we cleanse our perception to see it plainly. When I was younger and read these verses I used to imagine an image of a garden gate that I could see into and discover an infinite beauty within. It was through such a metaphorical gate that a mythic garden of infinity and transcendence waited for me. I only needed to find the key and open it for myself.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if the world disclosed its complexity and wonder to me in all of its brilliance at every moment? Huxley had found a way in, and I couldn’t wait to follow him there. Huxley’s rapturous descriptions of transcendence dazzled me, and encouraged a journey of awareness that changed my life. It also sparked a lifelong appreciation of the mind and thought of Aldous Huxley.

I want to use this space to document my wanderings and share the aesthetic and intellectual rewards of spending time with great minds such as Aldous Huxley through books.