Mutbo

A Journey into the Goêtic Flesh
Frater Acher, 2024

Frater Acher, MUTABOR – A Journey into the Goêtic Flesh, Paralibrum Press, 2024

quarto (23 x 30 cm)
132 pp
4 artworks by Rafael Pascuale Zamora

Issued in 2 editions –
fine & digital

MUTABOR explores the human flesh as the main instrument of goêtic magic. The book takes the reader on a wild ride through epochs and cultures and their contradictory stylisation of beauty and deformation, of the aesthetic self and the disfigured Other. Through the cracks of these cultural veneers, Frater Acher leads the reader towards a genuine appreciation of the goêtic flesh: Here the human body is no longer assessed according to cultural taste, but according to its ability to offer communion with and extend into species and forms of existence that are radically other than human.

MUTABOR challenges us to radically rethink the relationship we hold with our bodies as practicing magicians. The book is both anthropological and experiential, blending historical references with practical magical advice – all the way from ancient Greek and Scythian examples to modern Traditionalism and the contemporary figures of Conan the Barbarian and H.P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu mythos. Guided by philosophical and practical considerations alike, Acher invites us to take a fresh look at the intersection of Western body images and authentically practiced animism in the 2st century.

  • Fine edition. Thread-stitching, black cowhide spine with 4 raised bands and embossed title, black linen hardcover with leather edges, red ribbon marker, unique marbled endpapers, large embossed stamp on front cover, printed on Old Mill 130 paper, size 5.83 x 8.27 inches.

    Digital edition. Available as free PDF download. For private use only. © Frater Acher, all rights reserved, 2024.

    The freely available digital edition is intended to make this material accessible without restrictions. We welcome donations of any amount to help us continue to offer Paralibrum's work free of charge.

  • The term mutabor originates from Latin, meaning "I will be changed" or "I will transform." It is most famously associated with a tale in "The History of Caliph Stork" from the collection Tales of the Alhambra by Wilhelm Hauff. In the story, "Mutabor" is a magic word that allows the characters to transform into animals and then change back into their human form. Significantly, the characters in the tale perceived the transformation into animals as an irreparable punishment, not a gift. Frater Acher's title calls us to take the opposite path and rediscover the arts and powers of our own atavistic bodies.

  • Preface

    Introduction

    Part I • Readying the Mind

    I. Filthy Fat

    II. Kaloskagathos

    III. Scythian Scare

    IV. Scythian Shamans and Greek Goês

    V. Julius Evola and the Hard Body

    VI. Cthulhu is Conan in Reverse

    Part II • Readying the Flesh

    VII. Becoming All Flesh

    VIII. The Vision of Tsar Smiulan

    Appendix: Herodotus on the Scythians

    Bibliography

  • Frater Acher practices and writes on Western Magic. Since 2001 he has been living as a lone practitioner of the magical and mystical path. An overview on his publications can be found here.

    Acher holds an MA in Communications Science, Intercultural Communications and Psychology as well as certifications in Systemic Coaching and Gestalt Therapy. More than twenty years ago he started out studying Western Ritual Magic in theory and practice at IMBOLC. Since its inception he has been a close friend of QUAREIA.

    He is a German national, living with his daughter, the magician Harper Feist and two cats in a rather weird house in Munich/Germany. His work can be found on goeteia.com as well as on theomagica.com.

Download Digital Edition

“Terms like male and female, hard and soft, savage or civilized are no more or no less relevant in such context as is the blurring of a human body with an octopus, or children born with dragon scales. For everything is chimera in the goêtic world.”

– Frater Acher, MUTABOR