Title: Seven Gates to Freedom: Awareness and Consciousness
Authors: Ayla Hesperia and Dr. Mark Athanasios C. Karras
Publisher: New-Byzantium.org
ISBN: 978-0981577227
Pages: 232
Genre: Cosmology / Self-Help / Religion & Spirituality
Reviewed by: Dan MacIntosh

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Seven Gates to Freedom: Awareness and Consciousness, written under the pseudonym Ayla Hesperia, is a unique and unusual work. It’s part religious, part self-help, and is intellectually deep. Reading it is, to put it mildly, an experience.

It’s also a book within a book, so to speak. It begins with a father explaining some deep philosophical concepts to his three children. These conversations are the best parts of the book because they take difficult-to-comprehend concepts and put them into an easier to understand format. This form of exploring heavy concepts is not new, by the way. Plato also wrote in dialogues, as well, so Hesperia has learned some of his methods from the best minds.

What makes it into a book within a book, is how the father asks these children to read The Great Age (a section included within this book) and then discuss its contents. You may feel a little bit like these younger ones while reading this inner work, however. Although it contains some resonating ideas, it’s also packed with stream of consciousness ideas that are lengthy and may be difficult to fully digest for the average reader.

This is not a book about Christianity, although New Testament Scriptures are quoted throughout. Nevertheless, the author states, when describing this work, “The message conveyed is the true message of Jesus. It is there that he is found. Religious affiliation is not a requirement for reaping the benefit.” Such thinking sure sounds a lot like a ‘spiritual, but not religious’ approach to understanding God. This may be an incorrect assessment, but it at least reads this way.

Another unique factor in the presentation of this written work is the cover’s illustration. The back of the book explains: “The integrity of the art on the front cover must not be compromised. It is in pure form and free of any written words or distractions. Experience the message in the illustration. The book will assist. And, if the approach intrigues you, there is good reason. Meet the challenge offered by the illustration and the book. Their message is simple and direct, encouraging youthfulness while aging.”

Attempting to describe the cover art isn’t easy. In short, though, it has a kind of sci-fi feel to it, showing a tiny human surrounded by circular illustrations of a vast universe around him. The author suggests readers “experience the message in the illustration.” This reader can’t say he experienced this message, but your connection to the words and art may be better and more memorable.

At book’s end, Hesperia writes: “As may be expected, the art offers a living experience of connection with the Spheres – depending on one’s imagination and concentration. A real sensation of transiting the Gates can be felt. The content of the art is captivating and soothing and produces an instant willingness to be absorbed into the cosmic ambience that it displays.” Hopefully, you have the kind of transformative experience Hesperia details in this postscript.

Certainly, this is not any sort of typical spiritual/religious work. It’s an extensive, detailed book, filled with fully thought-out ideas. It’s also a unique combination of the editorial and the artistic, due to its significant cover art. There are a multitude of possible reactions to reading this book, depending upon where the reader is at, spiritually. For those open to completely ingesting the various ideas put forth, it has the potential to be lifechanging. Alternately, those that come to the book with a sort of casual attitude about reading it, may be a little overwhelmed by how it delves so deeply into philosophical thought. Ayla Hesperia has put all the work into it, though, so the rest is all up to you and your unique attitude toward the book.