Dark Spirits: The Magical Art of Rosaleen Norton and Austin Osman Spare

201 Pages·2012·31.065 MB·English

by  Nevill Drury

T h e M a g ic a l A r t o f R o sa leen N o r t o n a n d A u stin O sm an S pa re
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D R . NEVILL D R U R Y
Althougthh l'nYe verm et,t heA ustralwiiatnc h
RosakenN orton( 1917-197a9n)d Britisvhi ­
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sionarayr tiAsuts tiOns man Spare H�HJ-19S (J)
sharemda nyp ointisn c ommon.A s occulptr ac­
titionoepresr atiwnigt hitnh eW esterens oteric
traditihoont,ha rtiswtesr e wevlelr seidn t hel it­
eraturoefW estermna gicT,l wosophkya.h halah,
Eastermny sticisamn,d modern psychoanalysis.
Fascinathye dm edia·vamla gicaglr imoirtehse,y
alseox plortehde ' seaalsss'o ciawtietdhe lemental
spirit-beainnddg esv elopuendi qufeo rmso fs igil
magicP.e rhapesv enm ores ignittilc,ya Nnorton
andS paruet ilitsheedi orw n persontaelc hniques
ofs elf-hypnaonsdit sr ancien o rdetro p roduce
theidri stincvtiisvieo naarryt workAss. t hihso ok
demonstrattehse,r ie sa cleapra rallbeelt ween
thet rancset ateass sociawtietdh t heZ os I Kia
cosmologoyf Sparea nd thet rancmea gico f
NortonP.r ofilibnogt ha rtisitnds e taialn,d p ro­
fusely illuDsatrrkaS tpeidr,ie xtpsl ortehse u nique
contributoifohnost hS paraen dN ortona sl 'isiou­
ary outsidaansd i sn ecessarreya dinfgo ra nyone
interesitnet dh en etherre gionosf t hem agical
psyche.
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DARK SPIRITS
ALSO BY NEVILL DRURY
The Varieties of Magical Experience: Indigenous, Medieval and Modern Magic (with Lynne
Hume, forthcoming via Praeger, 2013)
Pathways in Modern Western Magic (as editor, Concrescent Press, 2012)
Stealing Fire from Heaven:The Rise of Modern Western Magic (Oxford University Press,
2011)
The Magic of Pan: Rosaleen Norton and the Western Esoteric Tradition, PhD thesis (VDM
Verlag / Lambert Academic Publishing, 2011)
Homage to Pan:The life, art and sex magic of Rosaleen Norton (Creation Oneiros, 2009)
The Watkins Dictionary of Magic (Watkins, 2005)
The New Age: The History of a Movement (Thames & Hudson, 2004)
Magic and Witchcraft: From Shamanism to the Technopagans (Thames & Hudson, 2003)
Sacred Encounters: Shamanism and Magical Journeys of the Spirit (Watkins, 2003)
The Dictionary of the Esoteric (Watkins, 2002)
The History of Magic in the Modern Age (Constable, 2000)
The Visionary Human: Mystical Consciousness and Paranormal Perspectives (Prism Press,
1998)
Echoes from the Void: Writings on Magic, Visionary Art and the New Consciousness (Prism
Press, 1994)
Panys Daughter:The Magical World of Rosaleen Norton (Collins Australia, 1988; reprinted
as The Witch of Kings Cross, Kingsclear Books, 2002; and forthcoming via Mandrake,
2013)
Other Temples, Other Gods: The Occult in Australia (with Gregory Tillett, Methuen,
1980)
Inner Visions: Explorations in Magical Consciousness (Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1979)
The Search for Abraxas (with Stephen Skinner, Neville Spearman Ltd., 1972 and
forthcoming via Salamander and Sons, 2013)
NEVILL DRURY
The M agical A rt of R osaleen N orton
and A ustin O sman Spare
Edited by Paul Hardacre
A
M ^
SALAMANDER
AND SONS
Modern Magistery
an imprint of Salamander and Sons
Brisbane Chiang Mai
Copyright © Nevill Drury 2012
This book is copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study, research,
criticism, or review, as permitted under the Copyright Act, no part may be reproduced by any
process without written permission. Enquiries should be made to the publisher.
First edition published 2012 by Salamander and Sons
PO Box 215
Phrasing Post Office
Muang, Chiang Mai
Thailand 50205
www. salamanderandsons .com
For further information about Salamander and Sons tides please visit our website or write to
the above address.
Edited by Paul Hardacre (www.paulhardacre.com)
Cover design by Marissa Newell (www.marissaneweU.com)
Printed in Thailand by Santipab Pack-Print
Typeset by Salamander and Sons in Arcana GMM Std and Bembo Std
National Library of Australia
Cataloguing-in-Publication entry
Drury, Nevill, 1947-
Dark spirits : the Magical Art of Rosaleen Norton and
Austin Osman Spare / Nevill Drury ;
Paul Hardacre (ed.).
9780980409987 (hbk.)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Norton, Rosaleen, 1917-1979.
Spare, Austin Osman, 1886-1956.
Magic in art.
Occultism in art.
700.477
This edition includes 95 copies bound in leather and numbered by hand.
This i. s copy numbu er *\*Vnnumbered-
Panther of silence; god of Night; Lord of the wild inhuman stars:
You are my own; teeming soul of solitude.
Here is no loneliness, secret Master —
You, Dark Spirit are with me.
^
Rosaleen Norton
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS FROM THE AUTHOR
I would like to acknowledge the assistance provided by Rosaleen Norton’s sister,
Cecily Boothman; Rosaleens original publisher, Wally Glover Snr., and Norton
scrapbook enthusiast, Jock McKenna — all of whom have passed away since the
key precursor of this book, Pan’s Daughter, was first published in Sydney in 1988.
Without their kind assistance, I could not have taken the first steps researching the
magical world of Rosaleen Norton.
I would also like to acknowledge the invaluable contributions made by Dr. Mar­
guerite Johnson and Robert Ansell, who assisted me during my doctoral research at
the University of Newcasde by providing insights and research material on Rosaleen
Norton and Austin Osman Spare, respectively.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS FROM THE PUBLISHER
The publisher would like to thank Walter Glover Jnr. and Keith Richmond, whose
cooperation enabled the publication of Dark Spirits to proceed unhindered.
Introduction viii
Part One: Rosaleen Norton
Chapter One: Rosaleen Norton — a magical life 16
Chapter Two: Nortons magical cosmology 47
Chapter Three: Trance magic and occult visions 84
Part Two: Austin Osman Spare
Chapter Four: Austin Osman Spare — urban visionary 114
Chapter Five: Zos and Kia 141
Chapter Six: Atavisms from the nether world 168
Some final thoughts 118
Bibliography 186
Index 194
Introduction
It may seem unusual to compare two artists who, as far as we know, never met
each other or knew that the other existed.1 And yet in so many ways the Aus­
tralian ‘Witch of Kings Cross’, Rosaleen Norton (1917-1979), and the Brit­
ish visionary occultist Austin Osman Spare (1886-1956) resemble each other as
innovative esoteric practitioners. Numerous comparisons can be made in relation
to the two artist-magicians because both explored the dark realms of the psyche
and both were personally involved in the practice of trance magic. Both were also
remarkable individuals whose extraordinary talents are only now beginning to gain
the recognition they deserve.
The most intriguing similarity between the two artists relates to their vision­
ary exploration of magical imagery through techniques of self-hypnosis, and there
are several parallels in their personal lives and artistic careers as well. Within their
respective individual contexts both Spare and Norton regarded themselves as artistic
outsiders, largely alienated from the mainstream cultural trends of the day, and both
spent most of their lives in squalid circumstances. Both were skilled figurative art­
ists whose art school training contributed substantially to their graphic style; both
exhibited their work extensively in popular meeting places like pubs or coffee shops
in order to reach an appreciative audience, and both had a strong love for animals,
especially cats. However, there are more specific parallels between Spare and Norton
that suggest they should be regarded as visionary artists within the same esoteric
genre. As occult practitioners, both considered themselves pantheists; both were
well versed in the literature of the Western esoteric tradition, Theosophy, Eastern
mysticism, and modern psychoanalysis (especially the works of Freud and Jung);
both were attracted to the practice of sex magic and were familiar with the magical
writings of Aleister Crowley — Spare knew Crowley personally.2 Both magicians
1 The first publications to explore Spare’s magical approach in depth - The Search for Abraxas, by
Nevill Drury and Stephen Skinner (Neville Spearman Limited, London) and The Magical Revival, by
Kenneth Grant (Muller, London) - were both published during 1972, twenty years after the publica­
tion of The Art of Rosaleen Norton and just seven years before Norton’s death. It is unlikely that Norton
had access to Spare’s privately published books - which, for many years, have remained extremely rare
items in the second hand book market - and she does not refer to Spare in her bibliography.
2 Spare joined Crowley’s occult order, the Argenteum Astrum, after making contact with Crowley
during 1909, and took the Probationer’s oath in July 1910. His magical name was Yihoveaum, a com­
bination of the Hebrew JHVH and the Eastern mystical symbol AUM. He also contributed drawings
to Crowley’s biennial publication, The Equinox. See chronology in The Early Work of Austin Osman
Spare, by William Wallace (Catalpa Press, Stroud, 1987) and also ‘Discord in the Garden of Janus: Aleister
Crowley and Austin Osman Spare’by Keith Richmond in Austin Osman Spare:Artist, Occultist, Sensualist,
edited by Geraldine Beskin and John Bonner (Beskin Press, London, 1999).
VIII Introduction