In his books, culminating with the Nietzschean automatic writing experiment The Anathema of Zos, Spare elaborated his magical method, which drew on Buddhism and Taoism and involved manifesting desires directly from the subconscious using sigils and symbols. “This he named ‘atavistic resurgence,’” writes his influential friend Kenneth Grant at Pastelegram, a means “of wish-fulfilment which involves the interaction of will, desire and belief.” This is thesubject of Christopher Dell’s new book The Occult, Witchcraft and Magic: An Illustrated History. Full of art, illustrations and photographs, the book brings togethera compelling visual history of magic and its uses, from ancient Egyptian magical spellsprinted on papyrus, to the film adaptation ofJ.R.R. Tolkien’s TheLord of the Rings. Seeking to define occultism so that the term would be suitable "as an etic category" for scholars, Hanegraaff devised the following definition: "a category in the study of religions, which comprises "all attempts by esotericists to come to terms with a disenchanted world or, alternatively, by people in general to make sense of esotericism from the perspective of a disenchanted secular world". [38] Hanegraaff noted that this etic usage of the term would be independent of emic usages of the term employed by occultists and other esotericists themselves. [38] Victoria Jenkins: I think the greatest canonical myth these artworks undermine is that there has been a turn away from magic, mysticism, and the supernatural as a result of modernism. While this book includes many artworks predating this period, it is clear to see this lineage continues with artists throughout the 20th century into the present day. Artists continue to seek magical influence as a source of creative inspiration, to imagine new possibilities and to enact change. Rather than being discredited as foolish superstition, these beliefs offer potent repositories for knowledge and generate new narratives outside established powers. Another example of Satanic and occult-inspired art from this period is the sculpture “The Baphomet” by Eliphas Levi. This sculpture is a representation of the devil, and it is believed to be a symbol of occult power. The sculpture is often used as a symbol of the occult, and it is often associated with Satanism.

Victoria Jenkins: While slippery to define, the occult is often described as secretive and sitting outside of a society’s dominant religious beliefs, and so in that sense, it is intrinsically rebellious. This may have been the source of appeal for some artists. The artist studied Russian folk tradition and beliefs, as well as Eastern philosophy and religious practices. Another aspect that contributed to his explorations of the spiritual was his synesthesia. Synesthesia is a neurological phenomenon that triggers a mixed perception of different senses. This meant that Kandinsky was able to literally hear colors, lines, and textures.Represents the seven days of creation. In Islam, it represents the first seven verses of the Quran. It is the symbol of Babalon in Thelema. In Wicca, it is known as the Elven Star, Fairy Star or Septagram. While emerging artists such as tan jones are gaining recognition, other art movements connected with spirituality and magic are being rediscovered, such as the surrealist movement – which had strong ties to magic, with many artists including ritual and symbols in their work. Faivre, Antoine (1994). Access to Western Esotericism. SUNY Series in Western Esoteric Traditions. Albany, New York: SUNY Press. ISBN 0-7914-2178-3. It is also, perhaps, a response to the fear and anxiety of the current moment. “I think this surge in esoteric beliefs tends to show up in moments of crisis, when things are feeling uneasy and unsettled on a good day, and bereft of hope on the worst of them,” says S Elizabeth, author of The Art of the Occult. Growing up surrounded by richly decorated tarot cards and zodiac posters designed by Alphonse Mucha, Elizabeth sees the occult and art as inseparable.

Use of the term as a nominalized adjective has developed especially since the late twentieth century. In that same period, occult and culture were combined to form the neologism occulture. Southern Mesopotamian "Demon Bowl" with incantation c. 200-600 AD. The bowl was used as an early form of protective Magic from dark entities. Exhibit in the Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Image via wikipedia. You can notice the early circular spell incantation or "Magic Circle". A Magic Circle is formed to create a sacred space or in the Demon bowl's case a cunning trap, in even earlier history the Sumerians called this practice Zisurrû , meaning “magic circle drawn with flour" used to ensnare evil forces. For the Symbolists, esoteric knowledge was a means of accessing the scope of the mind and the quintessence beyond appearances. And fin-de-siècle Paris had no shortage of material: Edmond Bailly’s Librairie de l’art indépendant (Bookshop of Independent Art), established in 1888, became a central meeting point for Symbolist artists and writers and for the discussion of occult topics, while Lucien Chamuel’s Librairie du merveilleux (Bookshop of the Marvellous) was popular with mystics and scholars. Theosophy was particularly influential. Founded by Helena Petrovna Blavatsky and her colleagues in New York in 1875, the Theosophical Society aimed to distil common elements from the world’s religions and esoteric traditions and establish an essential, universal understanding. The idea of fundamental principles that could bridge East and West, Christ and the Buddha, was immensely attractive to a number of artists – particularly in a context of colonial expansion, which aroused interest in similarities as well as in differences. The artist Odilon Redon was amongst those who frequented Bailly’s bookshop. Engaged in Theosophy – particularly Édouard Schuré’s comparative studies of religious prophets – as well as Buddhist and Indian philosophy, Redon realized numerous depictions of religious figures that evade traditional iconography and narratives. He focused instead on themes of light, death and introspection, as in The Death of Buddha (c.1899) and The Sacred Heart (The Buddha) (c.1906), which was closely based on an 1895 drawing the artist had made of Christ and then renamed. Although Jacquemin’s interest in various forms of occultism such as Occult Christianity and Rosicrucianism partially fueled her artistic progress and success, it could have harmed her as well. Some art historians believe Jacquemin’s art was deliberately swept under the rug because of her questionable occult alliances. In many sources, contemporaries described Jacquemin as a devoted Satanist who lived in a Satanic commune for a period of time.

According to Spare, who was prone to embellishing his biography, he also received a commission for a portrait from Adolph Hitler in 1936. The Führer was apparently impressed with Spare’s Self Portrait as Hitler. British journalist Hannen Swaffer recounts that Spare, an ardent anti-Nazi who tried to enlist in 1939 at the age of 53, made a copy of the painting and sent it with a note as a reply “to the man who wanted to master Europe and dominate mankind”: Only from negations can I wholesomely conceive you. For I know of no courage sufficient to stomach your aspirations and ultimates. If you are superman, let me be for ever animal. The earliest use of the term occultism in the English language appears to be in "A Few Questions to 'Hiraf'", an 1875 article by Helena Blavatsky, a Russian émigré living in the United States who founded the religion of Theosophy. The article was published in the American Spiritualist magazine, Spiritual Scientist. [14]

Victoria Jenkins: When researching for the book, I initially felt there were clear periods of peak magical artistic interest; the symbolism and mythological sources of the 19th century pre-raphaelite brotherhood, early 20th-century abstract artists’ engagement with, and in some case membership of, theosophical teachings and organisations, and then explorations of feminist mysticism catalysed during the radical political movements of the late 1960s. The occult also had an influence on the exploration of the supernatural in Renaissance art. Many of the works of the period featured supernatural elements, such as angels, demons, and spirits. These elements were often used to explore the mysteries of the afterlife and to evoke a sense of awe and wonder. In conclusion, the occult played an important role in the art of the Renaissance. From the use of symbols and imagery to the exploration of the supernatural, the occult had a profound influence on the art of the period. The Occult-Inspired Art of the Victorian EraConsidered to be the unspeakable name of God, written as YHWH. The four letter name has many pronunciations and can be seen over 7,000 times throughout the Hebrew Bible. As symbol, it was incorporated into the Greek Tetractys by Jewish Kabbalistic occult tradition as an evolving arrangement of ten letters. In gematria, YHWH has a numerical value of 72 (center image). The right image contains the Tetragrammaton in tetractys formation, accompanied by the late-Renaissance Pentagrammaton, below. If future exhibitions are anything to go by, the art world’s enchantment by the occult appears to be more of a juggernaut than a fleeting trend. The Peggy Guggenheim in Venice is gearing up for Surrealism and Magic: Enchanted Modernity, an extensive survey of the myriad ways in which magic and the occult informed the development of Surrealism. (Due to run from April to September 2022, the exhibition will then move to the Museum Barberini in Potsdam, Germany from October 2022.) In his work about Lévi, the German historian of religion Julian Strube has argued that the occultist wish for a "synthesis" of religion, science, and philosophy directly resulted from the context of contemporary socialism and progressive Catholicism. [32] Similar to spiritualism, but in declared opposition to it, the emergence of occultism should thus be seen within the context of radical social reform, which was often concerned with establishing new forms of "scientific religion" while at the same time propagating the revival of an ancient tradition of "true religion". [33] Indeed, the emergence of both modern esotericism and socialism in July Monarchy France have been inherently intertwined. [34] The I'itoi is an indigenous spiritual symbol that signifies the challenging and balancing decisions in one's life that lead us to our ultimate dream state from the product of all of our choices. The ideal is to reach the center of this maze of decisions we make, which is a manifestation of our purpose and dream, and is accepted by the Sun God upon our death.

An ancient symbol of a unicursal five-pointed star circumscribed by a circle with many meanings, including but not limited to, the five wounds of Christ and the five elements (earth, fire, water, air, and soul). In Satanism, it is flipped upside-down. See also: Sigil of Baphomet. Jodorowsky's films have had a major influence on the surrealist and avant-garde movements, and he is considered a pioneer of the midnight movie genre. Some of his most famous films include "El Topo" (1970), "The Holy Mountain" (1973), and "Santa Sangre" (1989). In addition to his work in film, Jodorowsky has also been a successful author, publishing numerous books on spiritual, occult and philosophical subjects. Sacred Geometry Welburn, Andrew J.; Heinzen, Thomas (1986). Power and Self-Consciousness in the Poetry of Shelley. Palgrave Macmillan UK. ISBN 978-1349182787. The themes explored in Satanic and occult-inspired art are often dark and mysterious. These works often feature symbols and imagery associated with the occult, such as pentagrams, skulls, and demons. They also often explore themes of death, destruction, and the supernatural. These works can be both beautiful and disturbing, and they often challenge viewers to confront their own beliefs and fears.

Inside the Tate Archive, you will explore books, drawings, photographs, and other unusual objects that delve into the themes of witchcraft, alchemy, secret societies, folklore and pagan rituals, demonology, spells and magic, psychic energies, astrology, and tarot. It could be argued that I have missed the point - a great deal of art is intrinsically occult and inexplicable to the lay person, a process of creation in which material is alchemically transformed into meaning. Still, our interest should be in artists who deliberatively reflect on this aspect of their work. Austin Osman Spare was an English artist, occultist, and writer who was active in the early 20th century. Spare was a prominent figure in the British art scene of the time, and his work was exhibited at major galleries and museums. In addition to his art, Spare was also a prominent figure in the occult scene, and his ideas and practices had a significant influence on the development of modern occultism. František Kupka (1871 – 1957) Study for the Language of Verticals by František Kupka, 1911, via Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid