Austin Osman Spare (1886–1956) was a multi-faceted figure, embodying the roles of artist, thinker, and occultist with unparalleled finesse. Born in London, Spare began to carve his unique path early in the 20th century, leaving an indelible mark on the worlds of art and esotericism.
At the core of Spare's philosophy was a profound emphasis on the unconscious mind, which he believed to be an untapped well of creativity and liberation. He sought to transcend the limitations of conscious thought, advocating for the exploration of the unconscious as a gateway to profound self-discovery, realization, and artistic expression. This approach was encapsulated in his own words, where he described his desires as a "mighty sun – all embracing," manifesting in a form of a vortex that sought to engage with the entirety of consciousness.
A notable testament to Spare's avant-garde spirit is his 1916 book on automatic drawing, a groundbreaking exploration into a form of art that predates the emergence of Surrealism and Dada movements. This early venture into automatic drawing showcased Spare's ability to tap into the intuitive and spontaneous aspects of creativity, laying the groundwork for later artistic developments.
Spare's artistic endeavors were as diverse as his philosophical musings. Ranging from spontaneous and imaginative creations to works with a more traditional and even occult influence, Spare navigated through various artistic styles with fluidity. His artistic palette encompassed everything from pre-Raphaelite aesthetics to symbolist traditions, creating a body of work that defied easy categorization.
In addition to his artistic contributions, Spare delved into the realms of the occult, adding another layer to his enigmatic persona. His engagement with occult practices, symbolism, and mysticism further showcased his deep-seated fascination with the hidden and the esoteric. This intersection of art and the occult not only fueled his creative output but also solidified his status as a pioneering figure in the occult revival of the early 20th century.
The importance of Austin Osman Spare's work lies not only in its innovative artistic expressions but also in its profound impact on the exploration of the human psyche and the merging of art with esoteric traditions. Spare's ideas and practices have influenced subsequent generations of artists, occultists, and thinkers, inspiring them to delve into the untapped realms of the unconscious and seek new avenues for creative expression and self-discovery.
The Target
"Describe the personality and life connected to the magic of Austin Osman Spare."
Viewer: John Adams
Tasker and monitor: Jemma Warner
The first image I saw was a spiral symbol that represented "interconnectedness...the circle of infinity type thing, like the head and snake tail", which is obviously an occult symbol, like the ouroboros. I perceived cosmic, golden energies, and the image of
"two hands holding light", as "if someone picked up water in their hands from a water source and was holding it up, and then like the twilights in the distance or a source of light in the distance...golden light"
Given the focus of the target it make sense to pick up on lots of energies and the subject was someone who had done a lot of energetic and inner work, and seemed to have arrived at a certain pureness of intent:
I see this man who reminds me of a magician, like an alchemist, or Galileo type, and I see a clock type device, Hands of Time sort of feeling, and it's like an alchemical feel around this and the person. If this person is indeed related to this target, they seem like they've done some sort of energy work, inside work, or clearing or there's pure intent and connection. There's this golden energy and I think he said that he was an explorer.
I also picked up a person with a firebrand sort of personality:
"I want to say he has like almost sort of a robe maybe, it's dark or purplish, sort of like velvety or satin. I first perceived him as like a gray beard sort of Orson Wells in his older years. Kind of serious-looking or intense, perhaps. Let me retry that. I get the word firebrand. Maybe that's his personality."
I perceived a magician's cape with purple and platinum decor and weird symbols that reminded me of "Atlantis", which were probably occult symbols. In addition to that, I got a lot of impressions of art work and some scenes in nature. At one point I felt it indicated treading rough seas or struggles. It felt further in history and as something historical in nature.
RV Sketches
Session transcript and relevant images:
The first thing I saw, and I don't know if
this was mental noise, was like a
white circular spiral, like a
spirograph ornate
design. Kind of had the feeling
of the color white around...
I also got the word myth.
[Okay could you draw that if you
needed to just out of Interest?]
I'll remember the image and I
can draw it afterwards
or at least a very close
approximation.
[Does the symbol or the
image that you saw have any
representation to the target?]
I don't know, there's a distinct
waviness to it and like the lines
kind of go in and out like
spirals and maybe that somehow
represents something to do
with interconnectedness, or I'm
just kind of guessing.
Almost like the the circle of
infinity type thing, like the head and snake
tail kind of thing but I'm not sure.
I'll keep probing into it. It's
still a little bit early so kind of
finding my way...
[Carry on]
I kind of have the feeling of orange
white energy; reminds me of a star or spiral
galaxy, but this orange white energy is
like sort of a fiery, cosmic golden type of
energy.
[Can you explore the energy
further?]
Yeah that's what I'm doing now.
I'm seeing some stuff that I'll tell
you. I don't know if I'm getting carried
away on a tangent with the energy but
it's something that comes in
and it's very electric, powerful, kind of
spreads around, fiery ,almost like a sun.
Golden bright white.
[What's the purpose of the energy?]
It seems creative, maybe
powerful; well it seems obviously
powerful but that almost
seems, can't say directed, but it seems
to have some kind...of it's not completely
random maybe there's either intelligence
behind it or a clockwork or process.
I kind of see it coming in and
down and about.
Should I do a movement exercise or
continue exploring?
[Just continue exploring the
other aspects that come in about the
target.]
I perceive like two hands holding light.
...almost like if someone picked up
water in their hands from a water source
and was holding it
up and then like the Twilights in the
distance or a source of light in the
distance golden light or
something. Maybe this is
symbolic; I don't know if there's like a
story related to
this. I sort of get the sense of a
Noah's flood, older tale, or history about
it suddenly; maybe it's just something
passing.
[Explore that bit if you want to]
I see this man who reminds me of a
magician, like an alchemist, or Galileo
type, and I see a clock type device, Hands of
Time sort of feeling, and it's like an alchemical
feel around this and the person. If this person
is indeed related to this target, they seem like
they've done some sort of energy work,
inside work, or clearing or there's pure intent and
connection. There's this golden energy and
I think he said that he was an explorer.
Hands of time, whatever that means...
[Can you describe the subjects appearance?]
I want to say he has like almost sort of
a robe maybe, it's dark or
purplish, sort of
like velvety or
satin, um I first perceived him as like a
gray beard sort of Orson Wells in his older
years.
Kind of serious-looking or intense
perhaps. Let me retry that. I get the word
firebrand. Maybe that's his personality.
[What was that word, sorry]
Firebrand, Firebrand.
Yes so maybe intense, fiery,
or kind of, again as I said alchemical
feeling, Merlin-esque, or Galileo or
a combination.
Let me see what he's about.
This person definitely seems to have a
beard, and it's almost like etched in
history, like you would see these epic
drawings depicting like a beard, iconic
and there's this feeling
of "oh, the stories I could tell" or "you
don't you don't even know" or you know
that kind of
thing, so old tales or stories
or epic history perhaps.
Seems like a firebrand but kind of imposing;
this tense energy, maybe large in size,
possibly roundish, or rotund, kind of sitting
in a chair or that's more like a ornate throne
-like chair.
[go ahead describe the subject's
purpose]
I see some older images,
like this clothing now seems rather
either Egyptian,
or Pharaoh-like, let's just say, or it could
even be a different culture; it could
be there's some kind
of golden purple or
something Platinum.
decor, I don't know what;
I even thought
of Atlantean just because of the weird
designs.
So in saying pharaoh-like and I've
described this throne I am getting some
images of about someone with
power, possibly a ruler, but I see
around possible subjects or
just older period people walking
around, peers or subjects and then I saw
weather, rain, thunder, so something to do
with weather whether.
It's just related to it, um affecting it,
controlling it, or responsible,
or I don't know, I'm trying
to see but that's just kind of
a sort of set of images, could be AOL;
there seem to be some pretty heavy
dark rain clouds above this going to have to AOL
again Noah's it was Ark, or flood or Moses, or
something, could be some strife around
this, struggle; if there really was a
flood but some kind of timetable or time stamp
in history.
I guess see some dark brooding images.
[what kind of
images?]
It's possibly like people, I don't know
if they're on the water or they're just
on structures,
or seems to be an event going on and
there's, I see sort of this golden energy
like overcast, like if you had
something weather related
or cosmic related or something in the
sky causes this cast of glow or something,
I don't know, I can't tell if it's weather or
cosmic; people working overtime to
struggle against.
Something, whether
it's prepare, or flee, or man the ship, or
row the boat. I see also a
foresty tree section that's just like
overtaken by light and behind
these tree
leaves
or row or canopy not quite a canopy of
trees but behind there there's
like this gold crispy
energy setting down over the trees.
I guess I don't...
[Can you hear any sounds Associated
to this target?]
There's some kind of high
pitched metallic
tension, tensile metallic,
uh tensing sound or piercing sound. I
don't know what it
is it's kind of hard to get
sounds right
now. Instead I've got, I had
some imagery or art from older period
more, Baroque
type art, I
guess, like that.
[what did you say?]
imagery,
imagery and art, like sort of
Baroque style
or middle ages,
medieval type art ,or Renaissance, or
before, like friar in the courtyard sort of
painting, or kingsmen,
or I don't know what, but I just see more
of the the colors and stuff.
But feels like I'm all over the place.
Maybe the kind of art you would see on
an old tarot card or fable something,
Maybe it's about an event in the past.
Do you have anywhere you want me to
move to or focus on or any
question?
[I think I think at this point
you should just see what else comes
through]
okay
[if there's anything else that's
relevant to the target]
As I zoom out I see like shifting
away from dark seas, waters ,stormy
sort of depicted in art, uh drawings,
uh shoreline, sea salt,
misty water spray
type; I guess I'll leave it at that.
Unless you think it warrants exploring
further.
It's neither good or bad.
[I think we could leave it at that...unless
there's anything else that you want to add]
Let me give it one more one more
go. I just get the feeling of Old
World tale, or grand tale not
necessarily that it's all fiction or
anything, but the kind of thing you
might depict in an antique model
of this place, event, time, like a model
ship depicted or event sort of like an
old seagoing journey, old adventures,
or epic tales.
Sources and links of interest: