November 26th: Zos Kia Cultus

Dysnomia here. This week, we’ll delve into the Zos Kia Cultus of Austin Osman Spare. Spare’s core writings on his sorcery and its psychosexual basis are often quite abstruse, to the point where some consider them pure diversion and not to be taken literally as arcanum in the least. Thus, it seems preferable that we instead read the two final chapters from Kenneth Grant’s The Magical Revival as a condensed and more intelligible primer. Spare was also one of the foremost draughtsmen of his time, and it is in his art and its profound reflection to/of the unbound subconscious that I think we find much of the actual instantiated substance of his sorcerous arte. Therefore I have included below some favorite selections from his hand to not omit this vital outlet and vessel for his life energies.

“Know that everything begotten by you, and in you, is by unities with otherness to further your individuality. Your sincerity will bestow reality. Pleasure shall be our respite from service to others, ourselves, and the Gods. There is no greater pleasure than the mutual; reciprocity is my law.” – ZOS

Zos playing the ‘Overture to Reality’, circa 1954

a manifesting vessel depicting Spare and Mrs. Patterson (1928)

“The Self in Ecstasy” (from The Book of Pleasure, 1913)

Black Eagle (1946), Spare’s familiar and daemon

“General Allegory” from A Book of Satyrs (1907)

frontispiece from A Book of Satyrs

Formula of Zos vel Thanatos (1955), Spare’s stélé for the Zos Kia Cultus

sketch of Mrs. Patterson, the witch who initiated Spare into the sabbatic mysteries

The Vampires are Coming

“Idiotcy” from A Book of Automatic Drawing (1925)

“Astral Body” from A Book of Automatic Drawing (1925)

“The Threshold” from A Book of Automatic Drawing (1925)

notes on the Alphabet of Desire

scribblings

Elemental Materialisation (1955)