The term occult sciences was used in 16th-century Europe to refer to astrology, alchemy, and natural magic. The term occultism emerged in 19th-century France, [1] amongst figures such as Antoine Court de Gébelin. [2] It came to be associated with various French esoteric groups connected to Éliphas Lévi and Papus, and in 1875 was introduced into the English language by the esotericist Helena Blavatsky. 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. The occult, in the broadest sense, is a category of esoteric supernatural beliefs and practices which generally fall outside the scope of organized religion and science, encompassing phenomena involving otherworldly agency, such as magic and mysticism and their varied spells. It can also refer to supernatural ideas like extra-sensory perception and parapsychology. 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.

A magical diagram, composed of two circles, a pentagram, and three heptagons, and is labeled with the name of God and his angels. Unio Mystica by Johfra Bosschart. Image via Reddit - Visual melt also features some additional works and information on Johfra. A video documentary on Johfra and his Art. Various twentieth-century writers on the subject used the term occultism in different ways. Some writers, such as the German philosopher Theodor W. Adorno in his "Theses Against Occultism", employed the term as a broad synonym for irrationality. [15] In his 1950 book L'occultisme, Robert Amadou used the term as a synonym for esotericism, [16] an approach that the later scholar of esotericism Marco Pasi suggested left the term superfluous. [15] Unlike Amadou, other writers saw occultism and esotericism as different, albeit related, phenomena. In the 1970s, the sociologist Edward Tiryakian distinguished between occultism, which he used in reference to practices, techniques, and procedures, and esotericism, which he defined as the religious or philosophical belief systems on which such practices are based. [16] This division was initially adopted by the early academic scholar of esotericism, Antoine Faivre, although he later abandoned it; [10] it has been rejected by most scholars who study esotericism. [15] Protection, 2023, by Paula Turmina will be on show as part of the Surrealism and Witchcraft exhibition at Lamb Gallery, London. Photograph: Courtesy of the artist

A symbol originating from The Eternal Champion, later adopted by occultists and role-playing games. Artist bones tan jones was one of the artists featured in the Somerset House exhibition and also had an installation at the Serpentine Gallery in 2022. They have just been announced as artist-in-residence at The Sustainable Institution in Europe. Their work has strong connections to paganism and spiritualism.

The tetractys is a equidistant and equiangular arrangement of ten points inside a triangle, akin to the fourth triangle number. It was developed by Pythagoras, and collectively signifies cosmic unity in the form of The Decad, as well as the musica universalis, or collective abstraction of the music generated by heavenly cosmic bodies. It also represents the four elements of nature, as well as the dimensional organization of space-time. Learning and adhering to its metaphysical knowledge was a requirement inside the occult Pythagorean religions. The Surrealists also drew inspiration from the occult in their exploration of the unconscious. They believed that the occult could provide them with a way to access the hidden depths of the human mind and explore the mysteries of the universe. This exploration of the unconscious was seen in the works of many of the movement’s most prominent figures, such as Salvador Dali, Max Ernst, and Andre Breton. A serpent or dragon consuming its own tail, it is a symbol of infinity, unity, and the cycle of death and rebirth.The resurgence of Satanic and occult-inspired art has been met with both praise and criticism. Some have praised these works for their boldness and creativity, while others have criticized them for their dark and disturbing themes. Regardless of the opinions of others, these works are a powerful reminder of the power of art to challenge and provoke thought. Official emblem of the Church of Satan, consisting of the head of a goat transfixed upon a reversed pentagram flanked by the Hebrew letters of the word " Leviathan" (לִוְיָתָן). The right image is the same sigil in cuneiform from the Joy of Satan Ministries, a recreation of the sigil of Baphomet incorporated with cuneiform lettering instead of Hebrew to spell out "Satan", and made after Maxine Dietrich's reinterpretation of the ideology of spiritual Satanism. Environmentalism is another theme that plays strongly in art inspired by spirituality. This year brings renewed interest in the art of Monica Sjöö, a Swedish-born artist who described herself as a “radical anarcho/eco-feminist and goddess artist, writer and thinker involved in Earth spirituality”. A retrospective of her work is at Modern Art Oxford this month which moves to London next year. In his 1871 book Primitive Culture, the anthropologist Edward Tylor used the term "occult science" as a synonym for magic. [22] Occult qualities [ edit ] At Lamb Gallery in London, Surrealism and Witchcraft opens this month, showcasing work by 11 female artists. Lucinda Bellm, Lamb’s founder and director, says surrealism is enduringly relevant. “The tumultuous first half of the 20th century set the stage for the emergence of surrealism,” says Bellm.

The general use of Art and symbol in cult and magic rituals has been employed since at least the Neolithic era and was used throughout ancient cultures. These early representations have evolved into a rich Artistic tradition with symbol and markings as diverse as the the sigils of Occultist Austin Osman Spare and symbology of modern avant-garde filmmaker Alejandro Jodorowsky. Beyond providing a visual language for the hidden mysteries of this world, they've also inspired current Artists to incorporate their visual stamp.

The mysterious world of magic and the supernatural calls to those with curiosity about the universe around them. The pieces of occult art on our site can add a touch of the otherworld to any room. Add an interesting item to your studio, office, or bedroom or any other gathering space.

The book taps into this archive collection as its main source, although artworks from the gallery collection predating this, and from the international collection are also featured in the book. Kontou, Tatiana; Wilburn, Sarah, eds. (2012). The Ashgate Research Companion to Nineteenth-Century Spiritualism and the Occult. Farnham: Ashgate. ISBN 978-0-7546-6912-8. The Pre-Raphaelites were a group of British painters, poets, and designers who sought to revive the art of the Italian Renaissance. They were heavily influenced by the occult, and their works often featured themes of mysticism, symbolism, and the supernatural. Dante Gabriel Rossetti, John William Waterhouse, and Edward Burne-Jones are some of the most famous Pre-Raphaelite artists.

Qāpū Palace and Music Hall, Isfahan. the Ālī Qāpū Palacehas an incredible music hall that hosts several concerts a year. The beautiful acoustics produced in the structure gives the effect of an entire orchestra. Image via inhabiatat.com 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.) A number of the female mystics whose work appears in The Art of the Occult also feature alongside Treister’s seance pictures in Not Without My Ghosts, which explores the idea of the artist as spirit medium. Among them are mystic artists of the 19th century such as Georgiana Houghton, who produced drawings with the assistance of spirit guides. As spirit mediums, women were afforded leadership they could not have assumed in Victorian society beyond the sphere of the seance. Many were also connected to the struggle for women’s suffrage. Such images are, ultimately, indicative of women’s emancipation: an insistent topic by the mid-19th century, which saw the first wave of feminism. And, certainly, the resounding tone of a revived interest in the figure of the goddess – in the 19th century and today – is one of empowerment. That Symbolist artists were overwhelmingly male is a curious point, given that women were central to the occult revival, from Blavatsky to the influential women of the Golden Dawn and female mediums. (It should be noted that Impressionism, which was contemporaneous with Symbolism, was a gender-equal movement.) Representations by women that engage with the occult and the chthonic are more readily found amongst the Surrealists, who were deeply influenced by Symbolism. Whereas artists such as Khnopff and Moreau drew on established iconographies, the Surrealists created new mythologies, linking primordial energies to the creativity of the unconscious. In André Breton’s writings, notably Nadja (1928), woman represents this force through her connection to procreation, dreams and the underworld. For the female artists associated with Surrealism, this ideal was no doubt a burden, stifling them with the laurels of the muse. Yet, in their own art, occultism stimulated novel explorations of nature, creation and subjectivity. These works do not tend towards a facile identification of womanhood with creative power. Méret Oppenheim’s The Green Spectator (One Who Watches While Someone Dies) (1933/59), for instance, portrays nature as a dispassionate, cyclical force, its pared-down, columnar form both human and snake-like, its materials – copper and wood painted to resemble serpentine – signalling its primal origins: the underground world of the serpent. 4

Symbol & Art Resources

Victoria Jenkins: This book tells a tale of the occult imagination and curiosity, often found in surprising places. Tate Britain’s 19th-century neoclassical architectural style is often associated with philosophies of the enlightenment, where magical practices and supernatural beliefs were discredited as superstition and something to be consigned to the past. Yet even the building’s walls are flanked by sculptures of sphinxes, mythological creatures associated with riddles and protectors of secrets. A great many artworks in this book are also very much at odds with the myth of a British sensibility that is reserved, stifled and prosaic. There is much wonder and weirdness to be celebrated!