THE PERPETUAL EDGE

            The Later Years of Austin Osman Spare

                      by Jaq D. Hawkins

        Note: It is presumed that readers of this essay will 
have some previous knowledge  of  the history of A.O. Spare.  
With that in mind,  I will begin with  a  sparse  outline of 
this history for the sake of context.

        Austin  Osman  Spare  was  a  well-known  artist and 
magician of great talent.   He  was born the son of a London 
policeman on the last day of 1886,  and by the age of 19 had 
made a name  for  himself  as  an  artist in the West End of 
London.   His  first  published  work,  'Earth Inferno', was 
hailed as a collection of unusual graphic drawings. However, 
even  in  this  early  work,  his commentaries showed a deep 
spiritual interest  and  a  viewpoint of his fellow man that 
was uncommon to the average artist or collector.   There are 
several comments  in  'Earth Inferno'  depicting an attitude 
toward  mainstream  society  that  comes  from a perspective 
outside of this mainstream.  One such reads:  "The perpetual 
youth of man arises, Draws aside the curtain-faith  (a token 
of humanity's LIMITED knowledge), and exposes the inferno of 
THE NORMAL."

        'The  Book  Of  Pleasure',  published  in  1913,  is 
considered his most important magical work.  Spare's art and 
magic were always intertwined,  depicting  varied aspects of 
himself.  His published works were illustrated by his unique 
drawing style,  whether they were meant as books on magic or 
as art collections.

        In the mid 1920's,  Spare  had  become disillusioned 
with  the  values  of  the  day,  especially among the self-
absorbed smart set with whom his artistic  successes had him 
dealing. In 1927 he published 'The Anathema of Zos: A Sermon 
to the Hypocrites'.   With  this work Spare left his life of 
success behind.  In his own words: "I turned my back on fame 
and continued unmolested  my quests into the unknown realms, 
my natural stoicism supporting me in times of want."

        The work contains only one drawing,  a self-portrait 
in profile with a hand raised in the  traditional gesture of 
excommunication.   The  text  shows his disillusion with the 
values and attitudes of the  people to whom it is addressed.  
After the publication of this work, he was shunned by former 
friends and fellow artists.   There  were  a  few  mor e art 
exhibitions, but he did not publish any more books. He spent
the  remainder   of  his  life  living  in  obscurity,   his 
companions  being  lower  class  residents  of  the   London 
pavements,    including  the  prostitutes  and  other  seedy 
characters  that  he  used  for  models  in those days.   He       
occupied a run down basement apartment, making his living by 
selling his drawings for trifling sums of money in the local 
pub.

        One may wonder  why  a man with the natural resource 
of Spare's obvious talent, as well as his past reputation as 
an artist, would 'settle'  for such a life style when he may 
have been able to re-establish his artistic fame and fortune 
over time. Spare spent these years concentrating more on his
magical philosophy and observing a different part of society 
than that from which he had turned away.

        Spare  was  not  blind  to  the  faults of the lower 
classes either,  but  money did not hold much importance for 
him.  He drew the people that he happened to see, and traded 
his talent  for  the price of a meal or a drink quite often.  
He squandered what  little  money he had on drink and women, 
finding value in pleasures rather than material things.

        Even Spare's  closest  friends can only speculate as 
to his motivations.  To understand why a man would choose to 
live less well  than  he  might,  it is necessary to see the 
situation from his point of view.   This,  I think, requires 
the experience of  living  in a variety of circumstances and 
observing  the  effect  of these circumstances on the people 
within the societies they create.  It is the purpose of this 
essay to try and explain this point of view,  by someone who 
has had a similar variety of inter-societal experiences.

        As already stated, Spare began life in working class 
circumstances.  He was the middle of five children and money 
was scarce for the family.   Art  school  was a hardship for 
the family,  and  it  is  likely  that  Spare  was  able  to 
appreciate the sacrifices that his family would have made to 
provide tuition and materials.  With his artistic successes, 
Spare was drawn into  a  different  part  of  society.   Art 
patrons  of  the  day  were  probably  as varied as they are 
today,  with  the  exception  that  the  financial resources 
required to partake of this sort of  diversion in those days 
were further removed  from  the  middle classes than what is 
required today. This was before the days that a middle-class
wage earner could produce a major credit card to invest in a 
promising work of art.  In those days, and art collector was 
likely to be described as  "rich and spoiled",  at  least by 
those less fortunate.

        In 1927,  with the publication of 'Anathema of Zos', 
a lot of built up frustration was released. The fair weather
friendships and  false smiles which are all too common among 
the privileged classes left less than a favorable impression 
on Spare.   It  is  plain to see in all of his writings that 
Spare had an uncanny  ability  to  see  through  to the real 
motivations of people.  He was not fooled by the glamour and 
games of these people.   He  may  have  enjoyed the fame and 
recognition for a time,  but  in  the long run was unable to 
stomach the lies and false promises.

        Among the layabouts,  the  prostitutes and the other 
'downtrodden',  Spare  found  a sector of the population who 
did not  follow  the  robotic  life  style  into  which  the 
'system' shuffles the  average  citizen.   These were people 
who could get up in  the  morning and have no idea what they 
were  going  to  do  today,  certainly  not  what  they  did 
yesterday.   Each day holds a new adventure for these people 
of the streets.   They  can  be found in any major city, any 
period of time.  I am not referring to the homeless of today 
or  the  mentally  ill  people  who  have   become  recently 
publicized in the media.   I am referring to the people who, 
with the  independence  of  their own spirit,  choose not to 
'take their place' in society. They choose to live in lesser
financial circumstances than they might  because in exchange 
they have freedom.   There  are  no  bills to pay beyond the 
rent, if that.  They live by various means.  Some trade some 
talent such  as  street  performers;  some sell some part of 
themselves,  such  as  prostitutes;  some  simply beg on the 
streets.   This  can  be  more  profitable  than most people 
realize.

        Life on the streets,  surviving  from  one moment to 
the next, provides the right impetus for what Ray Sherwin in 
his book  'Theatre of Magick'  refers  to  as "living on the 
edge".   This  phrase  has  been used by many,  but how many 
people who use it have ever  truly  experienced it?  Sherwin 
uses situations of physical  danger as examples in his book, 
but all that  is required  for  the  emotional state that we 
are discussing is a certain awareness that most people  only 
experience in these times of danger.   People of the streets 
live in this emotional state most of the time.  Some of them 
are living slightly outside the law, others are simply aware 
of the vulnerability that they face every day.   Few of them 
would change their circumstances.

        In 'The Book of Pleasure',  Spare  tells  us  not to 
indulge in idle mummery and imitation,  "You are alive!"  He 
is referring to ritual,  but he may just  as well be talking 
about how the average person  lives  his or her life.  We do 
what  is  expected,    and  despite  some  small  rebellious 
behaviour on  occasion  we imitate what we are taught is the 
norm.   Not so the street people.   Spare said, "If you want 
the truth, ask a cockney!"  In this sector of society, Spare 
found the obscurity necessary to  spend  his time within his 
own mystical  state,  without  the  distractions of material 
acquisition or any reason to please society.   Spare had his 
art and his  spells  to  sell.   He  would  not accept large 
amounts for either,  to the confusion of many.   He remained 
in simple circumstances  for  the remainder of his life.  If 
he sometimes  longed  for  the  comforts of prosperity as he 
became older,  still , he took no action to change his life.  
Thirty years is a long time. He was not idle; he left papers
behind on his magical philosophies,  and  many drawings.  He 
died in May of 1956, several months before I was born, but I 
am inclined to believe that he died a satisfied man.
________________________________

References:

   'The Collected Works of Austin Osman Spare'  compiled and 
edited by Christopher Bray  (includes  'Earth Inferno', 'The 
Book of Pleasure', 'Automatic Drawing',  'Focus of Life' and 
'Anathema of Zos')

   'Images and Oracles of  Austin  Osman  Spare'  by Kenneth 
Grant

   'Theatre of Magick' by Ray Sherwin

   'Excess Spare' compiled by TOPY (a collection of articles 
by various authors by or about A.O. Spare)