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Stealing Fire from Heaven: The Rise of Modern Western Magic
The Western magical traditions are currently undergoing an international resurgence. In Stealing Fire from Heaven , Nevill Drury offers an overview of the modern occult revival and seeks to explain this growing interest in ancient magical belief systems.
Gnosticism and the Hermetica, the medieval Kabbalah, Tarot and Alchemy, and more recently, Rosicrucianism and Freemasonry, collectively laid the basis for the modern magical revival, which first began to gather momentum in Europe at the end of the nineteenth century. Western magic has since become
increasingly eclectic, drawing on such diverse sources as classical Greco-Roman mythology, Celtic cosmology, Kundalini yoga and Tantra, shamanism, chaos theory, and the various spiritual traditions associated in many different cultures with the Universal Goddess.
Drury traces the rise of various forms of magical belief and practice, from the influential Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn to the emergence of Wicca and Goddess worship as expressions of contemporary feminine spirituality. He also explores Chaos Magick and the occult practices of the so-called
Left-Hand Path, as well as twenty-first-century magical forays into cyberspace. He believes that the rise of modern Western magic stems essentially from the quest for personal spiritual transformation and direct experience of the sacred--a quest which the trance occultist and visionary artist Austin
Osman Spare once referred to as "stealing fire from heaven." Considered in this light, Drury argues, modern Western magic can be regarded as a form of alternative spirituality in which the practitioners seek direct engagement with the mythic realm.
Gnosticism and the Hermetica, the medieval Kabbalah, Tarot and Alchemy, and more recently, Rosicrucianism and Freemasonry, collectively laid the basis for the modern magical revival, which first began to gather momentum in Europe at the end of the nineteenth century. Western magic has since become
increasingly eclectic, drawing on such diverse sources as classical Greco-Roman mythology, Celtic cosmology, Kundalini yoga and Tantra, shamanism, chaos theory, and the various spiritual traditions associated in many different cultures with the Universal Goddess.
Drury traces the rise of various forms of magical belief and practice, from the influential Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn to the emergence of Wicca and Goddess worship as expressions of contemporary feminine spirituality. He also explores Chaos Magick and the occult practices of the so-called
Left-Hand Path, as well as twenty-first-century magical forays into cyberspace. He believes that the rise of modern Western magic stems essentially from the quest for personal spiritual transformation and direct experience of the sacred--a quest which the trance occultist and visionary artist Austin
Osman Spare once referred to as "stealing fire from heaven." Considered in this light, Drury argues, modern Western magic can be regarded as a form of alternative spirituality in which the practitioners seek direct engagement with the mythic realm.
376 pages, Hardcover
First published January 20, 2011
18 people are currently reading
425 people want to read
About the author
Nevill Drury
77 books23 followersNevill Drury PhD is an independent historical researcher whose specialist interests include modern Western magic, shamanism, transpersonal psychology and visionary art. His most recent publications include The Varieties of Magical Experience (co-authored with Lynne Hume; Praeger, January 2013), Dark Spirits: The Magical Art of Rosaleen Norton and Austin Osman Spare (Salamander, 2012); Stealing Fire from Heaven: the Rise of Modern Western Magic (Oxford University Press 2011); Homage to Pan (Creation Oneiros 2009), The Dictionary of Magic (Watkins 2005) and The New Age: the History of a Movement (Thames & Hudson 2004). He received his Ph.D from the University of Newcastle in 2008 for a dissertation on the visionary art and magical beliefs of Rosaleen Norton (awarded 'Best Humanities Ph.D'. in that year).
Born in England in 1947 but resident in Australia since 1963, Nevill has worked as an international art-book publisher, lecturer and magazine editor and is now a full-time writer. He is the author/co-author/editor of seventy books covering a range of subjects like contemporary art (Images in Contemporary Australian Painting, New Sculpture, Australian Painting Now, Fire and Shadow: Spirituality in Contemporary Australian Art), Aboriginal culture (Wisdom from the Earth), holistic health (The Healing Power, Inner Health) and the magical traditions (Dark Spirits; Stealing Fire from Heaven: Sacred Encounters; Homage to Pan, Inner Visions). He is also the author of a work of mythic fiction, The Shaman's Quest, which was described by Publisher's Weekly as a 'poetic' book that 'could become a classic'. His work has been published in 26 countries and 19 languages.
Born in England in 1947 but resident in Australia since 1963, Nevill has worked as an international art-book publisher, lecturer and magazine editor and is now a full-time writer. He is the author/co-author/editor of seventy books covering a range of subjects like contemporary art (Images in Contemporary Australian Painting, New Sculpture, Australian Painting Now, Fire and Shadow: Spirituality in Contemporary Australian Art), Aboriginal culture (Wisdom from the Earth), holistic health (The Healing Power, Inner Health) and the magical traditions (Dark Spirits; Stealing Fire from Heaven: Sacred Encounters; Homage to Pan, Inner Visions). He is also the author of a work of mythic fiction, The Shaman's Quest, which was described by Publisher's Weekly as a 'poetic' book that 'could become a classic'. His work has been published in 26 countries and 19 languages.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
January 10, 2012
Many of the problems with this book have already been expressed by other reviewers, let me add my own quibbles, and a few positives as well.
For an academic, Drury writes well. This is not a book for academics, this is a book for the layperson, which is a lot of its problem. I can't imagine very many non-academic types wanting to read a book like this. The inclusion of Austin Spare, Roslyn Norton, and The Temple of Set, will leave many in the non-academic community shaking their heads. While some of the material might be interesting, it lies far outside the mainstream, and is only minor footnote to most practicing occultists today. (Nearly an entire chapter to Norton feels like it was inserted only because Drury knew her personally and they share the same nationality, Australian.)
I also felt as if Drury completely short-changed Modern Pagan Practices, attempting to shoe-horn nearly all of it into the "Wicca" chapter, all while failing completely when dealing with Wicca. Had "Stealing" been written in the 1970's his description of Modern Witchcraft might have worked, but today's Witchcraft is far more eclectic than Drury lets on. He seems to present it only as a choice between British Traditional Witchcraft, and more Feminist strains, completely leaving out the eclectic elements which have nearly defined it in the United States. There are also no descriptions of Modern Druidry, especially odd considering the space given to more marginal movements.
The last chapter of the book was nearly laughable in its awfulness. Drury gives far too much space to "Techno Pagans" and other occultists who have moved their natural lives to on-line. A write up on the Necronomicon would have been more interesting and relevant.
What Drury does succeed at is using some very good and interesting sources in his early chapters. Descriptions on how deity was worshipped and experienced in groups like the Golden Dawn present some of his best work in this book. Also of interests were the brief and accurate histories of the Kabbala, The Rosicrucians, and the Tarot. There are parts of this book which are very good, but the puzzle pieces don't fit together very well all the way through.
For an academic, Drury writes well. This is not a book for academics, this is a book for the layperson, which is a lot of its problem. I can't imagine very many non-academic types wanting to read a book like this. The inclusion of Austin Spare, Roslyn Norton, and The Temple of Set, will leave many in the non-academic community shaking their heads. While some of the material might be interesting, it lies far outside the mainstream, and is only minor footnote to most practicing occultists today. (Nearly an entire chapter to Norton feels like it was inserted only because Drury knew her personally and they share the same nationality, Australian.)
I also felt as if Drury completely short-changed Modern Pagan Practices, attempting to shoe-horn nearly all of it into the "Wicca" chapter, all while failing completely when dealing with Wicca. Had "Stealing" been written in the 1970's his description of Modern Witchcraft might have worked, but today's Witchcraft is far more eclectic than Drury lets on. He seems to present it only as a choice between British Traditional Witchcraft, and more Feminist strains, completely leaving out the eclectic elements which have nearly defined it in the United States. There are also no descriptions of Modern Druidry, especially odd considering the space given to more marginal movements.
The last chapter of the book was nearly laughable in its awfulness. Drury gives far too much space to "Techno Pagans" and other occultists who have moved their natural lives to on-line. A write up on the Necronomicon would have been more interesting and relevant.
What Drury does succeed at is using some very good and interesting sources in his early chapters. Descriptions on how deity was worshipped and experienced in groups like the Golden Dawn present some of his best work in this book. Also of interests were the brief and accurate histories of the Kabbala, The Rosicrucians, and the Tarot. There are parts of this book which are very good, but the puzzle pieces don't fit together very well all the way through.
October 25, 2017
Drury ignores or elides obvious problematic issues that are well known and openly discussed both in occult communities and in academic research on the topic, such as Aleister Crowley's open racism and misogyny, or the dimorphic gender essentialism expressed in most 20th century occult traditions. Indeed, the book is notable for its almost complete lack of reference to any of the recent academic literature available in English.
A further problem: "Modern Western Magic" seems to primarily refer, in Drury's framework, to predominantly white, anglophone traditions in England, the US, and Australia. The occult revival in Wiemar Germany is mentioned only in passing. Neopaganism in Greece or Scandanavia is entirely unmentioned. African-American folk magic, which invented and popularized the paperback spellbook, also does not fit into Drury's framework.
When dealing with contemporary Satanism Drury mentions, in passing, a controversy in the mid-90s regarding the Temple of Set's interest in Nazi occultism. This debate is presented largely out of context, given that it is the first mention of Nazi occultism in the book (was the SS not western, or not modern?). By not mentioning the affiliation/flirtation of other contemporary Satanist groups (i.e. The Order of the Nine Angles) with Nazism, the reader is left with the impression that other occultists were overreacting when they were extremely creeped out by all of this.
Last: the only time Afro-Caribbean practices are mentioned at all is when discussing Michael Bertiaux, author of the Voudon Gnostic Workbook. Let me emphasize this. He treats a white occultist as an authentic (if quixotic) representative of a tradition that formed and developed in order to resist chattel slavery and colonialism. More directly relevant: he uncritically recycles Bertiaux's seriously disputed claims of initiation and lineage. Most directly relevant: some of the racial views expressed in the Voudon Gnostic Workbook might be generously described as "unfortunate."
Overall, this book is made of fail.
A further problem: "Modern Western Magic" seems to primarily refer, in Drury's framework, to predominantly white, anglophone traditions in England, the US, and Australia. The occult revival in Wiemar Germany is mentioned only in passing. Neopaganism in Greece or Scandanavia is entirely unmentioned. African-American folk magic, which invented and popularized the paperback spellbook, also does not fit into Drury's framework.
When dealing with contemporary Satanism Drury mentions, in passing, a controversy in the mid-90s regarding the Temple of Set's interest in Nazi occultism. This debate is presented largely out of context, given that it is the first mention of Nazi occultism in the book (was the SS not western, or not modern?). By not mentioning the affiliation/flirtation of other contemporary Satanist groups (i.e. The Order of the Nine Angles) with Nazism, the reader is left with the impression that other occultists were overreacting when they were extremely creeped out by all of this.
Last: the only time Afro-Caribbean practices are mentioned at all is when discussing Michael Bertiaux, author of the Voudon Gnostic Workbook. Let me emphasize this. He treats a white occultist as an authentic (if quixotic) representative of a tradition that formed and developed in order to resist chattel slavery and colonialism. More directly relevant: he uncritically recycles Bertiaux's seriously disputed claims of initiation and lineage. Most directly relevant: some of the racial views expressed in the Voudon Gnostic Workbook might be generously described as "unfortunate."
Overall, this book is made of fail.
July 6, 2015
I found that the first chapters of the book, dealing with Kabbalah and Renaissance interest in Jewish mysticism, was covered in depth, as were the Golden Dawn and Aleister Crowley. There is an extensive chapter on Satanism, which was a bit incongruous. However, he breezed through Wicca, Chaos Magick, Discordianism, and Shamanism, and didn't seem to give equal weight to the subjects of later chapters. He did not cover Hermeticism at all, and completely left out Giordano Bruno.
Drury's scholarship, whatever his inconsistencies, helps to put magick in its proper perspective and historical context.
Drury's scholarship, whatever his inconsistencies, helps to put magick in its proper perspective and historical context.
January 23, 2023
A fantastic scholarly overview of the magickal traditions of the West that is also eminently readable and entertaining. If you're curious about movements like the OTO, Wicca, and the Kabbala, this book will not only explain them, but provide cultural and historical context and show their links.
May 19, 2015
Nevill Drury's Stealing Fire from Heaven: The Rise of Modern Western Magic represents a type of book, increasingly favored by academics, which attempts to read Magic and the Occult as a cultural phenomenon rather than a marginalized space for eccentrics and neurotics. To the extent that Mr. Drury pursues this goal the book is enjoyable and informative.
On occasion, however, the author becomes overly sympathetic and 'appears' to lose their objectivity. This damages the credibility of the history.
Taking the good with the bad, Stealing Fire From Heaven was a middle of the road history of, mostly, ritual magic traditions and groups: a notable group would be the Gardnerian Wiccans [followers of Gerald Gardner].
In the end, this is a book for believers and those leaning toward belief rather than those interested in modern magic as a cultural phenomenon.
Recommended for the faithful and not the curious.
Rating: 3 out of 5 Stars.
On occasion, however, the author becomes overly sympathetic and 'appears' to lose their objectivity. This damages the credibility of the history.
Taking the good with the bad, Stealing Fire From Heaven was a middle of the road history of, mostly, ritual magic traditions and groups: a notable group would be the Gardnerian Wiccans [followers of Gerald Gardner].
In the end, this is a book for believers and those leaning toward belief rather than those interested in modern magic as a cultural phenomenon.
Recommended for the faithful and not the curious.
Rating: 3 out of 5 Stars.
December 2, 2013
Similar to other reviews, Drury presents an interesting and more specific history of these various belief systems, although paints a great picture of motivations and actions of traditions older than the 1950s, which is unfortunate since the argument lends itself towards an interesting suggestion that the non-linear interactions of Internet-dom invoke spirituality in a way that is implied by the desires of these historic moments. Because the later chapters (and more recent history) advocates for this argument, the poorly explored examples and limited references give it less authority.
December 29, 2015
This was a delightful introduction and survey of the history of modern magic in the West from Eliphas Levi through Aleister Crowley and into the realms of cyberspace. I particularly enjoyed certain anecdotal passages such as Rosalee Norton sipping her evening tea in her garden.
April 21, 2014
Interesting history of western magic. A bit dry and I would personally have liked more juicy anecdotes, as well as more details on the magical systems and beliefs.
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July 15, 2016133.4309 D796 2011
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews