Research Doctorate - Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) / This thesis explores the contribution of the Australian witch and trance artist Rosaleen Norton (1917-1979) to the 20th century Western esoteric tradition. Norton’s artistic career began in the 1940s, with publication of some of her earliest occult drawings, and reached a significant milestone in 1952 when the controversial volume The Art of Rosaleen Norton – co-authored with her lover, the poet Gavin Greenlees – was released in Sydney, immediately attracting a charge of obscenity. Norton rapidly acquired a reputation as the wicked ‘Witch of Kings Cross’, was vilified by journalists during the 1950s and 1960s, and was branded by many as evil and demonic. Norton’s witchcraft coven was dedicated to the practice of heathen worship and ceremonial sex magic and attracted a small number of dedicated inner-circle followers, most notably the renowned musical conductor Sir Eugene Goossens (1893-1962), whose personal and professional career would be irrevocably damaged as a result of his contact with Norton’s magical group. Within the social context of post-World War Two Australia Norton was unquestionably an unconventional figure at a time when the local population was approximately 80 per cent Christian. Norton claimed to be an initiated follower of the Great God Pan and also revered other ancient figures, most notably Hecate, Lilith and Lucifer. Norton claimed to encounter these mythic beings as experientially real on the ‘inner planes’ which she accessed while in a state of self-induced trance. Many of her most significant artworks were based on these magical encounters. Norton is presented in this thesis as a magical practitioner and artist whose creative work and thought has made a substantial contribution to the 20th century Western esoteric tradition – and, in particular, to the magic of the so-called ‘left-hand path’, which is a significant part of this modern occult tradition. Norton’s artworks are also compared to those of the notable British trance artist and occultist Austin Osman Spare (1886-1956), who is now widely regarded as a major figure in the 20th century magical revival.

Research Doctorate - Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) / This thesis explores the contribution of the Australian witch and trance artist Rosaleen Norton (1917-1979) to the 20th century Western esoteric tradition. Norton’s artistic career began in the 1940s, with publication of some of her earliest occult drawings, and reached a significant milestone in 1952 when the controversial volume The Art of Rosaleen Norton – co-authored with her lover, the poet Gavin Greenlees – was released in Sydney, immediately attracting a charge of obscenity. Norton rapidly acquired a reputation as the wicked ‘Witch of Kings Cross’, was vilified by journalists during the 1950s and 1960s, and was branded by many as evil and demonic. Norton’s witchcraft coven was dedicated to the practice of heathen worship and ceremonial sex magic and attracted a small number of dedicated inner-circle followers, most notably the renowned musical conductor Sir Eugene Goossens (1893-1962), whose personal and professional career would be irrevocably damaged as a result of his contact with Norton’s magical group. Within the social context of post-World War Two Australia Norton was unquestionably an unconventional figure at a time when the local population was approximately 80 per cent Christian. Norton claimed to be an initiated follower of the Great God Pan and also revered other ancient figures, most notably Hecate, Lilith and Lucifer. Norton claimed to encounter these mythic beings as experientially real on the ‘inner planes’ which she accessed while in a state of self-induced trance. Many of her most significant artworks were based on these magical encounters. Norton is presented in this thesis as a magical practitioner and artist whose creative work and thought has made a substantial contribution to the 20th century Western esoteric tradition – and, in particular, to the magic of the so-called ‘left-hand path’, which is a significant part of this modern occult tradition. Norton’s artworks are also compared to those of the notable British trance artist and occultist Austin Osman Spare (1886-1956), who is now widely regarded as a major figure in the 20th century magical revival.