The world has not been the same since the passing of David Bowie. His artistic output was unmatched, and he’s regarded as one of the most important figures in the world of art and pop, but how much of that had to do with his connection to the occult? Throughout his career, David Bowie used pieces of chaos magic, gnosticism, and paganism to craft a densely layered artistic persona that remains just as mysterious now as it was in the 70s.

Bowie’s interest in the arcane arts dates back to the 60s when he briefly flirted wit Buddhism. However, as the years went on he became more interested in dark magicians like Aleister Crowley, and the unsettling teachings of Russian occultist Madame Blavatsky. By the 80s he’d moved on from Crowleyism, but that doesn’t mean that Bowie stopped practicing all forms of magick.

Continue reading to find out just how magical Bowie really was, and how he used the occult to become the greatest pop star the world's ever seen.