DRURY, NEVILL

(1947– )

Australian author whose introductory and survey work on shamans,Pagans, and esotericism (e.g.,The Elementsof Shamanism, 1989;Magic and Witchcraft:From Shamanism to theTechnopagans, 2003) has opened up “shamanism” to a broad audience and popularizedneo-shamanicpractice. Drury’s bookThe Shamanand the Magician(1982) made useful observations on the similarities between some indigenous shamanisms and various Western occult traditions, particularly in light ofaltered state of consciousnesspractices. Drury’s discussion of the Edwardian artistAustin OsmanSpareand AustralianwitchartistRosaleen Norton(Pan’s Daughter, 1993) are particularly noteworthy in this regard. Clearly, however, caution should be exercised when casually unifying disparate cultures with “shamanism” as a singular, unified discourse.