Hi,
I hate to butt into a long thread - but,
This module will also work in the "normal" 4 or 8 bit parallel mode, why don't you try usinging it in 4 bit parallel mode with the standard LCDOUT command?
This would prove that the basic display is working OK. SPI is like RS232 in that it's a standard with many variables. It's not the best choice for your first project, especially with a device that has not been used with PBP before (as far as we know).

HTH Robert.