Notes

John Dee

John Dee’s motivations – and methods – were not much different from Faust’s

[John Dee’s motivations were not much different from Faust’s:] ‘A student of the Renaissance Neo-Platonism of Marsilio Ficino, Dee did not draw distinctions between his mathematical research and his investigations into Hermetic magic, angel summoning and divination. Instead he considered all of his activities to constitute different facets of the same quest: the search for …

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The Hieroglyphic embodies Dee’s vision of the unity of the Cosmos

“The Hieroglyphic embodies Dee’s vision of the unity of the Cosmos and is a composite of various esoteric and astrological symbols.” From Wikipedia: “The Monas Hieroglyphica (or Hieroglyphic Monad) is an esoteric symbol invented and designed by John Dee, the Elizabethan Magus and Court Astrologer of Elizabeth I of England. It is also the title …

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A true & faithful relation of what passed for many yeers

[It was Isaac Casaubon who showed that the Corpus Hermeticum (a collection of influential ancient metaphysical writings believed to from the time of Moses) really only dated from the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD. His son Meric wrote “A true and faithful relation of what passed for many years between Dr. John Dee and Some …

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Although astrology was never taught formally in English universities…

“Although astrology was never taught formally in English universities either, and was also regarded with suspicion by the majority of the clergy, it nevertheless began to enjoy a popular reception there during the later half of the sixteenth century. This sixteenth century renewal in England of interest in astrology, indeed to a level of interest …

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Edward Kelley, a Magician in the Act of invoking the Spirit of a Deceased Person

Edward Kelley, a Magician in the Act of invoking the Spirit of a Deceased Person (an 1806 artist’s impression): “Edw[ar]d Kelly, a Magician. in the Act of invoking the Spirit of a Deceased Person.Astrology, A New and Complete Illustration of the Occult Sciences by Ebenezer Sibly, M.D. F.R.H.S., Embellished with Curious Copper-Plates, London, 1806Pasted from …

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Digital Scans of the Enochian Manuscripts

Digital Scans of the Enochian Manuscripts During the 1580s, Dr. John Dee (a mathematician and astrologer of great fame throughout Europe) conducted a series of “spirit actions” with the scryer Edward Kelley in an attempt to gain knowledge of the world directly from God (יהוה) and his angels. The records of these angelic conferences purport …

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Charles MacKay: Extraordinary Popular Delusions And The Madness Of Crowds

[Charles Mackay’s 1841 classic https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extraordinary_Popular_Delusions_and_the_Madness_of_Crowds gives a skeptical perspective on Dee and Kelley. Although written in 1841, Mackay’s book is still widely read and referenced, especially the sections on tulip mania and the South Sea Bubble for their cautionary lessons for new investors about the risks of contagious enthusiasm. As for Dee and Kelley, this …

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