John Dee was a pivotal figure in the court of Queen Elizabeth 1. Entering Cambridge University at 15, he graduated two years later and then spent his teens and early twenties teaching at several prestigious European universities. Dee returned to England when he was 24 to teach navigation and mathematics to captains of the British Navy, which was to play a key role in the fight against the Spanish Navy.
Astronomy and Astrology
Astronomy and astrology were still linked disciplines at the time, and Dee was imprisoned in 1553, allegedly for casting a horoscope for Elizabeth, Queen Mary's sister and heiress to the throne. The horoscope indicated Mary would die, and Dee was charged with attempting to kill Queen Mary with sorcery. He was released in 1555. Elizabeth became queen in 1558, and Dee's fate improved considerably.
Occult Phenomena and Scrying
Dee is best known now for his work on occult phenomena and contact with the spirit world, which he began in earnest in 1581. He did not find this contact easy, so he starting doing this work third-hand, by employing gifted 'scryers' - people who could see the spirit world directly. Using scryers enabled Dee to take comprehensive notes. He first worked with one individual, Barnabas Saul, until Saul was burned out from some disturbing encounters, and Dee searched for a replacement to help him.
Enochian Script and Edward Kelley
In 1582 he found him, in the form of the imperfect rascal Edward Kelley. Kelley was a sensitive, but also a charlatan, whose ears had been cropped for forgery, so he was difficult to use as a witness. Dee's notes indicate that in November their spiritual research encountered the Angel Uriel, who instructed them to create a talisman that would make communication with the spirit world easier. Dee and Kelley constructed these and other magickal tools. These implements, including a crystal ball and a black obsidian scrying mirror can be seen in the Dee exhibit in the British Museum, London, in the extensive section on the Enlightenment.
Enochian Script and European Adventures
This breakthrough led to Dee using a novel language called Enochian script, and the pair made significant progress and their fame spread. This led to sponsorship from a Polish noble, who was dazzled by Kelley's scrying ability when he came to England, and who funded the pair's attempts to discover how to transmute iron into gold. When the noble's money ran out, Dee and Kelly were sent to Prague with a letter of introduction to Emperor Rudolph II. This began auspiciously, as Rudolph was also attracted to the possibility of the Philosopher's Stone, but naturally their experiments always remained on the verge of success without actually delivering.
Dee's reputation as a wizard caused problems at home in England, where in 1583 a mob attacked his home in Mortlake and destroyed his books and occult instruments. His fortunes started to decline when the Pope instructed Rudolph to expel Dee and Kelly, and they sought sponsorship for their work from King Stephen of Poland and another noble, Count Rosenberg, who accommodated the pair in his castle.
Return to England, Kelley's Demise
Kelley's mischief meant that they parted ways when he made some unreasonable demands of Dee, who then returned to England in some style in 1589. However, other scryers were even less reliable than Kelley. Dee held a few more posts before retiring in 1603. Dee died in relative poverty in 1608 - Kelley had perished in 1595 jumping from a window to escape from a Prague penitentiary.
Images were taken at the Dee Exhibit, British Museum, London.
References: John Dee, (subtitle Scientist, Geographer, Astrologer & Secret Agent to Queen Elizabeth 1), author Richard Deacon, Frederick Muller Press, London, pub 1968
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