Course Seven: Lore 337
Dr. John Dee (1527–1608)
Called “the last royal
magician” for his services to
Elizabeth I, Dr. John Dee be-
came well-known as an as-
tronomer and astrologer with
many people seeking his ad-
vice. After being imprisoned
under “Bloody Mary,” his
fortunes turned around with
the accession of Elizabeth,
who consulted with him to
pick a propitious day for her
coronation. Elizabeth was so
impressed with Dee that she had him give her lessons
in astrology.
Dee studied occult theories and practiced alchemy.
In 1581 he began to experiment with scrying, using a
crystal ball, a mirror, a clear pool of water, or any trans-
parent object. He soon discovered he had no talent for
scrying and sought a medium to work with. Dee found
him in notorious con artist Edward Talbot/Kelly, who
claimed to receive all kinds of messages from a host of
“angels,” including a 26-character Angelic (or Enoch-
ian) alphabet. With this material, Dee wrote The Book
of Enoch and 48 Angelic Keys to summon spirits.
After spending four years in Poland with Kelly,
Dee returned to his home in England, where he con-
tinued his fruitless search for the Philosopher’s Stone.
Taking pity on his poverty, Elizabeth posted him as
chancellor of St. Paul’s Cathedral in London, and later
gave him the wardenship of Manchester College, which
he held until he retired in 1603. He died in extreme
poverty at the age of 81.
Despite his delusions, John Dee was one of the
keenest minds of his time. He is credited with making
the calculations that enabled England to use the Grego-
rian calendar; he championed the preservation and
collection of historic documents; and he was noted
for being a great astronomer and mathematician. It
could be said that Dr. Dee was the one of the first
modern scientists, as well as one of the last serious
alchemists, necromancers, and crystal gazers.Robert Fludd (1574–1637)
A Wizard, philosopher, and physician in Elizabe-
than England, Robert Fludd received his degrees from
Oxford. On the Continent, his studies in medicine and
chemistry led him into Paracelsian medical circles (us-
ing mineral tinctures). He also developed a keen inter-
est in Rosicrucian philosophy. He established a medi-
cal practice in London where he was successful enough
to maintain his own apothecary and laboratory to pre-
pare his secret potions and remedies, as well as carry
on his alchemical experiments. The success of his prac-
tice was due not only to his medical skills, but also his
magnetic personality and mystical approach (diagnosisusing patients’ horoscopes). Fludd also conducted some
questionable experiments with human cadavers in his
quest for the mystic bloodstone described by Paracelsus.
Over the years, Fludd became more involved in
alchemy and Qabalistic magick. He joined a school of
medical mystics who claimed to hold the Key to Uni-
versal Sciences; he wrote a two-volume History of the
Macrocosm and Microcosm, exploring the nature of
God and humanity, and surveyed various forms of divi-
nation. He defended the dark arts in Mosaical Phi-
losophy and Summum Bonum (“All Good Things”).
Initiated into the Rosicrucians by Michael Maier, he
wrote a famous treatise defending the Order. Fludd
also wrote scientific, medical, and alchemical books,
reflecting his dual life as a physician and metaphysi-
cian in a time when the world of science was being
separated from the world of magick.Comte de Saint-Germaine (1707?–1784?)
Court Wizard of
French King Louis XV,
Saint-Germaine was a
skilled violinist, harpsi-
chordist, composer, and
painter. Fluent in a dozen
languages, he had a com-
plete and detailed knowl-
edge of history. His best-re-
membered occult treatise is
La Très Sainte Trinosophie
(“The Most Holy Triple
Philosophy”). Only a
single copy of the lushly-
illustrated manuscript survives.
A skilled Qabalist, Saint-Germaine was famed for
his amazing skills in medicine and alchemy, especially
for transmuting metals into gold. He made a living from
the trade of jewels, having a secret technique for re-
moving flaws from diamonds. He claimed to possess
the Philosopher’s Stone and to have discovered the
Elixer of Life, stating that he was more than 2,000 years
old—though he always looked about 40. In 1762, Saint-
Germaine was in St. Petersburg, deeply involved in
the conspiracy to make Catherine the Great Queen of
Russia. He returned to Paris in 1770, then settled in
Germany where he studied the “Secret Sciences” with
Charles of Hesse. He was said to have died in 1784,
but he was allegedly seen in Paris in 1789, during the
French Revolution. Since then, Saint-Germaine has
been claimed to have been seen all over the world.
Saint-Germaine is a figure of mystery whose leg-
end has grown in the 220 years since his supposed
death. Because he rarely ate in public, always dressed
in black and white, and was said to be able to render
himself invisible, some even claim he was actually a
vampire prince from Transylvania whose true name
was Francis Ragoczy.- Lore.p65 337 1/15/2004, 9:38 AM