Secondus.

I began to read the second of John Dee's diarys Secondus. By midway through, and half way into the book on Dee by Charlotte Fell-Smith I had made up my mind. I know what I think about John Dee and Enochian. I do not have any certainty, but I have come to the conclusion that Enochian is a game within a game.

Nevertheless it is one of the most fascinating stories I have ever read. A contemporary version would be Brian Cox staring into the read-outs from the Large Hadron collider and working together with someone who could see more in the numbers and fuzzy fields of static, than he.

Together they see that the messages add up into systems  describing forces creating this universe, and provide clues on how to shift and change those forces to create new systems.

So there you go: Enochian for beginners!

Notes on Secondus:
Begins with a prayer and then conversation with the arch-angel Micheal. Though it seems that Dee and the angel speak directly, the communication is via the man charged with the duty to be John Dee's scryer.

The angel tells Dee that what will be spoken of here and now, should never be revealed to anyone, ever...

The angel tells both John and his scyer that they are blessed and asks Dee what he wishes for. John Dee asks for 'Correct/right wisdom and intellegence'.

The top quarter of the next page is lost....

When the text begins again, the angel is instructing Dee on how to use something, the angel tells Dee to: 'Divide this outer circle into 40 equal parts: whose greatest numbers are four: and then every of them into ten...

The angel Semile appears and asks Dee what he wishes to know concerning the tables.

There then occurs many angels issuing from one angel; the angel that 'contains' all the other angels inveriable has a single letter on his chest. There is much falling down of angels, recitations of prayer, rainbows and flames.

One after another, visions of angels appear. Each angel acts out a charade of symbolic gestures such as: Then stepped out one in bloody clothing, all his body full of serpents heads and a b on his forehead and the number 10 over it.

He went away.

After the scrying session was over, Mr Talbot (another name for Edward Kelley?) had supper and then went upstairs to pray. A little latter, Talbot knocks on John Dee's door and tells John that Uriel had appeared to him and told him that there is a mistake in the seal (or tables). John Dee gives Mr Talbot the seal, and a little latter Talbot returns with the corrections made. John Dee cannot believe that he made any mistake when he made the original seal, indeed he gives me the impression that he believes the angel Micheal to have been at fault, rather than himself. Whereupon Dee and Talbot decide to ask Micheal.

The angel duly appeared to Mr Talbot and told them that the error had been with the scryer, Mr Talbot, that he had omitted to pass on the information correctly. latter, Uriel had told him of his mistake.

The visions begin again, Micheal tells them that the original form of the world, before it vanished away was as concentric circles.

The angel begins to explain in more detail now, the use of the seal. There are seven Principal names: names of angels and these names, broken apart and in combination give us the Enochian calls. Some names are significant in themselves. No letters but double number are the name of god. Confusingly the angels explains that when there are two Aa together, the first in not to be placed within the name, but rather 'left with his inward power'.

John Dee asks the angel about Hebrew, 'I have read in Cabala that the Name of God has forty-two letters....and ends, 'I am not good in the Hebrew tongue, but you know my meaning.

Micheal, via Talbot does not say much on the subject.

Tuesday, 20th March 1582.
The conversation begins again: 'Are you Uriel'? And Uriel apologises, saying that they cannot be contacted right now, please try again at the twelfth hour.

At the twelfth hour, Mr Talbot was busy in other affairs until latter in the afternoon. At 2 o'clock Mr Talbot found Micheal and Uriel, but Micheal went out and then returned carrying on his right shoulder seven baskets of gold. Micheal tells Dee to shut the door of the study and then the vision continues...

Micheal asks Dee 'what would you have'?

and Dee replies: 'sapientiam'

Wisdom.

The angel asks Dee to read the seven names the angels gave him previously. The angel corrects any errors and then shows him a great number of sigils.

More visions about how to arrange the sigils, names and numbers.

Dee struggles to understand...

Finally the account of that day's work ends with the angel telling Dee that Edward Talbot must go for the books; meaning books belonging to Lord Monteagle, Lord of Lancaster.

There after, all in the diary is about how to use Enochian, or rather how to compose...

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