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The
original Wizard
Who was
John Dee? He is virtually unknown in modern times, although he has had
a profound influence on popular culture- without him, there would be
no Harry Potter, no Gandalf, no wizard bearing a crystal ball.
As a
brilliant magician, mathematician, scientist, and secret agent, John
Dee was the original Renaissance man. Something of a prodigy, Dee
entered St. John's College at Cambridge at age 15. He achieved notoriety
early on with a charge of sorcery, which stemmed from a mechanical
flying beetle demonstrated in a stage play. After spending many years
studying mathematics and cartography, he took an interest in natural
magic, a pastime then accepted by the church. From his studies he
developed a doctrine that one could obtain knowledge of God from
the applied practice of magick- a controversial idea
that was to get him into trouble on a number of occasions.
Tried
as a Wizard
His notoriety
as a skilled astrologer eventually caught the attention of Queen
Mary's court, and he was asked to cast horoscopes for the Queen and
her prospective husband, Philip of Spain. During this time, he made
the mistake of befriending the Princess Elizabeth, then in captivity
as a political rival of Queen Mary. Hysteria was roused, and he was
charged, tried, and acquitted of attempting to kill Mary with black
magic. Shortly after his release, Mary did die and Elizabeth ascended
the throne. Elizabeth had not forgotten her friend, and Dee was asked
to choose an auspicious date for her coronation. Their friendship
continued, although in much secrecy, due to Dee's growing (if undeserved)
reputation as a black magician.
Her Majesty's Service
Dee eventually
became Elizabeth's court astrologer, and soon after, her spy. As
an agent of the crown, Dee conducted several mysterious missions
for purposes mostly unknown to this day. He relished his espionage
duties, creating elaborate, sophisticated ciphers. In his correspondence
with the Queen during these episodes, he signed his communiqués "007," a
moniker that would be used again, as any fan of the spy genre
will recognize.
In between
spy missions, Dee continued his studies in mathematics, cartography,
and alchemy, as well as his experiments in magic. He developed state
of the art navigational techniques, instituted the use of telescopes
and navigational equipment in the military, and developed secret codes
for military communication. He also translated many important mathematical
works, and introduced the English speaking world to Euclidian Geometry.
Next>
Crystal
balls and conversations with angels
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