John Dee was one of the most educated people of his time. The monarchs of many countries invited him to their place and promised a huge salary. Who was this man and what trace did he leave in history.
Great fortuneteller and scientist
John Dee was born on July 13, 1527, to a textile merchant who held a minor position at the court of Henry VIII. In 1542, John entered the Cambridge Saint John College. According to the recollections of John Dee's contemporaries, he studied 18 hours a day.
After graduating from college, John Dee continued his education in Belgium and Holland. When he returned to England at the age of thirty, he was already known as an outstanding scientist.
John Dee was well versed in mathematics, astronomy and philology. He had one of the largest private libraries in Europe. It is believed that John Dee was the prototype for Shakespeare's The Tempest, Prospero.
When John Dee returned to England, Queen Mary I (Henry VIII's eldest daughter) appointed him as court astrologer. The queen was young and full of strength, but Dee predicted her imminent death.
At that time, Mary I's half-sister Elizabeth (daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn) was in disgrace. No one at court could have thought that this girl could claim the throne, but John Dee predicted her imminent accession to the throne.
The very communication with Elizabeth was at that time a crime, and the queen was immediately informed that the court astrologer often talks with her disgraced sister. John Dee was convicted and thrown into prison, where he spent two years.
And now his prediction came true: Queen Mary died without leaving an heir, and Elizabeth ascended the throne, who immediately ordered Dee to be released. Now he again took over as the royal astrologer. Queen Elizabeth infinitely believed in the predictions of her astrologer and even chose the date of her coronation in accordance with his advice.
Surprisingly, it was the half-century reign of Elizabeth that became the real Renaissance for England. Under her, science and art flourished in the country, the most significant geographical discoveries were made and trade relations expanded.
For John Dee, life at court was simply fabulous. The Queen provided him with ample opportunities for pursuing science. John Dee pioneered maritime navigation and the widespread use of binoculars and telescopes in the army. He, even at that distant time, talked about the energy of the sun and tried to use it with the help of mirrors.
It is John Dee who owns such achievements as the reform of the Gregorian calendar and the idea of the zero meridian, which today is called Greenwich.
However, most of the time, John Dee still devoted to the secret sciences. He took occult philosophy very seriously. It is known that Dee studied the secret properties of mirrors, cabalism, numerology, alchemy, astronomy and knew how to guess, but crystalomancy was his real passion.
John Dee believed infinitely in the magical properties of crystals. An incredible story about a ring with beryl, cut in an unusual way, has come down to us. With his help, Dee predicted the future. In the facets of this stone, one could see the upcoming events. In 1842, this ring was sold at auction. His further fate is unknown.
John Dee also had an extraordinary mirror made of polished obsidian. This relic was brought from Mexico and was previously used by the Aztecs for their magical bloody rituals.
Queen Elizabeth herself came to John Dee to receive a prediction from a magic mirror. Documents have survived, which say that John Dee could observe events from a distance.
Of course, the religious leaders of that time, and just envious people, did not like the royal astrologer very much and often persecuted him. For example, it is known how the incited rabble burned down one of the houses of John Dee, where there was a unique collection of ancient manuscripts and a special chamber for "mirror visions".
However, numerous persecutions and envy of enemies did not stop John Dee. He continued his research and experiments with magic crystals.
Meeting with the angels
In November 1582, an extraordinary event happened in the life of the scientist: he received a gift from an angel. John Dee himself said that Uriel visited him - a spirit of light in the form of a child. The angel gave Dee a magic crystal. The stone was the size of a hen's egg and shimmered with all the colors of the rainbow.
Throughout the rest of his life, John Dee did not part with this gift. There is evidence that with the help of the "stone of angels" the occultist could pass into parallel worlds and see the future.
John Dee claimed to have met angels in other worlds who taught him their language. This strange alphabet is still of great interest to scientists. Dee himself called this language Enochic. He argued that angels communicate with each other in this language. Fragments of his records made in the language of Enoch have survived to this day.
Where did the magic stone go?
The most striking thing about this whole story is that the stone that the angels gave John Dee has not disappeared anywhere.
It is currently kept in the British Museum, but, for some reason, the management categorically does not allow anyone to use it and explore it.
