Dr John Dee, Elizabethan Magician and Pioneer of Mathematics

At around the age of ten, I used to spend hours in a reference library reading everything I could consume.   It was at this time that I first came upon the works of a 16th century gentleman called Dr John Dee (1527–1609).   

Modern history takes a dim view of Dee and dismisses him a nutcase, due to his interest in Magic and Alchemy.  However one must always place things in context.  At the time of Dee science was unknown in England, as was the field of mathematics.  Mathematics was not really taught in schools (just simple addition) and there were no chairs of mathematics in any English university.  Dee was one of the founders of the "English School of Mathematics".  He travelled to Europe, at his own expense, to study under the very few pioneers in this emerging field.  He then brought this knowledge back to England and helped found a tradition that would eventually produce Isaac Newton (Dee was one of the shoulders Newton stood upon - "If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of Giants").   Dee’s work in the field of Mathematics inspired others to develop calculus, the laws of motion, the method to determine longitude, cryptography and multidimensional geometry.  

Needless to say when such a mind as Dee’s delved into the supernatural the result was, well, complex. What has this to do with the Bridge of Souls?  Well, I feel sorry for Dee.  He was, without any doubt, a genius of the first order, who has been badly treated by history.  So, I have included some of his belongings and beliefs in the story, hopefully one or two readers will be intrigued enough to research more about him after they have read Bridge of Souls.

Explore the Magical history of Dr John Dee 

Click here to read  free extracts from Bridge of Souls

#JohnDee #Magick #Enochian #Mathematics #AngelMagick #BridgeOfSouls

Comments

Veronica's #WritersDiary: Author K.R.M. Morgan on His Thrilling Release; The New Republic!

Link to Original Interview Veronica's #WritersDiary: Author K.R.M. Morgan on His Thrilling Release; The New Republic! “History is moving pretty quickly these days, and the heroes and villains keep on changing parts.” ― Ian Fleming Happy May, and may the 4th be with you! Today I'm delighted to have as my guest, British author Konrad Morgan. He writes thrilling adventures featuring a suave, sophisticated, and oh so deadly MC, Sir Tavish Stewart, who is on a mission to save the world from some very determined villains! His stories take you around the globe for suspense-filled adventures that will keep you turning those pages! Let's chat with Konrad: Hello Veronica! Thank you for giving me the opportunity to discuss my writing. I have followed your blog for some time, so I am honoured to be included alongside the talented writers you have interviewed. Q1: Every writer has an inspiration that prompted them to put pen to paper, what do you think was yours? Ever since I can remem...

Life Experience: a catalyst for inspiration and realism

“Write what you know.” ― Mark Twain Role Models for Aspiring Authors When aspiring writers look for advice on how to guide or develop their own writing they often come across the axiom “ Write what you know ”, a saying attributed to both Twain and Hemingway (I have cited Twain as he was the earlier of the two writers). As a novice writer one can understand how life experience acted as a powerful catalyst for some writers to make their work both realistic and highly detailed. If we take the action and espionage genre of fiction, then we can see clear examples of how individuals who enjoyed careers in the intelligence community went on to write highly successful spy novels. Ian Fleming served in the British Navy Intelligence during the second world war and his experiences were used to create the James Bond series of spy novels. David John Cornwell (better known by his ...

Creating Strong Female Characters and Powerful Female Roles in Bridge of Souls

Those who are familiar with my life, before adventure writing, will know that I have devoted a considerable part of my career to increasing equality of opportunity for those who face unfair obstacles in their attempts at self improvement. For example, after spending years trying to highlight the inequality in opportunity for women in technology, by conducting research showing females were just as technically competent as males in technology fields (it may sound shocking but that was not always accepted!), I found that nothing was really changing. So I gave up my safe academic post and travelled to the Middle East, where I worked to help establish educational programmes for female students, who would otherwise have had their educational opportunities stifled within a very male dominated society. Females Characters and Roles in Bridge of Souls When I came to writing Bridge of Souls I was very conscious that I wanted to create strong fema...

K.R.M. Morgan

Search This Blog