The Guide to Essential Enochian By Frater Serpentis Satori 9=2 20 nov 03ev: Sun in ;Moon in herefore herefore seek, and turn the earth upside down . L abour, that you may receive receive fruit, for unto him that worketh, and hath strength, strength shall be given, and the reward of a workman. M any years, the the D aughter of long long time, are not necessary necessary to the opening up of this mystery. M any mon ths have nothing to do here for lo, it is a labour labour of one day, for in one day you m ay understand to tear this lesson lesson to pieces, and to understand what every word signifieth….B e therefore therefore diligent, and pray for the grace of god, that you m ay learn and understand. The m anner of man’s teaching look not for, in in me; for I have nothing to do with man…
ow hear what I say unto you. I will open unto you a m ystery, ystery, the key
and foundation into the entrance of divine wisdom …therefore humbly receive receive that which I have to say unto you, or shall open unto you as obedient scholars, scholars, kneeling.”
What is Enochian? Enochian is a cosmology and division of the spirit world, comprised of several sub-systems. Most modern Magickians use Enochian to mean either the language itself (like Peter Carroll), or to mean the two most common sub-systems The Elemental Tablets and Aeyres (such as most of Regardie’s The Golden Dawn or Denning and Philip’s Mysteria Magica). Most websites, authors and Magickians mean that portion of the system often neglecting other portions like The Tablet of Nalvage, The Holy Table, The Sigilum de Aemeth and The Tablets of The Bonorum: all equally important aspects of Enochian. The list above shows a definite tendency in Enochian toward Tablets and Tables, and that is a deserving criticism that does show much about the system’s origin (see the next question below). Recently there has been an attempt to begin Enochian Seekers with material outside mainstream Enochian (Elemental Tablets and Aeyres) and I believe those systems would not have been central to the curriculums of the two major orders were they not at least the most useful sections within the Enochian Material. Any Enochian Magickian who does indeed stick with the path may experiment with any of these lesser-developed regions at a later and more confident period in their work. The Elemental Tablets, or when used as a single Tablet, called The Great Table, as used by “Reconstructionists” and Ogdoadic Enochian Adepts. This is the source of the well known Enochians today. These are maps of the appropriate Elemental Plane, and its Hierarchy, from its Watchtower or Tablet King, to his Court of Seniors, to the Lesser Angles each reflecting another of the Elements. These are all that is common to all Enochian Paths, with each group holding its own interpretation of the fully hierarchy. The Aeyres, each containing, The Governors of The Parts of the Earth (in Dee’s time) and most well-known today Crowley’s work there: The Vision and the Voice . The only other text that deals with the Aeyres in great detail is Dr. Dee’s Liber Scientae, reprinted today in Mysteria Magica, gives
an outline for possible different occult uses for The Parts of The Earth. It is best when working with them to follow the example of Crowley and The Golden Dawn, and begin at the 30 th Aeyre, rather than the 1st Aeyre. The Sigilum de Aemeth, originally given to Dee as a Scrying aid for his black crystal ball, but it is the source of several of the spirits he contacted including Madimi and Ave. This is an area of difficult and highly advanced work, of which Dr. Dee’s is mostly destroyed, and modern sources only rarely agree. The Keys or Calls are actually 18 in number, but the Key to The Aeyres differing by the name of the Aeyre is often counted 30 times, for a total of 48. Key 49 was not given to Dee and Kelley. They represent The Elements including Spirit, other than the Aeyre Key they were told “These Calls touch all the parts of the World…These Calls are keys into the Cities of Wisdom.” II Both Major Order-based Systems of Enochian: Golden Dawn and Ogdoadic, use the same attributions for all of the Keys. All the other Tablets and Tables: Holy Table, Nalvage, and The Table of Enoch were all generated by Dee’s Work but have been mostly neglected by Modern Enochian Magickians. Perhaps it is because these subjects hold as much uncertainty and danger as the Sigilum, but are less recognizable to our poorly educated generation of initiates. These too should be avoided by the beginner, who at best should study the best known areas of Enochian and not its pole-stars.
Where did it come from? The actual “location” and “basis” of the Enochian System are shrouded in Mythic Time: those whose private obsessions delve into this alien hinterland share theories of origin as odd as “the sacred magic of Atlantis”, to Lovecraftian and Pledian connections. Since there is little of Linguistics or Archeology to base this claim upon, it does usually sound absurd. The Enochians, made the connection with Enoch and pre-Flood life though, and there are some intriguing similarities with Hieroglyphic, Japanese, Hebrew and even Lakota.
Enoch is the subject of a number of Hebrew and Gnostik Mysteries, many of which Dee may have been aware. Enoch himself is compared with Moses, Thoth and Christ in various places and the belief that he may have “practiced” Enochian remains a useful myth. Others may someday prove that comes from a lost linguistic connection between Enochian and terrestrial languages, possibly making it the “tongue of Babel” as Dee believed. The accepted origin of Enochian on Earth is the historic communications between Dr. John Dee and Edward Kelley during Queen Elizabeth I’s Reign. Other sites outline this history and series of events in great detail. Causabon’s True and Faithful Relation between John Dee and Some Spirits, contains much of the surviving original material, and is treated as the primary source of this system. Dee Purists or “Enochian Reconstructionists” rarely accept anything beyond the little that survived of Dee’s Work. During The Rosicrucian Enlightenment many groups all across Europe and Britain’s Colonies continued to explore this as well as other areas of Hermetic Study. The Aurum Solis and Golden Systems, though revealed to the world in the 20 th Century are outgrowths of this period, and the countless forgotten pilgrims into the Enochian Universe. Both groups sought to harmonize the original work both with itself and with each Order’s Cosmology giving both systems great depth. Although Aliester Crowley in many ways was a product of The Golden Dawn, today very few who read any of his Work show any familiarity with this point. His greatest contribution to Enochian is a derived system from the Golden Dawn, with different Elemental Tablets, and Keys. Vision and the Voice today, is often more important. In my lifetime there have been many Seekers into The Cities of Wisdom, all too many fly-by-night dabblers, several Adepts providing the rare insight, but yet few Masters of this System. Today, since Crowley Ben Rowe is the single most important contributor to this Tradition. He created the Enochian Temples Template, and the always fascinating Lotus Working. His own adventures in The Enochian Universe were well documented, from the Earth Working, to his Parts of the Earth, and Comshela, as well as
freely debate and discuss his Work on many Enochian elists. He is missed, and not just by myself. Few others have added anything to Enochian, most blandly recycle earlier thought and add nothing but either Christian or Thelemic fanaticism. The Schuelers for all the complaints and flaws with their OTO version of the Golden Dawn Enochian did add to the discussion through the creation of their Enochian “Tarot” as well as providing some interesting thoughts about Tools, Magickal Squares, Dragons and even a book of work each on the Aeyres and Tablets. There are others with minor but still important recent contributions, which will hopefully grow to add ever more this field.
What are The Enochians? Years ago I got in an argument on an Enochian elist, on “the nature of the Enochians” for saying that they were Alien and Elemental Intelligences not Angels or Demons. Recently I discovered that very post on the internet, and that partially led to this text. That and the fact that nowhere else online is a similar guide. That was based on my private Work, some experiments from my Adepthood and warnings from both Fortune and Crowley about Elementals that seemed well to fit The Enochians. Beyond this, it is all Theoretical and has no place in this paper, but suffice to say the Beings invited in The Keys sound more like Elemental Spirits than kin to Raphael or Mephisto. This does have a foundation from the beginningMadimi says to Dee and Kelley “I am Madimi, and of that order, wherein the wonders of God are wrought with power, with you, as my words are: with my self, as my creation is. “III This is an important but rarely cited bit of Enochian, with truly profound implications. It is clear she is Divine, rather than Demonic, but rather than an Angel or Instrument of God’s Will (like Uriel and others in the book) comes from “wrought with power…my self, my creation is”. In the penultimate communication with Dee called the Daughter of Fortitude IV speech, she expands upon these
motifs as well and those taken together seem the best answer to this question, perhaps with the addition of The Key to The Aeyres. Rlodnr says to Dee the opposite end of the Elemental side of their Natures: “There be four mediating ways to the centre… that you call Animal, Vegetable or Mineral Workmanship of Nature is here, as in a part of the four… I have delivered you … the true perfect and most plain Science or understanding the lower creatures of God… which is fourfold. The First the knitting together of celestial influences, and The Creatures below. The Second, the centre of every body is elemental. The Third, the combination of many parts or bodies concurrent with one principle. The last is true knowledge of every substance… “ V Ending in a place disturbingly similar to whence Madimi begins. Oddly neither The Golden Dawn nor Aurum Solis sought any answer to this question, for reasons unclear to me. “Alien” today leads to ideas so often more like Taken and The X-Files but it is relevant to remember that they are Extra-Terrestrial and likely Extra-Dimensional as well, so it is important to keep this in mind always in dealing with them. Even Crowley called the Aeyre Call a “dreadful prayer” for this very reason, and nature of their being.
What should I know? Since the Aeyres and Tablets are the most accessible portions of Enochian, a background in related Magick is best. Traditionally Enochian is the Hermetic equivalent of post-graduate work, taught as the Work of the Adept in both The Ogdoadic and Golden Dawn Traditions, after the Adept has achieved contact with their Higher Self. Although there will always be a few who will attempt to work with Enochian without any other background other than basic Neo-Paganism, that is unwise. Traditionally Enochian is taught in Hermetic Orders, at the Adept (or Advanced Levels) that usually take 3-7 entire years to reach. This is still the best way to learn Magick in general, especially Enochian, but for
those Solitary Enochian Practioners, there are some general areas one should study before even beginning Enochian. A background in Tradition Hermeticism is best, and need not come from any Order the Golden Dawn can be studied from Self-Initiation into the Golden Dawn, and the last volume of Denning and Philip’s Magickal Philosophy Series outlines an entire course. The foundational concept for the proto-Enochian Magickian is Elementalism, unfortunately it is often only covered in superficial ways for the uninitiated other than great work with the Hindu Tatvas, and the best published source is Franz Bardon’s Initiation into Hermetics. There are other important general areas of study for one wishing to do Enochian Work, including Alchemy, Thelema, Astrology, Yoga, Tantra, and Meditation in several forms. The other reason that Traditionally Enochian was only taught to Adepts is that the Enochians have little patience for the whims of an Initiate’s Ego. They actually prefer dealing with Adepts who have already completed The Abramerlyn Rite, Bornless/Headless One or equivalent and achieved Conversation and Communion with their Holy Guardian Angel/Agothodemon/ Higher Self. Attempting Enochian prior to completion of this Work is done at one’s own risk. Another point most other Enochian Sources today downplay is that before dealing with them, The Adept should be comfortable and pious in their faith. Despite what both Dee Purists and many Hermetics believe it need not be the Anglo-Catholicism Dr. Dee practiced. These Spirits do not like it implied that they are either Thought-forms or Subjective, so they are friendlier to those who do honestly and faithfully serve a Higher Power. In Vision and the Voice Crowley sees it as “…I cannot catch it properly, but it seems to be of the effect that the true God is equally in all shrines…”.They do not discriminate beyond the preference for Divinity and Moral Standards, Judaism is as good as Buddhism, Hekate as good as Isis or Odin. In my experience most Enochian Magickians are Egyptian or Voudou Pagans, or Buddhists and Thelemites, with a very small minority outside of those four religions, for reasons unclear to me. That is not say it is unknown; merely that it is not typical of those that stay upon this path.
Though it is possible for anyone to Work with Enochian, it is dangerous and best after years of dedicated disciplined occult training. Conversation and Communion is almost a requirement as well, so is faith in The Divine, in any form. Few without this background can do this for long.
Where should I begin? There are at present Three Schools of Enochian: The “Reconstructionists”, Ogdoadic, and Golden Dawn. Nearly all Enochian today can be easily placed within one of these Three Schools. Ogdoadic is the current that was until recently The Order of The Aurum Solis, and The Golden Dawn form came from the Enochian of that Order. The “Reconstructionists” believe they are rebuilding The Enochian practiced by Dr. Dee. There are many similarities between these systems, but as many differences. The “Reconstructionists” often use beeswax Sigilum’s, carved Holy Tables, Scrying Balls or Black Mirrors, and similar props of grimour magick. Some of them can become very proficient at Enochian, but there never seem to be very many in this School at one time. They spend much of their time reading other grimours, like Artabatel, Verum, Picatrix and the Works of Agrippa and Mathers. Which is odd since Mathers and Dr. Wescott developed the entire Golden Dawn System, including its Enochian. The important variations in the GD Enochian system is that Elemental Tablets are painted in colors, and its opposite of Flashing Color; that the squares on every Table and Tablet are assigned sub-attributions of Elemental, Astrological and Planetary nature called Truncated Pyramid Squares and Scrying the Enochian Letters. Crowley’s Enochian is merely an outgrowth of this, as is nearly all Enochian in print and on the web. The Ogdoadic Tradition has a somewhat different flavor to its Enochian than the GD, as does its system overall. The same entire hierarchies are used , as in the GD system, but the formulas for evocation from the Elemental Tablets are very different including a specific Latin
Evocation for each Elemental King. The method of using the Aeyre Key is also different, only One Governor is called at a time, and the Second Key is the only other Key employed. They also do not separate or paint the Tablets in color. Since the collapse of the Aurum Solis, this School actually seems to be growing more quickly, and has influenced many Enochian Magickians in our Internet age. Again, this Tradition does not reward casual or superficial study. Whichever of The Three Schools of Enochian the Adept chooses they should work with for a minimum of three years! The chosen system should be studied in full working with its preferred Enochian Elemental Tablets, uses of the Keys in regular if not daily Evocation. The Adept should also become acquainted with Governors and Aeyres, with at least as much experience as with the Tablets. After three or more years of consistent work then the Adept may explore the other Schools and Lesser Tables. This is where most of The Enochian Webring comes from, those working with these conflicts and delving into these little known aspects of the Enochian Cosmos. The differences in them are all wondrous and profound, and this period often goes on for years if not decades. The end result is often tremendously different from the point one starts this system. I was trained strict Golden Dawn Enochian Tradition, slowly drifted to Crowley and Ogdoadic before buying Ben Rowe’s Work through mail order. His journey, Christos Pir and my contemporaries all have created fusions and hybrids very different from our origins, as hopefully will future Enochian Adepts and Masters.
Resources Casaubon, Meric True & Faithful Relation: of What Passed for Many Years between Dr. John Dee and Some Spirits (1659), Kessinger Publications, LLC, and ISBN 0-76661-0812-0.
Crowley, Aliester The Vision & The Voice with Commentary and other papers: The Equinox vol. IV number ii , Samuel Weiser, Inc. York Beach, Maine, 1998. ISBN 0-87728-906-9 Denning, Melita & Philips, Osborne Mysteria Magica: Volume 3 of The Magickal Philosophy Series, Llewellyn Publications, St Paul MI 1992. ISBN 0-87542-196-2. James, Geoffrey The Enochian Magick of Dr. John Dee, Llewellyn Publications, St. Paul MI 1994. ISBN 1-56718-367-0. Laycock, Donald C. The Complete Enochian Dictionary , Samuel Weiser, Inc York Beach, Maine 1994. ISBN 0-87728-817-8. Regardie, Isreal The Golden Dawn: A Complete Course in Practical Ceremonial Magic Llewellyn Publications, St. Paul MI 1987. ISBN 0-87542-663-8 Various Hands, The Enochian Webring. Copyright 2003, Frater Serpentis Satori.
I
True and Faithful Relation, 18 Jan 1585 (pg 364) Ibid,14 May 1584 (Pg 145) III Ibid,, 15 Aug 1584 (pg 215) IV Ibid,, 23 May 1587 (pg *25) V Ibid, 17 Jan 1585 (pgs 362-363) II
