The Enochian Universe
Over the years, there has been much confusion over the cosmology behind Dee’s magickal system. Exactly how the universe is structured is an important thing to understand when studying any occult tradition. Unfortunately, many occultists have assumed that no cosmology at all is presented in Dee’s journals, leading them to simply lay his magick over their own chosen system. Some have attempted to force-fit the Enochian heavens and angels onto the Qabalistic Tree of Life. Others have attempted to interpret Dee’s material through the cosmology of Theosophy. Even the Golden Dawn arranged the Enochian Watchtowers within their own fourfold directional and elemental universe.
In fact, Dee did record the nature of the “Enochian universe” in his journals, which were outlined in several visions and diagrams that I will explain below. In the end, there is no specific cosmology that is unique to the Enochian system. Instead, Dee recorded the same universe described in the Bible, by ancient Jewish Merkavah mystics, by astrology, and by grimoiric authors such as Agrippa. It was, in fact, the same basic geocentric universe that was commonly accepted as scientific reality during Dee’s lifetime and for thousands of years previously.
The Merkavah
“And, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne.... And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting.... And there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God. And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four beasts full of eyes before and behind. And the first beast was like a lion, and the second beast like a calf, and the third beast had a face as a man, and the fourth beast was like a flying eagle.” (Revelation 4: 2–7)
Figure 7: The Merkavah as Astrological Model
The basic concept of the Enochian universe is illustrated in chapter 4 of the biblical book of Revelation. Here, St. John has a “Merkavah vision”—a vision of the divine throne—as well as a vision of the entire divine court. The Merkavah itself occupies the center of the vision.
Upon its four sides are the Holy Living Beasts, also known as the kherubim: the lion, eagle, man, and bull. They represent the four elemental triplicities of the zodiac, which, in turn, govern the four elements upon earth. In other sources, these kherubim are represented by the archangels Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, and Uriel.
Also surrounding the throne are the “seven spirits who stand before God.” Appearing in John’s vision as seven “lamps of fire,” they are seven archangels who embody the forces of the ancient planets and represent the seven aspects of God’s actions upon earth.
Surrounding the whole scene are the twenty-four elders who collectively represent the forces of the zodiac, governed by the four kherubim and the seven archangels. They are advisers to the king (God). Two elders represent each of the twelve tribes of Israel, which are associated with the twelve signs of the zodiac.
Students of astrology will recognize in this vision a depiction of an astrological chart. Such a chart is encircled by the signs of the zodiac, which are divided into four elemental triplicities. The seven planets that rule them are placed within the circle. In the very center is the earth, which is the throne of God. (The “sea of glass” mentioned in St. John’s vision is the firmament, or sky, that surrounds the earth itself.)
The Holy Celestial City
“And [the angel] carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem... And had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel: On the east three gates; on the north three gates; on the south three gates; and on the west three gates.” (Revelation 21: 10–13)
Figure 8: Dee’s Diagram of the Holy City
The above diagram is taken from Dee’s journals and is based upon the end of St. John’s vision. Like the previous vision, this illustrates the structure of the universe. This time we see a great city established by God, surrounded by a wall with twelve gates representing the twelve signs of the zodiac. Each gate has an angelic guardian and is also associated with a tribe of Israel.
Dee included the names of the twelve tribes and also assigned each gate a number. These numbers indicate which sign of the zodiac applies to each gate: Aries = 1, Taurus = 2, Gemini = 3, all the way to Pisces = 12. Students should note that these associations are drawn from Agrippa’s Three Books of Occult Philosophy, book 2, chapter 14, where we find the “Scale of the Number Twelve.” Here Agrippa lists the twelve tribes and the zodiacal sign for each. He also gives names to the twelve angelic gatekeepers, but Dee received different names for these angels.
Also note that Dee has grouped the signs of the zodiac into their elemental triplicities. The three Fire signs are together in the east, the Earth signs are positioned in the south, the Air signs are placed in the west, and the Water triplicity is found in the north.
The Vision of the Watchtowers
Figure 9: Diagram of the Vision of the Watchtowers
Figure 9 was created by (or for) Méric Casaubon to illustrate the vision of the four Watchtowers described by Edward Kelley.37 This embodies the angelic hierarchies beneath the four kherubim, which Dee’s angels referred to as “Watchmen” who protect the universe from the forces of chaos.
The Watchtowers are depicted here as fortified castle towers at the four points of the compass. Trumpets then sounded from the towers, blown three times each. After a pause, the trumpets sounded once more, signaling the opening of the towers’ gates.
Then from each gate was rolled a colored carpet: a red one from the east, a white one from the south, a green one from the west, and a black one from the north. These colors appear in many different occult traditions, representing everything from the four seasons upon earth to four layers of heaven and even to four stages of alchemy.
Next the angelic hierarchies of the four Watchtowers proceeded from each gate, walking upon the carpets. First appeared the four angels who blew the trumpets. These trumpets were described as composed of six cones bound together into one instrument. There has been much speculation as to the identity of these four trumpeter angels, as their names are not included in the Watchtowers. Personally, I suspect these may be the four kherubim themselves—Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, and Uriel. (Note that Gabriel is often depicted in religious art with a trumpet. Michael appears with one in some versions of the tarot. Also, both Hebrew tradition and the book of Revelation describe the archangels as possessing six wings, and these four angels carry trumpets made of six cones.)
Following the trumpeters were twelve angels—three from each gate—holding ensigns (flags) as if going into battle. Each ensign displayed one of the twelve names of God that govern the Watchtowers. These twelve angels are not given names in the Watchtower tablets, and, like the trumpeters, there has been much speculation as to their identity. I suspect they are the twelve angels of the zodiac who otherwise guard the gates of the Holy City.
Following these, six elders emerged from each gate, totaling the twenty-four from the book of Revelation. Then appeared a “great king,” representing the name of God found in a spiral in the center of each Watchtower. Five princes held up the train of each king. Like the trumpeters and ensign bearers, these princes are given no names in the Watchtowers—at least so far as we know—and I have no idea who they may be.
After each of the four kings appeared a large cross surrounded by four lesser crosses, representing the Great Cross and four Calvary Crosses found in each Watchtower. The sixteen Calvary Crosses were each attended by ten angels whose identities are unclear. There are only four angels set above each Calvary Cross in the Watchtower tables. However, the Crosses themselves are each composed of ten letters, so these ten angels possibly represent those letters.
Finally, from each gate proceeded sixteen angels, called the “dispositors of the will of those that govern the castles.” Each Watchtower table actually contains two groups of sixteen angels who fit this description, commonly called the kherubic and servient angels. I suspect the sixteen angels in the vision are intended to represent the servient angels, as they are the ones who act most directly upon the earth.
At the end of the vision, the twelve ensign bearers march to the center point where the four carpets meet, which I assume is the physical world. The twenty-four elders converge at this point and form a circle, where they appear to confer with one another, as would be expected of tribal elders.
The Twelve-Banner Diagram
Figure 10, adapted from Dee’s records, is a simplified illustration of the Great Table of the Earth (aka the Watchtowers). It has often been confused as a depiction of an Enochian magickal circle, though no such thing is mentioned by Dee.
In the center of the diagram is a square divided into four portions and marked “Terra”—earth. This is the Great Table of the Earth itself. Each corner is marked by three banners depicting the three names of God that appear in the associated Watchtower: Oro, Ibah, and Aozpi in the east; Mor, Dial, and Hctga in the south; Mph, Arsl, and Gaiol in the west; and Oip, Teaa, and Pdoce in the north.
Figure 10: Twelve-Banner Diagram (Corrected)
Note: This diagram as it appears in Dee’s journals includes an error. When Dee first received the Great Table from the angels, he switched the positions of the western and northern Watchtowers. The angels later corrected the error, but Dee seems to have drawn the banner diagram before the correction. His version places Mph, Arsl, and Gaiol in the north and Oip, Teaa, and Pdoce in the west. For some reason he never bothered to redraw the diagram after the angels corrected his error. Because the error has caused confusion for many students, I have redrawn the diagram myself to show the northern and western names of God in their proper places.38