Dr John Dee was an influential and controversial Elizabethan polymath with an advanced knowledge of mathematics, astrology, philosophy, alchemy and science. He became a confidant of the queen , which arouse hostility among some courtiers and was known under various sobriequets incluing the “Merlin of Mortlake” an the “Arche Conjuror.” Despite his learning an impressive library Dee was seeking practical knowledge of the profound laws governing the universe. He eventually found a collaborator in the person of the mysterious Edward Kelley who possessed the ability to communicate with the spirit world, a gift that Dee himself never possessed.
The Sigillum dei Aemeth is the design incorporated on the the wax discs that Dee and Kelley used with the “table of practice” during their Angelic Conversations. The complex design of the Sigillum was not new, but derived from the Seal of the Truth of God which had first emerged in a 14th century grimoire. One disc was placed under each table leg, an a final one on the table top on which was placed the crystal ball.
Messages from spirits and angels were conveyed to Dee by Edward Kelley during their scrying sessions in the house in Mortlake where the two resided. The messages revealed the original, first language of Adam and Enoch which would potentially reveal the key to the cosmic code.
Their practice and investigations were perceived by some as heretical an they faced accusations of “lewd and vain practices of calculing and conjuring.” Fearing arrest they took covert, dramatic flight across Europe via Krakow and eventually found refuge in Prague and, for a time, a more sympathetic audience.
