Complete Enochian Dictionary: A Dictionary of the Angelic Language As Revealed to Dr. John Dee and Edward Kelley

by Donald C. Laycock, Edward Kelly, John Dee

In 1581, Dr. John Dee, an advisor in the court of Queen Elizabeth I, began a series of experiments intended to explore the ability to contact the spirit world. With Edward Kelley acting as the medium in these experiments, Dee was able to record these communications as they were transmitted in Enochian - the language of the angels.

Donald Laycock has thoroughly analyzed the work of Dee and Kelley. In this volume, he recounts the history of their experiments. The rest of the work consists of a pronunciation guide for the twenty-one letters, significant to untangling both the meaning and the derivation of the messages handed down from Dee and Kelley, and a basic Enochian-English/English-Enochian dictionary. The result is a fascinating linguistic and magical mystery story, integral to any study of the Enochian tradition.

Stephen Skinner's lucid preface sets the tone and historical context for today's readers.

Genres: Occult, Reference, Magick, History, Mythology, Esoterica, Metaphysics

272 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2001

About the author

Donald C. Laycock, Ph.D. (Linguistics, Australian National University, 1965), was an anthropologist counted among the leading authorities on the languages of Papua New Guinea. He was a Fellow of the Australian Academy of the Humanities (FAHA), and served as Vice President of the Australian Linguistic Society (ALS).

Reviews

[Äsruþr Cyneaþsson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aside from the tecnical aspects of the dictionary, Laycock here provides an excellent analysis of the Enochian language. In his introduction, he assesses and convincingly dismisses notions that the system was fabricated as part of a conscious fraud by Kelley. The possible use as a cipher is admitted by Laycock, whilst he openly dismisses the feasibility of such given that Dee noted a direct English translation of entire passages -- effectively rendering any cipher useless. Laycock's introduction is ultimately worth the price of the book alone.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just reading up on John Dee. This book has a very good overview of his occult interests, and the process by which he believed he'd contacted angels. An amusing anecdote: Dee was imprisoned under suspicion of practicing witchcraft, but the judge let him out so that he could testify as an expert in his own trial, so great was his knowledge of the Bible!

[Mitchell Stern · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is an excellent primer on both John Dee himself and the Enochian language he created. Whether you are a practitioner of the occult or merely interested in the topic for creative purposes this is a very useful reference guide.

[Aaron Meyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Must have on the shelf of every person even remotely interested in Enochian.

[Olivia Nenmyx · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating look into the origin of the Enochian magic system and the constructed Enochian language. John Dee has a storied history as an occultist, and even had his home raided and part of his library destroyed for working with spirits, but Edward Kelley's intentions aren't always so clear.

I'm not sure if I'll end up using the Enochian system in my own practice, but I am interested in, well, mining it for my creative work. This dictionary, and the context it provides, will be a great tool!

[Nico Starlight · Rating 2 out of 5]

No speculation on what the Enochian language could be.

Boring.

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

useful

[The Elves · Rating 5 out of 5]

These elves have always been fascinated by Enochian and the question of whether Edward Kelley actually channeled this “language”, or made it up to con Dr. Dee falls in the same category as the question about Carlos Castaneda’s validity. In our minds, it doesn’t really matter. The magic is real regardless.

This particular volume is doubly valuable. First, it is a comprehensive dictionary for Enochian and thus a valuable reference work for our library, although Enochian still strikes us as a very limited language form. And second, the foreward by Lon Milo Duquette, the prefaces by Stephen Skinner, and the introduction by Donald C. Laycock are well worth reading in their own right. In fact, Lon Milo tells us of some of his own experiences in using Enochian and we must say his true tales of magical experience are what we love best about his works. If you also love Enochian, this will be a good addition to your magical library.

The Silver Elves authors of Arvyndase (Silverspeech): A Short Course in the Magical Language of The Silver Elves

[Timm]

The best instruction in speaking the Angelic tongue because it was written by a professional in the fields of anthropology and language, who did not have a mind to study for its normal occult virtues. Everything one needs to begin the core practice of Enochian Prayer.