Customer Reviews

The Lost Art of Enochian Magic: Angels, Invocations, and the Secrets Revealed to Dr. John Dee

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

This book's best part is its chapter on the "Enochian Meditation" which is somewhat innovative and very interesting. To get to this chapter, though, people familiar with Dee and Enochian have to suffer through several chapters of introductory material that is pretty redundant unless you are a complete beginner on the subject. For this reason the book, while a good one, was a disappointment to me because there was very little presented that was new. Even the meditation followed theories similar to those I had developed in the course of study for this magic -- though the book presented a more coherent and organized meditation than any I had come up with.

Regardless of my own disappointments, I believe that this book is worth getting. The author does have some interesting insights into the magic which are worth examining, and the meditation presented is definitely worth studying and adding to anyone's magical practices. Just don't let your expectations get too high.

This is an excellent beginning book for Enochian magic. The focus is quite narrow, covering only the 30 aethyrs, but does it very well. There is more historical context than most other books and he is sympathetic to Edward Kelly. The exposition is lucid and kept to the essentials. Of possible interest to more advanced practitioners is his take on the pronunciation. My complaint about the book is the CD, hence the four stars. Inexplicably DeSalvo begins his reading of the nineteenth call on the sixth line of the book text. And his cadence reminds me of someone reading a list of names at a roll call. This may just be his way of making the pronunciation as clear as possible. Other than that I was quite satisfied. Highly recommended.

First of all, a bit of information. The accompanying CD is missing part of the Enochian calls. However, the reader will find the entire Enochian call on audio (for free download) at De Salvo's website dedicated to the book. The name of that website is: myangelmagic.

I gave the book 5 Stars, because it provides a good historical background, and very detailed explanations of a simple Enochian ritual in which no specialized equipment is used. This is quite a boon for the would-be magician, as the props used in other Enochian rituals either necessitate that you be a good carpenter/artist or that you make considerable expenditure to obtain such items. That said, I would have liked De Salvo to explain further why he thinks this particular Invocation can forgo such furnishings. After all, according to the book, the angels told Dee and Kelly they would need a holy table, the Sigillum Dei Aemeth, Ensigns of Creation talismans, breastplate, magic ring and emblems.

De Salvo advises that these exercises be used to get closer to God, rather than as a tool for obtaining earthly desires. However where do you draw the line between the spiritual and the profane in this matter? Surely, one can understand the problems that arise when spiritual tools are put to the service of the ego and its cravings. However, what about helping the ill? De Salvo believes that it should not be used even in that case; however, didn't Jesus and the Apostles heal the sick? Of course, such works should always be prefaced by, "Let Thy will be done".

What to make of working exclusively with the Aethyrs and not the Elementals, as De Salvo does in this work? I am a novice at magic and cannot speak with any authority, however, questions do come to mind in this regard. Much has been written about the need to integrate the Shadow,lest one fall prey to it. Does this have some application to magical work? Do these estranged entities, dubbed evil, grow more evil due to our unwillingness to encounter them (or when we do to use them for our own purposes)? I don't know the answer to this question, but would like to hear from others more seasoned than I on the subject.

The information relayed by Dr. John DeSalvo is easy to read and digest. It's the perfect book for anyone starting or in the midst of their spiritual path. I certainly enjoyed the historical reference to Magic through the ages. I also feel that Dr.DeSalvo's perspective comes not only from his scholarly and scientific studies and education; it beams straight from his own soul, in alignment with Divine guidance.

Dedicated students of metaphysical studies will recognize John Dee as an iconic figure. In "The Lost Art of Enochian Magic: Angels, Invocations, and the Secrets Revealed to Dr. John Dee", John DeSalvo (current director of the Great Pyramid of Giza Research Association) offers a 232-page informative guide to John Dee's angelic magic, including practical instructions for performing Enochian magic meditations. This body of magic is named after the biblical prophet Enoch and was given to John Dee by angels in the 16th century. "The Lost Art of Enochian Magic" traces the history of magic beginning with the Akadians and the Egyptians, through the Greco-Roman cultures, and down to the present day. Of special note are the insights into how magic has influenced the religious beliefs and practices of the Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christian, Islam). Enhanced with the inclusion of a CD featuring Enochian calls demonstrating the correction pronunciation to be used when practicing Enochian rituals, "The Lost Art of Enochian Magic" will prove to be an invaluable and greatly appreciated addition to personal and academic library Metaphysical Studies reference collections and supplemental reading lists.

I was looking forward to an insightful new book about the Enochian system of magick and figured that with an introduction from Lon Milo DuQuette, it might be of interest. I was seriously disappointed. This book is so elementary and poorly-written that it defies belief. Beyond this, I have a couple fundamental disagreements with the author's approach.

First, much like Justice Scalia's stance on the US Constitution, DeSalvo is an originalist -- meaning that he's of the school that one has to perform Enochian magick by effectively replicating Dee's approach and original intent. I think that's a serious error because magick is not static, it evolves over time. The social milieu and concerns faced by Dee during Renaissance England were different from what we face in this day and age. For magick to have any meaning, it needs to be relevant to us in the present. The Enochian system is a bare-bones construct, so instead of slavishly following in Dee's footsteps, it's up to the modern practitioner to flesh out those bones, make the system relevant to his or her process, and grow with it. DeSalvo's formulation of Dee's work leaves it frozen in time.

Second, I take issue with DeSalvo's religious bias. He approaches the practice of Enochian magick from a purely Christian mind-set and appears to have gone all-in with a dualistic Manichean approach of good versus evil, light versus darkness. DeSalvo completely misses the mark from my perspective, which sees the practice of magick embodying the constant balancing of polarities and seeking, as the phrase is used in Buddhism, the "golden mean" or, as Crowley put it, "the divine magick of Horus is the union of opposites."

To summarize, I found this book an utter waste of time and money. I can in no way recommend it to readers.

I have awaited this book for some time...having pre-ordered. I am familiar with nearly all the literature published (both in hard-copy and available on internet) and had, admittedly somewhat high expectations of this work. Particularly, given the pre-publication "review" and its endorsement by the very talented Lon Milo Duquette.
I will not discuss the CD as it's well-described above.
J DeSalvo, states in the Intro that his initial aim was a description of the history of magic, but how this changed after reading LMDuQuette's Enochian Vision Magick (that IS an excellent book, btw)...
However, the author spends fully 1/3 of this slender book...on.......the history of magic! Worse still, it is such a basic discussion, that anyone with more than a fleeting exposure to the history of Magic will be at a loss at the end of the discussion.
The author is well-educated, but the writing style is quite colloquial, even conversation-like. It was a very difficult read for me. I admit, I couldnt even make it to the middle of the book. Now, I am well aware that much available magical literature can be quite difficult to assimilate (think A Crowley Book 4 or Liber Al or Arbatel or Sacred Magic of AbraMelin the Mage or, for instance Meric Casaubon's True and Faithful.....)But, These books are substantiative BECAUSE they have so much inner meaning. The opposite is not necessarily a blessing.

The incorporation of antiquities as a demonstration of a long lineage of magical amuletae is somewhat misleading....( the cylinder seal is not all that "rare" as described---yes, it is made of quartz which isnt the most common stone used, but I have 3 quartz cylinder seals myself, and its ornamentation may or may have an esoteric lean to it). It most likely is a representation of water or fish or simply an archetypal design. The "Egyptian scarab" with Christian symbolism, looks alot like a 19th century product---there exist thousands of these "Grand Tour" reproductions.) Overall, the antiquities seem to have been added as a "wow factor" but they fail to deliver and seem simply to be a reflection of the authors interest in ANE antiquities.

The book is fraught with example upon example of feelings, theories and conjectures with few if any scholarship or supporting evidence (and when it does exist, it is one-sided or his interpretation). He even makes an unconvincing case for the ANE gods "pettiness" while stating the Bible shows a God free from such gestures (ummmmmmm....the Old Testament God was never petty or vindictive????)
I read his chapter on "A Scientific Theory of Enochian" or some similar title and was profoundly dissapointed. Well, "theory" in science (and any other field, including magick) DOES NOT mean simply my personal opinion or thoughts or whimsical wanderings....It is a well-argued, evidence-based reflection, representing THE BEST EXPLANATION that exists with regards to the phenomena you are describing. For instance, the theory of relativity or theory of evolution. If it is a radical theory you had best have some substantiative arguments for your case. NONE are presented.

Unfortunately, I feel this book is simply another bottle tossed into the sea, riding the wave of new-found fascination with Enochian.....
I would recommend the following for those interested in Enochian Magic:

LM DuQuette' Enochian Vision Magic---a MUST have!!!!

Aaron Leitch's Angelic Language Vol I and II UNEQUALED Scholarship. A Masterpiece. A MUST have.

Meric Casabaun's TFR---A Facsimile...many errors, but a classic and must for any true student

Dr DeSalvo seems like a very nice man and one with a true passion for his work..But it his passions are dampened by a writing style that does not give merit to the sacred subject. The book would have benefitted greatly by a heavier (MUCH heavier) Editor's pen.

I don't generally advocate book burning but I suspect the copious amount of B.S. contained in these pages would make it great tinder. DeSalvo says that he hasn't been studying Enochian for very long (no kidding) and it shows. I'm not going to make this a long review because I think that some other reviewers have pointed out the flaws in this "book" quite well.

Great book. Detailed and specific yet concise and direct.
I highly recommend it!

I bought this book with hope. But the contents of this book did not meet my expectation at all. Because I am not such a master I can't be sure, but many arguments of the author seems to be a bit inaccurate or unfounded. If the author spent more than completing this book, it would be better. but now as it is, not good. Why don't you buy DuQuette's book, instead of this?