It may have been written before what we currently think of as 'masonry', but there is plenty of evidence that suggests Dee was heavily involved in some sort of 'secret society' (how I hate that expression as it conjurs up all the wrong mental imagery) that could be called 'proto-masonic', especially when you factor in his extensive use of the Triple Tau (which is the symbol of Royal Arch Masonry) and the various ways Dee had to obscure what he was really trying to say - I would like to quote from Dee's own writing here, firstly from the introductory piece to the Monas, addressed to Maximillian (which is often omitted from translations for some reason) where he states the following: "I now come to the Hebrew KABBALIST who will now see that Gematria [certain letters represent certain numbers] Notariacon [first letters of a phrase combine to spell a new word, like an acronym] and Tzyruph [certain letters, jumbled, form different words] (the names of the 3 principal Keys to this Art) are used here, outside the confines of the Language, which is called Holy. Also, he will now see that the Symbols and Characters of that Mystical Tradition (which was received from God) entirely corroborated here (from the obvious, which is sometimes visible and sometimes invisible) then he will call this Art SACRED as well" Then we have this from the instructions to the Printers, where he implores him to "carefully copy (as best you can) the Various Letters, Points, Lines, Diagrams, Shapes, Numbers, and other things. This, the Same Body to which I have given birth, perfect in every part, (BY GOD’S WILL) will not be Mutilated or Deformed due to Printer’s Negligence, as it is brought forth into the Light" and from his preface to the first English translation of Euclid's 'Elements of Geometry', where he states that "From these gross and material things we may also be led back upwards, degree by degrees, directing our rude Imagination towards the conceiving of Numbers absolutely (now, not using created things to represent those imagined Numbers). Finally, at great length, we may be able to find the number of our own earthly name, gloriously exemplified and registered in the book of the most blessed and eternal Trinity" I could go on (and on, and on etc) about the Monas, and Dee in general - who I think has been extremely badly treated by history, as far too many folks seem to write him off as - at best - a gullible loony who believed he was talking to Angels and some sort of Black Magician come Sorcerer at worst, with an even more common misconception that the Monas is an Alchemical book. It isn't. It is a book that uses some alchemical language to deliberately obscure what he was really talking about - Mathematics & Geometry (see Dee's 'Groundplat' in his introduction to Euclid's Elements) - and much more too. He had to hide what he was really saying as these were difficult times, and definitely not the 'Golden Age' modern historians try to claim for the Elizabethan Age. In closing, I think that Jim Egan has substantially decoded the Monas and a great deal of it's hidden meaning. Please see www.newporttowermuseum.com/styled-12/index.html for PDF versions of Jim's extensive work on the Monas, and on John Dee as well. You will find it well worth the time.
The translation you refer us to has numerous translation errors. That is a significant problem. I would trust the video more if you used a decent translation of the Monad itself. I'm sorry.
That will be my advanced age. This is the translation that I used when doing my thesis on Dee back in the early 1990s. At that stage it was the only English version available. I'm sure there are better options available now.
"I have lived with several Zen masters - all of them cats" - Eckhart Tolle G CAT Cheshire Grin... Sphynx She'KIN'ah 🖖 RORS DNA's four letter alphabetOmega bet...wit Words in three letters it speaks.. in every word it speaks to the body of Threes Vitruvian Man. Three invisible One
It may have been written before what we currently think of as 'masonry', but there is plenty of evidence that suggests Dee was heavily involved in some sort of 'secret society' (how I hate that expression as it conjurs up all the wrong mental imagery) that could be called 'proto-masonic', especially when you factor in his extensive use of the Triple Tau (which is the symbol of Royal Arch Masonry) and the various ways Dee had to obscure what he was really trying to say - I would like to quote from Dee's own writing here, firstly from the introductory piece to the Monas, addressed to Maximillian (which is often omitted from translations for some reason) where he states the following:
"I now come to the Hebrew KABBALIST who will now see that Gematria [certain letters represent certain numbers] Notariacon [first letters of a phrase combine to spell a new word, like an acronym] and Tzyruph [certain letters, jumbled, form different words] (the names of the 3 principal Keys to this Art) are used here, outside the confines of the Language, which is called Holy. Also, he will now see that the Symbols and Characters of that Mystical Tradition (which was received from God) entirely corroborated here (from the obvious, which is sometimes visible and sometimes invisible) then he will call this Art SACRED as well"
Then we have this from the instructions to the Printers, where he implores him to
"carefully copy (as best you can) the Various Letters, Points, Lines, Diagrams, Shapes, Numbers, and other things.
This, the Same Body to which I have given birth, perfect in every part, (BY GOD’S WILL) will not be Mutilated or Deformed due to Printer’s Negligence, as it is brought forth into the Light"
and from his preface to the first English translation of Euclid's 'Elements of Geometry', where he states that
"From these gross and material things we may also be led back upwards, degree by degrees, directing our rude Imagination towards the conceiving of Numbers absolutely (now, not using created things to represent those imagined Numbers). Finally, at great length, we may be able to find the number of our own earthly name, gloriously exemplified and registered in the book of the most blessed and eternal Trinity"
I could go on (and on, and on etc) about the Monas, and Dee in general - who I think has been extremely badly treated by history, as far too many folks seem to write him off as - at best - a gullible loony who believed he was talking to Angels and some sort of Black Magician come Sorcerer at worst, with an even more common misconception that the Monas is an Alchemical book. It isn't. It is a book that uses some alchemical language to deliberately obscure what he was really talking about - Mathematics & Geometry (see Dee's 'Groundplat' in his introduction to Euclid's Elements) - and much more too. He had to hide what he was really saying as these were difficult times, and definitely not the 'Golden Age' modern historians try to claim for the Elizabethan Age.
In closing, I think that Jim Egan has substantially decoded the Monas and a great deal of it's hidden meaning.
Please see www.newporttowermuseum.com/styled-12/index.html for PDF versions of Jim's extensive work on the Monas, and on John Dee as well. You will find it well worth the time.
Great presentation
Thank you!
Thank you
46:43
The translation you refer us to has numerous translation errors. That is a significant problem. I would trust the video more if you used a decent translation of the Monad itself. I'm sorry.
That will be my advanced age. This is the translation that I used when doing my thesis on Dee back in the early 1990s. At that stage it was the only English version available. I'm sure there are better options available now.
"I have lived with several Zen masters - all of them cats" - Eckhart Tolle
G CAT Cheshire Grin... Sphynx She'KIN'ah 🖖 RORS DNA's four letter alphabetOmega bet...wit Words in three letters it speaks.. in every word it speaks to the body of Threes Vitruvian Man.
Three invisible One
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