Show Notes
Author, futurist, and wizard Jason Louv joins us in podcast episode 191 to discuss his recent book John Dee and the Empire of Angels: Enochian Magick and the Occult Roots of the Modern World.
“John Dee (1527-1608), Queen Elizabeth I’s court advisor and astrologer, was the foremost scientific genius of the 16th century. . . But, as Jason Louv explains, Dee was suppressed from mainstream history because he spent the second half of his career developing a method for contacting angels. After a brilliant ascent from star student at Cambridge to scientific advisor to the Queen, Dee, with the help of a disreputable, criminal psychic named Edward Kelley, devoted ten years to communing with the angels. . . Piecing together Dee’s fragmentary Spirit Diaries and scrying sessions, the author examines Enochian in precise detail and explains how the angels used Dee and Kelley as agents to establish a New World Order that they hoped would . . . eventually dominate the entire globe.
“Presenting a comprehensive overview of Dee’s life and work, Louv examines his scientific achievements, intelligence and spy work, imperial strategizing, and Enochian magick, establishing a psychohistory of John Dee as a singular force and fundamental driver of Western history. Exploring Dee’s influence on Sir Francis Bacon, the development of modern science, seventeenth-century Rosicrucianism, the nineteenth-century occult revival, and twentieth-century occultists such as Jack Parsons, Aleister Crowley, and Anton LaVey, Louv shows how John Dee continues to impact science and the occult to this day.”
As I told Jason during the interview, his book quickly became my favorite on the history of John Dee and Enochian magick. Jason’s work as both a scholar and practitioner allowed him to deliver some extraordinary insights that more fully illuminate the story of Dee and Kelley and enlarge the context of Enochian magick in the history of Western civilization. Louv deserves credit for delving so deeply into this work and sharing it with us. If you’re interested in this subject, Louv’s book deserves a place on your shelf.
For the last twenty years, Jason Louv has dedicated himself to exploring, reporting on and teaching some of the world’s sacred traditions, especially Western magick and occultism. He currently teaches meditation and magick at his online education portal Magick.Me. Jason also interviews spiritual, technological and outsider thinkers weekly on the Ultraculture With Jason Louv podcast. You can find Jason online at http://jasonlouv.com.
In the Chamber of Reflection, our membership website at https://chamberofreflection.com/, we continue this often-provocative interview with Jason Louv, delving even more deeply into his research on John Dee and Enochian magick. We also discuss Jason’s views on the modern political landscape and magic from a modern perspective. Join us for that fascinating and important conversation!
And I’d like to remind you that although you’re able to listen to this podcast at no charge, it costs time and money to create. We ask you to support our efforts and the creation of future podcasts by joining the membership section at https://chamberofreflection.com. And if you’re already supporting the show or have done so in the past – my heartfelt thanks and I salute you!
intro music – “Awakening” by Paul Avgerinos
outro music – “Angel” by Artemis
More from Occult of Personality podcast
Garin Horner is a spiritual practitioner, photographer, professor, author, and Tarot designer. He joins us to discuss his amazing book, A Feather on the Breath of RA: Conversations with an Alchemist on Photography, Light, & Magic. Garin's book is one of the most unexpected and brilliant books about alchemy and Western esotericism that I've ever read. I highly recommend it.
The superlative Ike Baker interviews me about two of my newer books: Peregrine: Crossing Spiritual Boundaries to Find a New Home, An Essay, and The Silent Call of the Heart: A Testimony of Spiritual Awakening. Our conversation focuses on these two new books, which are closely related but distinct in tone: one more comparative and outward looking, the other more personal and inward looking. We cover comparisons between Eastern and Western spiritual traditions, the meaning of pilgrimage, and the idea that different practices may lead to similar experiences of realization. Another major theme we discuss is the role of the teacher in spiritual practice, and the argument that an authentic teacher is needed to recognize enlightenment and divinity, not merely to learn techniques. Our discussion also covers honesty about suffering, weakness, and spiritual bypassing, as well as ways of responding to nihilism.
Georgina Rose — polytheist, ceremonial magician, and Thelemite, and author of Planetary Theurgy: Ascent Through the Seven Veils — joins me to talk about what it actually means to have a spiritual path with a trajectory, rather than a vague collection of borrowed practices. We get into her rejection of psychologized, watered-down approaches to magic, her critique of New Age spirituality's shallow eclecticism, and why she believes discipline and even transgression are essential to real gnosis rather than obstacles to it. This was an excellent conversation and I confidently recommend Georgina Rose's work. She is a qualified guide with a solid approach to the magical path and the courage to speak it. For extended conversations like this one, ad-free episodes, and more, support the show at https://www.patreon.com/occultofpersonality/.
The one and only Jaime Paul Lamb joins us to discuss his wonderful book The Astrological Goetia: The 72 Keys to Angelic and Demonic Astrology (Inner Traditions, 2025). This was an amazing interview with an exceptional practitioner. Enjoy! This is the full interview. Please support the podcast by subscribing to our Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/c/occultofpersonality or our members' website at https://chamberofreflection.com for exclusive content, extra interviews, and more! Jaime's website - https://www.jaimepaullamb.com/ The Astrological Goetia - https://a.co/d/09L2nUyp My new website - https://gregkaminsky.net/
In this episode of Occult of Personality podcast, we have an absolutely epic interview with author, Hermetic practitioner, and meditation specialist Martin Faulks (https://martinfaulks.co.uk/) about Freemasonry, alchemy, meditation, the human subtle body, Tantra, and the book Long Livers: with the Rare Secret of Rejuvenescency, published by Lewis Masonic (https://www.lewismasonic.co.uk/long-livers.htm). I've been anticipating and preparing for this conversation with Martin for years. It's a huge blessing that it's finally come to fruition!