Three Enochian Magick Myths

This article is not yet another repetition of how Dr. Dee and his assistant Edward Kelly discovered a magickal system (I actually consider it a set of systems) that has come to be called "Enochian Magick." I'm also not going to get into debates over pronunciation, which letters should be in various squares used in the system, etc. You can find out all of this information by simply searching the Internet or looking through a book or two on the subject. Rather, I’d like to share some personal experiences and revelations.

Over the years, Enochian Magick has been called the most powerful system of magick available. Stories have come out of how people merely saw the special sets of squares with Enochian letters in them and had problems in their lives. While I certainly respect the practice of Enochian Magick, I now want to publicly state that in my experience, and in the experience of a number of people I've communicated with, this is nothing but hyperbole and exaggeration, perhaps designed to keep dabblers away. Although there will always be dabblers in any magickal system, the number of real practitioners is growing and I believe the information needs to be revealed.

Myth One: Enochian Magick requires years of study and practice before you can do anything with it.
In my experience, if you have a basic understanding of magick—such as by studying my Modern Magick—you'll be able to work Enochian Magick quite successfully. However, just as with the magickal system of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, the Enochian system has many aspects and variations. Getting a good book on Enochian Magick, however, and going through the work in it, will give you all you need to know in order to work with one or more aspects of the systems.

Myth Two: Just looking at the Enochian squares can cause you problems.
In my opinion, there may actually be some truth to this. Over twenty years ago I obtained a set of "Enochian Chessboards" and playing pieces from England. This is an expansion of the original system(s) created by the Golden Dawn so that aspects of the Enochian Tablets, tools used in Enochian Magick, can be used for divination. The four chessboards do not have any symbols on them, just sets of squares colored in certain ways.

Each board is associated with one of the four elements of magick, so I placed them in the appropriate quarters of my apartment's living room. Immediately I could sense a flow of energy coming from each of them, meeting in the center of the room. In the dark, I could actually see it. Rituals performed there seemed to have extra energy. Visitors often could sense that something was there. Because of this I eventually had to take them down and only put them out at special times.

Recently, I obtained a large set of posters of the Enochian Tablets (it triggered the writing of this article). They are in full color and in the Enochian letters. Designed for use in full magical temples, they dwarf the living room of my current living space when I set them up. And that energy does flow!

So a person who is unaware of the power of these images may, indeed, become aware of the interaction of their colors and letters that results in the flow of magickal energy. However, it takes someone with magickal knowledge to work with the energy.

Myth Three: Occultist Paul Foster Case was afraid of Enochian Magick.
I don't know if Dr. Case—perhaps most famous for his work with the Tarot and as the founder of an Order called the Builders of the Adytum (BOTA)—was actually afraid of Enochian Magick. Case, however, had been a member of the Golden Dawn and, for some reason, his own practices (and the practices of the BOTA) eliminated Enochian from his system. It has been said that he simply came to the conclusion—mirrored by some today—that Enochian was demonic in nature. I respectfully disagree with that belief.

Getting Started With Enochian Magick
The one concept I hope you'll get from reading this article is that Enochian Magick is not a single thing. Rather, it is an entire set of magickal techniques, and some of them are quite complex. I know of no single book that covers all aspects of the systems of Enochian Magick. So when you study a book that is entirely directed toward Enochian Magick, or has a section on the subject, please understand it is just one aspect of the whole. By studying and practicing several sources you will get a much better overview.

Another important thing is this: anything that does not change and evolve becomes moribund and eventually dies out. Today, there is a growing movement of people who are advancing Enochian Magick in new or different ways. One of the most unique perspectives on this can be seen in the short articles or booklets of the late Benjamin Rowe. His articles can be found on the Internet.

My suggestion for getting started with the practice of Enochian Magick is two-fold. First, spend some time learning the basics of magick. Working with a book such as Modern Magick will give you all you need.

Second, select one book or item that focuses on Enochian Magick and practice what is shared there until you have mastered it. When you have done this you can expand your knowledge with other books and personal experience.

Here are some books that can help you learn Enochian Magick:

• If you're just interested in learning a bit more, I suggest The Truth About Enochian Magick by Gerald and Betty Schueler. It gives a basic overview of some of the more important concepts and will certainly make it easier to learn from other books. You might also like their Enochian Tarot with dramatic, energy-filled art by Sallie Ann Glassman. If you're familiar with the Tarot, you will find this to be an excellent link to the Enochian world.
• Your next step should be Enochian Magic for Beginners by Donald Tyson. Drawing information from rare material, Tyson makes Enochian magic available to any practitioner without oversimplifying the information. Besides traditional material, Tyson includes several innovations that will help advance the system for decades to come. Also looking at the Enochian material in a new way is The Angels' Message to Humanity by the Schuelers.
• Finally, designed for real experimental work, is The Golden Dawn Enochian Skrying Tarot by Chic and Sandra Tabatha Cicero and Bill and Judi Genaw. It is specifically designed for ritual work and Enochian magick. Each card has a tremendous amount of Enochian symbolism, and the backs include an entire second system based on the Tattvas. It is a remarkable tool that is a must for any Enochian magician.