Hermetic Library fellow T Polyphilus reviews Enochian Vision Magick: An Introduction and Practical Guide to the Magick of Dr. John Dee and Edward Kelley by Lon Milo DuQuette, forward by Clay Holden (of the John Dee Publication Project).

There sure have been a lot of books published on the topic of Enochiana—understood generally as the system of angelic magic derived from the work of the Elizabethans John Dee and Edward Kelly. I count over twenty in my personal library alone. Many of these are historical, focusing on the primary materials from Dee and Kelly; while others are practical, offering instructions to contemporary aspirants and practitioners. Never before has there been a book that combines the two in such an accessible and sensible manner.

Lon Milo DuQuette is a storyteller, and his understanding of magick demands, and thus offers, the narrative framework so often missing from not only the modern practitioner approach, but also that of the source text analyst. His tale synthesizes the confusingly atomized objects and texts of angelic magic, placing them in a developmental sequence, and assessing their importance in the origins and fulfillment of Enochian praxis. His story does not end in the 17th century: the book is full of anecdotes about his own work and that of other living magicians, characterized by the humor and humility that are DuQuette’s trademark as an authority on esoteric subjects.

These stories are complemented by the necessary technical detail for anyone who wishes to use this book as a practical reference in actual work. And for those whose bent is toward research, the overview indicates all of the principal texts and topics of the angelic corpus, as the heads of so many fascinating trails. In my view, this book makes obsolete every previous “beginner” book on the topic, and is itself likely to hold a focal place in the bibliography for years to come. And along with its success as a primer, Enochian Vision Magick includes original reflection and inventive technique, so that veterans of the tablets and aires are sure to find food for thought among its pages. [via]