The Oracle of Dr. John Dee

Dr John Dee (1527-1609) - arguably the most famous of the Elizabethan magicians - was a visionary who straddled the worlds of science and magic. Court astrologer to Elizabeth I, he was also a mathematician, astronomer, occultist and navigator, and devoted much of his life to the study of alchemy, divination and Hermetic philosophy. His work led him into the realms of angelic magic, and during the last thirty years of his life he invested a great deal of time and effort attempting to commune with angels in order to learn the universal language of creation and bring about the pre-apocalyptic unity of mankind. The twenty-eight oracle cards, divided into four sets of seven, depict Dee in seven of the archetypal roles that illuminated his work, along with other key luminaries from each realm (including Johannes Kepler, Nicolas Flamel, Robert Fludd, Hippocrates and Sir Francis Drake, among others). Each set is governed by its own 'suit' - Green, Red, Gold and Silver - and features the following archetypes: Magus (Knowledge), Alchemist (Transformation), Astronomer (Perception), Astrologer (Futures), Geographer (Journeys), Physician (Well-being) and Historian (Map of Life). While the inherent meaning of each archetype always remains the same, the insight it brings to the issue is coloured by the governing suit and the direction (north, south, east or west) in which the card falls on the talisman template.