Enochian Magic and Crystal Balls
The primary source for information and use of Dr John Dee’s Enochian Magic system has been the Golden Dawn. In the process the GD skewed the Enochian Magic for its own ends into its ritual magical system. Ritual magic is structured on the Tree of Life which is in itself presents a narrow view of kabbalism. The Golden Dawn Grade system is based upon working up the Sephiroth of the Tree. This hierarchy is designed to keep the leaders of the Magical Order at the top, and the members near the bottom.
My own spiritual and magical training resulted in many experiences of Dee’s Enochian spirits, but since I had never performed any ritual magic, despite studying the Golden Dawn based system, it was difficult to know what was really happening. Fortunately, in the last few years scholarly research on Enochian is clarifying the situation:
Another reason for Dee’s popularity is undoubtedly the fact that his system was used and adapted by the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, and, subsequently by Aleister Crowley. If one examines the Golden Dawn material, its appeal soon becomes clear: It draws together various occult methods into a highly coherent system. In adapting Dee’s system, various additions, omissions, and mistakes were made. This departure was compounded by uncritical, although imaginative, treatments of the Golden Dawn material by some authors. The result is a maze of information.
Joseph H. Peterson, Editor, John Dee’s Five Books of Mystery, Weiser.
Skrying in Enochian system
I highly recommend Peterson’s book as a primary source for the Enochian system. In particular, it becomes clear that the crystal ball or stone is the prime method of skrying. According to Peterson,
… the ritual apparatus included several other items: various scrying stones, sometimes set in a frame; a “holy table” on which was painted or engraved various symbols; wax seals called Aemeth; a ring and a lamin to be worn by the practitioner; and the rod “el,” divided into three parts, the ends painted black, the middle red.
Joseph H. Peterson, Editor, John Dee’s Five Books of Mystery, Weiser.
None of the paraphernalia demanded by the Golden Dawn was ever used by Dee. It is also noteworthy that there is no place for the Kabbalistic Tree of Life.
These days, the crystal ball is associated with fortune telling, which by implication includes prediction. However, Dee rarely used it for this purpose.
… Dee did not use scrying to see far-off happenings, or to divine the future. His aim was to see into the spiritual realms to receive wisdom from higher beings. The spiritual realms were thought to resemble, in many respects, the physical world.
Joseph H. Peterson, Editor, John Dee’s Five Books of Mystery, Weiser.
So, the crystal ball is seen as a communication device between man and spiritual entities. We may also see this is as an internal process, integrating the higher and lower natures of man.
My own experience of seeing visions associated with crystals is that there is an inner awareness and perception rather than seeing something within the crystal. However the vision is experienced, crystals certainly enhance the senses and awareness.