Title: The Thoughts and Inner Journey of Dr. John Dee
Author: Clair lles
Publisher: AuthorHouseUK
ISBN: 9781524676698
Pages: 292
Genre: Biography & Autobiography / General
Reviewed by: Dan Macintosh
Pacific Book Review
How you react to Clair Iles book, The Thoughts and Inner Journey of Dr. John Dee, will likely largely depend upon how you feel about ‘new age’ spiritual ideas. It’s because this multi-chapter book is a transcription of what lles believes she heard from an Elizabethan court polymath John Dee. Now, back in the day, way back in the day, Dee was an advisor to Queen Elizabeth I. Edward Kelly (referred to as Kelly in Iles’ book), it is said, taught Dee how to communicate with angels, which resulted in his book, On the Mystical Rule of the Seven Planets.
In this current book’s introduction, Iles states emphatically, “This book is not a scientific or factual. I have not spent time on the internet or in libraries researching the man that is etched into the pages of history. This book has been created by the simple allowance of my mind to accept Dr. Dee’s words as I have heard them and place them on the page for you the reader to hear them as he wanted them written.” She then writes, “Set aside your preconceived ideas of any knowledge you already have about this man and just enjoy the journey he takes you on.”
It’s doubtful the average reader has many “preconceived ideas” nor “knowledge” about Dees going in, unless he or she is already a fairly broadminded spiritual seeker. It would seem Dees is relatively obscure. The ideas expressed with Iles book, however, are relatively commonplace in contemporary new age thinking. There is a bit of a bias against organized Christianity in these pages. Jesus, when he’s sometimes referred to, is not presented as God in flesh, as the Christian church has historically taught, but as one who has mastered the art of healing magic at an advanced level. In fact, another historical magician, Merlin, also makes an appearance within these pages.
The book also contains much talk about getting out of the physical realm and traveling in the spiritual realm. Furthermore, much is said about the significance of energy and light. Ecologically-minded ones may also appreciate this work’s multiple references to Mother Nature, capitalized throughout and treated as a kind of deity. Speaking of nature, some of the best writing in this book arrives whenever lles describes nature. These spiritual journeys, the reader surmises, provide a clearer picture and better comprehension of nature’s innate beauty.
Many of the ideas expressed in this book do not come off nearly as controversial as they may have been perceived back in Dee’s day. For instance, the life journeys of animals are described to be just as important as those of humans. Holy Scriptures make a clear distinction between the animal kingdom and humankind, which was likely the accepted belief of that day. These days, though, with the rise of animal rights, such thinking might be quite appreciated.
Iles advice to “set aside your preconceived ideas,” might be what’s best about her book. It’s easy, especially when we’re already so set in our ways, to scoff at any adventurous ideas. However, if you approach this book the way you might, say, read Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland, you may come away with a more broadminded viewpoint of the world around you. We tend to reserve a belief for only things tangible to us. This writing, reminds us just how much of what we discover about the world comes from within. It is this inner journey that many of us may be missing out on.
Yes, this book is particularly new age-y. Nevertheless, it’s ultimately worth the literary journey in the end.
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