A Strange Tale of Aleister Crowley, John Dee and Loch Ness

Last week, I received in the mail a review copy of the new book from Jason Louv. Its title: John Dee and the Empire of Angels. The subtitle: Enochian Magick and the Occult Roots of the Modern World. The publicity release for the book (from Inner Traditions) states: "Dr. John Dee (1527-1608), Queen Elizabeth I’s court advisor and astrologer, was the foremost scientific genius of the 16th century. Laying the foundation for modern science, he actively promoted mathematics and astronomy as well as made advances in navigation and optics that helped elevate England to the foremost imperial power in the world. Centuries ahead of his time, his theoretical work included the concept of light speed and prototypes for telescopes and solar panels. Dee, the original '007' (his crown-given moniker), even invented the idea of a 'British Empire,' envisioning fledgling America as the new Atlantis, himself as Merlin, and Elizabeth as Arthur."

We are also told: "But, as Jason Louv explains, Dee was suppressed from mainstream history because he spent the second half of his career developing a method for contacting angels. After a brilliant ascent from star student at Cambridge to scientific advisor to the Queen, Dee, with the help of a disreputable, criminal psychic named Edward Kelly, devoted ten years to communing with the angels and archangels of God. These spirit communications gave him the keys to Enochian, the language that mankind spoke before the fall from Eden. Piecing together Dee’s fragmentary Spirit Diaries and scrying sessions, the author examines Enochian in precise detail and explains how the angels used Dee and Kelly as agents to establish a New World Order that they hoped would unify all monotheistic religions and eventually dominate the entire globe."

The book is 528 pages long, and I'm just about to start reading it. So, it will be a while before my review appears here at Mysterious Universe. But, in the meantime, I thought I would share with you a strange story concerning John Dee, Edward Kelly, Aleister Crowley and a man named Frederick W. "Ted" Holiday. It's a tale that takes us to none other than the heart of Loch Ness, Scotland. Monster territory, in other words.

In an article titled "The Magickal Memory," Donald Michael Kraig says: "Crowley believed that he was the reincarnation of John Dee‘s assistant, Edward Kelly, and famed occultist Eliphas Levi. However, he speaks little of his past lives in his voluminous writings. Even though he felt remembering past lives was important, and he felt he had famous past lives, the important thing is not the past, but how the memory can be used to give guidance, direction, and clarity to your life today." Not only did Crowley believe that he was the reincarnation of Kelly, but he also lived for a number of years at Boleskine House, an 18th century building on Loch Ness' south-east side that was extensively damaged by a fire in late 2015.

One of those who developed a deep interest in the matter of the monsters of Loch Ness - an interest which ultimately became an unhealthy, full-blown obsession - was the aforementioned Ted Holiday. In 1968, Holiday wrote a book titled The Great Orm of Loch Ness. Holiday sought to come up with an answer to what the creatures might be. He suggested huge invertebrates. Just a couple of years later, however, Holiday found himself in a strange world filled with bizarre synchronicities, paranormal phenomena, and creatures not of the invertebrate type, but instead supernatural entities. The more that Holiday dug into the matter of the Nessies, the weirder things got for Holiday. One of those "things" revolved around none other than the aforementioned John Dee.

On one specific evening in 1970, Ted Holiday was invited for dinner at the home of a friend. It wasn't just Holiday and his friend who were present for dinner. There was also a Dr. Dee. Holiday knew all about the Dee-Kelly-Crowley connections - and of Crowley's presence at Loch Ness - and viewed this issue of the doctor's name being "Dee" as just one more of the ever-growing number of synchronicities that were hitting Holiday on a regular basis. But, it didn't end there.

One year later, Holiday was checking out an area of water at Loch Ness in the Achnahannet area. To his complete and utter amazement, he saw that a significant amount of yellow sub-soil had slipped  into the loch - from an area where bulldozing was going on - and, as it floated, it appeared to spell the letters "D," "E," and another "E." "Dee," of course. Holiday was not only amazed by this. He was frightened too. It was one of many strange events that prompted Holiday to write his final book (published after his death), The Goblin Universe. It's a book that is very much in the tradition of the writings and beliefs of  John Keel, of The Mothman Prophecies fame. Whatever all of this means is anyone's guess. But, for Holiday it definitely meant something. And, it was all somehow connected to John Dee, Aleister Crowley and Edward Kelly.

In my next article, we'll see how these connections continued, but with completely different researchers of the lake-monster phenomenon.