''Monas Hieroglyphica'' (or ''The Hieroglyphic Monad'') is a book by

John Dee John Dee (13 July 1527 – 1608 or 1609) was an English mathematician, astronomer, teacher, astrologer, occultist, and alchemist. He was the court astronomer for, and advisor to, Elizabeth I, and spent much of his time on alchemy, divination, ...

, the Elizabethan

magus Magi (), or magus (), is the term for priests in Zoroastrianism and earlier Iranian religions. The earliest known use of the word ''magi'' is in the trilingual inscription written by Darius the Great, known as the Behistun Inscription. Old Per ...

and court

astrologer Astrology is a range of Divination, divinatory practices, recognized as pseudoscientific since the 18th century, that propose that information about human affairs and terrestrial events may be discerned by studying the apparent positions ...

Elizabeth I of England Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. She was the last and longest reigning monarch of the House of Tudor. Her eventful reign, and its effect on history ...

, published in Antwerp in 1564. It is an exposition of the meaning of an

esoteric Western esotericism, also known as the Western mystery tradition, is a wide range of loosely related ideas and movements that developed within Western society. These ideas and currents are united since they are largely distinct both from orthod ...

symbol A symbol is a mark, Sign (semiotics), sign, or word that indicates, signifies, or is understood as representing an idea, physical object, object, or wikt:relationship, relationship. Symbols allow people to go beyond what is known or seen by cr ...

that he invented. Dee's ''Monas Hieroglyphica'' presents a complex emblem constructed from various astrological symbols, with elements of Latin wordplay, capitalization, spacing, and diacritics, rendering its interpretation challenging. The symbol is intended to embody a profound concept, representing the unity of all creation influenced by celestial forces. Dee believed that this symbol contained the essence of alchemical transformation and spiritual evolution, and by meditating upon it, he aimed to access hidden knowledge transcending linguistic barriers. In merging

astrology Astrology is a range of Divination, divinatory practices, recognized as pseudoscientific since the 18th century, that propose that information about human affairs and terrestrial events may be discerned by studying the apparent positions ...

alchemy Alchemy (from the Arabic word , ) is an ancient branch of natural philosophy, a philosophical and protoscientific tradition that was historically practised in China, India, the Muslim world, and Europe. In its Western form, alchemy is first ...

mysticism Mysticism is popularly known as becoming one with God or the Absolute (philosophy), Absolute, but may refer to any kind of Religious ecstasy, ecstasy or altered state of consciousness which is given a religious or Spirituality, spiritual meani ...

, and

metaphysics Metaphysics is the branch of philosophy that examines the basic structure of reality. It is traditionally seen as the study of mind-independent features of the world, but some theorists view it as an inquiry into the conceptual framework of ...

, the Hieroglyphic Monad serves as a visual manifestation of Dee's interconnected worldview.

Content

Understanding the text is difficult because of Dee's Latin wordplay, unexplained capitalization, odd spacing and

diacritic A diacritic (also diacritical mark, diacritical point, diacritical sign, or accent) is a glyph added to a letter or to a basic glyph. The term derives from the Ancient Greek (, "distinguishing"), from (, "to distinguish"). The word ''diacrit ...

Meaning of the symbol

John Dee intended the

Monad Monad may refer to: Philosophy * Monad (philosophy), a term meaning "unit" **Monism, the concept of "one essence" in the metaphysical and theological theory ** Monad (Gnosticism), the most primal aspect of God in Gnosticism * ''Great Monad'', an ...

to incorporate a wide range of mystical and esoteric concepts. This complex symbol was meant to symbolize the unity of all creation, influenced by astrological and planetary forces. Dee believed it held the essence of alchemical transformation and spiritual growth. By meditating on the Monad, he thought to gain insights into hidden knowledge about the universe, transcending language barriers and tapping into profound truths. Overall, Dee's intention was to encapsulate his interconnected worldview, combining elements of

, and

Reception and influence

The book received little notice in English sources, though it is praised in the 1591 edition of George Ripley's ''The Compound of Alchymy'' as well as in

Elias Ashmole Elias Ashmole (23 May 1617 – 18 May 1692) was an English antiquary, politician, officer of arms, astrologer, freemason and student of alchemy. Ashmole supported the royalist side during the English Civil War, and at the restoration of Char ...

’s ''Theatrum Chemicum Britannicum'' (1652). A number of references appear in other languages, for example, Jean-Jacques Manget's ''Bibliotheca Chemica Curiosa'' (1702) and Lazarus Zetzner's '' Theatrum Chemicum'' (1602; 1659–1661); the latter reproduces the ''Monas Hieroglyphica'' in its entirety. Gerard Dorn's ''Judgement of the Spagiric Art of Johann Trithemius'' contains terms and phrases based on the ''Monas'', and his commentary on the ''Tractatus Aureus'' references the words ("Vulgaris, Hic, Oculus caligabit, diffidetque plurimum") accompanying a figure in the ''Monas'', saying "with the eyes of the mind, for the vulgar eye, as John Dee of London says, will here find fault and be most distrustful." Peter Forshaw suggests that it is likely that Dorn's use of the same line and circle figure in his ''Monarchia Physica or Monarchia Triadis, in Unitate'' (1577) is a reference to the figure in Dee. It is also reproduced in the English logician, mathematician, and medic Thomas Oliver's ''De Sophismatum praestigijs cauendis admonitio'' (1604). His further comments in the work suggest that he was also familiar with Dee's "Mathematicall Praeface" to Billingsley's translation of '' Euclid's Elements of Geometrie'' (1570). Giulio Cesare Capaccio refers to the ''Monas'' in his ''Delle imprese'' ("On devices", 1592), paraphrasing content from the preface and mentioning the "recondite Kabbalistic philosophy" of "Giovanni Dee da Londino". Cesare della Riviera includes Dee's glyph, without attribution, in his ''Il Mondo Magico de gli Heroi'' (1605). The glyph is also reproduced in the ''Amphitheatrum sapientiae aeternae'' (1595; 1609) of Heinrich Khunrath, where it is used in a more

alchemical Alchemy (from the Arabic word , ) is an ancient branch of natural philosophy, a philosophical and protoscientific tradition that was historically practised in China, India, the Muslim world, and Europe. In its Western form, alchemy is first ...

context. The glyph was adopted by the

Rosicrucians Rosicrucianism () is a spirituality, spiritual and cultural movement that arose in early modern Europe in the early 17th century after the publication of several texts announcing to the world a new Western esotericism, esoteric order. Rosicruc ...

and appears on a page of the Rosicrucian manifesto ''

Chymical Wedding of Christian Rosenkreutz The ''Chymical Wedding of Christian Rosenkreutz'' () is a German book edited in 1616 in Strasbourg. Its anonymous authorship is attributed to Johann Valentin Andreae. The ''Chymical Wedding'' is often described as the third of the original man ...

'' (1616), beside the text of the invitation to the Royal Wedding given to

Christian Rosenkreuz Christian Rosenkreuz (also spelled Rosenkreutz, Rosencreutz, Christiani Rosencreütz and Christian Rose Cross) is the legendary, possibly allegorical, founder of the Rosicrucian Order (Order of the Rose Cross). He is presented in three manife ...

, who narrates the work. Frances Yates notes that Dee's influence later "spread to

Puritanism The Puritans were English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries who sought to rid the Church of England of what they considered to be Roman Catholic practices, maintaining that the Church of England had not been fully reformed and should ...

in the New World through

John Winthrop the Younger John Winthrop the Younger FRS (February 12, 1606 – April 6, 1676) was an English politician and alchemist. An early governor of the Connecticut Colony, he played a large role in the unification of the colony's settlements into a singular ...

, an alchemist and a follower of Dee; Winthrop used the 'monas' as his personal mark".

Publications

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English translations

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References

Notes

Citations

Works cited

Primary sources

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Secondary sources

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External links

Monas Hieroglyphica
at Esotericarchives.com *
Monas Hieroglyphica
at the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is a research library in Washington, D.C., serving as the library and research service for the United States Congress and the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It also administers Copyright law o ...

{{Authority control Monad (philosophy) 1564 beginnings 1564 books 1564 in England 1560s introductions English non-fiction books Alchemical symbols Christian Kabbalah John Dee Occult books Magic symbols Religious symbols Theurgy

Content

Meaning of the symbol

Reception and influence

Publications

English translations

See also

References

Notes

Citations

Works cited

Primary sources

Secondary sources

Further reading

External links