Science has been one of the biggest mysteries in humanity. We know a lot of things about the Universe, but a lot of them are nowhere to be discovered yet. Magic and spiritualism have been controversial topics since the beginning of scientific research, but even the greatest minds were interested in its attractiveness.
John Dee was a remarkable name from the 16th century, he was a man of science who was really into alchemy, mathematics, astrology, and cartography, but he was also known for being the political advisor of Queen Elizabeth I.
Though Dee originally thought that there was a fine line between natural ‘magic’, what was later called science, and demonic magic that was out of the boundaries of religion, he eventually crossed it. There are a lot of tales and research that state that Dee was an expert in different practices of occult exploits and magical rituals.
Crystals and mirrors were part of his extensive collection of clairvoyant tools that he used to conjure spirits such as communicating with angels. But there was a particular device that has gotten a lot of attention lately because of its alleged powers and strange origin.
It seems like John Dee was the owner of an obsidian mirror that had its origin in a region in Mexico where the Aztecs used to make traditional obsidian mirrors that were used in magical rituals. The Aztec culture believed mirrors could show smoke as they were a physical representation of the deity Tezcatlipoca.
Tezcatlipoca is translated as ‘Smoking Mirror’ and they believed these objects were able to reveal a distant time or place after the smoke cleared up. Basically, the mirror worked as a spirit portal between different worlds and dimensions.
Researchers from the British Museum, where the obsidian mirror lies, are certain that Dee knew about the apparent magical qualities of the object and he got it in one of his travels around Europe since these kinds of mirrors were often shipped to the old continent.
The notions of spirituality from the Aztecs also traveled to Europe along with the mirrors, and it could have been a great interest in John Dee’s life and that he often used on his daily basis.
John Dee got himself a lot of names because of all his participation in different fields, like doctor or wizard. He is a very important historical character in British history, and he has inspired all kinds of artworks, like writings and music. This discovery has only surprised historians since the presence of Dee in so many areas is a really shocking topic.
