Angels, Gold and Lust: John Dee and the Philosopher's Stone (Part 2)

This segment explores the life of Elizabethan scholar John Dee as he attempts to create the philosopher's stone at Trebon Castle. After failing to find the Northwest Passage, Dee turns to alchemy and the occult in a desperate bid to restore his reputation and unlock the secrets of the universe.

John Dee, an occult scholar, begins a partnership with a mysterious scryer named Edward Talbot who claims to communicate with angels. Through Talbot's visions, Dee seeks to recover a divine angelic language and unlock the hidden workings of the universe.

This segment explores the historical deception of John Dee by his scrier Edward Kelly, who posed as a nobleman to manipulate Dee's occult investigations. It draws a parallel to a modern case in Agde, France, where a mayor was manipulated by a medium and an impostor claiming to be the Archangel Michael.

John Dee decides to continue his work with his scrier, Edward Kelly, despite his wife's strong disapproval and Kelly's questionable reputation. As Dee faces financial struggles and social isolation, he interprets his lack of favor from the Queen as a sign of his divine importance while preparing to flee England due to apocalyptic warnings.

John Dee and Edward Kelley, guided by angelic prophecies, align themselves with the exiled Polish Prince Lasky. After discovering the prince's financial ruin and political disgrace, they flee England for Europe, eventually being directed by their visions toward Prague to meet the Holy Roman Emperor.

John Dee and Edward Kelley struggle to gain favor with Emperor Rudolf II in Prague while navigating angelic messages and accusations of heresy. After being dismissed by the Emperor, they find refuge with Count Vilem Rosenberg in Trebon to continue their alchemical experiments.

This segment explores the historical alchemical activities of John Dee and Edward Kelley, followed by a modern-day investigation into a fraudulent medium in France. It highlights the manipulative tactics used by both historical figures and contemporary con artists to exploit their targets.

This segment explores the manipulative relationship between John Dee and Edward Kelley, focusing on how Dee's intellectual identity and need for divine validation led him to accept bizarre spiritual commands. It examines the concept of identity-protective cognition to explain why a brilliant polymath would fall for a charlatan's stagecraft.

This segment explores the psychological manipulation of John Dee by Edward Kelley, leading to his ruin and the loss of his prized possessions. It then draws a parallel to a modern-day corruption scandal in Agde involving Gilles de Tours and Sophia Martinez, who used claims of spiritual influence to facilitate fraud.

Following the dissolution of his partnership with Edward Kelley, John Dee returned to England to find his home ransacked and his library destroyed. He spent his final years in poverty and relative obscurity, while his wife Jane Dee passed away during a plague outbreak in Manchester.