The Bond Code

Author Philip Gardiner joined George Knapp (email) to discuss the life of James Bond author Ian Fleming and his associations with the world of the occult which led him to create a series of clues, ciphers and codes within his novels. 

Early in his life, Fleming became fascinated by the just-emerging study of psychology, which relied heavily on the occult, according to Gardiner. This interest, coupled with Fleming’s time as a spy during World War II, became the basis for the James Bond universe. 

Gardiner cited a number of esoteric references in the James Bond stories, notably the "007" name being taken from the 16th century English spy John Dee, who used it as a signature in his letters to Queen Elizabeth. She, in turn, signed her responses with the letter "M," which Fleming used as the name of the fictional head of the MI6 spy agency. 

The infamous Bond villains were rich with occult symbolism, said Gardiner. An example of this is the character "Auric Goldfinger," whose name is a combination of alchemical terms. Gardiner also noted that many Bond villains were modeled after Aleister Crowley, right down to descriptions matching Crowley’s physical appearance.