Happy RIP Birthday to Manly P Hall, One of the Greatest Metaphysicians of the 20th Century

by Robert Wilkinson

Today would have been the 112th birthday of the amazing sage Manly P. Hall.

Manly P Hall (March 18, 1901 – August 29, 1990) was a prolific author, writing on everything from “The Secret Teachings of All Ages,” to “Man – Grand Symbol of the Mysteries” and Astrology, Kabbala, and the esoteric history of the US. From Wikipedia,

Hall delved deeply into "teachings of lost and hidden traditions, the golden verses of Hindu gods, Greek philosophers and Christian mystics, and the spiritual treasures waiting to be found within one's own soul." Less than a year later, Hall booked his first lecture, and the topic was reincarnation.

A tall (6', 4"), imposing, confident and charismatic speaker who soon took over as preacher of the Church of the People in 1919, he read voraciously on "comparative religion, philosophy, sociology and psychology," and "seemingly overnight . . . became a one-stop source of an astonishing range of eclectic spiritual material that resonates with the intellect, and the subconscious…."

After The Secret Teachings of All Ages was published, "Hall's life would never be the same," noted a biographer. "Overnight, he went from being just another ernest young preacher in the City of Angels to becoming an icon of the increasingly influential metaphysical movement sweeping the country in the 1920s. His book challenged assumptions about society's spiritual roots and made people look at them in new ways." Hall dedicated The Secret Teachings of All Ages to "the proposition that concealed within the emblematic figures, allegories and rituals of the ancients is a secret doctrine concerning the inner mysteries of life, which doctrine has been preserved in toto among a small band of initiated minds." As one writer put it: "The result was a gorgeous, dreamlike book of mysterious symbols, concise essays and colorful renderings of mythical beasts rising out of the sea, and angelic beings with lions' heads presiding over somber initiation rites in torch-lit temples of ancestral civilizations that had mastered latent powers beyond the reach of modern man."

Manly P Hall, the world is a better place for you having been here. You were a “philosopher’s philosopher,” a Master of many fields of the Ageless Wisdom, and an inspiration to me when I was much younger and trying to figure it all out. Thanks for everything, and may you celebrate your life here, wherever you are in the Heavenworld of Devachan. Aum Namah Shivaya!

© Copyright 2013 Robert Wilkinson

Comments

[Charles]

Somehow I managed to get in to a public lecture by Manly Hall at the Philosophical Research Society in LA, way back around 1982 or so. I don't think he did many public lectures during that time. I only vaguely recall the topic of his lecture, about Native American philosophy and imagery. But I vividly remember Hall, sitting there in a big wooden chair, like a throne, smiling and calm, but projecting powerful positive energy.

[Chris Morrison]

I was introduced to Manly Palmer Hall's book "The Secret Teachings of All Ages" about 30 years ago and I continue to consult it to this day. I had high aspirations of reading it from cover to cover...hah...never quite made it. Truly a one-of-a-kind human being, and I am sorry that I was never able to meet the man. That book is Painstakingly detailed with incredible attribution...a rare effort, one that might not be done these days. Thank you so much for posting the tribute!

[sunshyne99]

I got The Secret Teachings of All Ages last year. Was a meant to be, full of great wondrous teachings, wisdom, understanding, and Love.

Love all the Art/Symbolic Work within, very inspiring.