Independent twentieth-century magic
Manly P. Hall
Lecturer, collector and founder of the Philosophical Research Society, best known for a lavish encyclopedia of esoteric symbolism published when he was twenty-seven.
- Dates
- 18 March 1901 – 29 August 1990
- Dating
- documented dates
- Born
- Peterborough, Ontario
- Died
- Los Angeles
The life
Hall settled in Los Angeles, built a career from public lectures and books, and founded the Philosophical Research Society in 1934. Its library collected rare material across alchemy, Masonry, comparative religion and occultism.
Place in the tradition
The Secret Teachings of All Ages became one of the most widely circulated visual gateways into Western esotericism.
a note on the record
History and later legend
The book is a grand synthesis, not a work of critical historiography. It often repeats the ancient-lineage claims of the traditions it describes.
the written record
Principal works
-
1928
The Secret Teachings of All Ages
A large illustrated survey of mystery religions, alchemy, Kabbalah, Rosicrucianism, Freemasonry, Tarot and symbolic philosophy.