Manly P. Hall (18 March 1901 – 29 August 1990)

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​Manly Palmer Hall was an American writer, lecturer, astrologer and mystic. Born in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada, to Louise Antist (nee Palmer) Hall, a chiropractor and member of the Rosicrucian Fellowship, and William S. Hall, a dentist. Manly P Hall is said to have never known his father. In 1919, Hall moved to Los Angeles to reunite with his birth mother who was living in Santa Monica. After moving in with her, he very soon after became drawn to mysticism, esoteric philosophies and their underlying principles.

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Over his 70-year career he gave thousands of lectures and published over 150 volumes, of which the best known is The Secret Teachings of All Ages (1928). In 1934 he founded the Philosophical Research Society in Los Angeles.

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The Philosophical Research Society (PRS) is an American non-profit organization founded in 1934, by Manly P. Hall, to promote the study of the world's wisdom literature, dedicated to the study of philosophy, religion, mythology, metaphysics, occultism, mysticism and metaphysics. PRS is located at 3910 Los Feliz Blvd in Los Angeles. Hall believed the accumulated wisdom of mankind is the birthright of every individual and founded the facility to serve the general public to this end. After his death, some of Manly Hall's rare alchemy books were sold to keep the PRS in operation. "Acquisition of the Manly Palmer Hall Collection in 1995 provided the Getty Research Institute with one of the world's leading collections of alchemy, esoterica, and hermetica". The PRS still maintains a research library of over 50,000 volumes, and also sells and publishes metaphysical and spiritual books, mostly those authored by Hall.

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Hall was a Knight Patron of the Masonic Research Group of San Francisco, with which he was associated for a number of years prior to his Masonic affiliations. On 28 June 1954, Hall was initiated as a Freemason into Jewel Lodge No. 374, San Francisco (now the United Lodge); passed 20 September 1954; and raised 22 November 1954. He took the Scottish Rite Degrees a year later. He later received his 32° in the Valley of San Francisco AASR (SJ). On 8 December 1973 (45 years after writing The Secret Teachings of All Ages), Hall was recognized as a 33° Mason (the second highest honor conferred by the Supreme Council of the Scottish Rite) at a ceremony held at the Philosophical Research Society (PRS).

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Notable Works:

• (1922) The Initiates of the Flame

• (1923) The Lost Keys of Freemasonry

• (1925) The Noble Eightfold Path: Teachings of the Great Buddha, in 7 Parts

• (1925) Shadow Forms: A Collection of Occult Stories

• (1928) The Secret Teachings of All Ages

• (1929) Lectures on Ancient Philosophy: An Introduction to the Study and Application of Rational Procedure

• (1933) Introduction to Max Heindel's Blavatsky and The Secret Doctrine

• (1942) How to Understand Your Bible

• (1943) Lady of Dreams: A Fable in the Manner of the Chinese

• (1944) The Secret Destiny of America

• (1944) The Guru by His Disciple: The Way of the East

• (1951) America's Assignment with Destiny

• (1980) The Blessed Angels: A Monograph

• (1984) Lectures in Ancient Philosophy: An Introduction to Practical Ideals

• (1988) Meditation Symbols in Eastern & Western Mysticism: Mysteries of the Mandala

• The Adepts Series

• A Monthly Letter Devoted to Spiritual and Philosophical Problems

  • Atlantis: An Interpretation

  • Symbolic Essays

  • Noah and His Wonderful Ark

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LINK:

The Philosophical Research Society (PRS) Official Website