An Eclectic Path
Although Manly P. Hall is hardly a household word, nor the Philosophical Research Society he helped to found, he was clearly instrumental in showcasing the value of comparative religions. Now that the entire world is interconnected via new media, aware of the vast array of beliefs and religions that characterize human societies, it is more important than ever to recognize the value of people like Manly P. Hall.

Hall cultivated deep respect for a multitude of world religions, albeit within the normative prejudices of his cultural and historical milieu. Hall and his colleagues in the early twentieth century laid the foundation for the New Age spiritual movement that flourished several decades later. At the time, Hall’s beliefs incorporated almost every religious tradition under the sun, including those that would not have even qualified as religion but more as occult such as using Tarot cards for their symbolic value (Horowitz 1). Hall also studied Eastern philosophies like Buddhism and weaved those into a resurgent interest in the mystical traditions of ancient Egypt. Hall even traveled to Egypt, India, Japan, and China to study religion and religious practices long before the popularity of New Age practices embodied in books like Eat, Pray, Love.

As the Philosophical Research Society points out, Hall “lived in an era when most Americans did not look toward other cultures and traditions, without looking down,” (1). Hall was caught up in the zeitgeist of his time but contributed much to the growing body of knowledge and curiosity that stemmed in part from a growing discontent and disillusionment with organized religion. Hall delved deeper than most scholars of European descent at the time did, showing how disparate faiths throughout world history and from around the world shared in common essential goals, paths, symbols, and semantics.

His first and still most famous publication, The Secret Teachings of All Ages, is about the integration of global mystical and spiritual traditions under a modern rubric. The book encompasses almost too many traditions to name, taking a creative and syncretic approach that emphasized personal empowerment, self-healing, and meditation over rote recitation of scripture or deference to a hierarchical system. Hall was also a scholar interested in finding ways of fusing science and religion as much as possible, another trend of his time (The Manly P. Hall Archive 1). For example, Hall can be read in light of the emergence of psychology, sociology, and anthropology as new disciplines.

Other Hall publications showcased the author’s penchant for esotericism and secret societies like the Freemasons: evident in books like The Lost Keys of Freemasonry. Freemasonry was, as Hall suggests, based on an eclectic view of world religions. According to Hall’s introduction to The Lost Keys of Freemasonry, freemasonry is “not a religion,” even though it is “essentially religious,” (xv). Hall’s knowledge of freemasonry came directly from his work with Masonic temples in Hollywood during his late teens and early twenties (Sahagun 24). Reading Hall’s work shows how the current...…becoming a charismatic leader driven by the quest for money or prestige.

Chords of Familiarity

The writings of Manly P. Hall and the legacy of the Philosophical Research Society resonate with similar contemporary movements, especially Theosophy. Other chords of familiarity include a link between the mysticism of Hall and the occult leanings of Aleister Crowley. Hall did not agree with Crowley, or vice-versa, but both respected the other for their participation in alternative religious movements that focused on the empowerment of the individual (Sahagun 139). Hall also emerged at a time where bohemian lifestyles became increasingly attractive and common among the avant-garde in North America, the United Kingdom, and Europe. Spiritualism, interest in the supernatural, and practices like séances coincided also with charlatans and stage magicians. A student of comparative religions and the history of religion will recognize many similarities between the era in which Hall lived and that of today, with the proliferation of pseudoscience and nebulous, personalized spirituality. Hall shows how religion is distinct from spirituality. Whereas religion is connected with political power and culture, spirituality is more about the individual even when it takes place within a small community or organization like the Philosophical Research Society.

Any student of comparative religions interested in early twentieth century movements, in spiritualism, or in the occult will eventually come across the name of Manly P. Hall. Hall contributed greatly to the emergence of New Age style spirituality and to the eclecticism of modern worldviews.

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