Manly P. Hall and Comparative Religion's Eclectic Path

An Eclectic Path

Although Manly P. Hall is hardly a household name, nor is the Philosophical Research Society he helped found, he was clearly instrumental in showcasing the value of comparative religions. Now that the entire world is interconnected via new media and aware of the vast array of beliefs and religions that characterize human societies, it is more important than ever to recognize the contributions 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 rather as occult — such as using Tarot cards for their symbolic value (Horowitz 1). Hall also studied Eastern philosophies like Buddhism and wove 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 essential goals, paths, symbols, and semantics.

His first and still most famous publication, The Secret Teachings of All Ages, concerns 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, another trend of his time (The Manly P. Hall Archive 1). For example, Hall's work 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 contemporary desire to transcend divisiveness in the interests of cross-cultural harmony and respect can be traced, at least in part, to the teachings of the Philosophical Research Society and to Hall in particular.

Biography

Prolific in his writings, Manly Palmer Hall remained passionate about the esoteric common threads in world religion throughout his career. Hall founded the Philosophical Research Society in 1934, after studying comparative religions and philosophy and having been ordained as a minister (Philosophical Research Society 1). Hall even worked temporarily on Wall Street as a clerk until he witnessed a colleague commit suicide (Horowitz 1). The event made a tremendous impact on his life, inspiring him to follow his true passion: to explore the mystical traditions in world religions and to communicate his findings through writing and through the creation of a small but influential organization, the Philosophical Research Society.

Hall was no stranger to tragedy. After his parents divorced, he was sent from his birthplace in Canada to South Dakota to live with his grandmother, Florence Palmer. Palmer would take Manly with her on trips to Chicago and New York, which is how he ended up working as a clerk on Wall Street. Not long after he witnessed his colleague's suicide, his grandmother died when he was just sixteen years old (Horowitz 1). Bereft and in need of change and the closeness of family, Manly managed to contact his mother.

At the time, Manly's mother, Louise Hall, had been living in Santa Monica with her new husband. Manly may have inherited his bohemian approach to life and to the study of esoteric philosophy from her. Long before the counterculture movement of the 1960s, California was a haven for those drawn to alternative ways of life — a "territory laden with gold and oil and rich with potential to be the birthplace of a spiritual revolution" (Sahagun 16). In California, Hall was immediately exposed to all types of alternative religions and philosophies, including occult organizations like the Rosicrucians (Horowitz 1). He had mentors who helped him cultivate his skills as an orator and realize his identity as a spiritual teacher. Hall became steeped in Rosicrucian and similar philosophical traditions and soon branched out on his own, developing the foundations for his own lectures and teachings.