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Master of the Mysteries: The Life of Manly Palmer Hall

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This is a deliciously gossipy & insightful book on one of the major figures in 20th century American esotericism. Manly P. Hall was America's answer to Madame Blavatsky and served to pioneer and document the rise of southern California as an occult Mecca. His Philosophical Research Society was a major influence through its publications in educating and influencing many to the cross cultural currents of comparative myth and religion. The cast of characters he encountered serves as a who's who of the American metaphysical underground between the 1920's through 1950's. Both noble and pathetic at times like occultism itself, this book never ceases to fascinate. A careful reading will also reveal several typos and errors that better editing should have caught.

Mr. Sahagun is a remarkable writer who I hope to read more of. His research is impeccable and many of those who played a role in Hall's life opened their hearts, minds and doors to him in documenting this larger than life figure both literally and figuratively. Knowing some of the people in this book that knew Hall and associated with him over the years this biography rings true from the stories I have heard from those that knew the "Maestro".

On another level, fans of Kenneth Anger's classic "Hollywood Babylon" will find much to keep them amused, the occult Hollywood subculture is here with such revelations as Rhonda Fleming's alternative health regime, Glenn Ford's belief in reincarnation and astrology (did you know he had a deformed spine that resulted in the need for special camera angles in the films he appeared in?), John Denver's unrequited attempt to become Hall's disciple, to Gloria Swanson's (the real Norma Desmond) finding a crashed flying saucer in the Hollywood hills? Culminating like a Greek tragedy in the mysterious death of this master of the mysteries- will linger in the mind of the reader long after the last page is read.

For those of us who were in Los Angeles during the final days of Manly Hall, this book is spot on. The incidents surrounding his death were in dispute for some time. It was refreshing to learn so much about Hall's early days,
the recorded documents and how he retold his own history. The evolution of the spiritual phenomenon in this city form Hall's arrival up to his death was great, warts and all. The new age, really, is just another cycle of a recurrent theme in the history of personal spiritual movements complete with real saints, real seekers, real con-artists. For myself who had heard him speak and who was at Hall's last lecture that evening at the Scottish Rite in Los Angeles, this book is great.

Manly P. Hall is an enigma to 20th Century occult and philosophy. Born into a new century of development and industry, Hall inherited a passionate interest in all things metaphysical with a deep drive to find its place to mankind. Rather than to try to sell his knowledge as a swami or magician, or to impose his will to how it should be perceived, Hall instead gave his life to studying and lecturing on what he discovered, and at his end he most likely lost his life as a result if it.

In the new book by Louis Sahagun, Master of the Mysteries: The Life of Manly Palmer Hall chronicles the obscure life of the man who is more noted for his life's work rather than his day to day travails. Written in a decade by decade narrative, very early on it becomes clear that Hall was fully immersed in his work and growing proficiency to explain it to others, despite his limited education. Though not flawless, Hall managed to produce the largest and greatest compendium of esoteric wisdom in the 20th Century aptly titled The Secret Teachings of All Ages (Reader's Edition) and just as the name implies it delivers the education.

Another interesting aspect of the book is the examination of the occult history of Los Angeles and how it played into ensuing decades towards the 21st Century. Notable celebrities, politicians, and rocket scientists all played a role in the growing cities esoteric and occult community, where Hall stood as a consistent beacon of light within his humble Philosophical Research Society. To note, Hall was a Freemason, raised November 22, 1954 in Jewel Lodge No. 374, in San Francisco. His written work on Freemasonry predates his having been made a Mason, and stopped following his degrees.

Sahagun's work is an excellent program to accompany Hall's body of work which spans over 50 texts and 3000 public lecture. In an almost encyclopedic fashion Sahagun hits every high point of his subjects' life, and then carries us though his low points. In some ways you can read between the lines and divine the reasons why so many past sages emphasize less their life and more their work. At the end of his life, Hall's great work of discovery ended in as equally great a mystery as those that he studied, reminding us of the frailties of the human condition, no matter what our degree of enlightenment.

I highly recommend the book Master of the Mysteries: The Life of Manly Palmer Hall by Louis Sahagun, published by Process. It will give any reader, fan or foe, an excellent perspective to the master of the mysteries himself, Manly P. Hall, and illustrate his unshakable devotion to them.

Louis Sahagun has written a book that reveals the facts about Manly Palmer Hall - his life, his work, and his legacy. The book also shows how Hall and the City of Los Angeles grew up together. "Master of the Mysteries" is the only book that I have ever encountered that contains well-researched and documented evidence used to tell Hall's story. Sahagun's book shatters many of the myths and legends that surround Hall and his work. We are left with the portrait of a man who was self-made, perhaps a genius, but ultimately a human being with all of the inherent qualities, both positive and negative. I would encourage you to obtain and read a copy of Louis Sahagun's "Master of the Mysteries". It reveals the real person behind the enigma, telling all the details of Hall's life that, apparently, not even very close friends knew. The result is a portrait of a genius who was driven to achieve great things, as well as a mortal man. By doing this, Louis Sahagun brings us much closer to Manly Hall and his works - a truly great accomplishment. This book is Sahagun's first, but his extensive experience (28 years) as a staff writer for the L.A. Times serves him well as his book is extremely accessible, even for those unfamiliar with Manly Hall.

Louis Sahagun has accomplished nothing short of a masterpiece with this work, which he toiled on, struggled with, and reveled in for years of his life.
The work offers a manifesto of Hall's life, those he was close to, the city of Los Angeles, and the pulse of the nation during the time Manly was active here on planet earth.
Louis presents an honest portrait of Hall and sets him in a greater context, connects him to the world, which is what Manly himself tried to do with all things.
Manly Hall's mission in life was to shed light on dark matters, make connections that were unseen, and Sahagun has afforded him the same courtesy in telling the tale of his existence.
For those that are familiar with Manly Hall, this book comes as a welcome friend to tell a tale left silent for years, one which is ready to be heard.
Even if you are not a fan of, or are unfamiliar with the works of Manly Hall, this work is a must have for any student of higher learning in every sense of the word.
The level of research is extradordinary, and the sheer volume of information amassed within makes the book well worth its price, if not worth its weight in gold.

Manly Palmer Hall is a figure is cut large both in the physical sense and in the Occult world. This was a young man who was made the pastor of the Church of the People in Los Angeles at the age of 18 or 19. He wrote his magnum opus at the age of 28 "THE SECRET TEACHINGS OF ALL AGES". This biography reveals Manly as the human he was however accomplished. Warts and all! It goes into his relationships with both his wives, the unfortunate sad first one Fay and the strange second one Marie. The Philosophical Research Society that Manly founded in his 30s still exists and has in the last few years has achieved one Manly's great hopes, that of being accredited for university courses of study. Will Manly Palmer Hall's legacy survive? Only time will tell. Read the book and decide for yourself.

This book has a kind of tabloid aura to it, especially near the end of Hall's life when he was surrounded by some shady individuals.

The book does a good job of showing Hall's strengths and weaknesses, what he thought of himself and the criticism of others. That plus his relationships with heavyweights in the spiritual community were fascinating.

From his studies he concluded that the sacred history of the world was being supplanted by the religion of science and technology - a very "Blavatsky" interpretation which is still being proven correct. Another interesting interaction was with Yogananda... Hall and Yogananda couldn't stand each other. Hall thought that yoga and breathing exercises were dangerous teachings. Glad to see that nothing has changed - most spiritual people don't act very spiritual. He admitted to not being perfect, and that people who put spiritualists on a pedestal as a god are going to be very disappointed. Looking at Hall's personal life, he didn't let anyone down.

Criticism of Manly was that he was not an original thinker; he just paraphrased the ideas and teachings of other men. In his defense he felt that fundamental truths used to help us solve real life problems should be restated in contemporary terms that ordinary people could understand. But in his typical enigmatic, contradictory way, he also felt that people should go straight to the source and read the original works of the masters.

He had the celebrity Hollywood followers, and one interesting relationship was with Ingalls and Roddenberry. A conversation Ingalls had with Hall about Blavatsky's notion of parallel universes became a Star Trek episode that Ingalls wrote for Roddenberry. (I saw that episode and thought it was outstanding!)

Love or hate him, if you believe his sincerity or think he was a fraud, he did make a monumental impact on the spiritual world.

The subject, Manly P. Hall, is a very fascinating man, and the writer obviously did a lot of great research. My quibble: the overall organization of the book seems a bit confused and haphazard; he bounces around, repeats some information, and he sometimes veers off the linear/chronological track, thus confusing the reader as to what's happening when. He could have used better organization and/or a better editor. Bottom line: great subject handled badly.

This biography of Manly P. Hall takes the reader on an intriguing journey into the life of one of the 20th century's most influential thinkers. Though it rambles from one event to the next with little internal organization, the book nevertheless delivers a fascinating ride.

Manly P. Hall was a bigger than life character (literally) who kept millions spellbound with his insightful writings, intriguing predictions, and colorful personal habits during the decades from the 1920's to 1990.

I lived only a few blocks from his Philosophical Research Society in Los Feliz while he was still alive but never personally met the man. I did though, read many of his books, which filled me with nothing but admiration for his wisdom, wit, and analytical depth.

This book is highly recommended, not only for the picture it paints of a wonderful mystic and colorful personality, but for the stirring motivation it will provide for your own life's goals. It seems Mr. Hall always worked against great odds, yet he eventually triumphed and was honored for his many achievements, among which was attaining the 33rd degree in Masonry.

Hall's life was fascinating and this book was as well. Easy to read and entertaining. It's near impossible to find any good information of substance about Manly P. Hall on the internet, so this book answered a lot of the questions about him that I could find no where else. Whether you're a fan of Mr. Hall's work or not, you will enjoy this look inside his life. I think the overall message is that while Hall was a very intelligent, cultured man with friends in high places and lots of money in the bank, he had his downfalls and weaknesses like all of us do. This is an addictive read that I just couldn't put down and I highly recommend it.