The Secret Teachings of All Ages: An Encyclopedic Outline of Masonic, Hermetic, Qabbalistic and Rosicrucian Symbolical Philosophy (Dover Occult)

Review of: "The Secret Teachings of All Ages: An Encyclopedic Outline of Masonic, Hermetic, Qabbalistic and Rosicrucian Symbolical Philosophy," Paperback – March 21, 2011, by Manly P. Hall (Author). This is an excellent text which provides an overview of esoteric research authored by the eminent Manly P. Hall. Background: "Manly P. Hall (1901-1990) founded the Philosophical Research Society in 1934, a non-profit organization dedicated to the dissemination of useful knowledge in the fields of philosophy, comparative religion and psychology. In his long career, spanning more than 70 years of dynamic public activity, Mr. Hall delivered over 8000 lectures in the United States and abroad, authored over 150 books and essays, and wrote countless magazine articles." This text investigates and provides an scholarly article on each of the following subjects as descending order chapters: "The Ancient Mysteries and Secret Societies Which Have Influenced Modern Masonic Symbolism," page 1. "The Ancient Mysteries and Secret Societies, Part Two," page 7. "The Ancient Mysteries and Secret Societies, Part Three," page 11. "Atlantis and the Gods of Antiquity," page 16. "The Life and Teachings of Thoth Hermes Trismegistus," page 22. "The Initiation of the Pyramid," page 28. "Isis, the Virgin of the World," page 34. "The Sun, A Universal Deity," page 39. "The Zodiac and Its Signs," page 45. "Wonders of Antiquity," page 51. "The Life and Philosophy of Pythagoras," page 57. "Pythagorean Mathematics," page 63. "The Human Body in Symbolism," page 70. "The Hiramic Legend," page 75. "The Pythagorean Theory of Music and Color," page 81. "Fishes, Insects, Animals, Reptiles and Birds (Part One)," page 86. "Fishes, Insects, Animals, Reptiles and Birds (Part Two)," page 92. "Flowers, Plants, Fruits, and Trees," page 97. "Stones, Metals, and Gems," page 102. "Ceremonial Magic and Sorcery," page 108. "The Elements and Their Inhabitants," page 113. "Hermetic Pharmacology, Chemistry, and Therapeutics," page 119. "The Qabbalah, the Secret Doctrine of Israel," page 124. "Qabbalistic Keys to the Creation of Man," page 130. "An Analysis of Tarot Cards," page 135. "The Tabernacle in the Wilderness," page 142. "Rosicrucian Doctrines and Tenets," page 148. "Alchemy and Its Exponents," page 153. "The Chemical Marriage," page 158. "The Cryptogram as a factor in Symbolic Philosophy," page 164. "Freemasonic Symbolism," page 169. "Mystic Christianity," page 175. "The Cross and the Crucifixion," page 180. "The Mystery of the Apocalypse," page 186. "The Faith of Islam," page 191. "American Indian Symbolism," page 196. "Conclusion," page 201. Each of the preceding articles are well written and not too comprehensive as to be unintelligible to the curious reader. The articles as published in this work are written in smallish font (10?) and are packed into 205 pages. What is missing in this text from the original publication of 1928 are the numerous plates. The original text was repleat with art and photographs to assist the reader in comprehending what Mr. Hall was explaining. This is still an excellent resource and reference and I will not remove a star for the lack of art or photo plates. Well done at five stars.

Superb book for those interested in frimge philosophical concepts, and absolutely worth reading. Ig is not a text one flashes through, and at the end exclaims: "Whew, GRAND thing...But what the blazes was it all about?". The text demands thinking and cerebral rumination - the award is substantial and surely expanding one's horizons well beyond effusive exilaration with slobbering novellas on "human condition". Thus, if you are willing to work, the book is worth reading. But...it has one near criminal fault: the size of its font. Its suze iscthat of a manual accompanying an electronic device manufactured in China. It's TINY. SUPER TINY. Thus, if you are willing to readcut usung a very powerful magnifying glass, by all means - get it. Otherwise struggle with the struggle with the results of near criminal stupidity ov publishers who made a very noble text somost utterly useless.

A very deep study

Good read arrived on time and new

Great book I must say

Informational

The first and best book to read on your journey of learning about the occult, religions, magick, and how the universe works

This was a great read!! The in depth exploration of spiritual philosophies,from culture to culture as expressed historically, and geographically gave me the understanding that through out time and across the globe the common threads of spiritual thought and often expression persists in human consciousness,sometimes, seemingly, with little or no physical contact. Which leads me to believe that there is an innate understanding that true seekers into the nature of human existence eventually arrive at. How the tennants,and parables, of all major religions find their roots in the "Pagan" spiritual disciplines demonstrates human connectivity on a level that seems incomprehensible.The universal "Flood" story is just one example. The secret societies formed the spiritually intellectual brotherhoods to propel humanity on an upward trajectory by recruiting bright,intelligent,worthy youth capable of absorbing, continuing, and advancing the traditions, concepts, and philosophies. I imagine this might have been tremendously difficult due to the fact that living, and surviving in the earliest part of mans history depended on spending an inordinate amount of time hunting for food, drinkable water, building and maintaining adequate shelter, and fending off enemies. Literacy levels were extremely low. Who had the time to really consider the mysteries of life when you were consumed with just trying to live.What I discovered that was really exciting for me was the fact that man, in and of himself, is truly incomprehensible. Capable of incredibly expansive concepts, and more importantly accomplishments. As someone who thinks of myself as a struggling seeker this book is inspirational. I'm more than certain that organizations like the Free Masons, and perhaps others that have remained unknown continue these traditions which with the current state of the world leaves me hopeful that we can eventually move beyond the fragmented circumstances that plague humanity and strive for a more worthy unity of man. I highly recommend this book.

Must read magnum opus for seekers

Great edition for the price ! better than I expected the print seems excellent, images are clear. Still not through all of it but yet i have nothing negative to say. This is a book that anyone who studies or ressearch the occult MUST have in their librairies !! Manly P. Hall was a master of his work and is still one of the greatest of all time in the domain. Dont pass it by !

The first book arrived with the spine broken. Dragonfly, the shipper, just plonked it from a height onto my concrete deck. It takes little effort to bend and place carefully or take one further step and place it gently on the deck table, but no they are lazy and in a hurry. Dragonfly always drop parcels this way, I am surprised the mugs weren't shattered that came in the same parcel. I have returned the book for a replacement and informed the publisher Dover Books that the binding is not strong enough for such a large book. The replacement came in a padded bag, again dropped on the floor. The replacement looks OK but I don't know if it has been weakened and will return it. I have found a hardback copy at an affordable price at Booktopia and ordered that instead. Great that this classic reference book is available at last in softback at a good price but as it's a reference book you return to again and again, it's not a one time read, binding needs to be much stronger. Just an alert to treat it gently if you do buy one, but I'm going for the hardback, much more durable.

Excellent, bcp d information, fascinant.

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