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Post by Liberty on May 15, 2006 0:33:55 GMT
I'm wondering how many posters are familiar with the works of the late American mystic Manly P. Hall and find him as enjoyable to read as I do. He was quite prodigious starting his career in his early 20's. Some of his more well known works are "The Secret Teachings of All Ages", "The Lost Keys of Freemasonry" and "The Phoenix" among others. For those not familiar check out the site of the Philosophical Research Society www.prs.org to find out more. I would like to hear anyones thoughts about Hall.
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Post by mwatkins9801 on May 15, 2006 0:47:28 GMT
agree, he is an interesting read. if memory serves me though, he seemed a 'jack of all esoteric trades' yet a master of none. i could be wrong, however.
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Post by Liberty on May 15, 2006 1:02:25 GMT
Manly Hall was very prolific in the number of books, pamphlets and amount of lectures he gave (More than 7500 lectures I believe) he covered all manor of esoteric subjects so I can see how he would seem a "jack of all trades" but I think he strenght was in his ability to cover large volumes of information and coalese them into works like "Secret Teaching's" and "The Phoenix" . He also writes in a very sincere style that makes him easy to read.
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Post by maat on May 15, 2006 1:18:04 GMT
If you read what he has to say you will most certainly find your understanding of Freemasonry enhanced, if not totally overhauled.
Maat
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Post by Liberty on May 15, 2006 1:39:38 GMT
Absolutely Maat, an example would be "The Lost Keys of Freemasonry". I recomend this slender volume to anyone who has an interest in Freemasonry. Also keep in mind while reading this book that Hall wrote it at the age of 22/23 a good 30 years before he actually became a mason himself; with that in mind you can really start appeaciating Hall's gift.
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imakegarb
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Post by imakegarb on May 15, 2006 1:50:48 GMT
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Post by a on May 15, 2006 6:28:51 GMT
Hall wrote it at the age of 22/23 a good 30 years before he actually became a mason himself; with that in mind you can really start appeaciating Hall's gift. His gift could just be because he was a Mason 30 years before he was initiated into a man made lodge? The Supreme Being is able to make such initiatory decisions, initiations in the real sense. It is not just something that is delegated to man. We all get initiated, in the true sense of the word, when we are ready. This may be when we join a Lodge but that is I would imagine rare (though beautiful I imagine). Freemasonry does not hold a monopoly in such things. But I do appreciate that some take comfort in thinking that it does.
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jmd
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Post by jmd on May 15, 2006 12:05:07 GMT
I have a few of his works, and certainly value them very much. I find they can be used to further one's reflections about a variety of topics, many of which will need to then be carefully studied and views presented by Manly P. Hall double checked.
Similarly, I find the works of A. Waite, A. Crowley, O. Wirth or E. Levi also range wide and can be used as an initial stimulus for, importantly, further research.
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Post by 2 BOWL CAIN on Jan 2, 2007 13:47:10 GMT
I own secret teachings of all ages and the lectures on philosophy which is the sequel to secret teachings, lost keys and origins of rosicrucians and freemasonry. His works should be read by all masons, except for my one lodge, who would chastise me for reading soo much Hall in lodge for education....... One of my favorite writers
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Post by Liberty on Jan 15, 2007 16:59:45 GMT
Recently I have noticied that several of MPH's works on Freemasony are being included in one volume making it easier to collect.
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Post by QUEST on Oct 7, 2008 3:54:49 GMT
Manly P. Hall was one if not the first writers that I read, that totally revised the way I saw masonry and myself. I had only understood the surface of freemasonry untill The Secerts Teaching of All Ages. And, at first I wonder was he sane. But, as I grew, I saw that he was trying to make us aware of a more enlightening way of freemasonry and life. I still reread him from time to time, to stay sharp on the subjects that he covered. It is sad that he is mostly known to freemasons only, I believe that he had something to offer all of humankind.
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Post by vajranagini on Oct 10, 2008 4:20:51 GMT
I'm wondering how many posters are familiar with the works of the late American mystic Manly P. Hall and find him as enjoyable to read as I do. He was quite prodigious starting his career in his early 20's. Some of his more well known works are "The Secret Teachings of All Ages", "The Lost Keys of Freemasonry" and "The Phoenix" among others. For those not familiar check out the site of the Philosophical Research Society www.prs.org to find out more. I would like to hear anyones thoughts about Hall. I am quite familiar with the book "Secret Teachings Of All Ages"; I can hardly believe he was only 27 when he wrote it! And, that he was from Peterborough, Ontario! (I live in Toronto, Ontario). He must have gotten his knowledge through gnosis (direct transmission); I know about this because it happened to me, as well; I read "The Hiram Key" and got intensely interested in Freemasonry, and then suddenly I began to understand it in the most amazing fashion even though I had no previous knowledge of the topic. I was able to speak knowledgeably on the symbolism, and many things that I saw in visions and could not possibly have known, were proved absolutely correct. for instance, I realized that Holy Royal Arch Freemasonry was Qabalistic in nature...and then a short while later I was confirmed in this conviction by no less an authority than Aleister Crowley.(Ch. 72 of his "Confessions"). I have no doubt that Manly P. Hall received most of his instruction this way; Idries Shah mentions this peculiar form of direct apprehension of truth, but it is one thing to talk about it, and quite another to actually experience it!
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Post by vajranagini on Oct 11, 2008 4:10:53 GMT
Well, to even be able to comprehend all those writings enough to be able to assemble them into a coherent whole is an astounding feat for anyone; to think that he was 27 when he did so only adds to my amazement!
And yes, i would surely like to read that Louis Sahagun book is it available now?
And yes, I DO regard Aleister Crowley as an "authority"; I hardly think that Theodor Reuss would have stepped down from his position in the OTO to hand it over to Crowley if he felt he were merely a pretender to authority. I hardly think that high-level American Freemasons would have asked him to re-write their rituals if THEY didn't regard him as an "authority". Whatever I or anyone else may think about him personally, there is NO question that Aleister Crowley can be regarded as an "authority" on magick.
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Tamrin
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Post by Tamrin on Oct 11, 2008 4:49:03 GMT
I hardly think that high-level American Freemasons would have asked him to re-write their rituals if THEY didn't regard him as an "authority". Nor do I! Which "high-level American Freemasons," which of "their rituals" and what is your source?
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Post by maximus on Oct 11, 2008 12:41:17 GMT
Now, as far as AC (The Great Beast) I'm not sure I would call him an authority. As a Thelemite, I would. Depends on what one is calling him an authority on.
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Post by vajranagini on Oct 12, 2008 2:36:39 GMT
I hardly think that high-level American Freemasons would have asked him to re-write their rituals if THEY didn't regard him as an "authority". Nor do I! Which "high-level American Freemasons," which of "their rituals" and what is your source? The source is the "Confessions" itself. The Freemasons were from Detroit, apparently.
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Post by vajranagini on Oct 12, 2008 2:45:21 GMT
And yes, i would surely like to read that Louis Sahagun book is it available now? And yes, I DO regard Aleister Crowley as an "authority"; I hardly think that Theodor Reuss would have stepped down from his position in the OTO to hand it over to Crowley if he felt he were merely a pretender to authority. I hardly think that high-level American Freemasons would have asked him to re-write their rituals if THEY didn't regard him as an "authority". Whatever I or anyone else may think about him personally, there is NO question that Aleister Crowley can be regarded as an "authority" on magick. The book on MPH is available from Amazon.com - you will find that I mention this in the second para. of a previous message here. Names please of those high-level American Masons who allegedly asked AC to re-write their rituals, and what rituals is that? If this was some oblique reference to OTO or HOGD then you might not be aware that they are not Masonic organizations. Not at all. The names of the Freemasons were not given, but they were from Detroit. He describes this all in his 'Confessions'. Funny, Crowley described OTO as a "compendium of the the more important truths of Freemasonry". And he sure seemed to know an AWFUL LOT about the inner workins' of Freemasonry for someone who was NOT a Freemason!
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Post by vajranagini on Oct 12, 2008 3:00:33 GMT
Now, as far as AC (The Great Beast) I'm not sure I would call him an authority. As a Thelemite, I would. Depends on what one is calling him an authority on. There is no question that he was an authority on Qabalah; unless one is thoroughly conversant with GD Qabalah, one can hardly understand the half of what he has to say in his "Confessions". Before we go much further, I must say that I am not a Crowley apologist. I think he was a thoroughly despicable person; however one must 'give the devil his due"; he certainly knew what he was talking about when it came to magick! I must also say that I am in fact a "Thelemite", but ONLY because I discovered irrefutable PROOF that the "93 current" was active in my life LONG BEFORE I even knew what a "93 current" or "Thelema" WAS. Also because I received a "direct order"from my HGA to "join an organization that would approach me"...and that Org. turned out to be OTO. Nobody was more surprised than I; I did not understand WHY I had to do this at the time, but I now know why; it was because I NEEDED to be "obligated" under its aegis in order to receive the greater teaching. I am no longer under the aegis of the earthly OTO, but I still continue under that of the "93 current" and the "Secret Chiefs".
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Post by maximus on Oct 12, 2008 3:14:36 GMT
I did not realize Themelites regarded themselves as Freemasons. What does this mean exactly? I was Initiated, Passed, and Raised in a Mainstream F&AM lodge (Sam Davis Lodge #661) under the Grand Lodge of Tennessee. As long as one believes in a Supreme Being and the immortality of the soul, it matters not one's spiritual path. Are you under the impression that, because I identify myself as a Thelemite, that I claim that that makes me a Freemason as well? If so, you have made an incorrect assumption. I embraced Thelema after I entered Masonry, and one has nothing to do with the other. I am a Corresponding Associate of the US Grand Lodge, O.T.O., which is not a Masonic organisation, but religious in nature.
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Post by maximus on Oct 12, 2008 3:28:06 GMT
As a Thelemite, I would. Depends on what one is calling him an authority on. There is no question that he was an authority on Qabalah; unless one is thoroughly conversant with GD Qabalah, one can hardly understand the half of what he has to say in his "Confessions". Before we go much further, I must say that I am not a Crowley apologist. I think he was a thoroughly despicable person; however one must 'give the devil his due"; he certainly knew what he was talking about when it came to magick! I must also say that I am in fact a "Thelemite", but ONLY because I discovered irrefutable PROOF that the "93 current" was active in my life LONG BEFORE I even knew what a "93 current" or "Thelema" WAS. Also because I received a "direct order"from my HGA to "join an organization that would approach me"...and that Org. turned out to be OTO. Nobody was more surprised than I; I did not understand WHY I had to do this at the time, but I now know why; it was because I NEEDED to be "obligated" under its aegis in order to receive the greater teaching. I am no longer under the aegis of the earthly OTO, but I still continue under that of the "93 current" and the "Secret Chiefs". 93 I like you already. ;D There is no law beyond Do what thou wilt. - AL III, 60 93 93/93
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