“The Secret Teaching of All Ages.” Catchy title, right? Alchemy, Freemasonry, Rosicrucian, Qabbalah, mysticism — you’ve probably heard about all these things, but what do you know about them? And then there are the things we think we know about:
“The Secret Teaching of All Ages.” Catchy title, right? Alchemy, Freemasonry, Rosicrucian, Qabbalah, mysticism — you’ve probably heard about all these things, but what do you know about them? And then there are the things we think we know about: Ptolemy’s geocentric universe, Native American wisdom, Sir Francis Bacon & Shakespeare, Pythagorean mathematics, the cross and the crucifixion… or do we?
For instance, did you know that what we’ve been taught all these years about the ancient philosophers’ thinking that everything revolved around the Earth is a misnomer? In fact, Ptolemy’s explanations weren’t about the astronomical placements, it was how all those planets affected the Earth astrologically. Whoops! It’s always fun to find out that the things we think we know turn out not to be what we thought (or were taught, even).
Manly P. Hall, the late philosopher and author and also founder of the Philosophical Research Society, composed this master work on this wide breadth of deeply esoteric philosophies in 1928, and still to this day there has been none other to rival it. Not only is this work filled with highly researched and well-articulated information, there are numerous highly detailed black and white and color illustrations that accompany each chapter and subject he reveals. It is amazing to see how complex and in depth this knowledge is that spans thousands of years.
“The Secret Teachings of All Ages” covers the ancient philosophies and esoteric mysteries that stem from all across the globe. Even just reading one page will change the way you view the world.
What makes this book so interesting is how Manly P. Hall has only presented researched facts, and with those facts, we can study either spiritually or scientifically (or both) and gain merit from it. As casual students ourselves, we loved it.
•••
Ed and Cynthia Justus are owners of The Bookstore in Hanapepe