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.

Great book I must say

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

I found this book fascinating. Great read! If you like different ideologies and beliefs, this is a good book to buy!

Awesome

Informational

The BEST Hidden knowledge!!!

I purchased the hardcover edition from Anderson Family Library. Some pages are so faint they are hardly readable. Other pages are so over saturated with ink that there are drips on the page. Pictures referenced in the text are either missing, or of such low quality that they are unreadable. Returned.\ Update: I ordered the soft cover edition from Amazon, and it is EXCELLENT. Print is perfect, and the color photos referenced are present. Black and white photos are high resolution and perfectly legible.

Must read magnum opus for seekers

Wow. The world will look a little different after reading thats for sure. I’m almost done reading it, I’ve opted for the cover to cover approach. It’s perfect for reading a section or two at a time as it’s more of an encyclopedia. The coloured pages in the middle are a very nice touch and there’s a lot of interesting stuff in it.

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.

Da leggere tutto e tenere in considerazione.