The Secret Teachings, 20th Century

Manly Palmer Hall (1901-1990) was a Canadian mystic and philosopher author, most famous for his 1928 –he was only 27- work “The Secret Teachings of All Ages” (Original title “An Encyclopedic Outline of Masonic, Hermetic, Qabbalistic and Rosicrucian Symbolical Philosophy: Being an Interpretation of the Secret Teachings concealed within the Rituals, Allegories and Mysteries of all Ages”)

I had the opportunity to investigate Manly Palmer Hall works thanks to an amazing preservation center and digitalization project I recently discovered: The Internet Archive which has been one of best documentation funds –at least in volume- I could check so far. Probably they will have to improve the search engine for anonymous users, but the indexation is excellent. Manly Palmer Hall available resources are hosted on the Getty Research Institute, a well known old friend; that has a subsite on the internet archive project.

About Manly Palmer, being a child he was drawn to the arcane world of mysticism, esoteric philosophies, and their underlying principles. His young interest was solidified by meeting —and becoming a student of— Sydney J. Brownson, a civil war veteran (link to his bio). Hall delved deeply into "teachings of lost and hidden traditions, the golden verses of Hindu gods, Greek philosophers and Christian mystics, and the spiritual treasures waiting to be found within one's own soul."  

In 1934, Manly Palmer Hall founded the Philosophical Research Society (PRS) in Los Angeles, California, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the study of religion, mythology, metaphysics, and the occult. This Society is still active, but I had problems to reach their web page; so I found that there's a University of Philosophical Research, same street address (Los Feliz Blvd, Los Angeles CA).

Manly Palmer was also Knight Patron of the Masonic Research Group of San Francisco. On June 28, 1954, Hall initiated as a Freemason into Jewel Lodge No. 374, San Francisco (now the United Lodge)

He took the Scottish Rite Degrees a year later, and received his 32° in the Valley of San Francisco. On 1973 (47 years after writing The Secret Teachings of All Ages), he was recognized as a 33° Mason (the highest honor conferred by the Supreme Council of the Scottish Rite) at a ceremony held at the Philosophical Research Society.

Variae architecturae formae, 17th Century

This architecture Book is all about perspective. Compiles engravings from Hieronymus Cock, Hans Vredeman de Vries (most of them published on his Book “Small architectural perspective views”) and Jan van Doetecam, published in 1601 by Theodor Galle as part of the 1st ed. of the present work. There’s a 2nd ed. by Theodor's son Jan (undated).

Engraves are about building interiors, courtyards, and city streets with canals placed within oval frames set in rectangles, corners are filled with ornament of various sorts.

Codex has no text or table of contents, no page numbers; and has been digitized by Getty Research Institute. 

-Updated on October 14th- The usual list of External links (recommended):

• Oxford Art journal article: Hieronymus Cock's Aesthetic of Collapse
• Variae Architecturae Formae (by Jan van Doetecam) is available at amazon.com, direct link here. Even at Barnes&Noble, link here. See price (15 USD??) on both links...

For a high resolution, pdf version of this manuscript, contact me (facsimilium AT gmail DOT com).



"F de La Rose-croix", or the Early Rosicrucian Manuscripts

There’s a huge amount of well preserved documentation -some of them manuscripts like the Anonymous codex I present today- about Rosicrucian Philosophy in all virtual libraries around the world. After my investigation I found that most of them are in US and has a basic explanation: during the previous phases of United States declaration of independence, a lot of philosophers and free-thinker minds escaped from European internal conflicts –frequently related with religion or philosophy- to establish on the new land of America.

Probably one of the best source –at least in terms of Rosicrucian Philosophy documentation- is the Getty Research institute (Los Angeles, CA; US). Let me briefly start with some basic definitions about the term itself: Rosicrucianism is a generic term referring to studies or membership within a philosophical secret society said to have been founded in late medieval Germany by Christian Rosenkreuz. It holds a doctrine or theology "built on esoteric truths of the ancient past", which, "concealed from the average man, provide insight into nature, the physical universe and the spiritual realm."

Rosicrucianism is symbolized by the Rosy Cross, usually represented in the first page of every related Codex 

Some other basic characteristics to understand this Secret Society:

• Rosicrucianism was -in its origin- associated with Protestantism (Lutheranism)
• It's opposed to Roman Catholicism.
• Rosacrucians reject Muhammad, though they traced their philosophy and science to the Moors, asserting that it had been kept secret for 120 years until the intellectual climate might receive it.
• Early seventeenth century occult philosophers such as Michael Maier, Robert Fludd and Thomas Vaughan studied the Rosicrucian world view (About Michael Maier in particular, I'll post soon a complete article based on its life and Opus, as there's a relatively good part of his Books preserved today in all virtual libraries around the world)
• Many esoteric and secret societies have claimed to derive their doctrines, in whole or in part, from the original Rosicrucians. Several modern societies have been formed for the study of Rosicrucianism and allied subjects.
• According to some Historians, it was also influential to Freemasonry as it was emerging in Scotland.

Some related references:

• Nesta Webster's, "Secret Societies and Subversive Movements", London, 1924, p. 87 and note 37. Book available on the internet, I recommend save prior to read -pdf version-, link here
• Very good reference for a general overview about Rosacrucianism and its influence: Lindgren, Carl Edwin, The way of the Rose Cross; A Historical Perception, 1614–1620. Journal of Religion and Psychical Research, Volume18, Number 3:141-48. 1995. Link to the article here.
• Rosacrucianism served as inspiration for Essays, Fictional literature, Conspiracy literature (Umberto Eco, Dan Brown, etc)... for a complete list, I do recommend the final part of the wikipedia article about Rosacrucianism.
• Web pages: The "Alchemy website" treats about Rosacrucians, link provided. I recommend the "Alchemical symbolism and imagery" section, (click on imagery button).

Apart of the manuscript presented today, I couldn't resist to post some other pages from later European Rosacrucianism books (from the Order of the Golden Down),

Observe the similarity to the first image of this post (from another Rosicrucian codex)