Man: the Grand Symbol of the Mysteries

by Manly P. Hall

Manly Palmer Hall is perhaps most famous for his work The Secret Teachings of All An Encyclopedic Outline of Masonic, Hermetic, Qabbalistic and Rosicrucian Symbolical Philosophy, published in 1928 when he was 27 years old. In 1934, Hall founded the Philosophical Research Society (PRS) in Los Angeles, California, dedicating it to an idealistic approach to the solution of human problems. The PRS claims to be non-sectarian and entirely free from educational, political, or ecclesiastical control, and the Society's programs stress the need for the integration of philosophy, religion, and science into one system of instruction. The PRS Library, a public facility devoted to source materials in obscure fields, has many rare and scarce items now impossible to obtain elsewhere. In his over 70-year career, Hall delivered approximately 8,000 lectures in the United States and abroad, authored over 150 books and essays, and wrote countless magazine articles.

Genres: Occult, Esoterica, Nonfiction, Philosophy

254 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1932

About the author

Canadian born, Manly Palmer Hall is the author of over 150 published works, the best known of which are Initiates of the Flame, The Story of Healing, The Divine Art,Aliens Magick and Sorcery The Secret Teachings of All Ages, and An Encyclopedic Outline of Masonic, Hermetic, Qabbalistic Rosicrucian Symbolical Philosophy.
He was also the author of a masonic curiosity, The Lost Keys of Freemasonry in 1923, more than thirty years before he joined a lodge. The preface of later editions states "At the time I wrote this slender volume, I had just passed my twenty-first birthday, and my only contact with Freemasonry was through a few books commonly available to the public." Later, in 1944, he wrote The Secret Destiny of America which popularized the myth of a masonic purpose for the founding of the USA. In 1950 he weighed in again on the meaning of Freemasonry with his booklet: Masonic Orders of Fraternity.
***
Initiated: June 28, 1954
Passed: September 20, 1954
Raised November 22, 1954
Jewel Lodge No. 374
Source: Grand Lodge of California records ; William R. Denslow, 10,000 Famous Freemasons, vol. ii. Trenton, MO. : Missouri Lodge of Research / Educational Bureau, Royal Arch Mason Magazine, 1958. p. 165.

Reviews

[Jason · Rating 5 out of 5]

Religion serves its role yet there comes a point where man must question it and everything that he believes. It is said that a little questioning may bring Atheism but a lot will bring true Spirituality..

Here is where Manly Hall is a true spiritual beacon to those disillusioned with the blind dogmatism of religion. Everything I've heard or read from him is pure wisdom and it seems to me counter-intuitive that anyone could be "overly erudite" in such matters. The scope of his knowledge is impressive, yet the pragmatism and cohesion in which he fits it all together is simply genius.

As he delves into the depths of every fiber of the body within this masterpiece, we uncover what it truly means to be human and the interconnection with The Mysteries. "Know Thyself" rings out from every page and Hall pulls on his exhaustive knowledge of the Occult and practically everything else to uncover who we really are. To understand the scope of his philosophical understanding of the universe is to understand the vast grandeur of God and although I may in time forget every word I have read, I am left forever with a feeling that I glimpsed something TRUE... and POWERFUL within these words.

Know yourself and read this book.

[Michael Leonard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Alchemical prints reference book.

[Crystal Garcia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book didn’t just inform me.. it initiated me.

Man: The Grand Symbol of the Mysteries is not a passive read; it’s a mirror. Hall weaves anatomy, mysticism, scripture, philosophy, and symbolism into a single living system where the human body becomes a temple, a map, and a proving ground for spiritual evolution. Each chapter feels like another veil lifting, not through shock or spectacle, but through quiet, cumulative realization.

What struck me most is how consistently the book returns to one truth: awakening is not about acquiring power, but about refinement. The glands, chakras, senses, and symbols are not shortcuts to transcendence, they are disciplines of balance, restraint, and maturity. Hall doesn’t romanticize enlightenment; he warns you, grounds you, and asks whether your heart is ready before your sight is sharpened.

By the final chapter, the book completes its work beautifully. Sight is no longer just vision, the body is no longer just flesh, and growth is no longer “upward”.. it is inward, then outward. I closed the book feeling not overwhelmed, but aligned. Less interested in spectacle, more devoted to clarity.

This is a book you don’t simply finish.
You become quieter after it.. and somehow, you see more.

[Aaron Schuschu · Rating 3 out of 5]

The symbolism of mysticism/ theosophy/ Edgar Cayce type shit applied to the body

[Iona Stewart · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is an erudite work on the body and its various organs from the occultist's viewpoint.

The author being from an older generation, the book is immaculately well written.

The esoteric material is derived from the works of alchemists/occultists/cabalists etc.,including Parecelsus, Vesalius (the father of modern anatomy)and Robert Fludd, from the Middle Ages or perhaps older as well as from ancient Hindu texts. I found this material extremely dry and difficult to comprehend. (I ordered the book from the library only because I was interested in the chapter on the pineal gland, but then was tempted to read the whole book).

You would need to be an expert on such ancient occult matters, or keenly interested in the subject, to find the book at all readable.

One interesting point that attracted my attention, however, was that original man was reportedly androgynous and that the separation of the sexes took place in "the secondary or further course of tribal history". This fits in with revelations by Shirley Maclaine in her book "Camino" about a significant past life of hers in Atlantis.

Also of interest was the information that reptiles originally had a seeing eye at the back of their head (according to the author this can be confirmed in any geological museum) - in humans this hole has "boned over, and the eye has shrunk up into the so-called pineal gland".

The book includes many drawings and illustrations, but no photos.

To sum up, this book can be described as an overly erudite work on occultist views of the body, and as such will be of little interest to the average reader.