“One of the most complex and thoroughgoing works ever to catalogue the esoteric wisdom of antiquity.” New Dawn
The Story Behind the Secret Teachings of All Ages By Jessica Hundley
Opposite: M. K. Serailian The Seven Spinal Chakras from An Essay on the Fundamental Principles of Operative Occultism, published in 1929 by Manly P. Hall, 1926.
Manly P. Hall aboard the round-the-world liner SS Franconia, 1920s. Photographer unknown.
In 1923, 22-year-old Los Angeles-based philosopher Manly P. Hall set out by ship to explore sacred sites around the globe. He would stand at the feet of the Sphinx, climb the Great Wall, and sit at the feet of Sufi holy men. Returning home, Hall set out to write his magnum opus, a massive compendium of philosophy and myth, entitled The Secret Teachings of All Ages. As he explained in a letter his “It is a volume to be used in interpreting the philosophic, scientific, and religious allegories of the ancient and modern worlds. This book has a definite message for those in every walk of life who are interested in the deeper problems of their divine origin and destiny.” Embracing an expansive range of occult teachings, from Astrology and to the building of the pyramids, from Tarot to Pythagorean philosophies—Secret Teachings of All Ages, is one young man’s attempt to unveil the arcane myths and furtive mysteries of thousands of years of human civilization. First published in a limited edition of only 500 in 1928, the original Secret Teachings was a wonder to behold, a massive tome encompassing an array of esoteric topics and featuring vividly cinematic artwork. To bring his densely researched chapters to vivid life, Hall relied on of two talented artists of the era, each taking their own unique approach to occult subject matter. The first was the California-based, Armenian-born Mihran Kevork Serailian, whose contributions were inspired by and in reference to much of the source material Hall had brought back from his world travels. Among Hall’s treasures were a number of traditional Tantric painting from Rajasthan, India—abstracted spiritual art that Hall and Serailian translated into vibrant works of mystical realism. For the bulk of the artwork created for Secret Teachings, however, Hall enlisted the prodigious talents of his close friend and fellow seeker, the artist J. Augustus Knapp. A Freemason and Scottish Rite member, Knapp had arrived in Los Angeles in 1923, most likely at the encouragement of Hall, whom he had met four years prior. Knapp found work immediately in the film industry, putting his creative skills to use painting movie posters for a prominent publicity company. The two would form a fertile collaboration with Secret Teachings, Hall’s fevered essays elevated by Knapp into vibrant visual narratives.
“Unique among his contemporaries, Hall would utilize his charismatic persona as a conduit, remaining always an enthusiast, never a guru.” Knapp would create 54 epic watercolor paintings for the book, (48 were included) depicting figures, landscapes, and symbols inspired by ancient myth and religious and philosophical concepts. The result of Hall and Knapp’s collective efforts is perhaps one of the most comprehensive encyclopedic volumes on esoterica—ever—an overview of humankind’s exploration into the unknown, illustrated with all lush, hyper-realism of a fantasy film or a graphic novel. Bound in goatskin and encased in polished wood, the original Subscriber’s edition of Secret Teachings weighed over 15 pounds and was priced at $100, a substantial sum in 1928. It was an instant sensation. The book would make the then 27-year old Hall world famous. A brilliant, impassioned speaker, he would go on lecture on philosophy across the nation and at the Philosophical 65