Today, we’ll investigate the mysterious life of Manly P Hall. He’s mostly forgotten, but there was a time when his name was recognized as a prominent author, lecturer, and world-renowned mystic.
His books and ideas helped to shape the last century in remarkable and surprising ways. It’s astonishing how many important people of the 20th century were influenced by Manly P Hall.
We’ll also investigate perhaps the biggest mystery of all: Was his death a result of natural causes, or was Manly P. Hall murdered?
Secrets of Manly P Hall: The Video
Stay tuned, for the final chapter promises to unravel the great riddle of his death and reveal the truth.
Manly Palmer Hall was born in Ontario, Canada, in 1901. At age four, his family moved from Canada to South Dakota in the United States.
In 1917, Manly Hall arrived in New York, where he had his first job at the age of 16 as an office clerk. It was during this time in New York that Hall’s future took shape when he met Harry Houdini, the world-famous stage magician, escape artist, and Master Mason.
Move To California Changes Manly P Hall’s Life
No one knows what lessons Houdini taught the young Manly about magic, stage presence, and freemasonry. Two years later, in 1919, Hall moved to Los Angeles to reunite with his mother in Santa Monica, California
After a chance meeting with a phrenologist on the Santa Monica Pier, eighteen-year-old Hall swiftly mastered occult sciences. In just six months, he began lecturing on human auras and reincarnation.
Manly P Hall Meets An Occultist Master
That year, the soon-to-be occult superstar came under the patronage of the widow of Max Heindel, the founder of California’s Rosicrucian Fellowship.
At the tender age of 22, Hall became the ordained minister for an occult/metaphysical congregation, the Church of the People, and he started a publication called the All Seeing Eye magazine.
Hall’s first lecture would be on the topic of reincarnation. He attracted lots of followers, fans, and benefactors.
Fortunately for him, two of these supporters were wealthy heiresses with a vast oil fortune. At age twenty-one, they told Hall, Young man, you will never have to worry about money. True to their word, he never did.
Thanks to their generosity, Hall traveled extensively throughout Europe and Asia to study the lives, customs, and religions of the people.
He purchased rare books and antiquities for his collection. During this period, Hall started his research into the manuscript that would later evolve into his masterwork, “The Secret Teachings of All Ages.”
My recommendations of the best Manly P Hall books cover a wide range of esoteric topics, and I hope you find them all interesting and enlightening!
The Philosophical Research Society
Beyond paying for his travels, his benefactors also put up the money needed to construct the Philosophical Research Society in 1936 on Los Feliz Blvd in Los Angeles, near Griffith Observatory. Hall called the place a “mystery school” in the tradition of a Pythagorean academy.
The Mayan-Egyptian-themed art-deco campus became a hub for intellectual and spiritual exploration.
~See our one-minute tour of the Philosophical Research Society. It’s a great place to visit when you’re in LA!
Manly P Hall Lectures
Hall was quite the showman, he wore a dark, impeccably tailored suit as he stood center stage, illuminated by a spotlight. Regardless of the topic, Hall always ended abruptly at exactly the 90-minute mark with his signature sign-off: “Well, that’s about all for today, folks.”
Manly P. Hall stood at an impressive height of 6 feet 4 inches with penetrating blue eyes, thick dark hair, and a stylish mustache. He had the look of a silent film star. He used movie studio photographers to shoot his publicity photos
Over his 70-year career, Hall produced many books and gave thousands upon thousands of lectures. They were mostly presented every week at the Philosophical Research Society in Los Angeles.
Hall’s Influence on Jung
One of the fascinating places where Manly P. Hall’s influence can be found is in modern psychology.
Carl Jung, who developed Analytical Psychology, drew heavily from Hall’s private collection while writing “Psychology and Alchemy .” This is a testament to the depth of Hall’s knowledge and contributions.
In 1928, when he was only 27, Hall released what would become his best-known book: The Secret Teachings of All Ages. It’s filled with the esoteric philosophy and myths he collected during his extensive travels in the 1920s through Egypt, China, and India.
Manly writes about historical figures like Count Saint Germaine, Helena Blavatsky, and Jesus, among others, who, he claims, are normal humans who mastered life’s great mysteries and transformed themselves into adepts.
Manly P Hall And Politics
Remarkably, Manly P. Hall’s influence and legacy extended into the world of politics. Both Presidents Franklin Roosevelt and Harry Truman held a deep admiration for Hall, a sentiment shared by Ronald Reagan.
Hall’s Influence on Reagan
The ideas and stories he recounts in The Secret Destiny of America and America’s Assignment with Destiny were a major influence on Ronald Reagan. Reagan’s optimistic “Morning in America” speech was inspired by the viewpoints Hall presented in those two books. Reagan frequently referenced America’s divine purpose and secret destiny that guided the nation’s founding.
During the Conservative Political Action Conference in 1974, he told the crowd, “Well, You can label it mysticism if you prefer, but I have consistently believed in a divine plan for America.” Reagan often repeated the teachings from the books, occasionally even adopting the exact phrasing of Hall.
Hall explored the Tarot and how to use it in numerous writings. In 1929, Hall designed his own tarot deck in collaboration with J Augustus Knapp.
He loved to examine mystical ideas, ancient religions, astrology, philosophy, and the Tarot. He investigated the deeper secrets of the universe and tried to make sense of them
In 1930, Hall married Fay deRavenne, his secretary of 5 years. The marriage was not a happy one. Tragically, in 1942, Fay took her own life.
Eight years later, Hall married German-born Marie Bauer in 1950. Despite facing challenges, his 2nd marriage proved to be happier than his first. They remained married for 40 years until he died in 1990.
The Mystery of Manly P Hall’s Death
But how exactly did Manly P Hall die? His death was investigated as a homicide by the LAPD.
One theory claimed he was killed for revealing too many Masonic secrets. But was there an even more sinister and obvious motive?And who would benefit from his death?
In the latter part of his life, Hall had a noticeable decline in his physical appearance and judgment. In a regrettable decision, he handed over all his business matters and financial assets to Daniel Fritz. Fritz claimed he was the reincarnation of a shamanic healer from Atlantis.
Hall was in bad shape both mentally and physically at the end of his life, suffering from obesity, poor eyesight, and crippling arthritis. This made him easy prey for a con man like Fritz. Six days before his death, Manly P Hall signed his entire estate worth over 10 million dollars over to Daniel Fritz…
And six days later, Manly P Hall was found dead by Fritz. An autopsy uncovered various bruises, soil smudges, and signs of trauma, leading some to label it as foul play or murder.
Daniel Fritz had the means, the opportunity, and the motive. It was the oldest one in the book: greed. With Hall dead, he would end up with millions of dollars.
Was It Murder?
Despite the Los Angeles police actively investigating and questioning Fritz, they said there wasn’t sufficient hard evidence to charge him with murder, leaving Hall’s death officially unsolved. Fritz maintained his innocence until he died in 2001.
But Marie Hall had absolutely no doubt that heartless and conniving Daniel Fritz killed her husband. She wrote, “I now believe that in the late evening of August 28, 1990, Manly lost his life at the hands of Daniel Fritz by way of murderous causes.”
What a sad ending for one of the most celebrated spiritual figures of his time. It was a far cry from the glory days when hundreds of people would attend Hall’s lectures on ethics and morality.
Fortunately, Hall’s extensive knowledge, amassed over a lifetime, has been preserved. Many of his lectures can be found online and on YouTube.
As Manly P Hall would say, “Well, that’s about all for today, folks.”
Until next time, keep exploring, and may your journey be filled with enlightenment and divine guidance.
Are you interested in more fascinating biographies of legendary spiritual leaders? Then you’ll love our post and video “Discovering Walter Russell: The Forgotten Renaissance Man.”
