Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #839668 in Books
• Published on: 1996-07
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 110 pages

From the Publisher
The Philosophical Research Society is a nonprofit organization founded in 1934 for the purpose of assisting thoughtful persons to live more graciously and constructively in a confused and troubled world. The Society is entirely free from educational, political, or ecclesiastical control. Dedicated to an idealistic approach to the solution of human problems, the Society's program stresses the need for the integration of religion, philosophy, and the science of psychology into one system of instruction. The goal of this instruction is to enable the individual to develop a mature philosophy of life, to recognize his proper responsibilities and opportunities, and to understand and appreciate his place in the unfolding universal pattern.

From the Back Cover
Temple Builder, Craftsmen and Artisans alike, will find much for study and consideration within these pages. Here are keys which, if only read, will leave the reader still in ignorance but, if lived, will change the speculative Masonry of today into the operative Masonry of tomorrow, when each builder, realizing his own place, will see things which he never saw before, not because they were not there, but because he was blind. And there are none so blind as those who will not see.

A book for the Mason and non-Mason. As a contribution to Masonic idealism, revealing the profounder aspects of an ancient Fraternity which has always wrought for the benefit of mankind, the book is one to be read over and over again.

The Egyptian Initiate has been added to this edition and readers will find it intensely interesting and enlightening.

About the Author
Manly P. Hall was the founder of the Philosophical Research Society. In over seventy-five years of dynamic public activity, he delivered more than 8,000 lectures in the United States and abroad, and authored countless books, essays, and articles. In his lectures and writings, Manly Hall always emphasized the practical aspects of philosophy and religion as they applied to daily living. He restated for modern man those spiritual and ethical doctrines which have given humanity its noblest ideals and most adequate codes of conduct. Believing that philosophy is a working tool to help the individual in building a solid foundation for his dreams and purposes, Manly Hall steadfastly sought recognition of the belief that world civilization can be perfected only when human beings meet on a common ground of intelligence, cooperation, and worthy purpose.

Customer Reviews

A must-read for new Masons, 3rd degree or not
If you're a Master Mason, you should have read or be reading this book. If you're a new Mason but not a Master yet, you should read this book. It discusses the symbolism of the degrees and a bit of the meaning of each stage of becoming a Master Mason. It puts Freemasonry and the degrees in a light you probably won't get otherwise but every Master Mason should experience. The more you read, the more Masonry will mean to you and the more you'll understand about Masonry.

Master Masons, buy this book!
Every new Mason should read this book before proceeding to any higher degrees for a true grounding in historic meanings of the blue lodge degrees. an easy read

The Essence of Masonic Initiation / Ancient Origins
Manly P. Hall (33rd degree Mason & founder of The Philosophical Research Society) gives us an illuminating, poetically written treatise on the origins of Ancient Masonry and the underlying, meaning of much Masonic Symbolism and practice. Hall's book is a poetic read, that can be consumed in one sitting, yet will be read and refered to many times again. He details some of the spiritual aspects of the hidden meanings of Masonry and the ancient origins from-which the modern fraternity receives it's wisdom. The Foreward is by Reynold E. Blight, 33rd degree, K.T. & the illustrations are by J. Augustus Knapp, 32nd degree.... Obviously, this man is viewed as a Great, within the ranks of the Fraternity. You will treasure this book and feel uplifted, each time you open the cover and read a random sentence or paragraph. You will learn the true reasons why a man should petition for admission into the Honorable Masonic Lodge....not for personal advancement--but, for advancement of the human race.