I really can’t stand Dan Brown’s prose – so I didn’t read The Lost Symbol – preferring to read Simon Cox’s glossary of terms and socio-history surrounding the plot of the latest Brownie proffering…but I tell ya – Dan Brown has probably taught me more than anyone else on the planet! So hat’s off Danny Boy!!
Dan Brown is responsible for turning me on to a number of theories (beliefs?) that I had never been exposed to before. If not for Dan Brown, I wouldn’t have read Laurence Gardiner, Simon Cox, and now, Manly P. Hall and his Secret Teachings of All Ages.
It was Simon Cox’s Decoding the Lost Symbol (as noted: I couldn’t bring myself to be tortured by a third Dan Brown novel) that turned me on to Manly P. Hall’s wondrous text – as M.P. was referenced quite substantially in this text. In fact, I had heard of Manly P. in 1986, when then mentor, Carlfred Broderick, suggested that I might be better off eschewing the rigorous USC program in favor of becoming a Manly P. disciple (after all – even Dr. Laura couldn’t handle the academic rigor of our program). Carlfred was quite shocked that I’d never heard of Manly P. Hall – but I guess I was filled with enough mysticism at-that-point-in-time that Carlfred felt that I must have read The Secret Teachings (this from a Mormon bishop).
I actually bought the paperback version for Tyler – hoping that the once Wunderkind might be turned on by this massive anthology of information. I, however, wanted to read Hall’s text because this was a text (according to Simon Cox) that discussed the philosophy of hermeticism – which I am a current proponent of.
I am impressed with myself because I arrived at the core hermetic belief all-on-my-ownsome (that we are essentially all gods and should come to grips with, and actualize, the godhood within-each-of-us). I have discussed this elsewhere – but I guess none of my readers were at a place that they could set me straight on this…
For much of my first 50 years I went through an entire, personal, metaphysical journey to subscribe to the beliefs that I gather, others had circumscribed centuries before. Not only did this knowledge yield me self validation – it also gave me an historical reference point for my VERY Christian friends and acquaintances. These Bible-bashing acquaintances of mine have long suggested that I’m in league with the devil (or the devil himself [which we all no can’t be true because Dick Cheney is the devil]), or, very confused. Now I feel proud to have been aligned with a long line of thinking – and could have, in-all-probability – been a 33rd degree Mason.
I still believe in the old adage that we learn something new every day (if we’re open to it, I guess) – because I just keep on learning – thanks to the Dan Brown’s and Manly P. Hall’s – though Manly P.’s prose style is light years ahead of Danny boyz.
One disconcerting aspect about Manly P., however – was the strange circumstance of his death – that allegedly an army of ants was streaming out of the 89-year-old corpse – and no one seems to know how or why this occurred.
As I research the fellow – I hope to solve this mystery some day…ants and hermeticism, ants and hermeticism…hmmmmmmmmmmmmm…