Amanda Brass was curious for years about the Philosophical Research Society, a building she had seen on her way to her job at a cafe down the street. The Los Feliz structure looks from the outside a bit like an impenetrable beige cube.
“There's no front door. There's no back door. There's nothing like that. You have to be seeking,” Brass explains. “I was scared for 15 years to come in here because I don't have a philosophy degree, and I just thought they wouldn't have any use for me.”
Ironically, Brass was the exact type of person who would fit in at the Philosophical Research Society.
She was 8 years old when she started reading about astrology, and “by the time I was in fifth grade, I was the astrology girl,” she says.
“Astrology girl” grew up, moved to Los Angeles, and got a job as a waitress, where she often chatted with customers about spirituality.
One day, one of her regulars offered to take her inside PRS. She immediately hit it off with the guy running the bookstore, and felt like she had arrived somewhere she fit in, she recalls.
Now Brass works as the shipping manager, handling orders for books that PRS sells to readers around the globe.
“You have to be willing to dare to step in here,” Brass says as she begins a tour of the grounds. “But if you're brave, if you're of the mind, we'll welcome you with open arms.”
Past events at PRS include a celebration of all things Krampus – a German mythological figure said to accompany Saint Nicholas as he gives gifts to children. Photo courtesy of Liz Vasquez.
Brass walks through a hallway behind the bookstore, then past a false wall, where she says, “I happen to know the location of some very interesting things.”
She unlocks the door to a warehouse with high ceilings. This room housed the printing presses back when PRS printed its own books and pamphlets. Towards the back of the room, Brass reaches under a table and pulls out a box of printing plates.
“In this box,” she says, “are the original printing blocks of The Secret Teachings of All Ages.”
The Secret Teachings of All Ages is an encyclopedia of philosophy and esoterica written by the founder of PRS, Manly P. Hall. It's a hefty tome that clocks in at over 300,000 words, with big colorful illustrations that combine symbols and images from across the ancient world.
“Manly Hall's ultimate goal was to get Western minds caught up with what Eastern traditions were already working with for thousands of years,” says Brass.
Manly P. Hall founded PRS in 1934, and has published over 150 books and essays. Photo courtesy of the Philosophical Research Society.
Born in Canada in 1901, Hall moved to California as a teenager. When he was only 18, he became the minister of The Church of the People in Downtown LA. A gifted speaker and strikingly handsome, people were drawn to Hall. Many of them came to the young minister looking for answers to questions about spirituality and the meaning of life.
Hall read through the Bible but couldn't find answers to many of his congregants’ questions. So he turned to other ancient texts by philosophers and mystics.
At the age of 20, Hall decided to leave the church. And that's when fate smiled upon Manly P. Hall, Brass recounts.
“A woman said, ‘Hey, before you go, I'd like to have a meeting with you. My daughter and I live in Ventura. We've been coming to your church for years. You've helped us immensely, and the best way to thank you for that is to basically give you a checkbook, because we've struck oil on our property. So go and travel the world. Pick up whatever you think is important to you. Go with my blessing.’”
With that blessing (and oil money), Hall traveled the world seeking out religious leaders and philosophers of all stripes. Along the way, he amassed a huge collection of ancient texts and rare books.
The PRS library features Manly P. Hall’s personal collection of rare books and texts on philosophy, religion, and science. Photo courtesy of Liz Vasquez.
When he returned to LA, he purchased a plot of land and broke ground on a library. Later, he added a lecture room and an amphitheater where he gave Sunday lectures, many of which are available today on YouTube. They have titles like “The Tragedy of the Broken Doll,” “Maturity is the Grand Illusion,” and “Reflections on Earthquakes.”
Over time, Hall became a magnet for people interested in the big questions of life. He was pals with Bella Lugosi, and he officiated Charles Bukowski's wedding in the courtyard of PRS.
At PRS today, “You're not going to find the answers, but by exploring – here's some stuff about Judaism, here's some stuff about the druids, here's some symbols of the tarot – they are all telling a general loose story,” says Stephen Reedy, who teaches a 14-hour lecture series on The Secret Teachings of all Ages. “I believe that story is something to the effect of: ‘What is life?’ By looking into that, I believe it's the Upanishads who said, ‘Know that in which by knowing it, all is known.”
Today, PRS hosts tarot readings, meditation circles, film screenings, and concerts. To enter the beige cube of mysteries, find the staircase to the east. Or … just check out their website.