The Philosophical Research Society is proud to preserve and promote Manly P. Hall's mission of creating a center of learning dedicated to the seekers of all time.
In addition to hosting a variety of talks and lectures in our monthly programming, we offer a wide range of online courses, weekly remote workshops, and in-person study groups that are free (donations welcome!) and open to the public. Scroll down for our full list of offerings!
Current & Upcoming Online Courses
We're thrilled to regularly offer new online classes via Zoom to expand access to our content!
The Heretical Heart of Americana
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Sundays in May: 10, 17, & 24 at 11 AM PT
In this three-lecture series, artist, author, and director of the American Museum of Paramusicology Matt Marble explores the magical thought and radical spirit at the heart of Americana music. Tracing the spiritual origins of jazz, the liminal life of country music, and the radical vision behind Harry Smith’s Anthology of American Folk Music, these talks hone in on the free spirit humming through these folk traditions. Rather than the sanitized and sentimental vision of the past it’s so often marketed to be, Americana music is naturally diverse, alive with inspired innovation, eccentric soulfulness, and radical comedy.
I. Sacred Jazz Origins & The Black Spiritual Church II. Holy Fools & the Liminal Life of Country Music III. Harry Smith’s Anthology as a Magical Instrument INSTRUCTOR: MATT MARBLE
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Alchemy and the Symbolics of Color
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Sunday, May 31 & Sundays in June: 7, 14, & 21
at 4 PM PT Join us in a four-part course exploring the physicaland philosophical underpinnings of color symbolism in alchemical and mystic practice.
CLASS ONE: Alchemy, Cosmos, and Vision CLASS TWO: Theorists of Color and Language CLASS THREE: On Light CLASS FOUR: The Ascent of Mt. Anagoge, Iconography and Alchemy INSTRUCTOR: BRIAN COTNOIR
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Tarot Anatomy: Arcana & the Body as a Sacred Vessel for Intuitive Work
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Sundays in August: 9, 16, & 23 at 11 AM PT
By viewing the Tarot deck as an anatomical structure, we uncover layers of meaning that stretch far beyond the surface. During a reading, the cards and our bodies unite as tools of divination, expanding the ways we perceive and interpret the stories they hold. Through this exploration, we’ll delve into the archetypal understanding of the anatomical machine at large, the organs that allow it to function, the ways classic art history has shaped our perception of bodies, and how to develop techniques that attune us to the messages coursing through our physical selves.
This class invites you to sense from within what the Tarot reveals about your stories, your hopes, and the places where healing awaits. Together, we’ll weave a practice that harmonizes intuition, art, and embodiment, allowing the wisdom of the cards to be felt not only in the mind but truly experiencing in the pulsating vessel of the soul. INSTRUCTOR: LAETITIA BARBER
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PRS On-Demand Courses
Independently learn at your own pace, on your schedule, and with a guided structure that can be accessed and revisited as you please. Register anytime!
Secret Teachers of the Western World
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Tune-in to this four-part class series focusing on four key figures in Western Esotericism: Madame Blavatsky, Rudolf Steiner, G.I. Gurdjieff, and Carl G. Jung. CLASS ONE: Madame Blavatsky - The Mother of Modern Spirituality CLASS TWO: Who Was Rudolf Steiner? CLASS THREE: Gurdjieff, Ouspensky, and the Fourth Way CLASS FOUR: Jung the Mystic? INSTRUCTOR: GARY LACHMAN |
The Basics of Esoteric Philosophy as Told Through
'The Initiates of the Flame'
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In this on-demand course (register and go at your own pace), participants will go line-by-line through Manly Hall's first book, The Initiates of the Flame, to gain a clear understanding of the work's psychological, mythological, and spiritual ideas.
By the end, participants will not only understand the book better, but they will also be well-versed in the core theses of the world's prominent philosophies, secret societies, and religions. The goal of this class is literacy in wisdom traditions, stories, and symbols—which will make future exploration into esoteric ideas easier—and a greater appreciation for the book. This class is great for newcomers and lifelong fans alike. INSTRUCTOR: STEPHEN REEDY |
Jung, Myth, and the Archetypal Imagination
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This 5-module course explores the myths that have guided, shaped, and reflected the human experience from antiquity to today.
INSTRUCTOR: SANDRA DEL CASTILLO |
The Basic Keys to 'The Secret Teachings of All Ages'
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In this on-demand course (register and get ongoing access the materials on your own schedule), participants will have access to 14 original video lectures and a wealth of curated supplemental materials that will help them gain a deeper understanding of and appreciation for Manly Hall's masterpiece as well as other dense symbol-laden images and esoteric paradigms they explore in the future.
As beloved as The Secret Teachings of All Ages has been for almost 100 years, some of its most profound wisdom and teachings have gone untapped, as it was written for audiences who already had important contextual information about the symbols, myths, and metaphors permeating the text. In the present day, this context is not so commonly known and therefore a lot of the meaning is lost on contemporary readers. To remedy this, we are offering an online course to unpack several core ideas, the understanding of which will help readers' experiences with the book blossom and deepen. Even if you do not own or intend to read the book, this course will elucidate the depth and meaning of comparative philosophy, religion, myth, science, and secret societies. INSTRUCTOR: STEPHEN REEDY |
The Seeker's Guide Series: 'The Secret Teachings of All Ages'
& 'The Initiates of the Flame' with Mitch Horowitz
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This video series includes two sets of lectures on Manly Hall's greatest works. The first is a brilliant 12-part lecture series on Manly P Hall's magnum opus 'The Secret Teachings of All Ages.' The second is a 4-part series on 'The Initiates of the Flame,' the book that inaugurated Manly P. Hall’s emergence at age 21 as the twentieth century’s premiere scholar of the esoteric and occult.
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Air and Wind:
Perspectives from Alchemy, Chinese Medicine, and Phenomenology
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In this on-demand course (register and get ongoing access the materials on your own schedule), participants explore one of the most fundamental elements through two ancient traditions and one more recent philosophical movement.
Discover how ancient alchemy viewed air and wind on a metaphorical and symbolic level, producing rich images and intriguing chemical operations. Delve into the ways that Chinese medicine works with wind on a practical-empirical level, informing theories of medicine, diagnosis, and treatment with acupuncture and herbs. Finally, examine how humans have dealt with air and wind as an object of direct experience, using phenomenological evidence which reveals our varied experiences of air and wind. INSTRUCTOR: BRIAN FALK PHD |
Ordinary Ritual: Making Meaning in Everyday Life
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For many cultures in the world, ritual is part of everyday life. Time is taken for even the most mundane experiences in order to acknowledge and incorporate them into our lives. There is communication with the elements, with ancestors and with the phenomenal world around us. The communities that do this have done so since the beginning of humanity. This act of ritual helps us make meaning of everyday experiences, helps us to let go of things we are holding onto and helps us live in our world in a different way.
Through exploring the role of ritual in various cultures & wisdom traditions, this class aims to help participants make meaning out of everyday experiences and live a more interconnected & inspired way. The aspiration of this course is to encourage a deeper exploration into the role of ritual and sacred view for each of us, as well as provide some tools on how to do that. INSTRUCTOR: CARLYLE COASH |
The Psychology of Scent
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For thousands of years scent has helped us to understand and navigate our environment, attract or avoid others, learn and remember, and make meaning. On a fundamental level, our sense of smell is one way the human psyche experiences itself and the world around us.
Exploring the connections between scent, emotions, memories, social relationships, & our ability to navigate our environment, participants will find that in a profound sense, aromas are part of who we are. The sense of smell helps the human psyche experience itself and the world around it. This course focuses on six facets of the psychology of scent: Sensation & Perception; Emotions; Memory; Imagination; Meaning; and Social/Cultural Scents. INSTRUCTOR: BRIAN FALK PHD |
The Esoteric Symbolism of the Movie GRAVITY: Suffering, Purpose and the Formula for Transformation
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This course uses the film 'Gravity' as a way to explore profound ideas about trauma and aimless drifting through life. We will also use the movie’s metaphors to help illuminate a handful of ancient symbols—as well as a few modern ones.
Regardless of prior interest in the film, using three landmark texts of philosophical, psychological, & spiritual thought, this class further illuminates themes of Gravity, such as purpose, duty, distraction, & free will. INSTRUCTOR: STEPHEN REEDY |
Astrology of the Psyche
Astrology of the Psyche Part 1: Planetary Intensive
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This is the first in a series of courses that will cover the basic astrological building blocks. All levels of astrology students are welcome—even intermediate students can benefit from demonstrations of how concepts are applied in practice.
INSTRUCTOR: THEA WIRSCHING |
Astrology of the Psyche
Astrology of the Psyche Part 2: Elements, Modalities, and Signs
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This is the second in a series of courses that introduce participants to the astrology of the psyche. This 4-module course focuses on the bedrock of astrological interpretation: the Zodiac, the wheel of twelve signs which function as 'adjectives' in the grammar of astrology.
INSTRUCTOR: THEA WIRSCHING |
Astrology of the Psyche
Astrology of the Psyche Part 3: Houses Intensive
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This course focuses on the astrological houses, the "where" of planetary action. Houses are the most controversial topic in astrology, so we will cover the philosophy behind ancient house systems to arrive at a holistic view.
INSTRUCTOR: THEA WIRSCHING |
The Basics of Esoteric Symbolism
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This course helps students gain literacy in the stories, diagrams, and images of the world's various belief systems. These basic tools will help you navigate the world of esoteric myths, symbols, and art with ease.
INSTRUCTOR: STEPHEN REEDY |
The Psychology of the Five Elements
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The Five Elements is an ancient Chinese cosmology that understands all aspects of life by looking at phenomena through five primary forces or processes. We will see how these forces affect our psychology.
INSTRUCTOR: BRIAN FALK |
Walking the Dragon: Norse Myth, Folklore, Runes, and Magic
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Explore the interior shores of the Norse imagination and its relationship to the runic symbols. The runes will be examined, not as linguistic letters of an extinct language, but as symbols which are alive to different forces and principles in the Universe and in our psyche, similar to the notion of primordial images such as archetypes.
INSTRUCTOR: ANDREAS KORNEVALL |
Weekly Online Classes
Sign up at your convenience and find virtual community in our regular online offerings!
Tools for Being Human: Buddhist Practices
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Peace Class with Mandy Kahn
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