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2016 Postmortem
Related: About this forumRonald Reagan and the occultist: The amazing story of the thinker behind his sunny optimism
The Gipper's warm "morning in America" worldview was directly shaped by his reading of occult thinker Manly P. HallMITCH HOROWITZ
Excerpted from "One Simple Idea: How Positive Thinking Reshaped Modern Life"
Ronald Reagan often spoke of Americas divine purpose and of a mysterious plan behind the nations founding. You can call it mysticism if you want to, he told the Conservative Political Action Conference in 1974, but I have always believed that there was some divine plan that placed this great continent between two oceans to be sought out by those who were possessed of an abiding love of freedom and a special kind of courage. These were remarks to which Reagan often returned. He repeated them almost verbatim as president before a television audience of millions for the Statue of Liberty centenary on July 4, 1986.
When touching on such themes, Reagan echoed the work, and sometimes the phrasing, of occult scholar Manly P. Hall.
From the dawn of Halls career in the early 1920s until his death in 1990, the Los Angeles teacher wrote about Americas secret destiny. The United States, in Halls view, was a society that had been planned and founded by secret esoteric orders to spread enlightenment and liberty to the world.
In 1928, Hall attained underground fame when, at the remarkably young age of twenty-seven, he published The Secret Teachings of All Ages, a massive codex to the mystical and esoteric philosophies of antiquity. Exploring subjects from Native American mythology to Pythagorean mathematics to the geometry of ancient Egypt, this encyclopedia arcana remains the unparalleled guidebook to ancient symbols and esoteric thought. The Secret Teachings won the admiration of figures ranging from General John Pershing to Elvis Presley. Novelist Dan Brown cites it as a key source.
When touching on such themes, Reagan echoed the work, and sometimes the phrasing, of occult scholar Manly P. Hall.
From the dawn of Halls career in the early 1920s until his death in 1990, the Los Angeles teacher wrote about Americas secret destiny. The United States, in Halls view, was a society that had been planned and founded by secret esoteric orders to spread enlightenment and liberty to the world.
In 1928, Hall attained underground fame when, at the remarkably young age of twenty-seven, he published The Secret Teachings of All Ages, a massive codex to the mystical and esoteric philosophies of antiquity. Exploring subjects from Native American mythology to Pythagorean mathematics to the geometry of ancient Egypt, this encyclopedia arcana remains the unparalleled guidebook to ancient symbols and esoteric thought. The Secret Teachings won the admiration of figures ranging from General John Pershing to Elvis Presley. Novelist Dan Brown cites it as a key source.
more:
http://www.salon.com/2014/01/05/ronald_reagan_and_the_occultist_the_amazing_story_of_the_thinker_behind_his_sunny_optimism/
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Some time in the next week, Chris Matthews will have Reagan, Jr on his show to refute the author of the book and the book itself.
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Ronald Reagan and the occultist: The amazing story of the thinker behind his sunny optimism (Original Post)
DonViejo
Jan 2014
OP
Cirque du So-What
(25,939 posts)1. K & R for reexamining Ronnie Raygun's fascination with woo
I'm sure it'll come as quite a shock to a good number of fundies who chose to ignore this info when it first came to light.
dixiegrrrrl
(60,010 posts)2. I have heard of Manley Hall
but had no idea of who he was till now...thanks.