About the Book
An intimate, funny, yet tragic portrait of extraordinary esoteric scholar Manly P. Hall and the occult scene of 1980s Los Angeles
• Details how the author and her boyfriend developed a close friendship with Manly Hall and how Hall at first mistook her boyfriend as his heir apparent
• Explains how Hall adopted the author as his “girl Friday” and personal weirdo screener, giving her access to the inner circles of occult Los Angeles
• Richly depicts the characters who worked and gathered at Hall’s Philosophical Research Society, including Hall’s wife, the famed “Mad Marie”
In the early 1980s, underground musicians Tamra Lucid and her boyfriend Ronnie Pontiac discovered the book The Secret Teachings of All Ages at the Bodhi Tree bookstore in Los Angeles. Poring over the tome, they were awakened to the esoteric and occult teachings of the world. Tamra and Ronnie were delighted to discover that the book’s author, Manly Palmer Hall (1901-1990), master teacher of Hermetic mysteries and collector of all things mystical, lived in LA and gave lectures every Sunday at his mystery school, the Philosophical Research Society (PRS). After their first tantalizing Sunday lecture, Tamra and Ronnie soon started volunteering at the PRS, beginning a seven-year friendship with Manly P. Hall, who eventually officiated their wedding in his backyard.
In this touching, hilarious, and ultimately tragic autobiographical account, Tamra shares an intimate portrait of Hall and the occult world of New Age Los Angeles, including encounters with astrologers, scholars, artists, spiritual seekers, and celebrities such as Jean Houston and Marianne Williamson. Tamra vividly describes how she used her time at the PRS to learn everything she could not only about metaphysics but also about the people who practice it. But when Tamra begs Hall to banish a certain man from the PRS--the same man who inherited Hall’s estate and whom his wife Marie later alleged was Hall’s murderer--Tamra and Ronnie are the ones banished.
Tamra’s noir chronicle of an improbable friendship between a twenty-something punk and an eighty-year-old metaphysical scholar reveals Hall not only as an inspiring esoteric thinker but also as a genuinely kind human being who simply wanted to share his quest for inner meaning and rare wisdom with the world.
Table of Contents:
Foreword by Danny Goldberg
Cast of Characters
Making the Ordinary Extraordinary
The Big Book
My First Sunday at the Philosophical Research Society
First Lecture
The Inner Circle
Appointment with Destiny
The Japanese Altar
9 Pluto
At Home with the Halls
Jazz Cigarettes
The Alchemy of Baking
No Good Deed Goes Unpunished
Fabulous Creatures
The Pinch Hitter
Warnings from the Sybils
Book Hunting with the Halls
Midnight Archaeology
The Space Mother
Lost and Found
Two Funerals
A Wedding
The Society of Five Fellows
The Ice Cracks
Regulars
Among the Hungry Ghosts
The Yellow Sweater Cult
One Very Bad Apple
The Curtain Falls
Cassandra
Don’t Look Back
False Sunrise
To the Strongest
An Olympian Goodbye
The Rest of Art
Applied Metaphysics
Epilogue
“Mad Marie’s” Zucchini Pancake Recipe
About the Author
About the Author :
Tamra Lucid is a founding member of the experimental rock band Lucid Nation. She was a writer and editor for Newtopia Magazine and the principal interviewer for the original Reality Sandwich. She has produced documentary films, including Exile Nation: The Plastic People, End of the Line: The Women of Standing Rock, and the award-winning Viva Cuba Libre: Rap Is War. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband, Ronnie Pontiac.
Review :
“Beautifully written, touching, historical, fast-paced, and fun. This is a book magical people everywhere will love and learn from.”
“A must-read . . . this MTV-era story vividly recalls the surreal time when Tamra Lucid’s hot mess of a boyfriend became an apprentice to the greatest metaphysical scholar in America, Manly P. Hall. Part witty manifesto, part feminist grimoire, part LA love letter, this book brings to life an unforgettable mystical friendship, and the road to magic it reveals is lined with palm trees, red carpets, and night-blooming jasmine. A very important document for anyone interested in the life and legacy of MPH, especially if they wish for a more intimate portrait of the man and his remarkable relationship with his wife Marie, not to mention the politics and inner workings of the PRS. I’ve yet to read anything else offering such a wonderfully tender inside perspective.”
“A compellingly written portrait of life with one of the most significant occult voices of the last century--a rare, through-the-looking-glass account of an esoteric circle that quietly impacted the outer world in which we dwell.”
“Lucid provides a keenly observed account of the southern California spiritual milieu, peppered with scam artists, hungry seekers, sycophants, and bright lights. Importantly, Lucid also highlights the often-overlooked and unsung women working in the background, supporting and often funding the male shining stars of the occult scene. This book is a truly unique contribution to the history of esoteric spirituality in California, providing an honest yet touching snapshot of the spiritual milieu of LA in the 1980s.”
“Tamra Lucid’s warm, engaging, and illuminating account of her years as Hall’s friend brought back memories of a special time and place and reminded me of just how important and eccentric Hall was. Readers coming to Hall for the first time will get an excellent introduction to him from her account. Those, like me, who remember him will enjoy a welcome reunion with one of the twentieth century’s secret teachers.”
“A lovely, soul-stirring, and heart-wrenching tale, culminating in the curious severing of the student-teacher relationship and subsequent mysterious death of the master. This memoir brought Manly P. Hall and the everyday workings of his society more fully to life than anything else.”
“Tamra Lucid tells a story about the spiritual culture revolving around one particular teacher, Manly P. Hall, but her narrative will resonate with all women who have been rendered invisible in male-dominated metaphysical scenes. This book is the first of its kind in that it humanizes Hall, as opposed to lionizing him or probing his weaknesses. After reading Tamra’s memoir, my regard for Hall the man superseded my respect for him as a sage. This is a quintessential LA tale, a wacky tour of the New Age wilds, and a gripping exploration of the pitfalls of personal divinity, as told by a wise-cracking rebel who drifted into the temple off the mean streets of film noir.”
“Tamra Lucid’s prose is playful, poetic, and magical, befitting a novelist. Her subject matter is the stuff of great characters--captivating and ultimately tragic. Yet, it is all true. Manly P. Hall was an enigmatic genius and the genius of Tamra is the ability to capture that world of Manly and Marie, with all its quirks, its vision, and its downfall. This book is beautifully written and the stuff of legend. Tamra lays it out with grace, humor, and empathy. I highly recommend this book.”
“Bitten by the Rosenkreutz bug as much as her subject, Tamra writes amusingly, briskly, and sincerely from experience about her engagement with Hall and his Philosophical Research Society--doubtless a boon to history, but the book’s value exceeds its utility. I greatly enjoyed the breadth of the author’s sympathies, her humor, vitality, and her modest, sensible approach, all making for a highly attractive, original, and entertaining book about a transitional period in American esoteric history.”
“Writing with a clear-eyed, intelligent, and often hilarious voice, Tamra Lucid tells the story of the fascinating personalities surrounding Manly P. Hall, a legend from a legendary time in LA history. As a character in the story herself, she takes the reader to the heart of it all. Especially recommended: her portrayal of Marie Hall, Manly Hall’s wife, and her struggles with the sexism of the time. The world is changing now, and Tamra Lucid is one of its best new voices.”
"All in all, Making the Ordinary Extraordinary is a must-read for anyone interested in occult history. Manly P. Hall is one of the most well-known modern occultists of our times, and Lucid’s up close and personal stories of working for Hall and being immersed in the PRS is fascinating insider information. Lucid does a wonderful job of sharing her personal experience with objectivity and genuine insight and reflection about the past. While it focuses on time-passed, it opened so many new doors for me to explore going forward; occult Los Angeles lives on through Lucid and Making the Ordinary Extraordinary."
"This is a lovingly written story of an extraordinary person during a transformative time in America. Lucid's anecdotes illustrate a life of deep knowledge, serene wisdom, and sheer joy in BEING. Two very troubled kids stumble upon the Well of Wisdom and, for once not turning away in anger or violence, are transformed into remarkable humans. Anecdotes of Lucid's time are presented in small chapters, bon mots like bon bons, fresh and vivid. Thematically, the reader easily sees that the stories are about how Mr. Hall spoke the wisdom he knew, without attachment or expectation, the right words being heard by the right people at the right time."
“Tamra’s memoir of this improbable but rewarding friendship reveals Hall not only as an inspiring esoteric thinker but also as a genuinely kind human being who wanted to share his quest for inner meaning and rare wisdom with the world.”
