Occult Los Angeles
Los Angeles has had a thriving esoteric undercurrent since the early 20th century. So it’s unsurprising that it’s the home of Jessica Hundley, creator of Taschen’s “Library of Esoterica” series. I spoke with Jessica about the Occult, esoterica, and how the City of Angels has incubated spirituality beyond religion.
What is The Occult?
The word “occult” has been used as a synonym for “evil,” but it simply means “hidden,” derived from the Latin word occultare. Similarly, “Esoteric” comes from the Greek esoterikos, meaning “belonging to an inner circle.” This is because Pagan and Indigenous beliefs that the Catholic Church rejected or censored had to be practiced in secret.
“Occult practices are empowering tools, and that is why they have been hidden,” Jessica Hundley says.
But they aren’t destructive. “All of these traditions, practices, theologies, mythologies, philosophies, they’re all kind of about connection to self, connection to source, connection to the planet, connection to each other,” she says. “And the core of that is love.”
L.A.’s Occult Societies
Hundley researched and referenced much of the content of the Library of Esoterica at the Philosophical Research Society, a mystic institution founded by Manly P. Hall. Jessica quotes Hall in every volume of her Esoterica books: “To be in the world without being aware of the world is like being in the world in the greatest library and not opening a book.”
Dedicated to the study of religion, mythology, metaphysics, and the occult, The Philosophical Research Society housed one of the world’s leading collections of alchemy, esoterica, and hermetica. Nestled in the neighborhood of Los Feliz, it was frequented and supported by a few prominent people in Hollywood.
It wasn’t the only esoteric society embraced by Hollywood. The nascent film industry brought artistic people from all over the world to Los Angeles—people with open minds and new wealth—who supported a variety of spiritual teachers like Yogananda, “exotic” philosophies like Buddhism, and esoteric societies. However, Theosophy had perhaps the greatest influence on early Hollywood.
Blending Eastern and Western spiritual concepts, Theosophy encouraged outdoor exercise, vegetarianism, and art: a lifestyle attractive to Hollywood stars, including Charlie Chaplin and writer L. Frank Baum. Theosophy became a cultural force, sponsoring music and theatre. Its most popular event, an outdoor pageant called “The Light of Asia,” was so successful that it led to the creation of the Hollywood Bowl in 1918.
Hollywood Landmarks With Occult Origins
The Hollywood Bowl wasn’t the only L.A. icon to have occult inspirations: the Bradbury building was designed with the help of an ouija board, and the Los Angeles Central Library was conceived as a “temple of illumination,” incorporating Egyptian and mystical symbolism.
L.A. is still the home of the spiritually adventurous, but the esoteric is no longer secret in a hyper-connected world. “We have this beautiful access to everything,” Hundley notes. “We have this incredible connection to everyone.”
Yet, she cautions this abundance of information comes with its own challenges. “There is this sort of distinct lack of curation and guidance,” she observes, highlighting the importance of finding authentic teachers and practices amidst the digital noise.
