I received an email from a reader named Derek L. in which he wrote:

Thanks for your great blog posts. It’s refreshing to see someone telling the truth and not selling more snake oil.

I have a question …

I am intrigued by the lineage of thoughts related to this topic. Since you have a lot of exposure to this material, I wonder if you have any ideas where Haanel got his original concepts.

I am often asked that question because there is a lot of mystery surrounding Haanel and his eternal work, The master key system. Was it part of a Masonic conspiracy? Did you receive your knowledge by arcane means? Someone even theorized about a kind of Russian magician who shared his knowledge with Haanel.

The story is quite interesting, but more nonchalant than some of the stories would have you believe. The master key system it must be considered in the context of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The New Thought philosophy was in full swing with many books and magazines publishing the new beliefs for an apparently hungry audience. Based on Christian Science as advocated by Mary Baker Eddy, Christian Scientists and many New Thinkers stood firm in their belief about what Jesus Christ said about the powers available to each and every person.

Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe in the evidence for the miracles themselves. I tell you the truth, everyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do things even greater than these, because I go to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may glorify the Father. (John 14: 11-13)

Therefore, with enough faith and faith, one could perform miracles as Christ did. Even a cursory reading of The master key system it would reveal to someone that this was something Haanel believed deeply. That said, the monotheistic ideas Haanel espouses probably stem from his involvement in Freemasonry, while Freemasons do not define their God, their only prerequisite is belief in one God. It is then through this God that miracles and extreme human potential can occur.

Before delving into this, it’s worth noting that there were at least two other posts emphasizing the words “The Skeleton Key” before the 20th century. The royal phrase has been used since the 17th century by Freemasons and for a publication in the 18th century: Hiram, or the master key to the door of Freemasonry, published in 1760. Another use of the phrase can be found in the famous (or should be infamous) 600-page work of Madame Helena Blavatsky Isis unveiled, with its subtitle A master key to the mysteries of ancient and modern science and theology, published in 1877. The popularity and influence of Blavatsky and those who followed his teachings, the Theosophists, should not be underestimated.

In the 20th century, two authors published books with “Master Key” in the title. The first comes from L. Frank Baum, author of The Wizard of Oz fame, and it’s an early science fiction novel. Was called The master key and subtitling An electric fairy tale. It told of the adventures of Rob and the Electricity Demon. This was published in 1901.

Another book came out around the same time that Haanel was working at his correspondence school. His ad featured a book and a man reading a book inside an hourglass. The ad read:

The Skeleton Key ~ reveals things you never thought possible. The hourglass of success. You will never get another book like “The Master Key”.

It was written by LW de Laurence and published by The de Laurence Company of Chicago, Illinois, USA, in 1914. Quoting a few lines will show obvious similarities to Haanel’s The Master Key System.

“THE MASTER KEY is divided into six parts: it contains thirty-seven complete chapters that encompass thirty-five lessons of graded difficulty that cover forty numbered individual exercises in which the fundamental principles of concentration and mental discipline are fully explained.”

LW de Laurence, whose full name was Lauron William de Laurence, was an American author, publisher, and owner of a mail-order supply house in Chicago. He has been accused of plagiarism and illegal publication of various hidden works. The number of publications of this man seems considerable.

De Laurence was active at the same time as Haanel and, in fact, was only two years younger than him. De Laurence, who was born in 1868 and died in 1936, had connections to AMORC. It is not clear if there was any connection between the two authors.

This then brings us to the main influence of Charles F. Haanel: the New Thought Movement.

When you read Haanel’s The Master Key System, it doesn’t take long before I start using terms that can be cross-referenced. In fairness to Haanel, many of the quotes he uses have nothing to do with the New Thought Movement. He was a man of his time and widely read. He used references to illustrious figures of the 19th century and talks about the inventions of that time and of the early years of the 20th century. Other quotes come from the Bible, but all are quite enigmatic and symbolic, which could indicate that they are influenced by New Thought writers, Christian Scientists, Freemasons, or Rosicrucians. There are several indications of a possible knowledge of Hinduism, but Haanel’s exact knowledge on that subject is unclear, as references such as Pranic Energy or Pranic Ether may be from Rosicrucian teachings or possibly, and more likely, from Theosophy.

There are several words and phrases that may be of interest:

“The great architect of the universe”

“Secret place of the Most High”

“Universal mind”

The I”

“The Law of Attraction”

The “Great Architect of the Universe” is a phrase that Christians, Freemasons and Rosicrucians often use to represent God or the Supreme Being. It can date back to the Middle Ages or beyond. Thomas Aquinas used a similar phrase but with “Grand” instead of “Great”.

“The secret place of the Most High” can be found in the Bible at Psalm 91: 1 –

He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High will dwell in the shadow of the Almighty.

The “Universal Mind” seems to come from Friedrich Von Schelling and was enlarged by Georg WF Hegel. Ralph Waldo Emerson also made use of this term.

The concept of “I” also seems to have its origin in the works of the first German philosophers. It would seem that “I” was the first principle of Johann Gottlieb Fichte’s Wissenschaftslehre – “Doctrine of science”.

The phrase that is on the tip of many people’s tongues today is “The Law of Attraction.” Like the other terms used by Haanel, it was probably not invented by himself. It seems to have come to light for the first time in the works of William Walker Atkinson (1862-1932) and particularly in Thought Vibration or The Law of Attraction in the Thought World published by The New Thought Publishing Co., Chicago, Illinois, USA. 1906 Although the phrase itself is much older, its meaning became somewhat different with Atkinson and Haanel.

The Law of Attraction also appears in the syllabus of the SRIA – The Rosicrucian Society. However, the age of this program is unknown and it is likely to be quite modern. The SRIA was formed in 1909 with the idea of ​​teaching the general public rather than Freemasons as with previous Rosicrucian groups. Some other aspects of the SRIA curriculum bear similarities to Haanel’s work. However, it may be that both this curriculum and Haanel’s ideas are from an earlier source, or just a coincidence. It is unknown which came first.

Ultimately, it may be possible to trace the idea of ​​the Law of Attraction back to certain phrases that were put into the mouth of Jesus Christ in the New Testament of the Bible.

Ask and it will be given to you; Seek and you shall find; knock, and it will be opened to you: for everyone who asks receives; and he who seeks finds; and to the one who calls, it will be opened. (Matthew 7: 7-8, King James Version)

Another book that cannot be ignored was published in 1908 and was titled The Kybalion: Hermetic Philosophy by Three Initiates and published by The Yogi Publication Society, Masonic Temple, Chicago, Illinois, USA. It cannot be ignored that this book may have played a role in the development of Haanel’s The Master Key System. It was certainly not a collection of lessons and exercises, but the writing of this book is remarkably similar to Hannel’s publications. At one point the phrase “mental chemistry” is used. And although there is nothing in the title even remotely similar to Haanel’s work, the phrase “Master Key” is used in the Introduction and several times in the body of the book. The Kybalion also delves into the power of thought.

… (T) he Hermetic Philosophy is the only Master Key that will open all the doors of Occult teachings … One of the old Hermetic Masters wrote, long ago: ‘He who grasps the truth of the Mental Nature of the Universe he’s well on the road to mastery. ‘ These words are as true today as when they were first written. Without this Master Key, Mastery is impossible, and the student knocks on the many doors of the Temple in vain … The Principles of Truth are Seven; the one who knows them, comprehensively, possesses the Magic Key at whose touch all the Doors of the Temple open.

The Kybalion is believed to be not an ancient document, but was written by William W. Atkinson and the other “Initiates” have been regarded as Paul Foster Houses and Mabel Collins. Atkinson was certainly active in the years leading up to the publication of The Master Key System and it is hard to believe that Haanel would not have known about the man or his works. Master Key Arcana includes brief pieces from the writings of various members of the New Thought Movement, including William W. Atkinson, James Allen, Florence Scovel Shinn, Henry Drummond, and Phineas P. Quimby.

However, if Haanel was influenced by Atkinson, or by any other member of this Movement, it is something else altogether and it is difficult to be sure what his sources were.

Much of Haanel’s life is a mystery. Not many records were kept or preserved and the lack of many living descendants who knew him adds to our not knowing much about him. CW Evans-Gunther investigated and examined Haanel’s life as much as possible. His full biography can be found at www.haanel.com.

Investigating the influences of Haanel and his play on his works is somewhat easier. As noted at the beginning of this article, when you look at the times in which Haanel lived, you can see the influences and how Haanel used those influences to shape his thoughts and works.

In the time period that Haanel lived in, the self-help / personal development movement (though not called by those terms) was quite large and actually very similar to the scene today. As the saying goes, times may have changed, but things remain the same. In some respects, Haanel was a somewhat important player, although he never had the infamy of Blavatsky or some others of the time.

It was all of these elements (at least) that came together in Haanel’s mind to form one of the best books on personal development.

[Please note: This article was researched by C.W. Evans-Gunther. He is also responsible for writing the majority of it. Additional information was added by me. I am also responsible for additional editing and any mistakes that one might find. More information can be found at http://www.haanel.com.]