Sunday, September 7, 2014

Secret Societies

Skull and Bones
Secret Societies…Conspiracy Theories…these mysterious entities have been with us ever since mankind formed civilizations.

Secret Societies abound across the face of the planet, touching every race, religion, creed and color of humanity.  Some are associated with religion and some with politics.  In fact, you can find secret societies embedded in every facet of society.  Although there have been many books written and movies produced about conspiracy theories and secret societies, the publication of Dan Brown's book THE DA VINCI CODE and release of the movie focused a world wide spotlight on a specific set of conspiracy theories and secret societies galloping across the pages of history.

One such Secret Society is the Free Masons, an organization constantly in a swirl of public attention from books and even an onslaught of television documentaries.  Perhaps their rituals and the reasons behind those rituals remain a secret, but their existence is widely known and dates back to biblical times.

However, other secret societies remain far more elusive from public scrutiny.  I recently came across a list of four secret societies (among what is probably thousands) that have not routinely been thrust into public awareness.

The Bohemian Club:
Founded in San Francisco n 1872, the Bohemian Club holds an annual retreat in the redwood forest of northern California at Bohemian Grove.  At this location, they conduct a secret ceremony in front of a giant owl statue.  Only the most powerful men are invited to attend.  Women are prohibited from being members, a situation upheld by the California courts.  Famous members include Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush.

Ordo Templi Orientis:
Founded in the early 20th century by an Austrian chemist.  One of its known members is famed British occultist Aleister Crowley (1875-1947).  He revamped the masonic group to focus on a religion he created called Thelema.  They believe that mankind's existence is a product of the relationship between the space-time continuum and the principle of life and wisdom.  Prospective members must go through a series of secret rituals and initiations before being granted membership.

The Rosicrucians:
The unusual combination of a secret society with a Facebook page.  They're named for their symbol of a rose on a cross.  They have one central belief, that all their members share the same secret wisdom.  Their beliefs combine occultism with aspects of popular religion.

Skull & Bones:
Founded at Yale university in 1832, it's probably the most famous of the secret societies due in part to such high profile members as three generations of the Bush family, including two presidents—George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush.  Skull & Bones have allegedly been a part of many monumental historical events despite the fact that only fifteen Yale students are chosen each year to become members.  It's rumored that they took part in the creation of the nuclear bomb.  There's also a persistent belief that in 1918, nine years after Geronimo's death, that a group of Skull & Bones members dug up his grave and stole his skull, a few miscellaneous bones, and some relics that were also buried with him.  The grave raiding party allegedly included Prescott Bush, father and grandfather to the two Bush presidents.  Twenty descendants of Geronimo have recently filed a lawsuit against Skull & Bones, Yale University, and the U.S. Government to have the remains returned to them.

There are certainly many more secret organizations functioning and flourishing world-wide in today's society other than these four.

6 comments:

Sandra Dailey said...

You hear about things like this, but never imagine they still go on. Thanks for a very interesting post.

Samantha Gentry said...

Sandra: Glad you enjoyed it. I had heard of The Bohemian Club and Skull and Bones, but the other two were new to me.

Thanks for your comment.

Barbara Bettis said...

Interesting and somewhat appalling--the societies, not the report of them ;) Good job.

Samantha Gentry said...

Thanks, Barbara. Secret societies have been with us for what seems like forever and I'm sure will continue to be with us far into the future.

Thanks for your comment.

Ilona Fridl said...

As a former member of Job's Daughters (Free Mason), I can attest that nothing evil goes on there. My uncle was the head of Scottish Rite in Los Angeles for many years and I was shocked about what most people believed about us.

Samantha Gentry said...

Ilona: It's amazing the huge number of things the conspiracy theorists have attributed to the Free Masons through out history including the actual design of Washington, D.C. and the American dollar bill. They seem to base it on the concept that it's secret because it's bad.

Thank you for your comment.