Secret Societies by Devra Newberger Speregen Et All

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$9.99 . DISPt.AY UNTIL 04/02/2013

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CONTENTS
6
Inside Top
Secret Societies
8
Shrot!ded in Mystery
13
Secret Societies in Literature
14
CosaNostra
22
Freemasons
31
Secret Societies in Film
32
The Illuminati
39
A Society Wardrobe
42
Skull & Bones
48
Fraternities vs . Collegiate Secret
Societies
58
The Rosicrucians
64
7he Sons of Liberty
68
The Hermetic Order
of the Golden Dawn
70
Ordo Templi Orientis
72
Knights of the Golden Circle
75
Knights Templar
78
The Outrageous Five
80
The Black Hand
81
Central Intelligence Agency
84
The Bohemian Grove
86
Symbols of Secret Societies
88
"01' Boys' Clubs "
for Girls
89
Sinister Secret Societies
95
Conclt!sion
TOP SECRET
6 SECRET SOC IETIES

BEHIND CLOSED DOORS
We know they exi st: clandestine gatherings of wealthy men with
mutual agendas, secret handshakes, and covert ceremoni es that date
back centuries.
We've heard rumors of conspiracies. bi zarre rituals, exclus ive
membership, and sometimes dangerous initiations.
We've wondered about omi nous signs we've seen on doors in
inconspicuous buildings across the country: "The Order of Really
Mysterious Men" or "The Lodge of Suspi cious Fellows."
Finally, we've seen for ourselves the outrageous costumes
depi cted in movies and on television, emblazoned with cryptic
symbols and crests that only a select few understand.
Yet aside from the flashy images and rumors, we know very little
about secret societi es. We are always left to wonder: Who are those
guys ... and what are they doing behind those closed doors?
THE DEARLY DEVOTED
Nearl y every village, town, and city in the United States has secret
societies "hidden" right under our noses. Many are forms of
centuries-old orders like the Freemasons, Odd Fellows, llluminati,
or Shriners. Others are simply men's clubs like the Rotary, Li ons,
or Elks. And while not formally secret societies, the Rotary, Lions,
and Elks (like the Freemasons) are joined by men who swear secret
oaths and adhere to confidential practices.
What separates service-oriented all-male societies like the Rotary
and the Elks from "secret" societi es like the Freemasons is more
than just the arcane oaths and cryptic initiation process it takes
to join. The difference boils down to an all egiance stronger than
basic loyalty. Not that Rotary and Elks members are not loyal to
their clubs, but the devotion of secret society members goes much
deeper. Secret society brotherhoods take loya lty to a whole other
level- the kind ofloyalty that puts the brotherhood above all else.
Even family.
In a secret society, this allegiance is nonnegotiable. If a member
behaves disloyall y, he is likely to meet with an extremely harsh
punishment. Even death is not off the table.
For the inductee, becoming a member of a secret soci ety is life-
changing. He knows the group he is pl edging his allegiance to may
ask him to do more than host a spaghetti dinner fund rai ser or coat
drive. He knows thi s before he joins: he learns the rules and codes
of conduct while pl edging ("preparing" to become a member). So
before he takes that final oath pledging hi s life to thi s excl usive
brotherhood, he had better be sure he knows what he's getting into!
To an outsider, the oaths, rites, and rituals of secret societies can
appear outrageous, but according to Adam Parfrey, the coauthor
of Rit,w/ America, they are deSigned first and foremost to be
intimidating. Parfrey says thi s is a way the hierarchy can challenge
prospective members and test their loyalties. He points to old hazing
initiation pranks that made people believe their heads were about to
be chopped off or, less dramatically, they were drinking goats' blood.
"Some groups actually seemed to appeal to the sadistic," Parfrey says.
The idea is that the more intimidating the task, the more impressive
the man who completes it.
tttttttttt
Beginnings of
Brotherhood
A fraternity (t he Latin Fratermeans
"brot her") is a brotherhood, although the
term can also mean a di stinct or formal
organi zat ion. The defini t ion of a fraterni ty is
an organi zed society of men associated 10 an
environment of companionship and brother-
hood, and dedicated to the intellectual , physi-
cal, and soci al development of its members.
There is evidence of fraternal orders as far
back as t he first Egyptians and documented
fraternal organizations exi stmg as far back
as ancient Greece and Rome. III premod-
ern cultures, they came to be known as
Mannerbunds, German for all-male "warrior-
bands" or "warrior-societies" and used to
describe hugely powerful, secret organi za-
tions with closed-door ceremonies and confi-
dential memberships, ri tuals, and practices.
Today these Mannerbunds have evolved
into different types of all -male organiza-
tions and agencies, including college frater-
nities, orders, men's clubs, religious sects,
paramilitary, quasi-governmental groups,
and other powerful international organi za-
tions. What they all have in common is their
penchant for secrecy.
8 SECRET SOCI ETIE S
W
ith brotherhoods like the Freemasons, which dates back to
the Mi ddle Ages, and the Cosa Nostra (better known as the
Mafi a) , which began in the , 800s, it' s a wonder how many societies
have managed to persevere for so long ... yet still remain so mysterious.
The answer to that is simple: The more mysterious they are, the
more attractive they become to outsiders looking to get in. With such
a high pri ori ty pl aced on confi dentiali ty (and harsh punishments
rumored to be handed down to those who spill club secrets),
prospective members know their conti nued membership in these
private brotherhoods depends on keeping mum. Regardless of what
actuall y happens in these cloakand.dagger meetings, it' s no secret
these covert cl ubs have kept us nonmembers fascinated for centuri es.
SECRECY THROUGH THE AGES
Though many secret societi es were formed with political and
religious goals in mind, their fixation on mystery and secrecy has
left them wide open to criticism as the focus of many conspiracy
theories, bl amed for ali ens, UFOs, assassi nations, occult practi ces,
and the infil tration of the CI A. And though, in reali ty, the intent of
these societies is usuall y much less mi schi evous and destructive,
they have had, more than once, a major impact on world hi story
through the ages.
WHY JOIN?
Reasons for joining a secret society haven' t changed much over the
years. Back when many of these orders of brotherhood were formed,
members enjoyed getting away from their wives and kids for a
few evenings of dri nki ng and smoking with their "brothers" every
week, The same goes for many men's clubs today-men enj oy the
camaraderie of like-mi nded men on their time off and they seek to
develop friendshi ps in thi s fashion. Years ago men were also drawn
to these organizations because many provided life insurance and
other care for members and their families at a time when Social
SECRET SOCIETIES TIMEIJ.INE
The first Chinese secret society, the
Red Eyebrows, helps to overthrow
the tyrant Wang Mang in 25 C.E.
SEC RET SOCIETIES 9
HISTORY CHANGERS
A Mysterious Slip of
Paper and the Illuminati
In 1784, a messenger en route to Paris was struck
by lightning.
The authorities discovered a piece of paper
on the dead messenger's body, written by Adam
Weishaupt, head of the Bavarian Illuminati, and
titled "The Original s hift in Days of Illumination."
It described the Illuminati 's ultimate goal for
"New World Order through Revolution:' It also
spoke of the French Revolution (which hadn't
happened yet). Bavarian authorit ies discovered
more revealing documents in Weishaupt's home
about controlling all facets of Freemasonry, over-
throwing European monarchies, and putting an
end to the Catholic Church.
The French authorities believed this secret
society known as the Illuminati was a huge
threat. They ordered the prosecution of all mem-
bers of both the Illuminati and the Freemasons.
Weishaupt and his family managed to escape
persecution and lived in Gotha, Germany, until
his death in 1830.
RANDOM OBSERVANCES
r...J The members of the Improved Order of
the Red Men. which dates back to the earl y
1800s. dressed in Native American garb
and had rituals inspired by Native American
culture. yet refused to admit Native
Americans into their society.
r...J Some original secret orders have since
dropped the rituals and esoteric pretense to
morph into full-ti me insurance companies.
ID SECRET S OCI ETI ES
Security, Medi care, and life insurance did not exist. Still others
were drawn to the obscure religious or political practices the clubs
glorified or to the exclusivity they offered.
In addition, as Parfrey further explains in Ritual America, of the
more than 600 secret societi es present at the turn of the century,
many had specific purposes: They were labor unions, business
groups, rural or agrarian organizations, religiOUS and occult
organizations, sobriety groups, drinking groups, and immi grant
(or anti immigrant) organizations.
No matter their purpose or to whom they appeal , all secret
societies have one thing in common: a membership privy to
certain things nonmembers are not privy to. Whether it's secret
handshakes, undercover initi ations, or an agenda with hidden
objectives, regardless of what actually happens behind closed doors,
these secret brotherhoods continue to fascinate us for one simpl e
reason: People love a good secret.
SINISTER SOCIETIES
There's something inherently diabolical about a secret society.
Just consider a few of tlle events secret societies have been linked
to throughout hi story:
+> The secret society known as the BAVARIAN ILLUMINATI was accused
of sparking tlle French Revolution.
+> Another secret society, the BLACK HAND, is credited with an
assassination in Sarajevo that led to World War l.
+> Members of the ORDER OF SKULL & BONES-a secret society with
past U.S. presidents as members- are rumored conspirators in
the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.
+ > The revolutionary activities of the CARBONARI, a secret society in
Italy loosely associated with the Freemasons, led to a seri es of
revolts that ultimately shaped the state of Italy in 1820.
+> The CHINESE TRIADS, a group of criminal secret societies in
China that are currently involved in organized crime, narcotics
trafficking, and computer software piracy, have also been
known to take part in overthrowing unpopular Chinese
governments.
Still other secret societies have been connected throughout hi story
with such activities as high-profile kidnappings and assassinations,
drug dealing, grave robbing, group sex, cannibalism, and polyga my,
according to Amy D. Bernstei n, secret societies expert and author
of Secrets of til e Code. "President John F. Kennedy even gave a
speech before the American Newspaper Publishers Association
condemning these groups as a ' grave danger' to democracy,"
Bernstein writes in U.S. News ( World Report.
SECRECY AND ITS
ROOTS IN RELICION
Many religions are rooted in secret traditi ons, and many still involve
secrecy: Believers are told things forbidden to outsiders, and more
information is revealed in stages as beli evers rise through the ranks.
In the Church of Scientology, for example, there is a seri es of eight
grades or levels one must pass before progressing to complete
knowledge, known in the reli gion as the "Bridge to Total Freedom."
Many secret societies incorporate thi s "ladder approach" into
their systems; the only way to achieve success and res pect within
the group is to pass a series of tests or steps. In many coll ege
fraternities, for example, new members rise up through the
echelons by performing tasks and gaining knowledge, usually about
the hi story of the fraternity, its founders, and its code of conduct.
Secrecy wi thin religion is nothing new. While Christi anity is
seen today as open and inviting, as Catherine Beyer, an educator,
illustrator, and web author from Wi sconsin, points out, "It can' t
be forgotten that for most of its existence, the Catholi c Church
performed all of its rituals and wrote all copi es of scripture in Latin,
which was understood by almos t no one outside of the Church. "
Just as goods were traded back in the Middle Ages, so were
belief systems. When crusaders and merchants like Marco Polo
introduced Eastern art, architecture, literature, and science to
Europe, they also introduced mystical and esoteri c phil osophy
and reli gion. During thi s time, Italy was already exchanging
philosophical ideas with the Middle East, so the ideas the crusaders
and merchants eventuall y exchanged with the Europea ns had been
tremendously influenced by the Middl e East.
SECRET SOCIETIES TODAY
While many secret societies are still functioning, nearl y all of them
have changed with the times. Medieval torture practices considered
illegal in today's world are, thankfull y, gone. So are most, if not all ,
immoral ones. (Thi s is not the case wi th evil secret societies such
as the Cosa Nostra, Ku Klux Klan, or al -Qaeda, whi ch continue both
illegal and immoral practi ces. )
Though they still remain pri vate and hi ghl y guarded, we have, in
fact, been able to uncover bits of informat ion about secret societi es
and piece together profiles of the better-known brotherhoods,
thanks to discontented and di sgruntled society dropouts who have
squealed on their former brothers. Through extensive interviews
with these ex-members, ma ny conducted by authori ties such as the
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), we have gained insight into
many behind-dosed-doors activiti es of secret societi es.
In additi on, we ca n thank the media for much we have
learned about secret societies in recent years. The Freemasons,
the Illumi nati , and the Cosa Nostra, among others, have become
SECRET CLUBS LONG AGO
The builders' and arti sans' gui lds of classical
Rome, call ed the Coll egia, are thought to be
"the model for the medieval trade brotherhoods,
forerunners of secret societies," according to
A Secret History of Freemasonry by Paul
Naudon. In these ancient brotherhoods, trade
secrets were guarded. Members used pass-
words and covert signs to recognize one
another and as protection against competitors.
According to Bernstein, both the Masons
(Freemasons are also call ed "Masons") ,
who dat e back to the Middle Ages, and Yale
Uni versity'S infamous secret society Order of
Skull & Bones, which began in 1832, "create
closed, supportive environments which down-
play competition in favor of an intense group-
focused mentality."
Early Chri stians kept their communities a secret
to avoid persecution by Roman authorities, as
did the Jews in Spain and Portugal during the
Inqui sition in the 14th and 15th centuri es. Both
the early Christians and Jews used a system
of signs and words to recognize each other in
publi c in order to remain secret.
During the Civil War, a number of soldiers from
North and South carried proof that they were
Freemasons at all times. They believed thi s
would secure them good treatment if they were
captured by enemy troops who feared the well-
known society.
SEC RET SOCIETIES (I
HISTORY CHANGERS
A DramaticAssassination
by the Black Hand
"Two bullets fi red on a Sarajevo street on a sunny
June morning in 1914 set in motion a series of events
that shaped the world we live in today. world War
One, world War Two, the Cold War and its conclu-
sion all trace their origins to the gunshots that
interrupted that summer day:'-Assassination of
Archduke Ferdi nand, 1914, EyeWitness to History
(www.eyewitnesstohistory.com. 1998)
The victims were Archduke Franz Ferdinand,
heir to the t hrone of the Austro-Hungarian
Empire, and his wife, Sophie.
The assassin was 19-year-old Gavrilo Princip, a
member of the Serbian nationalists' secret society,
the Black Hand. The Balkan region of Europe was
tense at the start of the 20th century, and t he
Black Hand society members believed the death of
the archduke woul d change the poli tical climate in
the region and help their fell ow Serbians.
Besides Princip, t here were seven ot her
conspirators lining the motorcade route in
Sarajevo as t he archduke and his wife were
returning from an official visit to City Hall . Each
conspirator took a different position, ready to
attack t he royal car if the opport unity presented
itself. After a series of missteps and errors, the
Aust rian commander, General Potiorek, had
pleaded with t he archduke to leave the city, as
it was "seething with rebell ion." But
as t he royal procession navigated a
sharp t urn en route from City Ha ll ,
it slowed directly in front of Princip,
who seized t he opportunity and
fired the two shots.
entertainment fodder for books, television, movies, and pop culture;
there's always a secret society behind the villain in the latest best-
selli ng novel or Oscar-winning fi lm, causing mayhem in all sorts of
destructive, covert ways. In Dan Brown' s novel Tile Da Vinci Code,
it was the Opus Dei (founded in Spain in 1928 by a Catholic priest)
and Priory of Sion (begun in France in 1956). In Brown's next
book, Angels ll[ Demol1S, it was the !I1uminati. In The Lost Symbol,
also by Dan Brown, and in the fi lm National Treasure, it was the
Freemasons. In the fi lm The Good Shepherd it was the Order of Skull
& Bones. And, of course, there would be no movie series based on
Mario Puzo's The Godfather, no Goodft llas movie directed by Martin
Scarsese, and no H BO series TIl e Sopranos without the Cosa Nostra.
There are also very low-profile secret societies out there we
know next to nothing about. What we do know is that with modern-
day distractions like television, video games, and the Internet,
membership in these secret orders has dropped abruptly since the
late 19605. Active soci eties are desperate to attract new members.
But few people today have the motivation to spend months
memori zing soci ety rul es or foll owing strict practices in order to
climb the ladder of an organization's hi erarchy.
After all , why bother, when you can sit at home and "join"
the Illuminati in TIl e Secret World on Xbox'
"The very word 'secrecy' is repugnant in a free and
open society: President Kennedy said, "and we
are as a people inherently and historically opposed
to secret societies. to secret oaths and to secret
proceedings."
Calling our "way of life under attack" from secret
societies, the president added, "We are opposed
around the world by a monolithic and ruthless
conspiracy that relies primarily on covert means
for expanding its sphere of influence: '"
THE
ARCHDUKE
FRANZ
FERDINAND
AND FAMILY
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Secrecy is a fundamental requirement
of membership in the Cosa Nostra (the
Mafia). Members are required not only
to keep their activities hidden, but
also to deny the very- existence of the
organization . .. even to their families.
14 SEC RET SOC I ETIES
t t t t t t t t t t t t t
T
he single most important rule of membership in the Cosa
Nostra is Om.rta: the Oath of Si lence. Ini tiates swear this oath
when becoming "made men"-those who have earned the respect
and honor of others and are formally inducted into the Cosa Nostra.
It requires members to keep the secrets of the brotherhood and
strictly prohibits them from coll aborating with the authorities.
Ever. In any circumstance.
It even forbids members from seeking the assistance of the
poli ce when they are victims of a crime themselves.
The Cosa Nostra (Italian for "this thing of ours"), also known
as the Mafia, the Mob, or La CosaNostra (LCN to the FBI), is the
American arm of the Italian Mafia-gangsters and criminals
from Italy expelled by thei r country. It is the most notorious
and widespread of all criminal secret societi es and the foremost
organi zed criminal threat to American society.
A coalition of crimi nals, linked by blood ties and dedicated
to pursuing crime, the Cosa Nostra consists of different coscas
(fami lies or groups) that are arranged geographically and engaged in
significant and organized racketeering activity.
Members of the Cosa Nostra have a slightl y different view
of their orga ni zati on. While they obviously know their group
engages in unlawful activiti es . they ins tead see their association
as an avenue through which to conduct business and strengthen
their communities. Senior members have passed down the
organi zation' s code of conduct from generati on to generation, with
rules for governing family and business stemming from the old
country. The code, though obj ectionabl e in modern society, is the
code they have always li ved by. It is the onl y code they know.
Mostl y active in the New York metropolitan area, parts of New
Jersey, Philadelphia, Detroit, Chi cago, and New England, the Cosa
Nostra has members in other major cities, and internationally they
are linked to the Italian Mafia. Though the organizati on originated
back in the 1800s in rural Sicily, it has managed to hold fast, fi rst
infiltrating the social and economic fabric of Ital y, then eventuall y
of the world.
The word mafia, deri ved from the Sicilian di alect of Italian,
li terall y translates to "hostili ty to the law" or "boldness." The word
was first used in 1838, in a poli ce report in the province of Trapani ,
Italy, and has since evolved into an internati onal label for all
organi zed crime, whether referring to the Itali an Mafia , the Russ ian
Mafia, or the Asian Mafia. The Cosa Nostra is referred to (by both
its members and the authorities) only as the "Ameri can arm" of the
Italian Mafi a.
Back in the 1800s, only white males of full Italian heritage could
join the Cosa Nostra. In the early 1980s, that rul e was extended to
include men whose fathers were of Itali an descent (even if their
mothers were not) and men married to non-Italian women. The rule
never budged, however, on the patrilineal requirement. In the mid-
1800s, when the Cosa Nostra began to take shape, the government
of mainland Ital y had trouble maintaining law and order on the
island of Sicil y. Si cili ans di srega rded the authoriti es and instead
relied upon relati ves and famil y ti es for safety, protection, justi ce,
and survi val. Gang-related violence centered on famil y connecti ons
became commonplace, and for the next hundred years, Si cilian
cascos ruled the area, and many of the codes of conduct associated
with the Mafia came into existence. The extreme right-wing rise of
fascism in Italy under Benito Mussolini , who specificall y
had his eye on putting an end to the Sicilian Mafia, led
to the expulsion of powerful Mafia clan leaders. These
Mafia captains found new homes in America, taking
their power, notori ety, and codes of conduct with them
to the different boroughs of New York City.
Racketeering: committIng crimes such
as extortion. loan-sharking, bribery. and
obstruction of justice to further one's
illegal business activities. r-..J
MOBSPEAK'
. ',
Confused by the colorful words and phrases
you hear peppered throughout conversa-
tions between mobsters? Here's a basic
transla1!l 0n to keep you in the know:
Babbo A mafia term for an underling who
is considered useless.
The books A phrase indicating membership
in the family. If there is a possibility for promo-
tion, then the books are open. If not, the books
are closed.
Cafone Peasant or lower-class.
Clock To keep a person under surveillance.
Come heavy To walk in carrying a loaded gun.
You should not take a meeting with a Russian
drug dealer .unless you "come heavy:'
Guests of the state or
Guest.s of the government Going to prison,
doing time.
In the wind After leaving the witness protection
program, you are "in the wind;' meaning you
are on your own somewhere out there.
Moe Green special Getting killed with a shot
in the eye, like the character Moe Green in The
Godfather. One form of "sending a message:'
Pezzonovante Literally means .95 caliber,
though also a term for someone who is
a big shot.
~ One who snitches or squeals after
having been arrested.
Spring cleaning cleaning up, hiding, or
getting rid of evidence.
Through the eye A message to say
"We're watching you!"
:.". Va Fa Napole "Go to Naples" (i.e., "Go to hell").
Known as "Mustache Petes,"
the early generation of Sicilian
Mafiosi in America claimed many
prominent members with many
colorful nicknames. The practice of
giving nicknames among the Mafia
"FAT TONY"
became customary among members as well as
among FBI agents trying to keep track of the
most dangerous mobsters. Don't let their creative
nicknames throw you, however: They
were all as sinister as they come.
Baby Face Lester
Nelson, Chicago (d. 1934)
.ugsy Benjami n Si egel,
Brooklyn (d. 1947)
The Chin Vincent
Gigante, New York City
(d. 2005)
Dapper Don and
~ O N CARLO"
Teflon Don John Gotti ,
New York City (d. 2002)
Don Carlo Carlo Gambino,
Si cily (d. 1976)
Gasplpe Anthony Casso,
Brooklyn (b. 1940)
GoH Bag Sam Hunt, Chi cago
(d. 1956)
The Grim Reaper Gregory
Scarpa, Brookl yn (d. 1994)
.loe Bananas Joseph
Bonanno, New York City
(d. 2002)
.lohnny Sausage John
Barbat o, New York City (b. 1934)
Louie Bagels Loui s Daidone,
New York City
Lucky Luciano Charli e Luciano
(Salvatore Lucania), New York City
(d. 1962)
No Nose John DiFronzo, Chicago
(b. 1928)
"PRIME
MINISTER"
Sammy Bull Salvatore Gravano, Brooklyn
(b. 1945)
Scarface Alphonse Capone, Chicago
(d. 1947)
Three-Finger Brown Tommy
!!"!111111... Lucchese, Sicily (d. 1967)
not a member of
Cosa Nostra but a
gangster working for
the American Mafi a
"SCARFACE"

"THE CASTELLAMMARESE WAR"
Old World mobsters Giuseppe "Joe the Boss" Masseria (Si cily,
d. 193[) and Salvatore Maranzano (Sicily, d. [93[) continued the
traditions and ri tuals of the Sicilian coscos when they settled in
America, monopolizing businesses like alcohol distribution during
Prohibition. Largely preying on vulnerable Itali an immi grants, they
caused a three-year bloody rivalry of control between families called
the "CasteUammarese War," named after their village in Sicily.
Maranzano's "army" were decidedly the victors of thi s war and
took control of the Cosa Nostra in its wake. Maranzano went on
to restructure the organization in New York City, forming it into a
system that is still adhered to today.
The restructuring called for a si ngle Mafiosi family to be
assigned to each city, outside of New York City. They were to be
headed by a boss and an underboss. Below that, each famil y was
di vided into crews of soldi ers, each crew headed by a capo (boss).
In New York City, because of its size, the city was split into
fi ve famili es-known as the famous Fi ve Families of New York
City-with Maranzano placing himself at the top of the pyramid
as capo dei capi, or "boss of bosses." The Five Families that made
up thi s criminal conglomerate were the Lucchese (the Bronx),
Bonanno (Brooklyn) , Gambino (Queens), Luciano/ Genovese
(Manhattan), and Profaci /Colombo (Staten Island) famili es.
NO HAPPY ENDING FOR
MARANZANO
While the newly constructed hierarchy put in place by Maranzano
commanded respect from Italian Americans in New York City on
the whole, there were some very unhappy Cosa Nostra members.
Charlie "LucJ.,.y" Luciano was one of them .
Lucky Luciano had been promised equal status by Maranzano,
and when that didn't pan out, he felt betrayed. In [93[, he hired a
team of hit men to kill Maranzano. Then, with Maranzano out of the
way, Luciano took over as the most powerful Mafia boss in America.
Lucky Luciano used his stature to run the Cosa Nostra like a
major corporation. He set up a ruling body call ed the "LCN (La
CosaNostra) Commission," composed of seven bosses, and divided
the different businesses run by the Cosa Nostra (rackets) among the
families. He did away with the role of capo dei capi, yet he was still
the undi sputed leader of the LCN Commission.
The commission was primaril y developed in
WHO
YOU CALLlN'
WALNUTS?
order to settle internal di sputes within the
organization. In 1936, Luci ano was
Just got made? What
would your mob nickname be?
Visit a mob nilme generator
online and find out:
www.mymobnameocoml.
arrested on charges of organized
prostitution and sentenced to
prison, but he didn't give up
hi s role of capo. Instead he
continued to rule the Cosa Nostra from hi s jail
cell through acting boss "Don Vito" Genovese
(Sicily, d. 1969).
In the wake of Luciano' s impri sonment,
the Cosa NOStl"3 experienced great growth,
in addition to many crushing defeats. It can
be credited with the expansion of Las Vegas,
after developing gambling ope rations there and
in Havana, Cuba. Under Luciano's reign, the
Cosa Nostra ruled the largest drug-smuggling
operations in the world and headed up a host of
other organized crime operations.
Up until this time, the public was unfamiliar
with the name "Cosa Nostra," though people
certainly knew of the group's activities. In '958,
when Genovese was indicted on charges of
conspiring to sell narcotics. the secret name "Cosa
Nostra" entered public record. Outsiders were
MEYER LANSKY,
AKA THE MOB'S
ACCOUNTANT
finally able to put a name behind the faces of organized cri me.
VITO
GENOVESE
SECRET SOC IETIES 17
BIG BUCKS IN CRIME
The members of the Cosa Nostra do not limit
themselves to drug running. They're also involved
in a laundry list of criminal activity, including
illegal gambling, political corruption, extortion, kid-
napping. fraud, counterfeiting, murders, bombings,
and weapons trafficking. They are also known to
engage in arson and other racketeering crimes.
The Cosa Nostra-along wi th the Mafia in
Italy-is infamous for it s violent assaults on Italian
law enforcement officials. According to the FBI ,
in Sicily the term "Excel lent Cadaver" is used
to distinguish the assassination of prominent
government officials from the common criminals
and ordinary citizens killed by the Mafia. Hi gh-
ranking vict ims include police commissioners,
mayors, judges, police colonels and generals, and
Parliament members,
THE JOURNEY TO MADE MAN
According to Pierre de Champlain, author of Mobsters, Gangsters
and Men of Hon o",., "Cosa Nostra' s selection process is even
more rigorous than any prestigi ous business enterprise, and the
selection of candidates may take several years. " Former Mafia
member Tommaso Buscetta (Sicil y, d. 2000) , who defected from
the organization in 1984, told the author that prospective candidates
are "carefully observed and screened for a period of time without
knowing it. "
Mafiosi gain status when they are invited into the Cosa Nostra
and are al so rewarded with respect and a large share of the take
collected by the organization as a result of racketeering. The Cosa
Nostra considers thi s money "income,"
For Italian men engaged in criminal activity, being asked to
become a member of the Mafia is the highest honor they can
possibly receive.
As Buscetta explained, new recruits to the Cosa Nostra start at
the very bottom. They are required to perform various tasks that
involve violence or intimidation, such as collecting monies owed to
other members and families. "As time goes on, " Champlain writes
in U.S. News", World Report, "recruits will be tested for their loyalty
and competence by being asked to perform more daring criminal
assignments,"
And by "more daring criminal assignments," onc can only guess
what Champlain means.
Once a candidate has proven he is a "man of honor" and has
value to the organi zation, he is offi ciall y invited to join "the famil y."
Joining the famil y involves a detailed initiation ceremony that dates
back to the 1800s. Thi s rite of passage originated in
Sicily and has changed only minimally.
The ceremony has three distinct steps:
t. The candidate must be presented by
a member to the whole group.
2. The rules- or commandments-are fully
described to the candidate, ensuring he clearly
understands what he's getting himself into.
He is al so given an opportunity to back
out at thi s time (which is unlikely
because he is made to understand
that the penalty for backing out
would be death). The candidate is
then asked to choose a godfather
from among the other members.
3. Standing before hi s godfather,
the candidate must swear the
Fratuzzi Oath.
PAUL
CASTELLANO
TOMMASO
BUSCETTA
The Fratuzzi
Oath is the Mafia
loyalty oath. It
is named after an 1889 Bagharian secret
society called Fratuzzi, or "Little Brothers." The
oath goes beyond ensuring the candidate wi ll be
loyal to the club. It spells out the consequences if that
oath is broken.
CAPACI
MASSACRE
Champlain retells an account of the Fratuzzi Oath told by
Giuseppe Alongi, a police commissioner in Palermo,
in a book Alongi wrote in 1900.
"On a table in front of him," Champlain recounts, "the aspirant
would see the image of a saint, a dagger, and a candle. One of the
members would ask the candidate to present hi s right hand and
would then pierce a finger with the dagger, drawing enough blood
that it would drip on the image."
The novice holds the sai nt' s picture as it burns, stands before
his godfather, and recites the oath:
"I pledge my honor to befaitlif"l to the Fraternity [FratellaHza],
as the Fraternity is faithful to me. As this saint alld a felV drops of
my blood are bltmed, 50 lVill I give all my blood for the FratemiLy,
until my ashes and my blood return to tl1eir origilwf conditiol1,
as it lVillllot ever be possible for l11e to leave the Fraternity."
From that moment on, he is a member of the Cosa Nostra.
PART OF THE FAMILY
Everything changes for the new member after the initiation
ceremony. People around him treat him with respect and
distinction. Nothing can be done without first asking his
permi ssion. "When he arrives in public places, such as restaurants
or bars, people will stand up, give him a chair, come up to him,"
Champl ain says. "A made member, whether he is liked or hated,
gets respect, especiall y in hi s own neighborhood, where he is seen
as being above the ordinary person."
As in many other brotherhood organizations, respect and
allegiance are key to Cosa Nostra members. "Respect can be
extended to several generations of a Cosa Nostra member's
family," Champlain explains. "Respect will be given to a
member's grandchildren. eve n if they have committed a serioll s
blunder; and help will be provided to them."
Banding Together for
a "Mafia Takedown"
In 1992, italian law enforcement felt the
wrath of the italian Mafia with a vengeance.
it was the beginning of a newfound coalition
between the italian Criminal
Affairs Department and the u.s. FBI, hell-bent
on bringing down the Mafia for good.
The coalition began when ital ian magistrate
Giovanni Falcone (the director of the Criminal
Affairs Department in Rome), his wife, and three
police bodyguards were killed by a massive
bomb so powerful it blew a 30-foot crater in the
road. The murders became known as the Capaci
Massacre, named for the town in Palermo, Sicily,
where it happened.
Less than two months later, the Mafia struck
again-this time at Falcone's replacement,
j udge Paolo Borsellino. Borsellino and five of his
bodyguards were killed outside the apartment of
Borsellino's mother in Palermo when a car packed
with explosives was detonated by remote control.
under judge Falcone's tenure, the FBi and
italian law enforcement had established a close
working relationship aimed at dismantling the
mighty italian organized crime groups operating
in both countries. That relat ionship intensified in
the wake of Falcone's and Borsellino's murders.
Most recently, in 2011, the FBi arrested 130
Cosa Nostra members in New York City (and
other East Coast cities) in the largest internation-
ally coordinated organized crime takedown in t he
bureau's history.
The report from the FBi read that members of
New York's infamous Five Families-the Bonanno,
Colombo, Gambino, Genovese, and Luchese crime
organizations-were rounded up along with
members of the New jersery-based DeCavalcante
family and New England Mafia to face charges
including murder, drug trafficking, arson,loan-
sharking, illegal gambling, witness tampering,
labor racketeering, and extortion.
"The notion that today's mob fami lies are more
genteel and less violent than in the past is put to
lie by the charges contained in the indictments
unsealed today:' said janice Fedarcyk, assistant
director in charge of the FBi 's New York Field
Office, right after the arrest. "Even more of a myth
is the not ion that the mob is a thing of the past;
that La Cosa Nostra is a shadow of its former self'
fBI'S MOB TIMEliNE
. determines that
19
51 A U.S. Senale comm,tte
e
h
. tion" known as t e
a "sinister criminal orgaOlz
a
Mafia is in operation in the United States.
P I
, e uncovers a
1957 The New York Slale 0 ,c
. LeN figures from around the
meeting of major I New York town of
. the small upsta e
country f the attendees are arrested.
Appalachian. Many 0
The event is the catalyst that the way
law enforcement battles organized cnme.
1959 Genovese is convicted for conspiracy to
H ceives a 15-year
violate narcotics e re the family from
sentence but continues to run .
his prison celt in Atlanta, Georgia.
1962 Joseph Valachi (New York City,. d. 1971),
d
n
" ,5 sent to the same pnson as
a "rna e rna , bid an
on a narcotics conviction. La e e
Genovese ts on his
informer. aa:e:pthOUght
rt behind bars. a -
, e d I to kill hi and gets a hfe
Genovese ha sen
sentence for the murder.
1963 Valachi cooperales
U.S. gov-
ernment and appears _ _
I Su
bcomminee on Investigations.
Permanen t
He testifies that he a of a Skencor:n as
. . the United tates
criminal society 10 meS the first La Cosa
La Cosa a detailed look inside
Nostra mem . . ' ower bases.
the organization. IOcludlng Its p
codes. and secret rituals.
1969 GenovesV dies in his prison cell. I ,
The Genovese f amily is now under the cyonktrcty
. " L bardo (New or "
Philip "Senny Squint om
d. 19B7).
20 SECRET SOCIETIES
THE RULES AFTER THE OATH
The code of conduct new members must follow is nearly as
important as the oath itself. The rules are simi lar to the
Ten Commandments, and all are fairly straightforward:
+> BE LOYAL. New members are asked if they would be ready
to kill their own sons or brothers if it is found out they have
turned informant.
+> PRACTICETHE OMERTA (OATH OF SILENCE) . Though frequently
broken, the Omerta is the single most important rule of the
Cosa Nostra. Betraying this oath is punishable by death.
+> BE A TEAM PLAYER. Don' t engage in battle if you ca n't win.
The directi ve extends to personal life.
+> BE A MAN OF HONOR. Respect womanhood and your elders.
+ > NEVER BETRAY ANY OF THE SECRETS OF THI S COSA NOSTRA.
+> NEVER VIOLATE THE WIFE OR CHILDREN OF ANOTHER MEMBER.
No close interaction with sisters, wi ves, or girlfriends of
members, unless you have "honorabl e" intentions.
+> DO NOT STEAL.
+> NEVER BECOME INVOLVED WITH NARCOTICS. Using any form
of narcotics is strictl y forbidden in the Cosa Nostra,
as one is expected to be of sound mind at all times.
New members quickly learn the penalty for breaki ng
these laws is death.
COSA NOSTRA TODAY
<-oJ The Cosa Nostra is still involved i n many illegal
activities: murder. extortion. drug trafficking.
corruption of public offiCi al s, gambl ing, infiltration
of legitimate businesses. labor racketeering. loan-
sharking, prostitution. pornogr aphy, tax -fraud schemes,
and stock manipulati on schemes.
. r. :.-
.
VliO
1980s Frank " Funzi" Tieri (New York 1981),
recognized as the Genovese family boss, is convicted
for operating a criminal organization through a pattern
of racketeering that included murder and extortion.
Anthony "Fat Tony" Salerno (New York City, d. 1992)
.-
becomes boss.
1985 Salerno and the bosses of the other four New York
families are convicted for operating a criminal enter-
prise-the LeN Commission. Lombardo turns full con-
trol of the Genovese family over to Vincent "The Chin"
Gigante-the same man who had tried to kill family boss
Frank "Prime Minister" Costello (New York City, d. 1973)
30 years earlier.
198& Soldier and right-hand man to Anthony Salerno,
Vincent " Fish" Cafaro (New York City, b. 1933) turns
against the Genovese family and cooperates with the
FBI. According to Cafaro's sworn statement, Gigante ran
the family from behind the scenes while pretending to be
mentally il! .
1992 John "Teflon Don" Gotti, the head of the Gambino
crime family in New York City, is convicted of five
murders. cOl)spiracy to commit
murder, racketeering, obstruc-
tion of justice, illegal gambling,
extortion, tax evasion, and
loan-sharking in.a hugely pub-
licized trial in New York City.
Named "Teflon Don" after three
previous high-profile trials in
the 1980s that all resulted in
acquittal. Gatti dies of throat
cance'r in prison in 2002.
1997 Gigante's strange behav'
ior, n;...umbling while walk-
around New York's East
Village in a bathrobe, earns
him the nic.kname "the Odd
Father." Gigante is convicted
of racketeering and murder
conspiracy and sentenced to
12 years.
2002 Another F81 inves-
. tigation leads to Gigante's
.'S
. \1,;
. ,(', ,
...
;.
t
,
indictment for running the Genovese family f r::m orison .
He pleads guilty to obstruction of justice in 2003 .
2005 Gigante dies in prison in the same federal hospital
where Gambino family leader John Gotti died in 2002.
2012 Alphonse Trucchio (Queens, b. 1977}-one of the
youngest mobsters to be made a captain in Mafia history and
member of the Gambino crime family-Is sentenced to 121
months in prison for racketeering and other crimes, including
extorting two strip clubs in Queens.
SECRET SOCIETIES 21
t t t
F
reemasonry is essentially the world's first and largest fraterni ty.
The name comes from the occupation held by the original
members-stonemasons who built castles and cathedrals in
Engl and and Scotland in the late 14th century. Two kinds of masons
existed at the time. Those who worked with ordi nary stone were
called "rough masons." Those who carved more intricate designs
into softer stone, called "freestone," were named "frees tone
masons" or "free masons ," Freemasonry began when s tonemasons
formed local organizations, call ed lodges, to take care of sick and
injured members, as well as the famili es of those who were killed on
the job. The masons al so used the lodges as pl aces to meet, receive
their pay, plan their work, train new apprentices. and soci ali ze.
They established trade guilds to discuss their craft and fa ir wages.
They developed secret handshakes, code words, and other signs to
di stingui sh themselves from the rough masons.
Based on the beli ef that each man can make a difference in
the world, many men who were not builders were drawn to the
practi ces of Freemasonry. To encourage intell ectual di ve rsity,
stonemasons began accepting men from other professions into the
fraternity. These men were known as "accepted Masons." Today,
the terms "Freemasonry," "Masonry," and "Free and Accepted
Masons" are used interchangeabl y to refer to the fraternity, and
"lodge" refers both to a unit of Masons and the room or building
in which they meet.
Today, there are more than 13,000 lodges in the Uni ted States and
about 5 million Masons worldwide. including almost 2 mill ion in the
United States. All lodges follow the same principles of Freemasonry,
but their activities may vary. Each grand lodge is sovereign and
independent; there is no U. S. or international governing body
for Freemasonry.
And the Password
Is "Mahabone"
Some Freemasons believe their history can be
traced back to 967 B.C.E., to the building of King
Solomon's Temple, described in the Book of Kings.
The legend centers on the master builder, Hiram
Abiff, who was kidnapped and murdered after
refusing to divulge the secret password of t he
Masons. King Solomon, unable to find Abiff's body,
establi shed a new Masonic secret word to allow
the trusted Masons back to work on the temple.
The secret is believed to be the word "Mahabone;'
meaning "the Grand Lodge door opened;' which is
now t he password used to enter the third and high-
est degree (or level) of Masonry.
FREEMASONS AND
THE BOSTON TEA PARTY
Some conspiracies suggest that Freemasons were
among the dozens of men who, dressed as Native
Americans, boarded three British ships in Boston
Harbor on December 16 , 1773. and dumped hun-
dreds of crates of tea into the wat er. This event,
known as the Boston Tea Party, was a precursor
of the American Revolution.
S ECRET SOC IETIES 23
IN CONGRESS )
. ULY 4
"I " t
;' ..... _..vIa t!S vI
'" Some conspiracies imply that the Knights
Templar started the French Revoluti on in
revenge for the treatment they received at
the hands of King Philip IV.
FREEMASONS AND KNIGHTS
TEMPLAR: ARE THEY CONNECTED?
The Freemasons have long been connected with the Knights
Templar, an organization formed in the Middle Ages still
shrouded in secrecy today. These knights were monks who took up
arms in 1118 C.E. in order to protect Christian pilgrims traveling
from Jaffa, the port city in Israel, to Jerusalem. As the story
goes, the Knights Templar discovered a great treasure buried in
the ruins of King Solomon's temple in Jerusalem. The Knights
became so rich that they were the targets of envy and suspicion.
In 1307, King Philip IV of France had all the Knights Templar
arrested in order to take possession of their great wealth. What
happened to the Knights after their arrest is not known, but some
say they went into hiding, only to reemerge in Europe during the
17005 as the modern Freemasons-leaving one to assume that the
Freemasons and their hi story are perhaps not as innocent as they
make themselves out to be.
The modern order of Freemasons was born in '7'7, when four
Freemason lodges in London combined to form the first Grand
Lodge, which had authority over all other lodges in England. Grand
Lodges soon appeared all across Europe. Some men believed that
the Freemason ritual s held the secrets of the universe, passed down
directly from God.
But as time passed and the Freemasons grew in numbers, the
government and the Catholic church became suspicious of the
organization's secrecy and liberal reli gious beliefs. In '737, King
Loui s XV banned the Freemasons in France. And in '738, Pope
Clement XI I forbade Catholics from becoming Freemasons on
penalty of excommunicat ion; the Portuguese government made
Freemasonry punishable by death.
LIBERTY, JUSTICE, AND
FREEMASONS FOR ALL
After the American Revolution, the American Freemason
lodges broke from the British and reorganized under
state Grand Lodges. Although these lodges were never
centralized under any formal authority, they recognized
each other as mutual fraterniti es. Two different forms
of Masonry came to exist in America-the Scottish
Rite (following English traditions) and the York Rite
(following French traditions).
At the turn ofUle 20th century, the Freemasons
had more than 85,000 members. By the 1930s, there
were more Ulan 2 million Masons in Ule United States.
MEETINGS, MEMBERSHIPS,
AND DEGREES
There are two kinds of meetings for members of
Freemasons. The most common is a stated meeting,
which revolves around administrative procedures:
financial matters, applications, and planning for
lodge activities, which can be social or philanthropic
based on different members' interests. The second
kind of meeting is ceremonial, used for admitting
new Masons and bestowing degrees.
Most sources agree there are 33 stages of Masonic
membership. The first three are Entered Apprentice,
Fellow Craft, and Master Mason. These stages,
referred to as "degrees," correspond with members'
self-development and increased knowledge
of Freemasonry hi story and rituals. As a man
completes each phase ofiearning, the lodge holds
a ceremony to present his degree.
Degree names are derived from the craft
guilds of the Middle Ages. To become a
stonemason, a man first apprenticed. When he
had proved hi s skills, he became a "fellow of the
craft," and when he acquired outstanding ability,
he was known as a "master of the craft." The
master is the leader of the lodge, simi lar to the
rank of president in other organizations. The
senior and junior wardens represent the first and
second vice presidents.
Most Freemasons never progress past level
three as it is very difficult to learn and become
proficient in all the rituals and symbol s of each of
the degrees. This is the Freemason motto: "Better
men make a better world."
STEEPED IN HERITAGE
Masonry is not a reli gion. However, members are requi red
to have a belief in a Supreme Bei ng and to belong to an
establi shed religion. Men of all fai ths are represented and
religion is not discussed at lodge meeti ngs. A man fi rst
becomes a Mason at hi s local lodge. Aft er he has been awarded
the three degrees of Masonry, he may join any of the other
allied Masonic organi zations, each of whi ch has a special social,
educati onal, or philanthropi c focus. The best known in the
United States are the Shrine, Scotti sh Rite, and York Rite. Many
Masons wea r lapel pins or fraternity rings and ca rry membership
ca rds.
The "Ritual" is a formal ceremony of ini tiation that is virtuall y
the same as it was more than 300 years ago; new members recite
codes of beli ef that have been passed down orall y fo r generations.
Thi s "Ritual," whi ch takes the form of lectures and theater in the
Lodge, is used to teach new Masons the value of true friendshi p, the
benefits of knowledge, and the necessity of hel ping those in need.
Because Grand Lodges are mostly self-governi ng, their
regul ati ons and restri ctions on membership va ry, but most tend to
follow a basic structure. Members must be at least the minimum
age of 2 1, believe in a Supreme Being of some sort , be of good
morals and re putation, and have pos iti ve references confirming
their good character. Modern Freemasons are very acti ve in good
causes, such as medi cal
and educational projects
local food banks, and
chil d I.D. programs.
"We represent a fraternity. which believes in justice
and truth and honorable action in your community ...
men who are endeavoring to be better citizens ...
to make a great country greater. This is the only
institution in the world where we can meet on the
level all sorts of people who want to live rightly.
Although I hold the highest civil honor in the world,
I have always regarded my rank and title as a Past
Crand Master of Masons the greatest honor that had
ever come to me. -HARRY S. TRUMAN
'. ',
A GLIMPSE INTO
A FIRST DEGREE
OF INITIATION
I, [Candidate gives full name], in the presence
of the Great Architect of the Universe, and
of this worthy, worshipful , and warranted
Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons, regularly
assembled and properly dedicated, of my own
free will and accord, do hereby and hereon
sincerely and solemnly promise and swear,
t hat I will always heal, conceal, and never
reveal any part or parts, point or points of
t e secrets or mysteries of or belonging to
and Accepted Masons in Masonry .. . .1
solemnly swear to observe, without evasion,
equivocation, or mental reservation of any
kind, under no less a penalty, on the viola-
t ion of any of them than that of having my
throat.cut across, my tongue torn out by
the root and buried in the sand of the sea
at low water mark, or a cable's length from
the shore, where the tide regularly ebbs and
flows twice in 24 hours or the more effective
punishment of being branded as a will-
fully perjured individual, void of all moral
worth, -and totally unfit to be received into
this worshipful Lodge_ .. . So help me God,
and keep me steadfast in this my Great
obligation of an Entered
Apprentice Freemason.
Masonic
ritual can
take years to
understand.
Like the
buildi ng of any
great structure,
the powerful
metaphors and
symbols of
Masonr y build
character-one
stone at a time.
SECRET HANDSHAKES
Masonic handshakes may have had several uses in early days.
Originally, a master mason would teach an apprentice mason
a secret handshake, refl ective of the degree of learning the
apprentice mason acquired. Then, when the mason traveled
for work and gave another master mason or foreman the
secret handshake, that person would know that the apprentice
had learned a certain degree of masonry (and the subsequent
handshake) from a master mason.
Additionally, when some countries began to outlaw
Freemasonry, many Freemasons continued to meet clandestinely,
and a secret handshake was a perfect way to express support without
alerting authorities.
Nowadays, secret handshakes are ways for Masons to express
friendship as well as respect for each other. There are many
different handshakes, such as the Shibboleth handshake, the
Tubalcain-secret-handshake, the Mahabone, the Boaz handshake,
and the Jachin handshake.
SHIBBOLETH HANDSHAKE
The secret Masonic handshake of the Fellow Craft degree begins
as a regular handshake, but then one Mason presses hi s thumb
against the area between the first and second knuckle joints
of the first two fingers of the other person. The second Mason
reciprocates the gesture by pressing hi s thumb against the area
between the first and second knuckle joints of the first two fingers
of the other Mason. Thi s handshake is sometimes referred to as
"Shibboleth."
MAHABONE
The Master Mason has a handshake or grip known as the
"Mahabone." This entai ls interlacing the thumbs of both hands
when two Masons meet and shake (with their right hands). One
Mason presses hi s fingers against the other mason's wrist. The
other Mason presses the tops of his fingers against the other
Mason's hand in a similar gesture. This secret handshake is also
known as the Strong Grip of the Master Mason.
Double-Crossing Mason
In 1826, a former Freemason named Will iam Morgan wrote a book t it led Freemasonry Exposed that
revealed many secrets about the group, such as initi ation oaths and handshakes. In response, he was
kidnapped and taken to the Canadi an border. One story claims t he kidnappers drowned Morgan in
the Niagara Ri ve r. Another claims he escaped across the border and lived the rest of his li fe in Canada.
The kidnapping created a great deal of anger and suspicion against the Freemasons, whom many early
Ameri cans vi ewed as murderers. The Freemasons suffered heavy membership losses as a result. The
number of lodges in New York dropped from 480 in 1825 to 75 just 10 years later It was It until the
nation became preoccupi ed wi th the Civil War t hat t he Freemasons once again began to gain popularity.
INFAMOUS FREEMASONS
Not all Freemasons li ve a life of good citi zenship
and philanthropy. In fact, many have made
headlines proclaiming that they have not exemplifi ed
Freemason values.
The mos t fa mOll s of the infamous Freemasons,
Benedict Arnold, betrayed the colon ial army duri ng the
Revolutionary War. Whil e Freemason George Washington
became a hero, Benedi ct Arnold was labeled a traitor for
divulging American battle plans to the Briti sh.
Paul Bernardo and hi s wife, Karla Homolka, were seri al rapi sts
and kill ers from Canada, committing their crimes throughout
the 1980s. It is beli eved he joined the Freemasons as a cover-up.
The Masons claim that Bernardo was not acti ve in hi s lodge; hi s
membership with the Freemasons was suspended after the gui lty
verdict. In 1995, in return for her confession and testimony agai nst
her husband, Homolka was given a pl ea bargain of 12 years in
pri son. Bernardo received the Canadian maximum sentence,
which is life in pri son.
Brad Bl eidt , a local radio owner and financial adviser, ran a Ponzi
scheme and confessed to swindling peopl e out of $27 million. He
even cheated hi s own lodge out of $1.2 mi ll ion and two other lodges
of $125,000 and $686,000. Many of hi s indi vidual investors were
fellow lodge members, church members, and fami ly members.
Sentenced to I I years in pri son in December 2005, he was
suspended by the Grand Master of Masons in Massachusetts
prior to hi s trial.
BENEDICT
ARNOLD
BECOME A FREEMASON!
The requirements for becoming a Mason are as follows:
+>- You have to be male and at least 21 years old. Some lodges and
some jurisdictions allow 18 or 19-year-olds to join; some make
exceptions for those who are sons of Masons or for university
students.
+>- You must believe in a Supreme Being. No particular religion or
faith is required or excluded. All are welcome.
+>- You should enjoy meeting and working with people of different
social classes, faiths, backgrounds, races, and countries.
Masonry is universal in its ideals.
+>- If you are a family man, Masonry considers that your family
obligations come first, so you must be sure that you have the
time to participate (meetings are two or three times a month
during the introduction phase, and after initiation about once
a month) and that you can afford the initiation fees and the
annual dues without hardship to yourself or your family. Fees
and dues vary from lodge to lodge, but are usually no more than
$150 per year and go to the upkeep of the lodge or to charity.
+>- You shoul d be coming to Masonry "of your own free will and
accord" to learn to improve yourself and to enjoy the company
of other good people.
To join, all you have to do is ask a Mason (as the Masons say,
To Be One, Ask One)-preferably someone you know or at least
someone who lives or works nearby. You have to be able to meet
him in person. Contacting someone by email may get you pointed
to a lodge in your area, but you callnot get a recommendation from
someone you have never met.
SECRET
SOCIETIES
IN
Grab a bucket of popcorn, turn down the lights, and watch one of these great flicks
in which secret societies are shown for better and for worse.
I} The Brotherhood of the Bell (1970)
When a successful professor is asked to do a job by the
powerful secret society he used to be a member of, he
realizes that once you are " in, " you can never get "out."
2 } Goodfellas (1990)
Based on a true story and adapted from the book Wiseguy
by Nicholas Pileggi, Goodfellas is an insider's view of the rise
and fall of the Lucchese crime family associates Henry Hill
and his friends.
3} Mississippi Burning (1988)
Two FBI agents investigat ing the murder of civil rights
workers during the 19605 look to break the conspiracy of
silence in a small Southern town where segregation divides
black and white.
4} Enemy of the State (1998)
Murder and cover-up ensue when the U.S. Congress moves
to pass new legislation expanding the powers of the Central
Intelli gence Agency.
5} Fight Club (1999)
Starring Brad Pitt and Edward Norton, Fight Club centers
on two men who form an underground fight club that
inevitably turns into a violent revolution.
6 } Eyes Wide Shut (1999)
Starring Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman, this film centers
on a man's infiltration of an underground secret sex society.
7} The Ninth Gate (1999)
In this thriller, Johnny Depp stars as Dean Corso, a corrupt
rare-book dealer who is hired to locate the last remaining
copies of The Nine Gates of the Shadow Kingdom and finds
himself ensnared in conspiracy involving satanic ritual
and murder.
8 } The Skulls (2000)
A college senior joins a secret elite fraternity, "The Skulls,"
only to realize that his life is in grave danger after he begins
to investigate the suicide of his best friend.
9 } The Da Vinci Code (2006)
Direct ed by Ron Howard and based on Dan Brown's novel ,
The Da Vinci Code wi ll leave you breathless as a murder and
clues in Leonardo Da Vinci 's paintings lead to the discovery
of a rel igious secret that has been protected for over
2,0 00 years.
10 } National Treasure (2004)
A hidden map on the back of the Declaration of Independence
takes Benjamin Franklin Gates on a dangerous hunt for a
treasure some believe was left behind by the Knights\ Templar.
SECRET SOCIETIES 31
All members of the society
are trained in si x disciplines.
or fields. so they are always
prepared for any event and
can at any moment respond
to questions or challenges
with an advantage:
Mi litary
"""
Covernment
"""
Spiritual
"""
Scholarship
"""
Leadership
"""
Science
"""
T
he Illuminati ori ginated in Bavaria in the late 18th century. A
philosopher named Adam Weishaupt wanted to reform the
way government worked, beli eving that through enlightenment
(illumination) , the world could become more orderly, more efficient,
and more successful. He believed traditional reli gious thought was
problematic and that scientifi c research was more valuable than
religion. He therefore set out to form an organization based on
rational thought.
He also beli eved that thi s goal could be accompli shed only by
gathering a small group of men in secret. At thi s time, the Catholi c
Church was so powerful, it would not tolerate di ssention like thi s.
Anyone who questioned the beliefs of the cl ergy might be put
to death. Weishaupt started thi s secret organization, call ed the
Illuminati, on May I , 1776.
The first members were only five people and included
intell ectuals. Each member was given a position in the group and
there was a clear hi erarchy of "classes" of members. The higher your
cl ass, the more secrets would be shared with you.
illuminati men would meet and di scuss ideas of enlightenment
and free thinking. They modeled themselves upon the Freemasons.
All members took a vow of secrecy and swore an oath ofloyalty
to Ule group. The organization grew to about 2 ,000 strong across
Europe, counting among its members some of the literary elite,
such as Ferdinand of Brunswick and Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.
Eventuall y they were di scovered. Accused of plotting to
overthrow Ule Bavarian government and the Catholic Church,
the Illuminati were quickly abolished by the incoming rul er,
Karl Theodor, in 1785. All their documents were seized and the
group was di sbanded.
Even so, many believe a secret organization survived and was
instrumental in the French Revolution, World Wars I and II , and
to this day is still known as the i1Juminati.
TODAY'S ILLUMINATI
In modern times. many conspiracy theori sts have uncovered
evidence (or at least innuendo) that points toward a modern version
of the Illuminati, whi ch has nothing much to do with the original
version, except that it's secret and it' s made up of people who want
to change the world.
Thi s modern version seems to be less about enli ghtenment and
more about taking over the world. The conspiracy theorists ask,
"Why is it that certain people maintain power whil e others never
quite rise to the top' Is there a group of powerful men who are
making decisions that ultimately will impact how we live?"
Accordillg to the believers, it's the lIlumillati.
And according to conspiracy journalists like Alex Jones, the
illuminati is a secret society that exists to this day throughout the
world. It is made up of powerful, elite leaders in industry, politics,
and banking. The goal of the Illuminati is to maintain a power
structure and to ultimately create a new world order that is run by
one group, with one supreme leader.
Jones and other conspiracy theorists beli eve the Illuminati are
immune from scrutiny and can get away with anything- terrorist
acts, politi cal coups, military actions. They answer to nobody.
Many theori sts point to the United Nations, which was
originally establi shed to maintai n some order around
the world. Claims are made that it is actually run by the
i1Juminati , even with separate governments participating.
The modern Illuminati do not care about the little peopl e.
They onl y want to wield more and more power until they
establish their one-world government. And for those who are
cynical, there is some evidence that is difficult to ignore.
ILLUMINATI EXPOSED?
In 1996. a young woman named "Svali" escaped
from what she call ed the Illuminati cult. She
revealed all its secrets and is stili fighting to get
her story out. She reports that she was a program-
mer, m e n i n ~ she was in charge of brainwashing
other people into embracing the tenets of the
Ill uminati. "Svali's" version of the Illuminati differs
from the commonly held idea that the Illuminati
is historicall y made up of 13 families who wield
power and influence throughout the world. Her
experiences illustrate a more malevolent version
of the society, one that will resort to any measure
to gain followers and ensure their loyalty, including
kidnapping and brainwashing.
She reports that "each region of the U.S. has
nerve centers, or power bases for regional activity.
The U.S. has been divided into seven major geo-
graphical regions. which contain
military compounds. They are
hidden. These bases are used
to train Illuminati in military
techniques, in preparation
for the ultimate collapse of
the government."
LEVELS
According to "Svali," here are several levels ofleadership within
the Illuminati:
+> LOW LEVEL: This is presided over by a high priest and priestess
who participate in some form of ritual. The low-level members
report to a Leadership Council.
+ > METROPOLITAN LEADERSHIP COUNCIL: Consists of a head, plus
assistants and administrators. They oversee training of the
low-level priests and priestesses. They report to the Regional
Leadership Council.
+> REGIONAL LEADERSHIP COUNCIL: There are seven regional councils,
which report to a National Council.
+> NATIONAL COUNCIL: The National Counci l consists of industry
leaders and bankers, including, according to "Svali ," such
well-known names as the Rockefellers, who have been active
in American banking and politics; the Mellons, of Carnegie-
Mellon University and banking entities; the Carnegies, a family
of wealthy industrialists; and the Rothschi lds, a very wealthy
fami ly. They report to the Supreme World Council.
+> SUPREME WORLD COUNCIL: Oversees everyone else.
STRUCTURE
The structure of the Illuminati is based on a pyramid. Those below
are not privy to the information known to those above. Members
strive to reach the next levels by demonstrating their understanding
of their current level and by showing their commitment to the tenets
of the organization. The machine works brilliantly in this way: The
power structure is always intact.
According to conspiracy theorists, the Illuminati members rise higher
up the pyramid, and thus become more enlightened or illuminated.
Fewer and fewer reach the highest levels. Hence the pyramid.
SYMBOLS
The Illuminati beli eve in the magic power of their images. They
believe that by placing symbols of the Illuminati around the world,
their power increases. The more we see these images, the more we
are under the spell of the l!I uminati.
+ > PYRAMID WITH THE ALL-SEEING EYE: Seen on the U.S. dollar bill, this
eye is synonymous with the Eye of Horus from ancient Egypt,
which signifies protection, royal power, and good health.
+> THE BAPHOMET: This is a pagan deily represented by a goat-
headed figure. Baphomet is represented through many different
images. Some say that Lady Gaga and even, if you will, the
image of Uncle Sam are homages to Baphomet.
Many celebrities have been photographed framing one eye with
the palms tipped together in a pyramid shape, representing their
all egiance to the Illuminati.
So you cannot assume that you are immune. The Illuminati run
deep. Deeper than we had ever imagined.
MIND CONTROL
Many people believe the Illuminati maintain their power by using
the occult, magic rituals, and ceremonies. They use this power to
control banks, governments, industry, and trade. They also control
Hollywood and the music industry. They use entertainment to
control the minds of young people.
For the conspiracy. minded, there is an assumption that Lady
Gaga, Ribanna, )ay-Z, and Eminem are all cult members. These cult
watchers tell us to li sten to these artists' lyrics and pay attention to
their behavior.
Notice the photos of Lady Gaga, in which she strikes a pose that
looks just like the Illuminati symbol of Baphomet, a goat-headed
figure who is prevalent in the culture of the occult. And Gaga's logo
depicts a headless femal e form with a lightning bolt that drives
right through the body, as if she's been restarted-or illuminated.
Finally, she often covers one eye-imitating the All-Seeing Eye of
the Illuminati.
Rihanna has seductive vi deos in which she is seen dancing
within a pyramid. She poses in provocati ve ways to call attention
to her sexuality but also to seduce us into watching her closely,
absorbing the imagery of the Illuminati. That' s how they control
us. That's how the world will eventually be rul ed by one group:
the Illuminati.
THE FUTURE
According to conspiracy theories, we will never truly be safe from
the Illuminati. They have a master plan to control the world, the
world' s wealth, and our thoughts. So, for the paranoid, modern
Illuminati are everywhere, and their inAuence is incredibly broad.
MEMBERS
According to some conspiracy theorists,
today's Illuminati is still made up of '3
of the wealthiest families in the world.
The only way to infiltrate thi s elite
group is to marry into one of those
famili es, or bloodlines, that go back
thousands of years. And even then,
you will only have a sli ghtly closer
glimpse of the secrets of
the Illuminati.
Kennedy Pohtlcalleaders
and captains of IIldustry
38 SECRET S
DuPont Wealthy industrialists
Reynolds Tobacco
magnates
Onassis Shipping
magnate, married into
Kennedy family
Van Ouyn Founders of the
Dutch East India Company
Rockefeller Bankers,
philanthropists,
politicians
A SOCIETY
~ R D R O B E
"Regalia" generally refers to the clothing associated with society rituals: Tobes, aprons, gloves,
uniforms, and swords. Many of these items were developed in the 19th century for new clubs
and societies looking to imitate the popular Freemasons. Secret society regalia also includes
the endless number of badges, medals, ornaments, and insignia from this time period.
THAT "TOP SECRET LOOK"
As outsiders, whenever we catch a glimpse of brotherhoods in
uniform (maybe at a parade or in a movie), we are immediately
intrigued: Men in aprons? Carrying swords? What are all those
weird symbols? Is that a fez?
Undeniably, costumes used by many secret societies have long
been alluring for us common foUc Many secret society styles border
on the outlandish, yet each society prides itself on adhering to its
own, unique "look." "l"hough most societies got their looks after
copying the popular Freemasons in the ,800s, back then each group
made an effort to add its own distinctive touch. The emblematic
aprons, the odd hats, the masks, the badges, swords, medals-
nearly every piece was covered in symbols and insignia specific
to the society. And though the pageantry of elaborately decorated
costumes is sometimes spectacular to see, it is important to note
that every symbol and insignia has a specific historical purpose.
I n the beginning, the responsibility of decorating the fraternal
regalia of secret societies fell upon the female relatives of members.
Wives, mothers, and sisters designed, created, and sewed for their
men, supplying lodges with the proper garb for both ceremony
and ritual. Only in the late 19th century did professional artists,
engravers, and costume manufacturers step in to take over this job.
One of the country's leading manufacturers of uniforms
and regalia was the HendersonAmes Company of Kalamazoo,
Michigan. For more than 40 years, the most wellknown of the
manufacturers in the country, Henderson-Ames created uniforms,
ceremonial swords, Aags, and emblems for lodges, secret societies,
and other organizations such as bands, police and fire departments,
and even the United States military. In '933, the company merged
with another regalia firm, the Lilley Company of Columbus, Ohio,
forming the Lilley-Ames Company. Although it has been out of
business for more than 60 years now, many of its products-
particularly its swords-have become heirlooms and collector's
items, continuing the company's legacy.
A CLOSER LOOK AT APRONS
According to Freemason brother F.R. Worts of the
Grand Lodge of Briti sh Columbia and Yukon, you
can tell a Freemason member 's position in the
society by the apron he wears.
Entered Apprentice: A pl ai n white lambskin 14 to 16
inches wide, 12 to 14 inches deep, square at the
bottom, white tassels, and wi thout ornament.
Fellow Craft: A plain white lambskin, similar to the
Entered Apprentice, with the addition of two sky-
blue rosettes at the bottom.
Master Mason: The same as a Fell ow Craft, with
sky-blue lining and edging, 11/2 inches deep, and
an additional rosette on the fall or flap. No other
color or ornament is allowed, except for offi cers
and past officers of the lodges who have embl ems
representing their officer positions in silver or
white in the cent er of the apron.
40 SECRET SOCIETIES
THE APRON'S TIES
TO BROTHERHOOD
The apron is the signature piece of a secret society ensemble. The
Masonic apron, in particular, was one of the most frequently copied
items of fraternal regalia.
Take a closer look at any society's apron, and you can learn a lot
about the history of the society. The Freemasons traditionally wore
aprons as a tribute to stonemasons of an earlier era. Their aprons
displayed an enormous amount of craftsmanship, with every word
or symbol thoughtfully planned and strategically placed. Other items
of regalia bore insignia linked to past and present lodge officers:
homages to significant members who were Masons, such as George
Washington and Benjamin Franklin.
Decorating Masonic aprons began in the '730S and became a
society-wide common practice. Tassels and rosettes were introduced
over the years, as were blue ribbons and silk, and square appliques
for Masters' aprons. Perhaps the most famous Masonic apron is the
one President George Washington wore to his inauguration in 1789.
This apron still exists today, close.ly guarded at the Freemason' s
G rand Lodge of Pennsylvania.
FLASHY FRATERNAL FASHION
Over time, as secret society rituals grew more complex and theatrical
in nature, costumes (sometimes heavily embellished) became
popular. Some orders (such as the Knights ofPythias, the Odd
Fellows, and the Order of Red Men) began favoring the more ornate
and ostentatious costumes. In the ,8th century, when jewels sbaped
as miniature stonemasons' tools began appearing on different
Masonic emblems for officers, more elaborate constructions using
precious metals and stone became a popular way to identify rank
among the officers on both aprons and ceremonial uniforms.
"One of the most common things you see for sale [nowadays]
is a Knights Templar uniform, including the chapeau hat with the
peacock feathers, the sword, the white gloves, and the sashes with
the silver stars on them," Dave Lettelier, curator of the Masonic
Museum in Phoenix, says. "Those organizations got big after the
Civil War, because a lot of the young men who grew up hearing
about the Civil War didn't have a military organization to join. So
they wou.ld join a fra ternal order and dress up and march tbrough
city streets in all their finery."
During fonnallodge activities, members and officers of many secret
societies step it up a bit, sometimes with bats, sashes, and gloves.
The only other time lodges required a change in uniform was for
presentations tl,at were dramatic in nature. Lettelier explained in
an interview how some fraternal organizations started the tradition
of putting on plays to make their "teachings" easier to remember.
"Most of your Scottish Rite Temples [the Ancient and Accepted
Scottish Rite is a branch of Freemasonry] have beautiful theaters in
them," Lettelier said. "It was an early form of entertainment. People
joined these different groups because they wanted to see the degrees
acted out in theatrical form."
BANNERS
The most artistic members (or their wives) were usually handpicked
by lodge officials to craft the official fraternal banners and other
accoutrements. After the Civil War, military uniform manufacturers
began creating lodge goods and employed professional artists and
craftsmen to paint, carve, sew, and build regalia and furniture.
SWORDS
Swords used by fraternal societies are most easily identified by
their ornate structure-and the fact that though they appear so
elaborate, they are pretty useless as traditional weapons. Complete
with pommels, hilts, and scabbards (knobs, handles, and sheaths),
the nature of their decoration sets them apart from functioning
swords. Often beautifully detailed with symbols and art relating to
the society, the blades on fraternal swords are usually etched for
nearly their entire length. Common etchings depict the heads of
knights, scenes of the Middle East, biblical figures (like Samson),
and military motifs. The blades are usual ly straight, always
unsharpened, and actually Rexible.
"Tbe purpose of a fraternal sword is that of a chivalric blade,
not of a martial one," sword expert Mike McWatters explains in
his fnternet blog. "It is the tradition of the sword and the honor
of carrying one that is .eRected." McWatters likens the fraternal
sword and its symboHsm to the samurai sword. " lif you want a
sword that will cut down a tree, look somewhere else," McWatters
says. "To their owners, these were swords that embodied what it
means to live by a code of honor, serve a greater purpose, and fight
for a noble cause."
Like the society apron, we can learn a lot about a society by
studying its fraternal sword. Common features of fraternal swords
include a cast (the metal body of the sword), decorative pommel
(often a knight's head), initials on the hilt and/or scabbard, and
the owner's name etched into the blade. Of course, fraternal
markings appear prominently to identify which society the owner
belongs to. Also etched somewhere on the blade will be the sword
manufacturer's name.
Swords from the late ,800s and early [900S frequently show
up at auctions and collectors' shows around the country. Currently,
active groups like the Freemasons, the Elks, the Krughts of
Pythias, the Knights of Columbus, the Loyal Order of the Moose,
and the Ancient Order of Hibernians continue to utilize swords in
their regalia.
41
WILLIAM
HOWARD
TAFT
S
ome say Skull & Bones was created in res ponse to the ruli ng
by Yale and Harvard that the elite academi c club Phi Beta
Kappa could no longer be secret. Others say it was in response to
the anti-Mason movement of that era. There are al so suggesti ons
that the soci ety was inspired by then- common German intellectual
societies, whi ch Russell had visited during hi s travels to Europe.
All we do know for certain is that the people who are members
are also some of the most powerful peopl e in the world. They
protect their hold on their power and position through thi s
secret organi zati on whose wall s have yet to be penetrated by any
outsiders .. . until now.
The secrets of Skull & Bones are out.
The clandestine club was originally named the Eulogian Club,
after a German club of the same name. It was considered the second
chapter of the German group. TI,e name was then changed to
"The Order of Skull & Bones."
According to several sources, Skull & Bones owns a summer
home and its own private island on the s t. Lawrence River. The
name of this place is Deer Island in Alexandria Bay, New York.
Spanning 40 acres, the retreat is intended to give members of
Skull & Bones- or Bonesmen, as they are called-an opportuni ty to
"get together and rekindle old fri endships," according to Alexandra
Robbi ns, a Yale graduate, in her Atlalltic M OI l till y expose on the
order, written in 1998.
Bonesmen worship Eulogia, the goddess of erudition (the
goddess associated with being well -spoken and a great orator).
The goddess supposedly rose from the heavens aft er the death of
the Greek orator Demosthenes in 322 B. C.E. The number 322 is still
part of the Skull & Bones culture. In fact , the "inner temple" of the
clubhouse is room 322. And to this day, the number 322 is on all of
the soci ety's stationery.
Bonesman Daniel Coit Gi lman (cl ass of 1852) incorporated the
society as the Russell Trust Association in 1856. Thi s allowed the
group to manage the funds that were donated by members to the
organization. The funds were invested over the years,
and it is rumored that each Bonesman received
a $15, 000 gift upon joining the society.
Gilman went on to become a president of
the University of Cali fornia, and he was
the founding president of Johns Hopkins
University, an inAuential position that
earned hi m the ear of politi cians,
bankers, and other leaders in society.
DANIELeOIT
GILMAN
FAMILIAR NAMES
Members of Skull & Bones are some of the most
powerful people in the world. Former presidents
William Howard Taft, George Bush, and George W.
Bush, and former presidential candidate John Kerry,
were all Eulogians. When asked about the society
during his 2004 presidential campaign, Kerry said
on Meet the Press. "It 's a secret," George W. Bush
said. "It's so secret, I can't say anything more." These
men don't deny their membership, and, in fact, by
refusing to give the press any insider information,
they remai n true to the society.
GEORGE
W.BUSH
MEMBERSHIP
"Bones would shape the characters of those who would shape the
world," wrote Franklin Foer in the New Republic. There is a sense
that in joining Skull & Bones, the elite members are called to a
higher duty. It implies that they are meant for something greater
than just their Yale education. Members understand that they are to
begin a life of service, rather than leisure. They understand that the
world order itself is at stake and they are part of the solution. Others
say those claims are just mumbo jumbo to protect the secrets that
lie within the club.
So is there a coincidence? Are these men selected because they
are supposed to join the power elite' Or are they already members
of the elite, simply continuing the already established legacies of
their respective families'
RECRUITMENT
To get some answers, let's take a look at recruitment. Members
of Skull & Bones are "tapped" in April of their junior year at Yale
University. Another man will literally tap a junior on the shoulder
and invite him to join the group.
For the most part, members are tapped to join Skull & Bones by
someone they already know. But this is a meritocracy, so if you are
the captain of the football team, the editor of the college paper, or
the president of the student body, you can also expect to be asked
to join. Until recently, you had to be a white male. The first black
member was part of the class of 1965. In October 1991, under
pressure from various members, the Bonesmen voted to admit
women into the society.
As a junior, you might be sitting at dinner in the dining hall and
at 8 p.m. on a certain Thursday in April, you will be tapped on the
shoulder. Or you might be in your dorm room and hear a tap at
the door. The Skull & Bones senior, or perhaps an alumnus of the
group who has come back to recruit you, will say something to you
about being called to duty or being selected to serve our world. You
are expected to respond with a resounding yes to the invitation. But
how much do the candidates actually know about the initiation rites
before they take place'
The whole thing is secret, right? But secrets leak out. Here is
what we know about the initiation rituals:
INITIATION
When it comes to the initiation rituals of Skull & Bones, we know what
we know only from those who have either left the order altogether or
have spoken anonymously. In either case, we know very little ... and yet a
pattern emerges. Clearly these guys take it all seriously.
The initiation takes place in the inner sanctum, or Inner Tomb.
of the clubhouse (known as the Tomb) on High Street in the middle
of Yal e University's New Haven
campus. The 15 men gather and,
one by one, they enter the
Inner Tomb.
The room is dar k. Shadowy
li ghting reveals skull s and bones
hung on the wall s. The effect is
terrifying. A group of men, or
Knights, all dressed in robes, greets
each initiate separately. There is one
leader, named Uncl e Toby. Others
are dressed as Don Quixote, Elihu
Yal e, a pope, and various skeletons.
They yell as the initiate enters, and
then the ceremony begins.
Although we will never know for
sure. because everything we know
is based on the account of either a
former member or a current member
who has met in secret with a reporter,
some say the initi ates are forced to
li e in a coffi n and recount their sexual
history to the other members. Others
say these same initi ates are forced
to stand naked in front of the other
members and reveal their deepest,
darkest secrets. All of them.
Though the confessions are treated
with respect and dignity within the
orga ni zation, thi s is al so the way to
cultivate-and guarantee-secrecy
among its members. After all , would
you want your secrets getting out for
the world to hear? So, in effect, secrecy
is guaranteed: Nobody outside the group reall y knows what is
di scussed within the hall s of 322.
Throughout the initiation ritual, members taunt the initiate
DRESSING
LIKE DON
QUIXDTE
with screams. The initi ate reads an oath of secrecy, drinks "blood"
(really, it' s grape juice) from a skull , and finall y, as the screaming
ends, Don Quixote taps the initiate on the left shoulder with a sword
and pronounces him a "Knight of Eulogia." He is then given a new
name, which is only to be used within the confines of the clubhouse.
Then and only then, the newly knighted member is taken
on a tour of the clubhouse, where he views various artifacts that
have been coll ected over the years. These include skull s, coffi ns,
skeletons, and other memorabilia. In the past, men were also then
exposed to the "Bones Whore" who was there to make "men" out of
the young undergrads.

THE TOMB
AT YALE
THE CLUBHOUSE
The front door of the Skull & Bones
clubhouse isn't meant to be secret. It is
clearly marked with a skull and bones,
a warning to keep intruders away and a
symbol of what lies within.
"It's this sepulchral, tomblike,
windowless, granite, sandstone bulk that
you can't miss," says Ron Rosenbaum,
a journalist for the New York Observer
and a former classmate of George W.
Bush who spent many years trying to
infiltrate the sacred space but only got
as far as the edge of the lawn.
Inside, it is dark and dreary,
according to anonymous sources. It looks more like a
fraternity house than a breeding ground for future world leaders.
Inside, you will find old couches, old paintings, and-yes, old
skeletons hanging on the walls! The society takes its name very
seriously-though one could interpret the message of skeletons
as suggesting the need to take action rather than sitting idly by,
waiting to die. Author Alexandra Robbins has suggested that this
notion fits nicely with the notion that these men will rule the world
someday soon.
Inside the Tomb, Bonesmen keep their clocks set five minutes
ahead of "real" time. This is to create a sense that the Knights exist
in a separate world, away from the "barbarians" who live outside in
the "real" world.
According to some rumors, the Tomb has a landing pad on the
roof for the helicopter owned by the Bones.
CRAVE ROBBERS?
There's even a glass cabinet that is said to house the bones of the
Apache leader Geronimo. These are rumored to have been pilfered
from Geronimo's grave in 1918 by none other than Prescott S. Bush,
father of President George H.W. Bush and grandfather of President
George W. Bush. He and several other Bonesmen apparently went
to Geronimo's grave in Oklahoma and retrieved the skull, a few
bones, and a few artifacts.
According to Time magazine, Ned Anderson, a former Apache
tribal leader in Arizona, brought suit against the Skull & Bones
society in 1981, hoping to recover the supposed remains of the
Indian leader. "I believe strongly from my heart that his
spirit was never released," Geronimo's great-grandson
Haryln Geronimo, 6r, told the National Press Club.
To this day, the bones remain in the glass cabinet,
but their provenance is still in dispute. "We still call it
Geronimo anyway," a Bonesman says.
MEETINGS
Once the initiation rites have been completed, Bonesmen meet
twice a week for dinner. They discuss politics, li terature, business,
and the future of the world. Sometimes they debate current events.
MEMBERS OF THE ORDER
OF SKULL 8, BONES
Since the group' s inception, Bonesmen have gone on to manage
the Carnegie, Rockefe ll er, and Ford Foundations, all of which are
involved in international relations, international
business, and politics. Bonesmen have played key
roles in the Central Intelligence Agency and the
Council on Foreign Relations-an organization that
meets to discuss and develop ideas about how the
United States should implement its foreign policy.
Former Bonesmen are also bankers, media moguls,
Olympic champions, Oscar winners, and physicians.
There have been numerous members of Congress
and, of course, a few U.S. presidents.
. IMIWlIFfmll/:a:tf
William Huntlngto R
Is it because these men were the chosen few,
tapped to be the future leaders of the world? Or
is it because, once a part of the society, they were
inspired to take on more responsibiliti es in the
world? We don' t know which came first-but
we do know that throughout the 20th century
some of the most powerful men-and, recentl y,
women- in the world happened to be members
of Skull & Bones.
According to Franklin Foer in hi s article in
the New Republic, during the mid-20th century,
Bonesmen were instrumental in carvi ng out our
Cold War policies and had tremendous inAuence
on foreign policy decisions. Bonesmen also
developed the CIA-and became some of the first
leaders of that organizati on as well. They became
presidents of universities, where they began to
transform the student population, drawing in
more public school students, for example, and
more Jewish people.
AT A GLANCE
+ >- SECRETS: EVERYTHING is secret and
members of Skull & Bones never talk
about it. Ever.
+>- CREST: Skull & Bones with the number 322
+ >- MEETING PLACES: Deer Island, the Tomb
and the namesake :f f,QUn,der of Skull & Bones
Russell trust AssOCiation Society 5 corporate body, the
Alphonso Taft U S
, . . attorney general (1876
secretary 01 war (1876) b -1877),
(18
)
,am assador t o At
82 and Russia (1884- 1885) us ri a-Hungary
Will iam Howard Taft . father of U.S. president
Henry Luce, cO-founder of Time-L,I E .
P . e nterpri se
reseOff Bush, U.S. senator, father of George H. W. Bush
Ceorge H,W. Bush, 41st U.S. president
Ceorge W. Bush, 4 3rd U.S. president
John F. Kerry U S
. . ' " senator, presidential candidate
Damol Coit Cilman .
Johns :f of California,
founder .of the Russell T ,an t e ,Carnegie Institution,
I rust Association
Ogden Stewart, screenwriter f .
film The Phila. delphia Story 0 the Oscar-Winning
RUssell Wheeler Davenport edi t
founder of the Fortune or at Fortune magazine,
H.J. Heinz II, heir to H J He, C
" nz ompany
Alb '
II, laWyer, first Jewish member of
William F. Buckley J 1
CIA officer r. , ounder of National Review, former
David McCullOUgh U S hist .
winner ' '. onan, tWo- ti me Puli tzer Prize
Orde Musgrave Coomb ..
" ........ofJ$kQI & Bones s, author, editor, first black member
Paul Ciamatti A d
, ca emy Award-nominated Ame .
Dana M- ncan actor
rlbank, political reporter for the W. h
as mgton Post
Austan Goolsbee, staff director '
President Barack Obam ' E and,chl ef economist of
as conoml c Recovery Advisory Board

SECRET SOCI ETIES 47
Why Greek?
In 1776, when John Heath, a student atthe
College of William & Mary in Williamsburg,
Virginia, couldn't get into either of the two most
popular Latin-letter clubs on campus-the F.H.C.
Society (nicknamed the "Flat Hat Club") and the
P.D.A. Society (nicknamed "please Don't Ask")-
he started his own: the phi Beta Kappa Society.
He picked Greek letters instead of Latin letters
because he was "the best Greek scholar at the
college."
phi Beta Kappa is derived from the Greek
motto "philosophy is the guide of life;' and the
club Heath started is generally regarded as the
very first Greek fraternity.
Skull 8. Bones
Flat Hat Club or F.H.C. Society
College of William Cl[ Mary, Williamsburg, Virginia
The original F.H.C. Society is regarded as the first known secret collegiate
society in the United States. The acronym really stands for one of two secret
Latin mottos: Fraternitas, HUl11anitas, et Cognitio or Fraternitas Humanitas
Cognitioque. Both are versions of "Brotherhood, humaneness, and knowledge. "
The F.H.C. Society was begun in '750. Thomas Jefferson himself was a
member. He once wrote a letter saying, "When I was a
student ofWm & Mary college of[Virginia] ,
there existed a society called the F.H.C. society,
confined to the number of six students only, of
which I was a member, but it had no useful obj ect,
nor do I know whether it now exists."
The F.H.C. Society was forced to disband
during the American Revolution and the British
invasion ofViTginia. It was revived in 1916 and then
again in 1972, and it now exis ts with 12 undergrads
and 4 professors.
Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut
Is becoming a member of the CIA contingent upon former membership
in the Order of Skull & Bones at Yal e? If you believe the conspiracy
theorists and the film The Good Shepherd, it is.
If you ask the CIA that question, however, you will get an emphati c no.
Nevertheless, Skull & Bones has made a name for itself (probably the
most famous collegiate secret society) through cl aims like that, as well
as the one about Skull & Bones members being conspirators behind
President John F. Kennedy' s assassinati on.
The Noble NoZe Brotherhood
Baylor Ulliversity, Waco, Texas
Can a society still be considered "secret" if members roam freely
around campus, pulling pranks on unsuspecting students and
school offi cials'
Before you answer, consider thi s: What if those pranksters are in
di sgui se, wearing Groucho Marx glasses and fake mustaches and
bea rds at the time'
The answer is, it absolutely [an .. . and it is!
Pull ing pranks while incognito at all times was and still is the case
over at Baylor University. In 1924, the Noble NoZe Brotherhood made
its first appearance on Baylor' s campus "to study the art of bridge
construction," which is what it says on its Facebook page. But it also
adds, "Somewhere something went awry ... "
With a name that was created around the joke that one member's nose
was so big you could form a society around it, the NoZe Brothers'
main activities include publishing a satirical campus newspaper called
The Rope, managing a humor blog, and pull ing pranks. All whi le in
di sgui se, of course.
The group' s website is thenoZe.org, and its Facebook page (The Noble
Noze Brotherhood) and YouTube page (Noble Noze Brotherhood)
currently have a combined 10,000 visitors.
FAMOUS COLLEGiATE SECRET
Turtle Mound Society Bel oit College, WI
Sic Sic ea.wling Green State University, OH
Sphinx, Casque and Gauntlet Dartmouth Coll ege, NH
Burning Spear Society Florida Stat e University
U
si ty Washington, D.C.
The Stewards Georgetown IlIver ,
Stickas Texas A&M 'University
The Machine University of Al abama
Coffin and Keys University of Nevada
Society of Innocents University of Nebraska
Loyal Knights' of Old Trusty University of Okl ahoma
THE SPHINX
SECRET SOC I ETI ES 53
Seven Society
Flight of Shadows
University of Alaska, Anchorage
There is just one secret soci ety at the Uni versity of Alaska Anchorage, which can be
either a good thing or a bad thing when an organization is trying to remain secretive.
Founded early in the 21st century (as compared with the centuriesold other secret
societies), Flight of Shadows not only sotlllds mysterious, but it is the oldest and most
prestigious secret society in the northernmost region of the country. Members, both
men and women, are call ed Shadowmen.
Selection into the Shadowmen is highly secretive. Di stingui shed athletes and presidents
of student organizations are rumored to have made it into Flight of Shadows. What's
most intriguing is that membership in the society is secret until graduation. At that
time, members reveal themselves by appearing at the graduation ceremony wearing
on their chest a gold pin in the shape of a spade, with the letter "S" marking them as
Shadowmen. It's unclear what their purpose as a society is, but the Spades: as they
are also called, are best known for their presence at UANs homecoming every year,
officially welcoming alumni back to campus.
University of Virginia, Charlottesville
With 10 "known" secret societies at the University of Virginia,
there's a little something for everyone, in case you were hoping
to join one. But before you take your pick, you should know
the nature of these societies varies from philanthropic to
downright disgusting.
These groups include the the Mystic Order of Eli Banana, which
began in 1878 and is famous for its Easter parade; the Z SOCiety,
whose logo-a large letter Z-can be found painted permanently
on the north steps of the campus rotunda; the P.U.M.P.K.I.N.
Society, a secret service-oriented group that rewards contributors
to the univerSity; and the seemingly seamy Rotunda Peers,
whose only rumored purpose is to urinate (it' s probably
pronounced "Pee-ers," not "Peers") on the campus rotunda
at night.
Hmmmm.
However, the most secretive of the groups at UV A is the Seven Society, which is said to have formed
around 1905 when a group of eight men agreed to meet for a card game but only seven showed up.
Nothing is known about the Seven Society since members' identities are kept hidden until death. Only
then, at their funeral, are tl,ey revealed as members when a wreath of black magnolias shaped like a
seven is supposedly placed on their grave. According to the website Zencollegelife.com, "To let tl,e
university know a fonner member has died, the bell tower at the chapel on campus chimes every seven
seconds at seven past the hour, striking tl,e seventh di ssonant chord."
Comell University, Ithaca, New York
If you've ever been to the campus tower at Cornell University
in Ithaca, New York, you may have noticed that the top Aoor of
the tower is off-limits. Except, of course, if you are a member of the
Quill and Dagger secret society and you are headed to a topsecret
society meeting.
Quill and Dagger, founded in 1893, was the first Ivy League club to
admit women. Members are chosen based 011 their character and
reputation of service on campus. Though the names of new members
are published in the school newspaper every semester-not very
secreti ve- nothing else about the club is ever revealed.
Cridiron Secret Society
University of Georgia, Atltens
The University of Georgia boasts a soci ety
started in 1908; being asked to join is reportedly
"the highest honor a male student may
receive on the Univers ity of Georgia campus."
Alumni of the Gridiron Secret Society include
prominent business and political leaders,
such as Presi dent Jimmy Carter and Attorney
General Griffin Bell, and every governor of
Georgi a since the 1930s. Possibl y linked to
Yale's Skull & Bones, the Gridiron Secret
Society is so closely guarded that not only it s
membership but also it s purpose is a secret.
Eucleian Society
NelV York University, NelV York City
Started in 1832, the Eucl eian Society takes
secrecy to a new level: Meetings are recorded
in a written coded language that only members
understand. The society also keeps the names
of its members safely guarded. It is considered
a "literary" society that holds publici 2ed literary
events with guest lecturers (like Edgar Allen Poe
in , 845). It publishes two magazines and has
always been considered a progressive voice on
campus, often speaking out in favor of civil and
human rights as well as satiri zing current news
events in New York.
Cadaver Society
Washington a>ld Lee University, Lexington, Virginia
The members of the Cadaver Society are mostly pre.med students,
though their membership is kept completely secret. Members appear
only after dark, dressed in black capes and hoods to conceal who they are.
What isn't hidden, however, are the marks they leave around campus-
a letter C with a skull inside-when pulling a prank or sending a message.
The Cadavers , as they are called, do good for the school as well , most notably
donating money to build a new stadium and fitness center on campus.
Order of Cimghoul
University oj North CaroLina, ChapeL HiLL
There are quite a few legendary secret societies at UNC in Chapel Hill , all with unique,
mysterious beginnings. At the campus library you can browse through the societies'
archives for a rich secret society hi story lesson, beginning with the records of the Order
ofGimghouL
Sounding like something out of a Harry Potter novel, the Order of Gimghoul was
founded in 1889 and centers around the legend of Peter Dromgoole, a student at UNC
who mysteriously di sappeared from campus in 1833. The society's founders originally
called themselves the Order of Dromgoole but later changed the name in keeping with
"midnight and graves and weirdness," as stated in the archives.
The order upholds the "Dromgoole legend and the ideals of Arthurian knighthood and
chivalry," and it is said to be social in nature with no suspicious agenda.
In the r890s, the Gimghouls built an actual castle off campus as their lodge, called the
Hippol Castle. Legend has it that the society chooses members from the UNC student
body and they become members for life, returning to campus during certain times of
the year to meet secretl y at the castle.
Infinity
University of Nortlt Carolina, Chapel Hill
Another UNC secret society is named
Infinity_ In 2011, the school received
two donations from Infinity, each in
the amount of $888.88, with the digit 8
derived from the symbol for infinity (an 8
lying on its side). Other than that, nothing
eise is known about the club.
Order of the Corgon's Head
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
Aiso quite Potter-esque is UNC's Order of the Gorgon's
Head, founded in 1896, with officers' names like
Princeps, Quaestor, and Scriptor. Thi s order's purpose
is to promote friendship, goodwill , and social fellowship
among members.
FOR THE SISTERS
While some collegiate secret societies accept
women as members or consist of women only,
there are no fraternities that allow women to join.
And why would they, when there are plenty of
excellent sororities women can join?
Sororities are run exactly like fraternities on
campus, with rushing, pledging, hazing, and secret
initiations. Sororities have Greek-lettered names
as well and are a visible presence on campuses
all over the country_ Early sororities were actually
call ed fraternities because the word "sororityn had
not yet been introduced to the English language.
Like brothers in a fraternity, sorority sisters are
all about sisterhood and bonding, and they are
expected to support each other both academically
and socially. Keeping up grade point averages is a
must for all sorority members, too, so tutoring by
upperclassmen to help their younger sisters per-
form well in school is commonplace. 50 is "men-
taring, " where Bi g Si sters choose Little Sisters to
guide and mentor in a sisterhood support system.
58 SECRET SOCIETIES
t
THE LEGEND OF THE ROSE
c.. CROSS: REAL OR NOT?
The legend of the Rose and Cross movement (Ros icrucianism)
began in Germany in the 1300S during the lifetime of its founder,
Christian Rosenkreuz (Rosen kreuz rose cross). But it wasn't unti l
300 years later that he became a legend throughout Europe.
The question remains, however: Did Christian Rosenkreuz ever
even exist?
Much of the worl d became fascinated with Rosicruci ani sm
almost from the moment they first read about it in a trio of
mani fes tos published anonymously in Germany in the 1600s. The
writings told the story of a secret society started by Rosenkreuz-
a fraternity composed of learned men-who possessed a secret
knowledge that, once revealed, would change the worl d forever.
The writings were said to have been written by Rosenkreuz
himself before he di ed, but when hi s authorship was later exposed
as a li e, the legend of Rosicruciani sm grew even deeper.
As the story goes, Christian Rosenkreuz was born in the late
1300S and raised as a monk. He later became a doctor and often
traveled to the Middle East, heali ng the sick and searching for a
higher level of spiritual and mystical knowledge. In the Middle East
he li ved and studied with Turki sh, Arab, and Persian sages, who
purportedly bestowed upon him all "the greatest secrets of nature
and life." When Rosenkreuz was fina ll y ready to share these secrets
with others, he returned to Europe wi th a dream in his head of
forming a brotherhood of men based on all he had learned.
Unfortunately, many Europeans couldn't grasp the level of
Rosenkreuz's knowledge and intell ect. So he decided to share his
knowledge secretly, reserving "the greatest secrets of nature and
life" for those he deemed worthy.
Back in Germany, Rosenkreuz managed to find a small group of
li ke- minded monks and he created what the manifestos later called
the "Rosicrucian Order," appointi ng himself as head of the order.
Rosenkreuz's ultimate goal, the stories goes, was to pool together all
THE RULES OF THE ORICINAL
ROSICRUCIAN ORDER
The group can consist of no more
than eight men-each a doctor and
a bachelor '"
Each member promises under oath
to heal the sick without payment '"
Each member swears to maintain
a secret fellowship '"
Each member must find a replacement
for himself before he dies '"
"
,b6g;n t o underst and the ROSicrucian
r er, It s essential t o know these
used t erms: cOmmonly
Rosicrucianism: the belief in a .
f . secret SOCiet y
. ounded In late Germany by Christi an
ROSi crucians cl aim t o POssess
esotenc Wi sdom handed down f .
" rom anCient
times, ThIS wi sdom, once explained by a mem-
of the Royal Historical Society in London
as concealed f rom t he average m .
, ' h ' an, prOVIdes
;nhsl
g
l,ntO nature. the physical universe and
e SPIritual realm,"
Esotericism: the study of hidd k
and ' en now/edge
, myste,nolls beliefs. usually understood
by Just a select f ew and only aft
, .. , er years of
Introspection and study,
Mysticism: the 'sPiritual beliefs and ideas of
people Who claim to have achi eved insight into
myst ery that goes beyond ordinary hum
knowledge, an
OCcult: literally "knowledge of the hidde "
!t Usually relat es to a society or group cl:;m-
Ing to use, or having knowledge of. secret or
supernatural powers,
Age of Enlightenment: a period in early
t -
ce
t1tury Europe when many thinkers tri ed
'"'\. to society based on reason and sci-
r,ather than tradition, faith. and religion
Chnstl an Rosenkreuz's the . .
ones and practices
at the beginning of thi s exci t ing

Ime In history,
SEC RET SOC I ETI ES S9
THE ROSICRUCIAN CREATI ON
r..J Rosicrucianism blends aspects of
science. rel i gion. alchemy. and magic with
philosophies from Egyptian mystici sm.
Jewish kabbalism. and Christian teachings.
60 SECRET SOC I ETIES
the great. mystical. spiritual . and scientifi c knowledge of these
men and transcribe it into one universal philosophy of life to
ul ti mately present to the world.
Over time. Rosenkreuz's little group of learned men grew to
eight members. Together. they traveled the world every year-
keeping the identity of their smaLl fraternity hidden-healing
the sick and gaining more knowledge. When their missions were
complete. they would return to their headquarters. called the
Sancti Spiritus (House of the Hol y Spirit). in Germany.
In 1484. Rosenkreuz died at the unbelievable age of 106. but
the Rosicrucian Order lived on. Hi s di sci ples buri ed their leader in
a secret location somewhere in the Sancti Spiritus. All hi s "greatest
secrets" were buried with him.
THE DISCOVERY
Flash-forward '20 years. to ,604_
The Rosicrucian Order had grown to 36 members. all of whom
learned about Rosenkreuz and hi s great secrets. The order was stiLI
kept hidden from the public. and the brotherhood's original purpose
of healing and spiritual journey lived on.
Then. one day. construction was begun to expand the Sancti
Spiritus. It was said that one of the Rosicrucian Order brothers hit
a nai l into a wall and cracked a hole in the plaster. Rosenkreuz' s
perfectly preserved body was rumored to have been discovered
behind that wall. in a chamber the former leader had erected
himself to be a storage house of knowledge. Hi s secrets were
uncovered. too. and for the Rosicrucian Order. the manifestos say. it
was the dawning of a new age.
THE MANIFESTOS
Ten years after the discovery of his body. the tal e of Rosenkreuz
and hi s secret brotherhood was exposed in a series of three
pamphlets. or manifestos. They were supposedly written by
Rosenkreuz himself before his death in 1484 and hidden among
all hi s secret knowledge in the chamber_ These secret ma nifestos
were publi shed in Germany over the course of two years. and
the story was so sensational. Rosicrucianism became all the rage
throughout Europe.
The first manifesto. known as Farna. revealed to the publi c the
very existence of the secret fraternity founded by Rosenkreuz after
hi s enlightening journeys to the Middle East.
The second manifesto. Confessio. was also published in 1614.
COl1fossio expanded on the message of Fama. adding that thi s secret
order of Rosicrucians had di scovered a new. enli ghtened path to a
refo rmed world.
Finally. in 1616. a third manifesto was publi shed. This
installment lent itself to many different interpretations. It was fuLl of
fantasy and symboli sm. It was also clear that it had not been written
by Christian Rosenkreuz.
It was widely believed that the real author of thi s manifesto-and
possibly all three-was the work of one man, a Lutheran minister
named Johann Valentin Andreae.
According to Christopher Hodapp and Ali ce Von Kannon,
coauthors of Conspiracy Theori es and Secret Societies for Dlmmies,
Johann Val entin Andreae, with all good intentions, had written
the pamphlets in the hope of creating a new movement that would
"reform social life through new learning" and begin a new search
for "the secrets to Life, the Universe, and Everything."
I MADE IT ALL UP
Even after Andreae confessed to having made up the stories about
Rosenkreuz and hi s lost texts, people didn't care. They had found a
philosophy to embrace, and they clamored to learn everything they
could about the great Christian Rosenkreuz, hi s Rosicrucian Order,
and the "great secrets" of nature and life.
Andreae had succeeded in garnering interest in a secret
society that didn't exist, but nobody minded that small detail. In
their enthusiasm, people started their own Rosicrucian societies.
Rosicrucianism blossomed, despi te being an enigma, and the
uncertainty only added to the mystery surrounding it in the first
place. The idea of a secret society of enlightened men-alchemi sts
and sages who were preparing to transform the artistic, scientific,
religious, political, and intellectual landscape-was compelling
enough for society to buy in, even though the detai ls about
Rosicruciani sm remained ambiguous. It isn't surpri sing, then, that
people all over the world quickly started Rosicrucian societi es of
their own.
Throughout hi story, much of Rosicruci ani sm remained unclear,
but the movement has survived nonetheless and continues, to this
day, to thrive and gain followers.
MOVING TO AMERICA
The largest Rosicrucian society in America, the Ancient and
Mystical Order Rosae Crucis (AMORC) , was organized in 1915.
Today, AMORC li sts on its website (AMORC.org) more than
1,200 lodges worldwide, spanning most of the 50 states and places
like Bermuda, Guyana, British Columbia, and Trinidad and Tobago.
The website proclaims to support members from a variety of
cultural and religious backgrounds by providing, mostly through
an onl ine correspondence course, a foundation that ti es together all
the different aspects of metaphysical study. Anyone can download
from the site a copy of AM ORes publication Mastery of Life, which
promises to guide seekers through a more focused attunement with
life and heighten their spiritual awareness.
IN GOOD COMPANY
During the 1960s, as part of a hoax
claiming the existence of a medieval secret
society called the Priory of Sion) , a set of
documents called the Dossiers Secrets was
discovered in France. One of the documents
allegedly included a list of Grand Masters of
the Priory of Sion: and Andreae was listed
as the 17th Grand Master! Al so on the list:
Leonardo da Vinci . Isaac Newton, and
Victor Hugo. r...J
SECRET SOCIETIES 61
Nostradamus (Eerily)
Gets It Right
Fifty years before the term "Rosicrucian"
even existed, astrologer and famed "predictor"
Nostradamus wrote:
"a new sect of Philosophers shall rise,
Despising death, gold, honors and riches,
They shall be near the mountains of Germany,
They shall have abundance of others to sup-
port and follow them."
Christopher MCintosh, author of The Enduring
Mystery of the Rose and Cross, points out that
Nostradamus's prediction is "strikingly accurate"
as it relates to the Rosicrucian brotherhood's rise
in Germany in the early part of the 17th century.
Like the "philosophers" in Nostradamus's predic-
tion, Rosicrucians "shunned worldly satisfac-
tions in favor of spiritual ones and [were] said to
have conquered death through the elixir of life:'
Furthermore, and again just li ke the "philoso-
phers" Nostradamus wrote about, Rosicrucians
had many supporters and followers all over
the world.
IN NEED OF A
ROSICRUCIAN
RETREAT?
Rosicrucian Park in San Jose,
California, was the brainchild of H.
Spencer Lewi s in 1927. The retreat, situated
in an area that was once farmland, now covers an entire ci ty block
and attracts thousands of visitors from all over the world each year.
The park is the perfect place for peaceful introspection as it "offers
a mysterious and beautiful combination of Egyptian and Moori sh
architecture set among broad lawns, rose gardens, statuary, and
sparkling fountains," according to its web brochure. This"peaceful
environment, along with the spiritual essence of what Rosicrucian
Park represents. creates a serene and harmonious ambiance sensed
by its many visitors."
CAN'T GETTO SAN JOSE? The Council of Solace is a group of people
(at Rosicruci an Park and throughout the world) who meditate daily
on behalf of others. Their goal is to bring cosmic help to those in
need. They achieve thi s "by putting certain spiritual energies into
motion and directing them in accordance with mystical law and
natural principles." Thi s "metaphysical aid," they explain, is then
"directed to individual s who petition the Council of Solace with
health, domestic, economi c, or other problems." Petitioning the
council, they say, is as simple as logging onto its website and filling
out an electroni c petition.
ROSE AND CROSS
The symbol associated with Rosicrucianism has always been a cross
with a rose in the center. There are a few interpretations of its
symbolism, but the explanation below is the most popularly believed.
The rose. which has always been a symbol of spiritual growth, is
taken from the Latin phrase sub rosa, which means "done 'in secret"
and comes from the idea that secret societies in ancient Rome would
meet under a hanging rose,
The cross is a symbol of both life and death. It al so symbolizes the
universe, quartered into the four alchemical elements of earth. air,
fire, and water. To alchemists,
mystics, and spiritualists,
the cross represents
immortality.
FIRST MASTER'S CROSS
This rosy cross was brought
to America by the first group
of Rosicrucians to settle here
in 1694. It was presented to
Dr. H. Spencer Lewis by Mrs.
May Banks-Stacy. a member
of the English lodge that
sponsored the first group' s
emigration to America.
SEC R ET SO C IETIE S 63
e
o
Early in the days of colonial America, a group of powelful men formed a secret society called
the Sons of Liberty. These men were leaders in the community, and many went on to hold
positions of political power. They included Samuel Adams, Paul Revere, JohnAdams , and even
the infamous traitor, BenedictAmold.
The organization was formed during a time of great unrest in the British-owned colonies.
The British had just passed the Stamp Act, and a rebellion ensued. Some say this marked the
beginning of the American Revolution. And the spark that fanned the flames of rebellion was
ignited by this seemingly insignificant new tax.
. :
-.
. .
0" J
64 SECRET SOCIETIES
f alilt the STAMP

f"
I

' ..
-5
.:
Patrick Henry, a member of the Sons of Liberty,
was considered a radical politician. He also served
as the governor of Virginia twice.
The Stamp Act, Imposed by the British
Parliament, required American citizens to pay
taxes on every piece of printed paper they used.
John Lamb was one of the original
members of the Sons of Liberty.
Tho Sons of Liberty were a patriotic group
of Americans fighting for freedom from the
tyranny of England and unfair taxes.
Benjamin Rush was
the surgeon general
for the Continental
Army and also signed
the Declaration of
Independence.
The patriotism exhibited by the Sons of Liberty
was wriHen into a famous poem called
"Paul Revere's Ride" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.
SEC RET SOC IETI ES 6S
UNFAIR TAXES
Though the coloni sts stiU felt loyal to their home country, they were
beginning to feel frustrated by its lack of support. Resources and
revenue were all heading in one direction-back to England.
Many coloni sts were angered by Great Britain's exploitation.
Led by Samuel Adams, they formed the Sons of Liberty, a secret
society in which they could discuss matters of rebell ion and plot to
overthrow the Briti sh government.
They soon di scovered they had alli es throughout the colonies.
So the Sons of Liberty organized groups of men to protest British
taxes across the board. And they organized big. "No taxation
without representation!" became a common cry of the Sons of
Liberty in the streets.
THE BOSTON TEA PARTY
I t was the Sons of Liberty who organized the famous protest known
as the Boston Tea Party. They had a secret code to announce that
it was time to begin the Tea Party. One night, Samuel Adams
entered the building where the Sons of Liberty met. He shouted,
"Thi s meeting can do nothing more to save the country!" That was
the signal it was time for the Sons of Liberty to storm the docks at
Griffin' s Wharf and dump the tea cargoes of three British ships into
the sea, leaving no chance for the British to profit from the export.
THE SONS OF LIBERTY TODAY
Today, the name "Sons of Liberty" has been adopted by various
militant groups who claim to be protectors of the intentions
of the country's original Founders. But they are small spli nter
organizations, certainly not elite secret societies like the Sons of
Liberty, who changed the course of hi story and created the United
States of America. Those patriots are long gone, their purpose
having been well served.
66 SEC RET SOC I ETIES
Benedict Arnold
Benedict Arnold is famous for his betrayal
of the American Revolut ionary Army.
But before he became a traitor he was
a heroic member of the Sons of Li berty.
And he was a hero dur ing t he American
Revo[utionary War.
That's r ight. Benedict Arno[d was a war
hero. He was a successful bus inessman
who joined the Sons of Liberty early in the
Revo[ution. As a colonel during t he war,
he led men into batt le against the power-
fur British army, los ing a leg during the
famous Batt[e of Saratoga in 1777. This
battle is considered a turning point in t he
war since it inspired the French to join t he
American side, leadi ng, ultimately, to an
American victory.
Benedict was one ofthe first officers to
sign t he Oath of A[[egiance.
But after that battle, Arno[d became
bitter. He began to believe that perhaps the
resources intended to fight t he war and
bui ld a nation were being misused, and he
believed that he could benefit financially
if he were to side with the British. So he
held secret meetings and took direction not
from the American generals but from the
British loyal ists.
Despite his treasonous leanings, he
somehow managed to convince George
Washington to give him t he post as
leader of West Point. Un beknownst to
Washi ngton, Arno[d planned to sell West
Point to the British.
He eventually was caught and declared a
t raitor. He had lost everyt hi ng-his wife, his
honor, and his place inAmerican history as
a war hero. He [eft America and went with a
new wife to Eng[and, whe re he died in 1801.
The Sons of Liberty commonly met under
an elm tree In the cent er of Boston. The
SECRET SOCIETIES 87
HERMES
THE
ermetic Order
OF THE
T
he Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn is an occult
group that started in England in the late 19th century.
The members practice magic and witchcraft. Some say it
was the inspiration for Wicca and Thelema, both current
magical practices.
The order was founded by three men, all of whom were
Freemasons and Rosicrucians.
The term "Hermetic" comes from Hermes, one of the
gods in the Greek pantheon. The Herm is also the name of
a stone pillar that was, according to Greek mythology, used
by the Greeks to communicate with their gods.
MEMBERS
People who join the Golden Dawn tend to be looking for a
deep mystical connection. They are interested in witchcraft
and religious symboli sm. In order to join, one must go
through a ritual of initiation. Women and men are both
permitted to join.
68 SECRET SOCI ETIE S
THE THREE ORDERS
There are three orders of the Golden Dawn. The first teaches
philosophy. Through this first order members learn about
astrology (the supposed impact of the stars and planets
on people's daily lives) and tarot (using a deck of cards for
mystical divination). The second order brings in magic, astral
travel (where the spirit leaves the body and travels into space),
and alchemy (transforming matter). The third order-that
of the "secret chiefs"-indudes highly skilled members who
manage and direct the activities of the lower-level orders,
with whom they communicate
nonverbally. Not much is
known about the secret
chiefs-except that
they are very powerful
and wield influence
over many.
CIPHER MANUSCRIPTS
The order is informed by the Cipher Manuscripts. These
manuscripts contain 60 books that include everything
members could ever need to know about magic rituals.
They are used in the initiation rites for the Golden Dawn.
The contents of the manuscripts reRect the four alchemical
elements of earth, air, water, and fire.
It is through these occult rituals that members of the
Golden Dawn learn about magic and symbolism and can
ultimately become practitioners.
The origin of the manuscripts remains a mystery. Some
say they were originall y given by a Mason named Kenneth
MacKenzie to a London coroner, William Wynn Westcott,
in ,809, Westcott is said to have translated the manuscripts
from German and then used them as a basis for the
founding of the Golden Dawn. Others say Westcott wrote
the manuscripts himself.
RITUALS
+ >- EQUINOX RITUAL Thi s ritual is performed within 48
hours of the equinox, which is considered a time of
strong energy exchange between the sun and the earth.
Members stand and chant and "receive" the energy.
+>- THE RITE OF THE QUABALLATIC CROSS Using a dagger, the
participant conducts a sequence of poses and recites
certain words .
+>- RITUAL OF THE PENTAGRAM Participants move their arms,
legs , and torso into various pos itions that represent
a pentagram.
+ >- RITUAL OF THE HEXAGRAM Similar to the Pentagram,
except that participants move in the shape of
a hexagram.
SECRET SOC I ETI ES 69
From its less-than-humble beginnings at the start of
the 40th century. the Ordo Templi Orientis (OTO) was
a secret society with more controversy than secrets.
Ordo Templi Orientis
T
he OTO, which sti ll exists today, boasts nearly 3,000
members in 60 countries. It claims to "represent
the surfacing of the divergent streams of esoteric wisdom
and knowledge, which were originally divided and driven
underground by political and religious intolerance during the
dark ages." OTO has been influenced by the Freemasonic,
Rosicrucian, and Illuminist movements, as well as by the
crusading Knights Templ.r of the Middle Ages.
OTO FOREFATHERS
At the turn of the 20th century, spiritual and mystical
movements were sprouting up all over Germany. A wealthy
chemist by the name of Carl Kellner became interested in a
branch of Freemasonry called the Rite ofMemphisMizraim.
Kellner had dreams of building the Rite of Memphi s-
Mizraim into the largest Masonic branch in the world.
Members of the Memphis-Mizraim branch of Freemasons
practiced mysticism-secret rituals designed to allow
humans to ascend to a higher state of consciousness, ascend
to an astral plane. or even commune with a Supreme Being.
The problem was that most Freemasons did not
recognize the Rite of MemphisMizraim as a legitimate
Freemason order. In fact, they encouraged all Masons to
distance themselves from the Memphis-Mizraim, believing
the group was nothing more than a bunch of con artists
looking to make money on new initiates.
Kellner didn' t care. He embraced the Memphis-Mizraim
anyway and continued to develop it further, even talking of
one day bringing women into the fold-something that was
strictly forbidden in the Masonic world.
In 1880, Kellner met a like minded Bavarian named
Theodore Reuss. Reuss, who also favored unorthodox
70 SECRET SOCIETIES
Masonic groups, had just come through a few failed
attempts at starting hi s own esoteric orders linked to the
Illuminati throughout Europe.
Kellner and Reuss both had visions of creating a
"college" or institution as a way to bring all esoteric
philosophies they practiced together under one roof. The
Academia Masonica, established in 1904, created a new
set of degrees, or levels, different from the traditional
Freemason degrees. Kellner and Reuss welcomed other
splinter Freemason groups to join their lodge and renamed
their group the Ordo Templi Orientis. The general
philosophy of the group was a beli ef in "new age" esoteric
practices as a way of realizing one's true identity.
However, the Memphis-Mizraim never gained
acceptance from more mainstream Freemason groups.
Kellner's death in 1905 seemed to foretell the end of Ordo
Templi Orientis-that is, until Reuss met an Englishman
named Aleister Crowley.
THE " WICKED EST MAN
IN THE WORLD"
Called ti, e "most influential figure in the occult world of the
20th century," Aleister Crowley fancied himself a prophet
who was called on to educate the people of the world and
usher them into a new period of enlightenment. In fact, he
was unconventional, highly unethical, and more than a little
selfserving.
A self-proclaimed occulti st, Crowley's practice
encouraged sexual deviance, drug use, and black magic.
Although he was actually an accomplished man-a prolific
author, chess master, and mountain climber-the press
dubbed him the "Wickedest Man in the World" for hi s
AN INSIDE PEEK INTO THE oTo
Nearl y all Thelemites keep a record of their personal pract ices in somet hing
they call a " Magical Diary." Many also pray t o the sun f our ti mes a day i n
order to focus their mi nds on the center of the solar syst em.
THE LAw OF
THELEMA
The Law of The/ema_"Do What thou Wilt"_
is the ethical anll moral COile founll in CrOWley'S
Thelema Scripture. CrOWley fUrther eXP/ainell it
as "True Will," the Ultimate SPiritUal core Of each
person. The OTO webSite (OTO-US4.0
rg
) fUrther
eXPlains, "This Law is not to be interpretell as
Thelemites often t ake mystical names they call " magical mottoes" for
themselves as a sign of commitment. Names are usuall y Latin but can be
taken f rom Hebrew or ancient mysticism, t oo. Some magical mottoes are
"Apostalus Lucis" (apostl e of light) , "Yod" (si mpl e, small , or humble),
a license to inllulge paSSing Whim, but
rather as the manllate to one's
True Will anll accOmplish it:
others to 110 the same in their own
and "Pax Ego" (peace with myself).
Thelemit es customaril y greet one anot her with t he phrase, "Do what
thou wi lt shall be t he whole of the Lawn (the ext ended verse of The Law
of Thelema), t o which the customary response is "Love is the law, love
under will. "
UqiqUe Ways. "
Other times, Thelemites will use numerology, making st at ements like
"93," whi ch signifi es both "wiW and " love" in Thelema.
____ - -=
many scandalous exploits with women and men. Allegedly,
he also parti cipated in rituals of human sacrifice.
Before meeting Theodore Reuss, Crowley had been pari
of another secret society, the Hermetic Order of the Golden
Dawn. During that time, he cl aimed to have been contacted
by hi s Holy Guardi an Angel. He also clai med to have
received writings known as "The Book of the Law" from a
divine source whil e he was in Egypt in 1904- Based on thi s
book, Crowley developed a new reli gion called Thelema.
Reuss was an easy convert to Thelema. He immediately
encouraged Crowley to step in, take the helm, and reorganize
the OTO around the Law of Thelema-" Do what thou
wilt"-which became the motto for the OTO. When Reuss
had a stroke in '9zo, Crowley proclaimed himsel f the new
Frater Superior (head) of the Order of Oriental Templars.
In 1914, after World War I broke out , Crowley brought
OTO to the United Stales, hoping to receive approval and
association with the Freemasons in America. But hi s reception
was less than welcoming; as in Europe, the Freemasons in the
United States distanced tilemselves from tile OTO. Crowley's
reputation had preceded him, and the Ameri can Masonic
orders were not about to acknowledge hi s weird, new practi ces
as having anything to do witi, Freemasonry.
It was n' l long uefore tales of Cruwley's unsavury
practices began to circul ale. By the end of World Wa r II,
Crowley's Ordo Templi Orienti s was finished.
RESURRECTION
Late in ' 969, the OTO was resurrected by a student of
Crowley's named Grady McMurtry, who claimed to have
letters permi tting him to revive the order as its new leader.
Much of the sensationali sm surrounding Crowley has since
faded, and today, under its current leader, Willi am Breeze,
the Ordo Templi Ori enti s is Aourishi ng.
WHY JOIN THE oTo?
Today's OTO is onl y slightl y di fferent f rom the order as it
was in 1918. It 's still a secret society, meaning membership
in the OTO is privat e, kept conf ident ial f rom the public
and f rom the bulk of other members. Onl y offi cers in the
OTO are given i nformati on about members, and that 's on
a need- to-know basis. Members who want t o attend an
event must first confirm their membership st atus by sub-
mitting a request to the offi cers of their local lodge.
As was Crowley and Reuss's goal in the earl y 1900s,
the main goal of the OTO r emains to creat e, maintain,
and promot e a structured soci et y of men and women
wi thin t he count ry who are united by their acceptance
of the Law of Thelema. They achieve thi s goal through
ceremoni al initi ati on and sacrament al ritual , by pl edges of
fi delity, cooperati on, and mut ual aid, and by certai n com-
mon ideals. Leaders i n the OTO describe these ideals as
" individual libert y; self-discipline; self - knowledge; univer-
sal brotherhood; and opposition to t yranny, super st ition,
and oppression."
OTO hopef uls must be over the age of 18. They must
also submit their appli cati on t o t he order accompani ed
by t wo r ecommendations from two sponsors who are
already members.
The st ru cture of the OTO, li ke Freemasonry, is based
on a seri es of st ages, or degrees. The ri t ual s for each
of these degr ees ar e designed t o t each prospecti ve
members the " prof ound myst eri es of nature" and to help
them discover thei r true ident ity. The initi at ion rit ual
i nvolves a phys ical ceremony led by a charter mem-
ber, but , to maintain the OTO's i ntense secr ecy, it is
unknown outside of the organi zat ion.
The OTO operat es local bodies throughout the world;
most members participat e directly in one or more of them.
Most local bodies offer cl asses on "Magick," using the
old Engli sh spelling of "magic" as Crowley did, so as not
to confuse the t opic with magic t r icks, ritual, Kabbalah
(Jewish mysti cism), and other t opics of int erest to practi c-
i ng Thelemit es.
Common local acti vi ti es include performance of group
ri tuals, publicati on of a newsletter or journal , and coopera-
ti ve acti viti es with other local alternati ve- religious groups.
S EC RET SOC I ET I ES 71
.. --:
_. __ ._ .. .,. ... -- ....... I,
The Lying Leader
Even before General Bickley's no-show at the Rio
Grande for the Knights' invasion of Mexico, he
was already known in many circles as a li ar. In
fact, his office wall was lined with forged medical
cert ificates. Bickley clai med to have had medical
training and to have studied in England, Scotland,
and France, but historians say there's no evidence
he ever studied medici ne ... or ever even went
to Europe.
After he fa iled t o show up as promised to lead
the Knights into Mexico, a group of Knights in
Louisiana publicly attacked him, call ing him a liar, a
coward, and an inept leader. Bickley responded by
calli ng a general convent ion ofthe Knights in May
1860. The convention confirmed Bickley as leader.
72 SECRET SOCIETIES
Knights
o/the
GOLDEN
CIRCLE
On the eve of the Civil War, it wasn't difficult to find organizations
in the North that sympathized with the plight of the South: a desire
to secede from the Union and an emphatic demand to own slaves.
Some of these Northern sympathizers formed their own clubs in the
hopes oflending a hand lo lheir brelhren in lhe South.
The Copperheads were the most infamous of these clubs, named
for the large copper penny on their lapel badges. The Copperheads
effectively acted as a front for those who participated in a slew of
destructive and deadly activities in the North.
The most notorious group connected with the Copperheads was
the Knights of the Golden Circle. Founded in 1854 by Virginia-born
doctor, editor, and adventurer General George W. L. Bickley, the
Knights were a fraternal organization structured like any other. New
inductees had initiations, ripe with rituals, regalia, and symbols. They
swore oaths and pledged allegiance to their order.
Unlike other societies, however, the Knights of the Golden Circle
had a sinister purpose: to invade and overthrow the government of
Mexico and turn it into a southern slave state.
The Knights also envisioned an empire that would include the
takeover of Cuba, centering on Havana. From Havana, the Knights
would appropriate territory northward, including Maryland, Kentucky,
Missouri, and aU the southern states, plus parts of Kansas and most
of Texas, Mexico, Central America, South America, and all the West
Indies. Ultimately their empire would encompass land some 2-400
mil es in diameter, hence the name Golden Circle.
In thi s dream, the new Southern Empire would produce most
of the world's cotton, sugar, tobacco, rice, and coffee and have the
mili tary and financial strength to hold onto slavery in the South
despite constant attacks by northern aboli tionists.
SECRET CASTLES
Within a short time, Bickley organized 32 "castles" (local chapters)
in various cities, including Houston, Galveston, Austin, San
Antonio, Marshall, Jefferson, and La Grange. Many prominent
Texans reportedly joined the Knights, and it was rumored Bickley
even persuaded Texas governor Sam Houston to join. Though
Houston had an interest in annexing Mexico to the United States,
it was widely known he would never accept that the Knights were
anti-Union, so eventually hi s participation wavered.
Castles were formed in three orders. Those with a military
assignment (most of the members) were call ed Knights of the Iron
Hand. Those with a financial calling were Knights of the True Faith,
and those with political skills (the leaders) were Knights of the
Columbian Star.
Castles could be found in both the North and the South and were
rumored to have 60,000 members in Missouri alone. In addition
to membership in the southern states, the Knights also had a strong
presence in Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and Iowa.
INVASION ATTEMPTS
In 1860, the Knights of the Golden CircIe assembled in Texas and
Louisiana to begin their invasion of Mexico. One eyewitness, a
postmaster, said, "The officers, according to rank, were to get larger
amounts ofland and a greater number of slaves." He added
some of the more optimistic in the Knight s' army were already
learning Spanish.
The plans, however, were poorly executed. Some 16,000 Knights
are believed to have reached the Rio Grande, lining the shores to wait
for Bickley's arrival before moving into Mexico. Bickley never showed.
THEORY.
PRACTICE.
BOOTH,
BICKLEY.
Tho JUauahl.
1Iea4 or tho Knis h'" of the Gol den Cirelo.
STRUCTURE OF THE KNIGHTS
r...J Like most secret societi es. the Knights
of the Golden Circl e had el aborate rituals
laden wi th codes. signs, and passwords.
and an intricate structure for military and
governing operations.
~ Knights were grouped into three divisions:
Military; Commercial and Financial; and
Political. The Military division was further
divided into two classes-the Foreign Guard,
men who wished to participate hands-on in
Mexico, and the Home Guard, men who would
support military efforts from home.
EFFECT.
l l l 1 ~
MARTYR PRESIDENT.
SECRET SOC I ETIES 13
BELIEVE IT.
aRNOT.
A "treasure hunting community," no doubt with
their eyes on the buri ed fortune, di scovered
the following article in the Iowa Cedar Valley
Times from August 1961. It bears mentioning not
because it reveals the location of the treasure
(which, unfortunately, it does not) but because
it exposes the best-kept secrets of the Knights
of the Golden Circle: detail ed descriptions of
their secret signs, passwords, and
hand signals.
The Captain of the gathering .tates. "I will nOW
. 35swords and token
give you the signs. grlps. P
of the fir5t De(/ree of the K.G.C. This de(/ree ~
a name. which I may now give YOU-It 15 the I
(Knight of the Iron Hand):'
f th
0 der is thw made:
The first great sign 0 e r
I ..... '" touching and re5ting on top
Hand> open. p a u ~
of the head: fingers pointing upward>.
this is' open hand> touching
The answer to elbows close
shoulder where epaulets are worn.
to the side.
These are battle-field signs and are not to be
used in ordinarY circumstances.
The common sign of recognition is right
ppe
r lip under nose.
fore. Fmger drawn acrOSS u
as if rubbing.
The Answer to this is; with fore rmger and
thumb of left hand take hold of left ear.
To gain admission to a Working Castle. or
f y KGC. give one distinct rap at the
room 0 an . the
door. The Sentinel on duty will then ~ .
. k t and demand the countersign. which 15
WlC e tle door
SOLDIERS. always lettered except at cas .
You will then pass the centre (center) of the
. the trUe .ign of the K.G.C.: left
room and give _ - will
hand on the heart, right hand raISed. This
be recognized by a 00""; from the Captam .

, ,
It wasn't until six months later-during a second attempted
invasion of Mexico-that Bickley finaLly arrived, but he arrived
alone, claiming hi s troops and his shipment of weapons had
gone missing. The upcoming presidential election, the secession
movement across the lower South, and the Civil War that foLlowed
soon after in ,861 all contributed to a waning of interest and
confidence in the plans of the Knights of the Golden Circle.
As the Civil War began, the Knights drifted apart, mainly because
the Confederate army needed them as soldiers. They tried to
reorganize without Bickley two years later in ,863 as the Order of the
American Knights and then again in 1864 as the Order of the Sons of
Liberty, but ultimately the fraternal order faded into obscurity. Victory
by the Union in the Civil War had thwarted their goals.
THE SECRET TREASURY OF
THE CONFEDERACY?
Though Bickley was arrested as a Confederate spy in Indiana in
1863 and died in Virginia in 1867, his story and the legend of the
Knights of the Golden Circle did not die with him.
Just before the Civil War ended, a rumor circulated that
the Knights had secretly carried off the entire treasury of the
Confederacy, believed to be between $z million and $5 million.
The money was supposedly hidden in Canada and then brought
back to the United States as soon as the war ended. The gold and
silver coins were supposedly buried all around the country in
preparation for a new Southern upri sing.
To thi s day, there have been numerous claims to the secret
buried treasure, hidden in mysterious places all across the
South. Many people believe this fortune, marked "CSA" for the
Confederate States of America, is still waiting to be discovered,
buried in long. fo rgotten mineshafts, sunken shipwrecks, fake
gravesites, and the swamps of the Everglades.
t t t t
Did the Knights Templar really
protect the Holy Grail?
Yes, say some.
The Knights Templar were
an elite group of holy warriors who
fought dUTing the Crusades
The Crusaders '
mission was to protect Europe from
the infringement of Islam and
to promote Christianity
throughout the world.
The Holy Grail was one of the
most important symbols of
Christianity at the time.
T
he name of this order is derived from the word "temple," as in
the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, which is said to be the site of
King Solomon's Temple. It's also one of the most holy Muslim sites
and is, to this day, disputed territory.
The Knights Templ ar, the most famous heroes of the Crusades,
were indeed knights in shining armor. They wore white mantles
with a bi g red cross upon their chests. The red represented the blood
of the Christian martyrs. The Templars dressed in chain mail-
which looks something li ke a loosely knit sweater, with thread made
of iron over a coat of hardened leather-and they were generall y
wellmannered and kind to all.
RULES OF THE KNIGHTS TEMPLAR
+> Kni ghts took their meals in silence.
+> They were never to surrender unless their Rag had fallen.
By the time a fl ag fe ll , the enemy was close enough to touch it.
Therefore, there was no chance to win the battle so at that point,
surrender made sense.
+> During a secret, solemn ini tiation, the knights would vow their
all egiance to the Order of the Knights Templar and give up all
their worldl y possessions.
+>- They also took vows of chastity.
+> Married men could join, but they were not allowed to wear
the white mantle. They took a vow of chastity during their time
as a Knight.
SEC RET SOC I ETI ES 75
76 SECRET SOC I ET I ES
so YOU THINK YOU CAN
BECOME A KNIGHT?
Most knights were from wealthy families and began training as early
as the age of 7. A young boy, called a page, would be sent to another
lord's castle where he would learn to strum a harp and sing and
play chess. In warm weather, he was taught to hunt with a bow and
arrow. He also had many chores, such as taking care of the horses.
He learned fencing and horsemanship.
At the age of '4, the young page became a squire, who was
assigned to a knight as hi s apprentice. I-Ie acted as the knight's
personal assistant and also took care of the knight' s horses, which
included at least two cargo horses, one fighting horse, and one
"relief" horse for long journeys.
When a page became a squire, hi s real military training began.
He learned to aim and shoot a bow and arrow. He practiced wearing
extra-heavy armor so regular armor would not feel so heavy. Hi s
uniform included chain mail , leather pants and jacket, a helmet, and
a shi eld that bore the image of hi s family crest. A family crest was a
pich"e that represented a famil y's hi story and sometimes included
an image of the land they owned.
If a squire made it through the training, he undertook a ni ght-
long vigil on the ni ght before hi s 21st birthday. He would take a
ritual bath, hear mass, and then eat a final breakfast with hi s famil y.
Then, in a glorious ceremony, the squire would kneel down and be
hit with the blunt edge of a sword, thereby being dubbed a kni ght.
The ideal image of a knight entailed more than just being a
war hero and fi ghting in battle. Knights were expected to be good
human beings as well-generous, kind, helpful , and chivalrous, which
included being respectful to women.
The Knights Templar were but one group of knights. They were
the best and brightest, and the most devout Christians. You could not
train to become a Kni ght Templar. You were invited, and if invited
you inevitably said yes.
THE HOLY GRAIL
Tales of the Hol y Grail fi gure prominently in stories of King Arthur
and the Kni ghts of the Round Table. The Grail has been featured in
films like Tile Da Vinci Code and Monty Python and tile Holy Grail. I n
reali ty, we are not sure if the Grail even exists. But legend has it the
Holy Grail is a symbol of Christiani ty that holds holy powers.
The Holy Grail is said to be a chalice, or vessel, used by Christ at
the Last Supper. Depending on which legend you beli eve, it holds
the blood Christ shed at the Crucifixion or anci ent documents that
describe hi s li fe. Many legends and stories have been written about
the Grail , starting in the 11th century. Some are based in ficti on and
myth, some on a physical obj ect that is rumored to exi st.
WHERE IS THE HOLY GRAIL TODAY?
According to legend, the Knights Templar discovered the Holy Grail
during their Crusades. In the [3th century, King Philip IV of France
feared Ule Knights Templar were conspiring to unseat him. He did not
trust their loyalty. He Ulerefore ordered his soldiers to arrest and kill all
the Knights Templar.
The Knights Templar, lea rning of their pending fat e and
fearing the king would obtain and destroy the Holy Grail, hid it.
Some say they took it to Scotland, where it remains hidden to thi s
day, buried beneath Rosslyn Chapel. Others say the Kni ghts took
the Grail to Spain. And some say it is buried beneath the Louvre,
the famous art museum in Pari s. The Knights Templar officially
di sbanded in '307, so it is unlikely we will ever know the true
location of the Hol y Grail.
MODERN-DAY KNIGHTS TEMPLAR
Although the original Kni ghts Templar were di sbanded in
the 13005, there is a modern-day version, the Grand
Commandery of Knights Templar, which, according to its
website knightstemplar.gckt.org, "takes its inspiration from the
highest ideal s of the medi eval Order of Kni ghts Templar and
promotes chivalry, honour, integrity, humility, courtesy, wi sdom
& charity." Based in England, these modern-day heroes are police
officers, physicians, teachers, researchers, army officers, and
other otherwi se "ordinary" citizens who feel called to contribute
to humanity in a pos itive way. Their stated objectives are
as follows:
-<+ Fraternity, Friendship, Spirituality, Meditation,
Charity, & Chivalry.
-<+ Providing humanitarian relief to the poor, sick and needy.
-<-(- To aid the development of spiritual understanding and
meditation techniques.
-<-0(- Promoting historical research associated with the 12th to
'4th century Knights Templar.
-<+ To encourage the nobl e ideal s of Chivalry and to promote
Nobility through deeds of Charity & Honour.
KNIGHTS TEMPLAR AND
FRIDAY THE 13TH
It is well known King Philip IV had many Kni ghts Templ ar arrested
on Friday, the '3th of October, '307. Because this was seen as an
affront to the purity of Christianity, Phi lip was perceived as being
agai nst the Christians. Thus, '3 became an unlucky number for
Christians from that time forward.
SEC RET SOC I ETIES 77
E Clampus Vitus
Not sure if they would categorize themselves as
a "historical drinking society" or a "drinking his-
torical society," E Clampus Virus members are
sure they like to be referred to as "Clampers,"
ECV was founded in 1848 during the
California gold rush. As the story goes, when
members of other fraternal organizations
headed West to find gold and their fortunes.
they couldn't find suitable lodges to join dur-
ing their lengthy stays away from home. The
Freemasons and the Odd Fellows (founded in
Baltimore, Maryland, in 1819), already situated
out West at this time, didn't want this hard-
scrabble group of men invading their societies.
So the hardscrabble men started their own.
The exalted ruler of the Clampers was a
mock stern official known as the Noble Grand
Humbug. He was assisted by the Clamps
Petri x, The Clamps Matrix, the Royal Platrix,
the Grand Gyascutis, and the Grand Iscutis. All
Clampers have titles of some sort, and all were
and are held in equal indignity by their fellows.
Their mascot was a decorated billygoat, and
their banner was a hoop skirt, to which they
attached the words, "This Is the Flag We Fight
Under." Pranks and practical jokes were plen-
tiful, played on members and nonmembers
alike. Soon the "lodge of parody" caught on in
other mining camps, and within a few years
other ECV chapters had sprung up throughout
California's gold country.
The ritual greeting between Clampers,
according to E Clampus Vitus historian Carll.
Wheat , was the " raising of both hands to the
ears, with thumbs against ears and fingers
extended. " (Go ahead ... try it.)
Everything about E Clampus Vitus is in
jest, a philosophy embodied in the Clamper
mono, Credo Quia Absurdium-take nothing
seriously unless it is absurd. And the name E
Clampus Vitus?
It's Latin gibberish.
Carnation-Painted Eyebrows Society
It sounds like a makeup society or a women's auxi liary, but
in fact the Carnation-Painted Eyebrows Society was one
of The deadliesT and mosT feared secreT societies of flrst-
century China.
During a Time of raging anarchy in China, secret groups of
bandits created havoc throughout the country. The members
of one group that rose to power were named for the manner
in which they painted their faces before going inTo banle.
It was the perfect intimidation tactic, but it ultimately
backfired just as they came close to seizing the throne.
The emperor 's troops outsmarted them by painting their
faces in the same way.
The Order of the Peacock Angel
The Order of the Peacock Angel was once described by
author Daraul (a pseudonym) in his 1961 book Secret
Societies Yesterday and Today. He spoke of an order he
discovered in the upper-class suburbs of London that
held its meetings in halkas, or lodges. The meetings were
boisterously rich with ecstatic, whirling dances set to the
beat of a drum-all in front of an 8-foot-tall stone statue
of a peacock.
Daraul explained in his book that the society is believed
to have originated in Iraq among the Kurdish tribes and
modeled after the whirling dervishes. The members came to
Britain in 1913 and used rituals based on Kabbalah (Jewish
mysticism) and sacred numbers, apparently meant to
enlighten members seeking their true path in li fe.
The Vril Society
There is no proof the Vril Society really existed. though many
insist it did. Either way, its legend makes one interesting story,
albeit a very confusing one to follow.
The Vril Society began as a science fiction story, written in
1870 by best-selling author Edward Bulwer-Lytton. Titled The
Power of the Coming Race, the book described underground,
superhuman, angel-like creatures and a mysterious force
known as "Vril " that gave them limitless power. These people
(called Vril-ya) had the ability to control this energy source
with their minds. The Vril-ya were supposedly descendants of
Atlantis who escaped the destruction of the legendary city.
The book was a huge success.
In 1935, German rocket scientist and science fiction
author Willy Ley fled Nazi Germany. He came to the United
States and wrote an article that spoke of a group called
Wahrheitsgesellschaft (Society for Truth) that was searching
for the real existence of Vril.
Almost 30 years later. in 1960, a second book about Vril
was written by Jacques Bergier and Louis Pauwels. Morning
of Magicians posited a secret club called the Vril Society that
had been the beginnings of the Thule Society and the Nazi
Party and, like the Wahrheitsgesell schaft, was now searching
for the real existence of the Vril-ya.
Believers came out of the woodwork, insisting the Vril
Society had found the Vril-ya and helped the Nazis build a
Vril -powered flying saucer-the V-7-in 1945. At the end
of the war, the Vril-ya (as legend goes) packed up and left
Germany, taking their flying saucers to a secret underground
base in Antarctica.
Other believers tell us the Vril-ya and their advanced tech-
nology helped the Nazis land on the moon in 1942, where they
built an underground base that still exists today.
You can't make this stuff up.
Oh, wait. Apparently, you can.
Worshippers of the Onion
That's right: they worshipped the onion.
If you' re still reading, the were go by
their French name-Les Adorateurs de
l'Oignon-and were inspired by the writings
of Thomas, who poetically glorified
the onion as a perfect symbol of "conserva-
tion of energy. "
This all began in 1929 after
had an epiphany in a vegetable stand in
Paris. He insisted on being called Brother
Thomas and went out to recruit disciples
to follow him as he pursued his vision and
what it meant.
According to Brother Thomas. the magic
of the onion is that if it is planted in rich
earth, it will grow. Even if the stem breaks, it
still manages to germinate and grow again.
Of this "phenomenon," he wrote:
"Prevented from having children, it becomes
a child again itself ... Thus, year by year, the
onion is renewed in a body better than that
which it had the year before. It strives for
perfection and will always live."
Amen.
THE BLACK HAND
Several organizations call
themselves the Black Hand .
f

r ,J
' )

J , ' ,..
CENTRAL
INTELLICENCE
ACENCY
CIA AT A GLANCE
According to the CIA website, "The
Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is
responsible for providing intelligence
on a wide range of national security
issues to senior U.S. policymakers."
That is quite a broad statement.
What does it really mean? It means
the CIA conducts covert operations
all around the world with the goal
of protecting U.S. citizens and our
interests abroad. The CIA tries to root
out America's enemies before they can
harm us. Sometimes, this means CIA
agents get their hands a bit "dirty."
THE OSS
President Franklin Roosevelt created
the Office of Strategic Services (OSS)
during World War II . A vast network
of spies with thousands of agents
operating around the world, the OSS
was the precursor to the CIA. It was
active between [94[ and [945. There
were 24,000 people working for the
OSS at its peak, and a few of them
went on to become quite famous in
other areas.
WHO RUNS THE CIA?
Officially, the president of the
United States is the only person
who can assign the CIA to carry out
its missions. Usually, the National
Security Council will make a
recommendation to the president
that some foreign policy issue
needs attention. Theoretically, the
Congressional Oversight Committee
is also involved in supervising the
activities of the CIA. But as you
will read below, many CIA agents
have gone rogue over the years-
sometimes with devastating results.
BECOMING AN AGENT
Would you like to become a CIA
agent? College graduates are
preferred, with high school grade
point averages of 3.0 or better. You
apply via the CIA website. If you
meet the minimum educational
requirements, you go through
numerous tests, including
background checks and psychological
evaluations. And though some
people get to become spies and save
the world Bond-style, many CIA
employees sit in a cubicle, analYZing
data and solving problems remotely.
Is CIA work all James _____ -::===::=::;:;;;
action-packed adventures? r
Not really. Much of what the
CIA does is behind closed
doors, researching the nation's
enemies, planning strategies,
and keeping tabs (or spying)
on those organizations of
questionable character.
CIA BUILDING
IN VIRGINIA
FAMOUS NAMES OF THE 055
<"-' Moe Berg was a major league baseball pl ayer for the White Sox
when he was recruited by the 055.
<"-' Julia Child became The French Chef after her stint at the 055.
r..J Miles Copeland is the father of drummer Stuart Copeland, so we
guess you could say he was the first member of the "Poli ce,"
r..J Arthur Goldberg became a Supreme Court justice after the war.
r..J Arthur Schlesinger Jr. became a historian and author.
r..J Sterling Hayden was an actor who left his career behind to serve
anonymously as "John Hamilton" during the war.
SECRET SOC I ETIES 81
GEORGE H.W. BUSH
OAVIO PETRAEUS
82 SEC RET SO C I ETIE S
FAMOUS CIA AGENTS
Aldrich Ames (1957-1994)
Ames was a CIA counterintelligence officer. He became a double agent when
greed got the best of him and he sold 25 names of covert operatives to the
Soviets. He was suspected of being a double agent when his supervisors
became aware he had purchased a new Jaguar and a house that, in roday's
doliar, is valued at $800,000-not something his $60,000 annual CIA salary
would support.
George H.W. Bush (1976-1977)
George Herbert Walker Bush, who later became the 41st president of the
United States, was head of the CIA for one year, under President Gerald Ford and
then Jimmy Carter. He was brought in by Ford to investigate questionable and
possibly illegal activities by the CIA. Under his watch, the CIA's morale is said to
have been restored.
William Casey (1981-1987)
As former head of the CIA. Casey was implicated in the Iran-Contra scandal
(1979-1986). during which the United States covertly sold arms to Iran in
order to fund the Nicaraguan Contras and in exchange for the release
of American hostages in Iran.
Tony Mendez (1965-1990)
Tony Mendez was a CIA technical operations officer who was known for his expertise
in creating disguises. He is now famous for infiltrating Iran during the hostage crisis
(1979). He organized the rescue of six diplomats by posing as a film producer who
was scouting locations with his "crew." The story was declassified and in 2012 made
into the Hollywood blockbuster Argo.
Harold James Nicholson (1980-1997)
Nicholson. a former deputy chief, is said to have been the highest-ranking CIA officer to
be convicted of espionage. He sold secrets, including lists of active CIA agents, to the
Russians throughout his time at the CIA.
David Petraeus (2011-2012)
Petraeus is a four-star general who was known as the architect of the military surge
during the Iraq war. He was later named the head of the CIA but had to step down from his
post in 2012 because of an illicit affair.
Valerie Plame (1985-2002)
Plame was working in clandestine operations when her identity was revealed by a
journalist who was unhappy with her husband, Joseph Wilson, who made
controversial statements during the time leading up to the Iraq war of 2003. With
her face plastered on the covers of national and international news publications,
Plame's identity was no longer a secret and she had to quit the agency. Lucky for
her, Hollywood came calling and so did a multimillion-dollar book and film deal.
Theodore Shackley Jr. (1953-1979)
One of the most decorated CIA officers, Theodore Shackley Jr. was a major CIA
player during the Cuban missile crisis (1962) and the Bay of Pigs incident (1961) .
He was also instrumental in bringing down the democratic Allende government
in Chile (1972) and placing dictator Augusto Pinochet at the helm. He ultimately
served as deputy director of the CIA under then-chief George H.W. Bush (1976-
1977). After retiring, Shackley was accused of negotiating the Iran-Contra deal
(1979- 1986) during which the United States covertly sold arms to Iran in order to
fund the Nicaraguan Contras and in exchange for the release of American
hostages in Iran.
Edwin P. Wilson (1956-1971)
Wi lson was another CIA agent gone rogue. He set up front companies and managed
arms traffic around the world in order to catch the bad guys. Eventually, greed took
over and he was convicted of selling 20 tons of plastic explosives and a slew of
guns to the Libyans.
CI
ACOUSTIC KITTY
BAY OF PIGS
OPERATION
MIDNIGHT
CLIMAX
PROJECT
PIGEON
ll'f!..P I
-
INFAMOUS CIA OPERATIONS
ACOUSTIC KITTY (1961-1967) . At the he ight of the Cold War, a group of cats were trained
as spies over a period of several years. Finally, a microphone was embedded in the ear of
a cat, with an antenna in its tail. The first cat was sent to spy on the Soviets at a Russian
embassy but was hit by a car on the way. The project was scrapped after the CIA spent
$15 mil li on with no secrets to show for it.
BAY OF PIGS (1961). With soldiers trained by the CIA, an unsuccessful rebellion against
Cuban leader Fidel Castro took place in the Bay of Pigs, off the coast of Cuba.
IRAN-CONTRA (1979-1986). As American hostages waited out rescue in Iran in 1979,
who knew that the CIA might be covertly negotiating for their release by selling arms to
that country? Senior officials in the Reagan administration were selling arms to Iran and
then, continuing to operate in secret, using the profits to fund the Nicaraguan Contras, a
rebel group fighting against the Nicaraguan Sandinistas, the political group in power at
the time.
OPERATION GOLD (1955-1956) . During the Cold War, the MIS, a department of British
military intelligence, and the CIA jointly attempted to tap into Soviet phone lines they
discovered in a tunnel on the border of West Berlin. One of their own double agents
exposed the plan to the KGB, who "caught" them in the act. Apparently, there were no
secrets revealed to the two agencies, as the KGB was onto the plan from the beginning.
OPERATION MIDNIGHT CLIMAX (1953-1974). The CIA gave the drug LSD to people in
New York and San Francisco to see if it could use such drugs against enemies as a form of
mind control. CIA agents would bring young men and women into a "safehouse;' give them
LSD, and then watch them through a two-way mi rror. The participants were told they were
part of an experimental drug study, but they were not warned about the potential halluci-
nogenic effects of LSD. The operation was stopped in 1974 when a New York Times article
exposed the activities.
OPERATION MDCKINGBIRD (1948-1976). During the Cold War, CIA operatives infil trated
the media and were encouraged to plant and write stories that favored U.S. foreign policy
interests at the time. The plan is said to have been highly successful, influencing more
than 25 daily newspapers, as well as Hollywood. Animal Farm is one example of a film that
was funded in secret by the CIA. George H.W. Bush finally stopped the controversial opera-
tion during his tenure at the CIA.
OPERATION OVERTHROW (1973). The U.S. leadership was fearful the government of
democratically elected Chilean president Salvador All ende was pro-communi st. The CIA
was instrumental in funding and orchestrating the overthrow of Allende, replacing him
with the dictator Augusto Pinochet.
PROJECT PIGEON (1944). During World War II , behavioral psychologist B. F. Skinner was
tapped to get some of his trained pigeons to drop bombs on the Germans. A pigeon was
installed inside a missile that contained a screen. The pigeon would peck at the screen in
just the right spot to keep the missile's navigation system on target. No pigeons were
ever actually used in combat, and the project was scrapped after one year.
BOHEMIAN BEGI NNINGS
Looking to join the Bohemian Grove' You had better get on
the waiting list now, since it' s at least 33 years long.
The membership of this exclusive fraternal
organization-sometimes referred to as an AIiStar Boy
Scout troop--includes the likes of Ronald Reagan, George
W. Bush, Colin Powell, Henry Kissi nger, Newt Gingrich,
William F. Buckley Jr. , Clint Eastwood, and Jimmy Buffett.
It started as a small group of artists in ,872. It blossomed
into a full-Aedged society six years later, interestingly
enough, at a dinner party.
An actor from San Francisco (and founding member
of the Bohemian Club, as it was originally called) named
Henry" Harry" Edwards announced to hi s friends he was
moving to New York City to further hi s acting career. On
June 29, 1878, a huge send-off party was planned by his
friends-mostly other bohemian types, including actors,
writers, artists, and journalists. They gathered in the
redwood forest in Marin County, California
(present-day Samuel P. Taylor
n GROVE
avant-garde artists, musicians, actors, and writers. However,
the "starving arti sts" who joined the group were broke and
couldn' t keep the club running financially. The club leaders
therefore made the decision to admit wealthier members ,
too, whether they were creative types or not.
Over time. however, the rich guys were the ones who
stayed, soon outnumbering the starving artists . Financial
titans and powerful politiCians were happy to join a
club that took them away from the pressures of the real
world, and they enjoyed the entertainment the remaining
group of friendly actors and artists provided. The .<-lors
and artists, on the other hand, were especially happy
to welcome these men who were able to provide solid
financial backing for the Bohemian Club. Since the dub's
bylaws back then insisted a certain number of members
be artists and writers, the likes of Mark Twain and Jack
London were also recruited. Twain, who was a journalist
in the earl y 19005, is rumored to have worked for months
penning Elizabethan poems and suggestive fishing songs
to be acted out and sung by
State Park) , for a big bash in
Edwards's honor. The club
CAMP TESTIMONIAL
fellow thespians for the purpose
of e ntertaining grove members.
members celebrated until the
wee hours, ultimately camping
out in the woods on top of
redwood needles in the glow of
Japanese lanterns_ The party
was such an enormous success
it was repeated the following
summer, even without Edwards.
and has become the club's
"If I were to choose the speech that gave
me the most pleasure and satisfaction The Bohemian Club was and
in my political career, it would be my
Lakeside Speech at the Bohemian
still is a private club; only active
members (known as Bohos or
Crave in July 1967. Because this speech
traditionally was off the record it received
no publicity at the time. But In many
important ways it marked the first
milestone on my road to the presi dency."
President Richard Ni xon , Memoirs (I978)
G rovers) and their guests may
visit the grove. There is a strict
"no women" poli cy at the grove,
although women may attend
events at the City Club building in
yearly encampment.
By 1882, the Bohemian Club had grown so large,
the group spread out to Sonoma County, too, down the
Russian River from the current location. In downtown
San Francisco they rented a building called the City Club,
and in 1899 they purchased the land where their annual
campground party was held. This land became known as
the Bohemian Grove.
The club continued to grow. By the 19005, the
organization had turned into a private men's club of
journalists. Hoping to take on broader cultural interests, the
members tried to recruit a more diverse bohemian crowd of
84 SECRET SOCIETIES
San Francisco. During "summer
camp," the number of guests is strictly limited due to the
small size of the facilities. But even so, up to 2,900 members
and guests have been reported to attend these annual
summer encampments.
SUMMER CAMP OF THE
STRANGE AND POWERFUL
The annual summer encampment of the Bohemian Grove
has grown into a two-week summer camp experience for
the rich and powerful. Over the years, suspicion has grown
as to their carryings-on. Journalists have tried to infiltrate

J
Principal campers and regular campe 5 ar split up by
Industry and status. According to a t:Hsselitation ti tl ed
"A Relative Advantc,ge: Sociology of the San Fran"cisco
Bohemian Club," wrinen Martin Ph'llips,
certain camps are reserved for distinguished members.
,
For exa"]!>le, George W. Bush and his guest would stay
at Mandalay Camp wi';Iile at t he grove! I
CABIN INDUSTRY
Hill Billies Big business/banking/politi cs/universities/media/
Texas business
Mandalay Big business/defense contractors/politics/U,S, presidents
Cave Man Think tanks/oil companies/banking/defense contractors/
universities/media
Sfowaway Rockefeller family members/oil companies/banking/
think tanks
Uplifters Corporate business
Owl's Nest U.S. presidents/military/defense contractors
Hideaway F oundationsJmilitary/dcfen se contractors
Isle of Aves Military/defense contractors
Lost Angels Banking/defense contractors/media
Silverado
Squaners Big business/defense contractors
Sempervi rens California-based corporations
Hillside Military-Joint Chiefs of Staff
Idlewild California-based corporations
'.

..
the camp-some successfully-to record what happens
there, but in the end, only a few tidbits have managed
to slip out. For instance, one time a magazine reporter
managed to get inside the compound. He was able to
interview a few members and take photos and videos of
the goings-on there-but his publisher, being a Bohemian
Grove member himself, nixed the project!
The grove itself is a massive compound likened to a
rural Di sneyland. Today, some 1,500 members attend.
Cabins, dining areas, and more than 100 campsites
with names like Mandalay, Woof, and Pink Onion are
spread out across the grounds. For 16 days members like
George W. Bush, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and CEOs of
major corporations can relax at Bohemian Grove without
interruption from family, the press, a board of directors, or
paparazzi. They can drink, fish, sociali ze, or just reconnect
with the great outdoors.
One of the highlights of the two-week retreat is the
Cremation of Care ceremony. The Cremation of Care was
first conducted in the Bohemian Grove in 1881 as an outlet
for the group's pentup high spirits, though in 1913 it was
moved to the first night of camp to become "an exorci sing of
the Demon to ensure the success of the ensuing two weeks."
The ceremony takes place in front of the Owl Shrine, a
40-foot-tall hollow owl statue with built-in audio equipment
that "speaks" to the audience in a voice that sounds
remarkably like that of the late news anchor and journalist
Walter Cronkite. Cronkite was a Grover, so it's likely the
owl's voice is that of Cronkite_
Music and pyrotechnics accompany the pagan.like
ritual, which symbolizes letting go of all the small worries
in life. Senior members dressed in robes chant while an
effigy is set on fire at the feet of the owl.
Another highli ght of camp-the Grove Play-takes place
on the last weekend of encampment. The Grove Play dates
back to 1902, when the Bohemian Club was made up almost
entirely of actors. The play is a largescale musical theatrical
production, written and composed by club members and
involving some 300 people, including chorus, cast, stage
crew, and orchestra. In 1975, an observer estimated that
staging the Grove Play cost between $20,000 and $30,000,
an amount equivalent to about 5130,000 today.
Nothing in published reports about the Bohemian
Grove meetings has implied anything sinister about the
organization. One year, a journalist from Spy magazine
secretly taped the Cremation of Care and managed to
smuggle the video out and release a documentary, Dark
Secrets: Inside Bohemian Grove, that illustrated the benign
nature of the club' s activities. During the rest of their stay at
the camp, members and their guests are treated to lechlres,
plays, music, cigars, and alcohol. The annual lineup of
speakers includes some of the world's most powerful and
popular lecturers, such as President George H.W. Bush in
1995 and President Richard Nixon in 1967. In 2009, the
governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger, took the
grove's podium, as did media mogul Rupert Murdoch (who
spoke about the future of news) and former secretaries
of state George Shultz and James Baker (who di scussed
international relations and terrori sm).
SECRET SOCIETIES 85
86 SECRET SOCI ETI ES
SYMBOLS OF
SECRET SOCIETIES
SYMBOLS
Fraternal organizations are heavy on the use of symbols. Among the most
popular are symbols used by the Freemasons in Europe, the Odd Fellows,
the Knights of Pythias, and the Order of Skull & Bones. Another popular
symbol is the All-Seeing Eye of God (also called the Eye of Providence),
which has been used by many societies, beginning wi th the ancient
Egyptians' worsh.i p of the sun god. Buddhism, Hinduism, and
early Chri stianity also used the eye as a symbol of God's presence,
and the Uni ted States currently uses the ALI -Seeing Eye on the doll ar bi ll.
More symbols are used in secret society logos. The Masonic logo
features a square and compass, two important tools of stonemasonry,
whi ch symboli ze man and God, respectively.
Other symbols used by secret societies can be found almost everywhere:
money, corporate logos, governmental seals, movies, houses of worship,
architecture, and many other aspects of our daily lives, though much of
their Significance and meaning is lost on us. Even the Denver International
Airport is allegedly ridden with symbol s beli eved by conspiracy theorists
to represent some sort of secret Nazi occult worshi p.
COMMON INTERPRETATIONS
OF SYMBOLS ASSOCIATED WITH
SECRET FRATERNAL ORDERS
ASHLAR (a cut stone used in masonry) enlightened humanity
BEEHIVE the lodge
BROKEN COLUMNS the untimely death of a wor ker or leader
BUNDLE OF STICKS unity
CORN, WINE, AND OIL (f rom t he Old Testament) spir itual
and intell ectual well - being
CORNERSTONE protecti on (since cornerstones support
the foundation of a building)
GOAT Pan, the god of shepherds; ridi cule
HEART IN PALM OF HAND charity, givi ng f rom the heart
HANDS JOINED fri endship, the bonds of brotherhood
LABYRINTH the twists and turns of life
LEVEL equality of lodge brot hers
LINKS (CHAIN) (i n Odd Fellows symboli sm, linked
wi th the letters F, L , and T ) fri endship, love, and truth
OBELISK power, phallus, and regeneration
PENTAGRAM the fi ve points of fel lowship
PYRAMID et ernity
ROPE control when tied around an ini tiate's body;
the ti es of brotherhood
SERPENT healing and knowledge
STEPS (THREE STEPS) three st ages of life: life, deat h, and immortality
CORN OIL. OliVE OIL. AND WINE
One ritual of the Masons required members to carry
bottles of corn oil . wine. and olive oil to remind them
to "nourish the needy. refresh the destitute. and POur
the oil of joy in the hearts of the afflicted." ""
The Rebekahs
The Rebekahs haven't changed much since their
introduction in 1851. As explained on their offi -
cial website (ioof.orglrebekahs.html), "Members
must be 16-18 years or older, believe in a Supreme
Being, Creator and Preserver of the Universe and
be faithful to their Country. Rebekahs exhibi;
the true principles of odd Fellowship which are
FriendshIp, Love, and Truth and in this day and
age are extended to rendering service to our com-
munities-SERVICE IS OUR GOAL." The Rebekahs
are Involved in numerous charitable efforts and
humanitarian endeavors, such as scholarships,
student loans and grants, nursing homes for the
elderly, family and youth summer camps, and
annual donations to charities.
Black G-Strings
and Pearls
The Trust. of th.e Pearl is a women's secret society
at the UniversIty of Georgia that was founded
when the first sororities were chartered there in
the early 1900s. It is a secret group for sorority
women. only and considered the highest honor
a sorority woman can attain at UGA. The Trust
of the Pearl inducts just five new members each
spring, though little is known about the society's
purpose or agenda.
What known is that Pearl members wear
black G-strings and a pearl necklace when gath-
ering In public.
THOSE RED HATS
She knew she had made it when she was parodied on The Simpsons.
When Sue Ellen Cooper, a former commercial artist from Fullerton,
Georgia, started the Red Hat Society 12 years ago, she never, ever, In
her wildest dreams, imagined it would grow so big!
. The Red Hat Society started simply, when Sue Ellen (the society's
Queen Mother) was visiting a friend and imp.ulsively bought a bright
red fedora at a thrift shop. "For no other reason than that it was cheap
and ... quite dashing," she says.
A year or so later, Cooper came across a poem, "Warning," by Jenny
Joseph. which depicts an old woman in purple clothing with a red hat.
Sue Ellen instantly related to the poem and its author. Feeling senti-
mental, she decided to buy her friend Linda Murphy a vintage red hat
for her birthday and p ~ s n t it to her with a copy of the poem.
As the legend goes, Linda loved the gift so much that Sue Ellen gave
the same gift to another friend, then another, then another ...
One day, the women joked that they had become a sort of "Red Hat
Society." So they made a date to go out for tea in full regalia, which,
on a whim, now included a purple dress (mentioned in the poem) to go
with the red hat.
After their successful tea, the Red Hat Society began to grow: Each
woman brought another friend into the fold and they soon totaled 18.
And because 18 women "don't fit well around a tea table," they encour-
aged their friends to start new chapters.
Today, Red Hat Societies are in all 50 states and 30 countries!
With a serious web presence (redhatsociety.com) , they boast 80,000
members worldwide and admit they "cling to each other like family."
They hold a multitude of sponsored events each year in "fabulous"
locations, with thousands of women in attendance wearing full signa-
ture regalia. Their mission, quite simply, is to support and encourage
women globally "in their pursuit of fun, friendship, freedom, fulfillment,
and fitness." They do this by organizing fitness walks, friendship teas,
and conventi9ns that more than a thousand women may attend.
Not all secret societies were created with
good intentions like providing life and
health insurance to their membership
and taking care of members 'loved ones.
More than a handful of them have been
founded on the basis of hate and greed.
$5,000
REWARD
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MURDER, INCORPORATED
Lepke Buchalter was the only major Mafi a boss ever to be put to
death by electric shock. A Jewish mobster born in New York City.
Buchalter was never part of the Cosa Nostra. Yet he reigned over a
malevolent business that engaged in gruesome acts of murder.
Buchalter was in charge of an underground society called
Murder. Incorporated, or MI. MI existed throughout the '930S and
1940S as a murder-far-hire business comprised of assassins, or hit
men, ready and availabl e to take anyone out for the right price.
MI's beginnings are one of the best-kept secrets in secret society
hi story, though experts beli eve the organization was most likely
created by Bugsy Siegel and Meyer Lansky, two Jewish mobsters
who were close personal friends of Italian mobster Lucky Luciano.
Buchalter and hi s partner, Albert ''The Executioner" Anastasia, took
control of M I when Si egel and Lansky moved to California in the
late '93os. Brooklyn's Midnight Rose candy store became home
base for the operation.
Lepke Buchalter was one of the most powerful Jewish gangsters.
Hi s special ty was labor racketeering, earning huge amounts of
money from exploiting labor unions. The FBI claims the number
of murders Buchalter committed or ordered is staggering, with an
alleged 100 known dead attributed to the gangster.
During hi s reign, Buchalter was targeted by Thomas Downey.
one of the nation' s most successful mob-busting federal attorneys
and a future governor of New York. Downey convicted Buchalter
of murdering a candy store owner named Joe Rosen. whom he had
driven out of business. Rosen had sworn revenge and eventuall y
ratted him out to Downey. Lepke Buchalter was executed on March
4, '944, in the electric chair at Sing Sing Correctional Facility in
Ossining. New York.
SEC RET SOC IET I ES 89
90 SECRET SOCIETIES
KU KLUX KLAN
The Ku Klux Klan is, and always has been, a secret society motivated
by cold, hard hatred.
After the Ci vil War, the Klan began a reign of terrori sm that
spanned 50 years and saw two resurrections. The Klan engineered
and participated in some of the most horrific and brutal hate crimes
ever committed in the history of the United States of Ameri ca.
BIRTH OF EVIL
The Klan has appeared and di sappeared
a few times in American hi story, with
each renewed appearance more sini ster
than the last. It was first formed in
1866 and led by "Grand Wizard"
General Nathan Bedford Forrest, to
disrupt Reconstruction polici es put
in place after the Civil War. Through
violence and intimidation, the Kl an
terrorized black peopl e and any whites
who supported their liberty. The Klan was
obliterated in 187' by President Ul ysses S.
Grant, who was committed to putting an end to
its uncontrolled viol ence in the South.
NATHAN
BEDFORD
FORREST
The Klan appeared again in 1914 after the release of the
controversial silent film by D.W. Griffith, Birtl, ofa Nation, based on
the novel The Clansman, by Thomas Dixon Jr. In the film, Griffith set
out to express racist views that were popular at that time. The movie
portrayed African American men (played by white actors in blackface)
as unintelligent and sexuall y aggressive toward white women, and
Klansmen as American heroes. The film was a huge success and is
said to have inspired the second rising of the Klan movement.
SECOND TIME AROUND
This new Kl an hated black Americans but had a deeper hatred
for Jews and Catholics. Members burned crosses, held meetings
and ralli es, spread hate speech, and engaged in acts of violence
against many minority groups and their supporters. The uniform
that has become so fami li ar today was ini tiated at thi s time, taking
inspiration from Griffi th' s fi lm. Pointed hats similar to those worn
by the executioners in the Spanish Inquisition, and white robes
symbolizing purity and the white race, began to take hold in the
minds of the public.
In the 1920S, membership in the Klan was estimated between 4
and 5 million. Then along ca me David Curtiss Stephenson.
An American politician and fanner coaJ worker in Indi ana,
Stephenson was an early recruiter for the Ku Klux Kl an and became
a force in the Evanston, Illinoi s, Kl an after bringing in more than
5>400 members. Thanks to this success, he was appOinted "Grand
Dragon" of the Klan in 1923.
It stands to reason that the leader of such a racist organization
would be evil , but Stephenson was beyond evil. He was a monster.
Stephenson was appointed as recruiter for seven states in
additi on to Indi ana. Membership soared in those areas, but
nothing li ke the expl osion of membership in Indiana, which
grew to 250,000. Stephenson was a power junkie with nearl y
all Indi ana politicians in hi s pocket, as well as every minister
and big business owner. Since he received a porti on of the
membership fees, he grew wealthi er, too. In keeping with hi s
narcissistic personality, he began to abuse hi s power and wealth,
most noti ceably with women.
A known womani ze r, Stephenson often took things too fa r,
raping women who rejected hi s advances and becoming violent
when he didn' t get hi s way. Naturall y, it was onl y a matter of time
before Stephenson lost control of himself completely.
In 1925, Stephenson drugged, brutally raped, and
ki dnapped an Indiana Statehouse secretary named Madge
Oberholtzer aft er she made it cl ear she was n' t interested in
him romanti call y. Oberholtzer di ed from an infection caused
by multipl e bite wounds from Stephenson. (The doctor who
testifi ed during Stephenson's trial said Stephenson had bitten
Oberholtzer so many times she looked li ke she'd been "chewed
by a cannibal. ")
Stephenson was sentenced to life in prison-and the Klan in the
Midwest di ed out as a result.
After the Stephenson scandal, by 1930 Kl an membership around
the country had plummeted to between 2,000 and 3,000. The Great
Depression foll owed and the dwindling Kl an went underground.
When it appeared again in the 1960s, the Kl ansmen were more
violent than ever.
RECENT TIMES
In the 1960s, the Klan was the dri ving force behind beatings,
church bombings in black neighborhoods, drive-by shooti ngs, and
assassinations. It was also responsibl e for the infamous murders
in 1964 of three civi l rights workers- James Chaney, Andrew
Goodman, and Michael Schwerner-who had traveled from
the North to Mississippi to register African Americans to vote.
Klansmen ran the three off the road, then beat and shot them to
death, finally burying them on a Mi ssissippi farm.
Today, there are upward of 150 small groups that cl aim to
be part of the Klan, most of them in the South. That number
continues to ri se, and some estimates put membership between
3,000 and 5,000. The more recogni zabl e chapters are known
as the Imperial Klans of America and the American Kni ghts of
the KKK. These raci st groups, which continue to preach that
"mi xing" with other races is the "work of Satan," have spawned
hundreds of other white supremaci st hate groups, including the
neo-Nazi skinheads.
KKK
The exact ori gin of the name " Ku Klux Klan"
is hazy, but i t is believed to come from
the Creek word kuklos, meaning "circle."
The word " Klan" was later added for its
alliterative sound. f'J
DAVID CURTISS
STEPHENSON
KNIGHTS or MARY Plli\G.Ml
The Knights of Mary Phagan were a division of
the Klan. Mary Phagan. a 13-year-old girl who
worked in an Atlanta pencil factory, was raped
and murdered in 1913. Although the evidence was
flimsy, the factory owner-a Jewish man named
Leo Frank-was tried and convicted. Later. evi-
dence emerged proving Frank's innocence and he
was released from jail. A group calling itself The
Knights of Mary Phagan hunted Frank down and
lynched him.
THULE SOCIETY
Historical facts point to the original Thule Society
as the catalyst for the Nazi Party, despite what
is currently stated on the Thule Society website.
Rudolph Hess, a deputy of Hitler, was a full-
fledged member. along with other prominent Nazi
sympathizers.
The main focus of the original Thule Society
was the members' claims concerning their
authentic membership in the Aryan race. In 1917.
people who wanted to join the "Germanic Order"
(which became the Thule Society in 1918) had to
sign a special "blood declaration of faith" con-
firming their lineage.
92 SECRET SOCIETIES
THE THULE SOCIETY
The website of the Thule Society states, "It is a common
misconception to this day, that Thule Gesellschaft (The Thule
Society) had anything at all to do with NAZI Germany." The
Thulists claim they also "suffered at the hands of NAZI oppression
with the rest of all Europeans during that sad era in history," adding,
"it's just a matter of pure recorded historical fact."
The Thulists, making every attempt to distance themselves
from an unsavory association with Nazis. maintain their version
of history, even insisting their current membership is diverse,
comprised of many different races and religions. In fact, their
bylaws (as listed on their website) include these two rules:
You must not harbor any prejudice against any other races.
You must not be a supporter of Nazism or Adolf Hitler.
History, however, tells a different story.
A THULE SOCI ETY INSIDER TELLS ALL
Rudolf Freiherr von Sebottendorff (or von a fonner
Freemason in Germany. was an important figure in a German
secret society called the Thule Society, an occultist group established
in 1918 in Munich.
The Thule Society was originally created as a "German study
group" headed by Walter Nauhaus. Nauhaus and Sebottendorff met
and became associates. Sebottendorff was the society's top recruiter.
Although there is no direct evidence Adolf Hitler was a
"member" of the Thule Society, Sebottendorff claimed that is only
because of a technicality. At the time, military personnel were
not permitted to join societies and usually got around that rule by
calling themselves "guests" instead of "members." There is plenty of
evidence that Hitler, along with several other Nazi Party leaders, was
a "guest" of the Thule Society.
After the war, Sebottendorff asserted that Hitler took on a
leadership role in the society as well: "Thule people were to whom
Hitler first came, and it was Thule people who joined him in
the beginning." Finally, Sebottendorff claimed it was Hitler who
eventually turned the Thule Society into the National Socialist
German Workers Party (the Nazi Party).
And we all know how that turned out.
OTHER EVIL BROTHERHOODS
THE SICARII
The SicarLi were Jewish assassins-an extremist splinter group of
the Jewish Zealots in 70 C.E. before the destruction of Jerusalem.
The Zealots were an aggressive political party whose concern for the
national and religiOUS life of the Jewish people pitted them against
even Jews who sought peace and conciliation with the Roman
authorities. The name "Sicarii" (from the Latin word for "dagger")
means "men who wield a dagger." Their mi ssion was to expel the
Romans from Judaea. The Sicarii concealed daggers, which they used
to slaughter their enemies.
It is believed that a band of Sicarii was most likely behind the
final drama atop Masada in 74 C.E. , leading Jewish rebels in mass
suicide rather than surrendering to the Roman army. In an account
written in the Talmud, the Zealots destroyed the food supply in
Jerusalem so the Jews would be forced to fi ght against the Roman
siege instead of negotiating peace. Sicarii leaders escaped the Roman
onslaught in Jerusalem, settling in an abandoned fortress on the
mountain of Masada. There they continued to resist the Romans until
73 C.E., when it became apparent they could not defeat the mighty
Roman army. Rather than surrender, the Sicarii led the Jews of
Masada to fling themselves off the mountain in suicide.
THE THUGS
The Thugs were a secret sect of criminal assassins in India. Legend
dates them to the 13th century, although their existence is first
recorded in a passage written by Muslim hi storian Ziau-d din Barni
in 1356. They terrorized travelers for hundreds of years until the
1830s, when they were eradicated by the British.
Thag means "thi ef' in Hindi_ Thug is derived from tlJag and
means your basic low-life criminal. Thugs killed for one thing only:
money. They scoured the roads of India for centuries, murdering
travelers and stealing their belongings.
THE NINJAS
The ninjas were trained assassins in Japan who learned to expertly
blend in with their surroundings until it was the moment to strike.
The original ninjas were first recorded in the mid-1400S and trained
in the Iga Province and in the village of Koga-entire Japanese
villages dedicated to training. Ninjas carried a black bag with them
at all times_ Inside, you might find:
+ ~ a climbing rope and grappling hook
+ ~ a hinged saw
+ ~ a small black box for medicines, first aid supplies-or poisons
for victims
+ ~ ninja stars (pointed metal proj ectiles)
- - - ~ tetslI bishi (obj ects with sharp points that were tossed to land
sharp side up and stop a pursuer)
Ninjas also carried with them:
+ ~ Katana (often known as a Samurai sword)
+ ~ KlIsarigama (a chain with a heavy ball on one end and a sharp
sickle on the other)
+ ~ explosives, like bl ack powder
HI STORY In the tumultuous, unstable Sengoku period (15th-17th
centuries) in Japan, mercenaries and spi es for hire became active.
It is from their ninja clans that much of our knowledge of the
Tell \ I \ ~
abOut :
",EYIS. OPIN'IO
... , .. _ ___ C?
94 SECRET SOCIETIES
ninja is drawn. After the unification of Japan circa 1600, the ninja
faded into obscurity.
According to legend, the ninja' s preci se, professional training
methods included invisibility, walking on water, and controlling
natural elements. Despite the popular folklore, actual historical
accounts of the ninja are scarce. One historian believes that because
the ninja were mostly recruited from the lower class, no real interest
was taken in them. Instead, today's books, movies, and video games
focus more on the samurai. Another historian says the ninja were
trained to be secretive about their actions and existence.
AL-QAEDA
In the sense that the activities of al-Qaeda ("The Base") are completely
clandestine and group rituals and initiations are equally covert, the
fundamentali st terror group founded by the Muslim Brotherhood in
1989 that's responsible for nearly 3,000 deaths in the United States
on September II , 2001, is by all accounts a "secret society."
AI-Qaeda, a global militant Islamist organization, was founded
by Osama bin Laden, son of a Saudi Arabian billionaire, sometime
between August 1988 and late '989. It operates as a network
comprising a multinational. stateless army and a radical Sunni
Muslim movement that call s for global jillad (holy war) and a strict
interpretation of sharia (Islamic moral and religious law). The United
Nations Security Council, NATO, the European Union, the United
Kingdom, the United States, and various other countries have aJJ
designated al-Qaeda as a terrorist organization.
Thanks to audio- and videotapes taken by FBI operatives over
the past II years, we have had brief glimpses into the initiation
ritual of this brutal hate group. Some initiations involve carrying
out bombings. Others involve pledges and oaths, including a verbal
pledge to be "one of Islam's soldi ers on the road to jihad."
AI-Qaeda has become extremely creative with its recruitment
meUlOds since Ule September ll, 2001, attacks. From YouTube videos
to social media to magazine classifieds, the group's use of online
platforms gets its message across to impressionable young people. A
recent report by the Simon Wiesenthal Center found that 30 percent
of new postings from extremist groups are made on Facebook. Even
when the messages are removed, the same groups post them again and
again. Terrorist recruiting videos are commonplace, and some terrorist
organizations have even started their own social networking sites.
Osama bin Laden was the leader of al-Qaeda from its start in 1988
until his death on May 2, 20II, at the hands of the U.S. Army. As a
result, according to senior U.S. counterterrorism officials, there's just
one senior al-Qaeda leader left: Egyptian surgeon Ayman al-Zawahiri.
The news in June 2012 that Abu Yahya al-Libi, the number-two leader
of al -Qaeda, was confirmed killed in a CIA drone strike in Pakistan is
an indication that al-Qaeda could very well be on its way out.
Good news, of course, but it begs the question: What sinister
secret society of killers will take its place?
CONCLUSION
SHHHHHHHH . ..
Getting back to those "secrets. " One mi ght wonder how well they
are, in fact, kept, if we've found out so much already?
The practice of hiding informati on from certain individuals or
groups, perhaps while shari ng it with other individuals, is at the
core of the secret society. Break the core, and you break trust. If you
can no longer be trusted, you can no longer be confided in and are
of no use to a secret society.
Former members of secret societies have exposed many secrets
over the years. Disgruntled, tossed out, or just pl ain unhappy with
the brotherhood they've ali gned with, they leave. And they take with
them the secrets entrusted to them by the group.
That can leave many brothers a li ttle uncomfor table.
For thi s reason, a high value is placed on secrecy and the
initiation. In some orders, there is no opti on to leave. You leave-
you di e, and you take the brotherhood's secrets with you.
It thus stands to reason that since we have uncovered quite a lot of
information about secret societies in spi te of their strict rules about
spill ing the beans, the secret society "entity" may just be a pipe dream.
No such thing. It doesn' t exist in the true meaning of the term.
If it di d, well ... then we woul dn't know anythi ng, right?
LET'S NOT FORGET . ..
... the other secret societi es known as the Odd Fell ows, the Priory
of Sion, and Opus Dei, whi ch have their own rich history in the
chapter of fraternal organi zati ons.
THE ODD FELLOWS In an interview, Adam Parfrey, author of Ritual
America, says he became a member of the Odd Fell ows because hi s
friend told hi m to.
"During the ' ini ti ation ritual: Parfrey expl ains, "you have to stare
at a goofy skeleton in a coffi n to remi nd you of your few days left on
earth, and so you' d better get in li ne with a society that supposedly
cares about you."
Parfrey says he went through the initiation ceremony at an Odd
Fellows lodge in Waxahatchie, Texas, but admits he has since lost
interest in membership and forgotten the secret password and
handshake.
Not as uni versally well known as the Masons, the Odd Fellows
practice fraternal rituals simil ar to the Masonic rites. The Odd
Fellows lodge was begun in England in 1745 as a benevolent society
MAYBE YOU KNOW?
AND IF YOU DO, CAN YOU TELL US?
Some coll ege fraternities keep their club secrets
hidden so well that other students at the univer-
sity have no idea what their society names are.
Such is the case for Duke University students-
society outsiders - who have yet to figure out
what group name certain acronyms stand for.
What is known is that four secret societi es
operate on campus, and the Old Trinity Club
is one of them. As for C.I. , L.H., and T.S.-your
guess is as good as theirs!
(
SEC RET SOC I ETIE S 95
Did Dan
Brown Get
It Right?
After The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown
was published in 2003, everyone
wanted to know more about the
Priory of Sion and Opus Dei, the two
secret societies depicted in t he book.
Unfortunately, those looki ng to learn
more about the Priory- and maybe
join-were out of luck. That is because
it doesn't exist.
The Priory of Sion was a hoax created
in 1956 by a pretender (a person falsely
all eging to be in line for the throne) to the
French throne, Pierre Plantard. Plantard
and his friend Andre Bonhomme created
a club, consisting of just the two of them
and two other friends, for the purpose of
supporting the building of low-cost hous-
ing and criticizing the French govern-
ment. Letters dating back to the 1960s
between Plantard and his friend Philippe
de Cherisey (one of the other two alleged
members) confirm that they made the
whole thing up. In addition, Bonhomme
96 SECRET SOCIETIES
by workers seeking to mitigate the negative impacts of the Industrial
Revolution. The Three Chain Links and the All -Seeing Eye were
their emblems, their watchwords were "friendship, love, and truth,"
and their motto was "Visit the Sick_ Relieve the Distressed, Bury the
Dead, Educate the Orphan."
The first Odd Fellows Lodge in the United States was started by
a former English Odd Fell ow, Thomas Wildey_ The Washington
Lodge No. I, Independent Order of Odd Fell ows, was chartered
in [819 above the Tavern of the Seven Stars in Baltimore and was
also a benevolent order. The American Odd Fellows cut ties with
the English Odd Fellows shortly after, as they were uncomfortable
joining a brotherhood with strong ties to the British government,
which they had just fought a war against.
Still , the purpose of the two orders was the same. Set up to
protect and care for their members and communities at a time
when there was no welfare state, trade unions, or National Health
Service, their aim to provide help to members and communities
when they need it still stands today.
said in a radio interview he was tired
of being harassed about the nature of
the association and never wanted any
publicity. In a telephone interview in
1995, he said, "We were never involved
in any activities of a political nature. It
was four frie nds who came together to
have fun. We called ourselves the Priory
of Sion because there was a mountain by
the same name close by. I haven't seen
Plantard in over 20 years, and I don't
know what he's up to, but he always had a
great imagination:'
In any event, many people still believe
to this day the Priory exists.
And the Opus Dei?
Yes, it exists.
In fact, it occupies a $42 million,
17-story headquarters OQ lexington
Avenue in New York City! It .c1aims
to have 85,000 membeFs.'ll 60
countries. ..
In The Da Vinci Code, BC0wn claims
Opus Dei was a secret organization
within the Cathol ic Church whose aim
was to defeat the Priory of Sion and
those who seek to uncover the "truth"
about Christianity and the all eged royal
bloodli ne of Christ.
The Catholic Church, however,
forbids secret societies and member-
ship in them. It claims it is not acting in
secrecy to further a sinister agenda.
Opus Dei was founded in Spain
in 1928 by a Roman Cat holic priest
named josemaria Escriva and is based
upon the return to tradit ional Catholic
orthodoxy and behavior. Members
fall into three categories: numerar-
ies, who live in Opus Dei facilities and
wear a spiked chai n around the thigh
call ed a "cil ice;' take cold showers, or
flagell ate themselves (beat or whip
t hemselves, usually on the back, often
drawing blood) with a knotted rope
call ed "the discipline" as a bodily pen-
ance to show remorse for sin; associ-
ates, who are the same as numeraries
but don't live in Opus Dei faci li ties;
and supernumeraries, the regular
rank-and-file members who do not
flagellate themselves_
Although the group performs a lot of
charity work and has been praised by
Pope john Paul II, critics accuse Opus
Dei of being linked to fascism and anti-
Semitism, not to mention intolerance
of less observant Catholics.
MEN IN FUNNY HATS
A writer by the name of Andy Capper talks of his deep fascination
with Freemasonry and similar secret societies.
"My relati onship with Freemasonry started the day I was born,
courtesy of my grandfather. He was once a Mason in Li verpool but
eventually turned his back on the society and its activities. The mai n
reason he defected was because my grandmother, as a woman, was
forbidden to know anything about what went on at the meetings."
Capper recently interviewed Adam Parfrey, author of Ritual
America, and was reli eved to learn he wasn' t the only one with a
secret society obsession. "What I love most is that my grandfather
chose the love of hi s wife over drinking with cops and barristers
in funny hats whi le they cuddled skeletons or whatever they did to
prosper in their super-secret club. "
Both Capper and Parfrey are on a li felong mission to uncover
everything possible about secret societies. Separately, they have
both come to the realization that while they can uncover facts (and
photos!) of group initiations, secret rituals, and membership lists,
there is a lot they will never know.
A LOOK AT INITIATIONS
Kevin Mackey, a secret society expert, never joined a fraternal
organi zati on li ke the Masons. However, in the Navy, he was initi ated
into the ranks of the Golden Shellbacks, whi ch is a combination of
two societi es: the Shell backs and the Realm of the Golden Dragon.
These groups are for sailors who have crossed the equator and the
international dateli ne, respectively, whil e in the service.
"You get up in the morning and put your clothes on inside out
and backward," Mackey says of the initiation routine. "You crawl
along the decks on your hands and knees. At the ' royal barber: they
bli ndfold you, drop hair shavings down your neck, and say they' re
cutting your hair."
Mackey also reveals another initiation ritual, this one even
stranger: Initi ates are made to pluck a cherry with their teeth from
the belly of a fat man wearing a diaper. "The belly is covered in
engine grease, and the initiate's face is shoved into the grease. To
get into the group, you have to do that," Mackey says. "What would
be the fun of the next guy getting in, without having to do that?"
Some fraternal organizations got elaborate with their initiati on
rituals. Long ago, a wannabe Odd Fellow would be "hoodwinked"
(blindfolded) with goggles that had blinds, which could be opened
and shut. When the blinds were open, the initiate would see a
human skeleton in a room li t only by torches.
"That ritual is called a Lodge of Reflection, which is strictly to
teach you about the brother or sister that has gone before you,"
Dave Leltelier says. It was largely practi ced by Odd Fell ows and
Woodmen in the Uni ted States, but al so by Freemasons in Europe.
Mackey says years ago he came across an old secret society casket
WHAT HAPPENS IN THE LODGE
STAYS IN THE LODGE
Within the sacred space of the fraternal lodge,
initiates of nearl y every fraternal organization
foll ow si mi lar secret rituals designed to lead the
incoming brother from t he outsi de world into
the hall owed community of the brotherhood.
The Initiation
The initi ate is almost always blindfolded.
The initi at e goes through (or has already
gone through) several trials or answers
questions put to him.
The initiate is led through the lodge
(or meeti ng house) by a brother.
The initiate is required to take an oath,
promising to keep the order's secrets and
support hi s brothers.
The initiate is encouraged to contemplate hi s
own mortality as a lesson to improve his life.
Enli ghtenment comes when the new member's
blindfold is removed. Depending on the order,
thi s event is usuall y accompani ed by pomp and
ci rcumstance, with music, bright lights, singing
and chanting, shouts, and even fire. The use of
such special effects grew with the times.
WORLD
DOMINATION?
Secret societies are often linked together
wi th conspiracy theories. In some cases, thi s
link is valid-secret organizations li ke the CIA
have influenced world events from behind the
scenes. But in many cases, it's all fabri cat ion.
Dave Lettelier, a Freemason, agrees.
"All the conspiracy theori es that we're out to
control the world are a bunch of hogwash," he
says. "Most Masonic Lodges today have a hard
time repairing the roof of their Lodge or the
ai r-conditioning system. This thi ng about world
domination, it's so hokey. As Masons, we just
laugh at that,"
A Club to Call
Our Own
Many fraternal groups have formed solely as
a result of people being excluded from
other organizations. Grouping themselves
by nationality, race, or religion, each func-
tions exactly like other fraternal orga-
nizations, some with rituals, passwords,
identifying handshakes and signals, and, of
course, secrets.
The Ancient Order of Hibernians formed in
the United States in the mid-18DDs, primarily
for Irish Catholics who were regarded in this
country as unwanted immigrants.
S'nai Brith is a Jewish-only fraternal order
founded in New York in the 184Ds when no
other fraternal club would allow Jews to join.
The Knights of Col umbus, a Catholic order,
was established when the Vatican threatened
to excommunicate any parishioners who joined
the Masons.
Prince Hall Freemasonry was founded in 1784
by African Americans kept out of the Masons,
odd Fellows, Knights of Pythias, and other
fraternal societies. Other African American
fraternities were the Colored Knights of pythias
and the Grand United Order of Odd Fellows.
98 SECRET SOCIETIES
with a skeleton in it at a Rea market in Canton, Texas.
Initiates also must endure what Lettelier calls "light hazing."
For Odd Fellows, that meant making their recruits ride goats. ,
Lettelier adds that "riding the goat" has never been a practice of the
Masons, but members talk and joke about it so much it came to be
associated with the Masons in popular culture.
NEITHER HERE NOR THERE:
INTERESTING TIDBITS ON
SECRET SOCIETIES
Fraternal groups were pretty powerful at one point in American
society. It is said that the Freemasonry movement was so
widespread and dominant that parents could send their child alone
on a crosscountry train trip and ensure the child's safety just by
securing a Masonic pin to the youngster's clothing.
The Freemasons are said to have originated collectors' swaps,
where people from different cities get together to trade pins, cards,
or glasses.

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