A covert organisation of thinkers who have sworn to secrecy to conserve their ideals and beliefs form a secret society. Ideas and radical discussions that would be frowned upon by the general public have always found room in secret societies. Ancient secret societies emerged as an effort to safeguard the intellectual property of revolutionaries, who had been influenced by modern concepts of societal functioning, from the authoritarian monarchies that were prevalent. Modern-day secret societies are usually evolved and modernised versions of certain institutions that were based on the same ideals that they now are believed to follow, however many are not functional today due to the gradual loss of their relevance. Being as mysterious as they are, they have often been a part of numerous conspiracy theories for decades.
Then and now
During the French Revolution, ideas of democracy and governance with parliament began to emerge among the educated elite of the third estate. Their criticism of the Old Regime was particularly not appreciated. The fear of prosecution and lack of freedom of speech drove many of these intellectuals underground. Some among them formed what would be called secret societies. Many were inspired by philosophers like, Jean Jacques Rousseau and Baron de Montesquieu, who advocated democratic principles through their writings. Secret societies based on similar ideals are believed to have sprung up in regions of Italy, Germany, United Kingdom.
As the world progressed many issues began to be noticed and members of the fairly inactive secret societies found a purpose again. They are believed to have approached people of importance and influence, be it politicians or celebrities. Various secret societies began to be associated with educational institutions and inculcated their ideals in these students. The current existence of secret societies is unknown, except for societies like the Freemasons, however, conspiracy theorists claim they still operate through symbols that cannot be deciphered and appear as everyday objects to a nonmember. Various authors such as Dan Brown, Theodora Goss, Leigh Bardugo have combined elements of secret societies that existed earlier with present-day scenarios in their works. The cinematography industry also was quick to come up with films based on themes that revolve around conspiracy theories and involvement of secret societies in them.
Notable Secret Societies
Freemasons
Originated as a guild of stonemasons in the United Kingdom, Freemasons are believed to be one of the first secret societies. Freemasonry is based mainly on two principles, recognising a superior power and advocacy of brotherhood. Freemasons practise their freemasonry at organisational units called Masonic Lodges. The first Masonic Lodge was established in the year 1717 in England, after which various other lodges began to emerge around the world each with a slight difference in how they practised their freemasonry. A Grand Lodge is responsible for controlling various local lodges within a certain state or national boundary. Despite the difference in the practise of freemasonry, a Grand Lodge may have a list of other Grand Lodges that it recognises. Freemasonry is based largely on teachings of King Solomon’s Temple, given that he was one of the first grand masons along with King Hiram I.
Masons are required to acquire Masonic degrees to be recognised and move up the ranks. The grand mason of the lodge imparts education of Masonic rituals which are to be kept a secret. Therefore, there hasn’t been any clear information about Masonic rituals and all that we know are mere speculations. Discussions on religion and politics are strictly forbidden in the lodge, however, when a Freemason takes his oath he swears by a religious book of his choice or by the Freemason Constitution (a collection of Masonic beliefs based on Temple of Solomon) if he is an atheist. Freemasons have also contributed to establishing other secret societies, like Adam Weishaupt, founder of the Illuminati, himself was a Freemason belonging to a Munich based lodge, Theodore Zum Guten Rath.
What do these mean?
Eye of Providence
The eye of providence represents the superior power that is watching over a Freemason and reminding him what is expected of him. The Eye of Providence has also been adopted by the Illuminati.
The Masonic Compass
The compass reminds a Freemason to draw a boundary around himself, the boundary is a metaphor for moral conduct
47th Problem of Euclid
The 47th Problem of Euclid is the same as the Pythagoras Theorem. It is however unclear what this actually represents but it is believed to emphasise the importance of logical thinking based on scientific research, others believe it to hold a much deeper metaphorical meaning.
The Alphabet
The Alphabet G means “God, Geometry and Gnosis”. Gnosis is a mysterious spiritual teaching that freemasonry follows and as previously stated God and Geometry are also elements carefully combined to form the basis of freemasonry.
Freemasonry in India
Freemasonry is believed to have spread its influence in India during the British Raj. With increasing access to education, the Indian elite saw itself gaining access to Masonic knowledge and was influenced by it. The Grand Lodge of India (GLI), established on November 24th 1961, is the governing body of all Masonic practises within the Indian Subcontinent. It is recognised by The Grand Lodge of Scotland, The Grand Lodge of Ireland and The Grand Lodge of England. Spiritual leader and social activist Swami Vivekananda, India’s first President Rajendra Prasad, first Vice-President S Radhakrishnan, Sir Phirozeshah Mehta, C Rajagopalachari, Sir Jamsetjee Jejeebhoy Tata, the Nawab Of Pataudi Mansur Ali Khan, Maharaja Jivaji Rao Scindia, among other eminent Indians, were also Freemasons, according to information from the Regional Grand Lodge of North India.
The Bavarian Illuminati
Founded by the Law professor and Freemason Adam Weishaupt, the Illuminati sought to establish an order based on rationalism, religious freedom and eradication of superstition in 1776 Bavaria. The rising influence of the Catholic Church on society was concerning and Adam Weishaupt found it increasingly difficult to spread his philosophy. Having discovered the similarity between his philosophy and the ideals of Freemasons, he quickly enrolled at a Masonic lodge in Munich. Disappointed by the strict rules of freemasonry, he thought of forming his own secret society which he claimed would be the “illuminated ones” hence the name, Illuminati. The first few members of the Illuminati were former or practising Freemasons, who formed the ruling council and called themselves “Areopagus”, and the Illuminati actively recruited members from higher Masonic ranks. Having drawn a considerable amount of influence from the Freemasons, various Masonic symbols and rituals were adopted by the Illuminati. Weishaupt popularised pseudonyms and encouraged fellow members to use the same. He referred to himself as “Spartacus”. When asked how the Illuminati maintained its secrecy by a new member, Adolph Knigge A popular recruiter and former Freemason quoted “Learn to take on the tone of whatever company you find yourself in”. The Illuminati went on to recruit people from the wealthy and elite strata of society with an intention to gain control over major social and political establishments of the time. The clergy believed that the Illuminati sought to destroy the public’s faith in religion, however, the Illuminati only advocated the separation of religion from governance and eradication of misleading superstition.
The Illuminati played a role in the American Revolution, hence the nation is based on similar ideals and principles. In fact, American statesman and 3rd President Thomas Jefferson is believed to have idealised Weishaupt and said he was a great leader. The Eye of Providence has been incorporated into the one USD bill as a recognition of the principles that form the basis of the nation, also the phrase “In God We Trust” is believed to indicate the popular Masonic element of belief in a superior power.
In a decree of 1784, Duke Karl Theodor imposed a ban on all secret societies and strictly discouraged cults. There has been no significant evidence of the existence of the Illuminati ever since the imposition of the ban.
Carbonari
In the 1800s as demands for unification of Italy began to grow, the Carbonari began playing a major role. They sought to create a sense of patriotic nationalism and document a constitution for the unitary Italian Republic among people of the various kingdoms that would later form Italy. As most notable secret societies the Carbonari also encouraged freemasonry and a Freemason would be given important positions upon enrolment. The establishment of Carbonari is believed to have taken place in the Kingdom of Naples during the Napoleonic wars and remained a society which conserved intellectual property of the liberal elite. It is only when influence began to spread to the Papal State and Kingdom of two Sicilies, the Carbonari began to aggressively press for the demand of unification. Important revolutionaries like Giuseppe Mazzini and Amand Bazard were members of the secret society. After uprisings in 1831 and 1848 were crushed, Carbonari lost most of its relevance and turned passive. However, they supported Victor Emmanuel II as he became the flag bearer of the Italian unification movement. Members like Mazzini went on to found other secret societies like Young Italy which were more specific in their approach and attempted to gain back the momentum that Carbonari lost.
Secret Unions of Students
Various universities themselves have secret unions that claim to be societies. Though their intentions are not clear, they are believed to have evolved from some historical basis usually drawing inspirational from secret societies at that time. There is an umpteen number of such secret unions but they may not necessarily have enough influence to be called a society.
Among the hundreds of such unions that exist, few secret unions like Skulls and Bones, Scroll and Key of Yale University have been popularised by various authors and conspiracy theorists.
Why are they infamous?
Their supposed involvement in various notable events have brought secret societies to limelight. Conspiracy theorists have since decades speculated what secret societies might bee seeking to establish. Secret societies have always been viewed to be anti establishment due to their history and hence are rumoured to indulge in similar activities even in the present.
New World Order
The popular belief of conspiracy theorists that a central totalitarian body, comprising of members of the Illuminati and Freemasons, exists that functions as a government for the entire world restricting actual governments from functioning independently. They believe that someday they will be public and openly establish a “New World Order” based on the beliefs of these societies. Theorists believe the New World Order shall ban public display of religion, centralise wealth distribution, establish a uniform elite board to eradicate local ethnic groups and advocate uniformity in code of conduct throughout the world. There have been other theories that the New World Order is influenced by extra-terrestrial beings or forces to gain control over the world. Famous astrophysicist and author, Stephen Hawking’s quotes in his lecture at the Starmus Festival in Norway, “Shouldn't we be content to be cosmic sloths, enjoying the universe from the comfort of Earth? The answer is, no” and “The Earth is under threat from so many areas that it is difficult for me to be positive” allegedly led to him being killed by member of the New World Order and used his existing health condition to simulate a natural health related death. When Winston Churchill used the words “New World Order” in a speech prior the formation of the League of Nations, the first intergovernmental organisation, speculations began to be made that the first pillar of New World Order has been erected.
Suspicion began to rise when the Denver Airport had Masonic symbols and murals displayed and referred to the airport construction commission as “New World Airport Commission” and the construction cost exceeded the budget by nearly 2 million USD. The additional cost is rumoured to have been spent to build an underground establishment that would function as a centre for decision-makers of the New World Order.
However these have been largely despised and have been thought to be moves by politicians and their aides, majorly business tycoons and publicly important people, to gain support for their individual governments and isolationist beliefs.
Eradication of Religion
When we examine the history of secret societies, they have been against monopolising power in
the hands of religious institution. In ancient France and other countries that were home to secret societies, as their views began to appeal to the masses, the Catholic Church feared a loss of power and social authority. The Catholic Church supposedly organised a committee of 20 cardinals who were assigned the task of preaching against secret societies and portray them to be demonic. Pope Pius VI allotted an empty church with cavalry, for them to carry out their activities without threat. These notions have evolved to form the beliefs of modern conspiracy theorists that Masonic rituals involve demonic and satanic chants and usage of human blood, skulls and human sacrifices.
Islamic scholars strongly condemn any association with societies like Freemasons due to conflicting opinion of the superior power. The Quran says “La Ilaha Illallah” which means there exists no god except Allah and The Sharia Islamic Law holds any act of worshiping some other superior being punishable and anti Islamic, which conflicts with the Masonic belief of presence of a superior power or being, which/who is not associated with any religious order.
All these have led to The belief of secret societies being against religion. However secret societies have never directly advocated it, they’ve only advocated separation of politics and religion.
Assassination of Public Figures
Assassination of Public Figures has been a tag that secret societies have carried for decades. The Assassination of US president John F. Kennedy has been rumoured to have organised by members of the modern day Illuminati. John F. Kennedy was highly critical of secret societies and similar cults and called them “anti-establishment and anti-Semitic”, he also wanted to end the Vietnam war which meant losses for supposed Illuminati financiers of the Military-Industrial complex, which is believed to be the potential cause for his assassination. A popular anti-Mason William Morgan disappeared and was alleged assassinated after authoring books revealing Masonic rituals that were supposed to remain secret and actively taking part in the anti-masonry movement.
Conclusion
Secret societies have existed in the past and have participated in various important events, such as the French Revolution, that would change how the world would function. They have contributed a vast amount of historical content to the world. However their current existence is debatable and has no significant evidence except for certain events and symbols whose interpretation is subjective. Societies like the Freemasons do not associate themselves with any covert activity except for their rituals that they say need to be “preserved from the public eye” to retain the purity of the same. Being based on liberalism and chivalry these societies have encouraged newer views to proliferate in times of threat that are seen as positive traits in the modern world. Will there be a “New World Order”? Will we ever know if they actually exist? Are they actually responsible for major conspiracies that theorists have argued them to be? Only time can tell…..
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