“Shadowy Societies”
October 12th, 2010 | 
Author: | Society | Background |
| Freemasons | Inspired by the Temple of Soloman, the square and compass of the regalia being the tool of the masons (builders) of that temple, the first Great Lodge of England was founded in 1717. In the 18th century, their progressive ideas led to condemnation by the Catholic Church. Masons pass initiations to achieve three degrees of membership: Apprenticeship, Fellow or Journeyman and Master Mason. Mainly known for charitable work and networking. |
| Illuminati | Founded in 1776 by Adam Weishaupt, a professor at the University of Ingolstadt, Bavaria, the society served as a cover for the spread of Enlightenment ideas bringing together leading freethinkers and intellectuals (Goethe, Herder) at a time of government nervousness. Secret societies were banned in Bavaria in 1784 and the group broke up. |
| Knights Templar | The Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of The Temple of Soloman were a military crusading order , powerful in the Middle Ages. Endorsed by the Church c1129, they created an economic network with an early banking system and built forts in Europe and the Holy Land. Templar knights were white mantles with a red cross. Rumours about initiation rites caused mistrust. In 1307, many members in France were burned at the stake. The Pope dissolved the Order in 1312. |
| Rosicrucians | Also known as the Brethren of the Rose Cross, this was a secret society of mystics with origins in medieval Germany. Behind it was the mysterious figure of Christian Rosenkreuz (thought by some to be a pseudonym of Francis Bacon). They believed in occult wisdom within as ascetic lifestyle. The Rosicrucian Manifestos, dating from the early 17th century, are a cryptic mixture of parable, Kabbalism and alchemy including the notion of “chymical marriage”. Egyptian and druidic elements were later added. The ultimate goal was the universal reformation of humankind. |
| Order of the Golden Dawn | Founded by McGregor Mathers, a former Freemason, along with two associates in 1887, the group had three membership orders with twelve grades from neopyhtes to the topmost ranks of magus and ipsissimus. The movement flourished in the 1890s attracting well-known figures such as W.B. Yeats and Aleister Crowley. Members met in the Isis-Urania Temple in London to practice rituals outlined in the coded documents, the Cipher Manuscripts. The group was torn apart by schisms. One section remained loyal to Mathers who renamed his branch Alpha et Omega; another, retaining the original title, abandoned magic for Christian mysticism. |
Taken from The Mind, Body, Spirit Miscellany by Jane Alexander
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Tags: Adam Weishaupt, alchemy, Aleister Crowley, Alpha et Omega, Apprenticeship, Ark of the Covenant, Bavaria, Brethren of the Rose Cross, Catholic Church, Christian mysticism, Christian Rosenkreuz, chymical marriage, conspiracy theories, Druidism, Enlightenment, Fellow or Journeyman, Francis Bacon, Freemason, Freemasons, Goethe, Great Lodge, Herder, Holy Grail, Holy Land, Illuminati, initiation rites, ipsissimus, Isis-Urania Temple, Kabbalism, Knights Templar, London, Magic, magus, Master Mason, McGregor Mathers, medieval Germany, membership, Middle Ages, neophytes, Order of the Golden Dawn, Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ, Reformation of humankind, Rosicrucian, Rosicrucian Manifestos, secret society, Shadow Societies, Templar knights, Temple of Soloman, University of Ingolstadt, W.B. Yeats
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