Secret Societies

There are a variety of secret societies that have developed over the years. Some of these secret societies include: the Illuminati; the Freemasons; Skull and Bones Society; and the Rosicrucians. These secret societies furthermore use a variety of secret symbols, including the skull and bones and the chevron.

The Illuminati

The Illuminati can be used to refer to a variety of societies, both real and fictional. The term refers most specifically to the Bavarian Enlightenment secret society. It can also refer to a conspirational group believed to rule global affairs.

The Bavarian Illuminati’s beliefs are based completely on human nature and observance. These beliefs originated from a verity of groups, including the Knights Templar, Sufism and the Egyptian hermetic order known as the Illuminates of Ra. The Illuminati also merged with tantric yoga practitioners, who practiced mind and body mediation. Members of the group are also drawn from Masons and former Masons.

Founded in 1776 by Adam Weishaput, who was educated by Jesuits and who was the first professor of Canon law, the Illuminati are freethinkers who represent the most radical of the ideals of the Enlightenment, a philosophical movement that emphasized reason, respect for humanity, and the ability of humans to know the world due to an increase in scientific discovery.

Some of the main principles of the Bavarian Illuminati are omnipotence, immortality, transcendental illumination and omnicognizance, based on the belief that members of this group may obtain supreme knowledge through illumination and psychic powers. In addition, unlike Freemasons, the Illuminati do not require members to believe in the Supreme Being.

Freemasons

The Freemasons are an esoteric society and a fraternal organization based on common moral and metaphysical values. The most important of these values is the Constitutional declaration in the belief of the Supreme Being. According to Freemasons, the Supreme Being is the Great Architect of the Universe, a concept that allows members to espouse their own individual interpretation of the deity.

Dated in origin to the eighteenth century, the Freemasons’ main principles are brotherly love, relief and truth, which is also expressed in the French revolutionary slogan of “liberté, égalité, fraternité”. Organized into Lodges, the Freemasons emphasize the importance of charity work. They also espouse a denunciation of the material world.

Skull and Bones Society

Based at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, the Skull and Bones Society was founded in the year 1832 as a new world vision of the secret student societies that were extremely popular in Germany during the nineteenth century.

Its members, referred to as “Bonesmen”, have as their main purpose to promote as many fellow members as possible into positions of authority. The members of the Skull and Bones Society refer to themselves as Knights.

The Skull and Bones Society inducts only exceptional seniors during the latter part of the junior year preceding their graduation.

The Rosicrucian Order

The Rosicrucian Order is an esoteric order that is believed to have influenced the Freemasons. With origins that date back to the early seventeenth century, the Rosicrucians are believed to have been followers of the Brethren of the Rose Cross.

The beliefs of the Rosicrucian Order have been described as Gnostic, occult and cabalistic in nature. This is due to the fact that members of the Rosicrucian Order believe that true knowledge of the universe can only be known by the elite, who in turn have a responsibility to share this knowledge with the masses.