Secret societies have become deeply embedded in our zeitgeist. Many of us look at the state of the world and come to the understandable conclusion that something out there is not quite right. After all, no rational person would make the decisions some of our world leaders make, unless of course, they have a hidden agenda that we don’t know about. So whose world is it, anyway? Some of the all-time notorious contenders include the Freemasons, Skull and Bones, the Bilderberg Group, the ‘real’ Men in Black, the Illuminati, the Mafia and the infamous and very scary New World Order.
There are many different ways to structure a secret society, but a specific model recurs. A secret society is based on a series of initiation rituals, echelons of authority and dramatic oaths of silence and can arguably be divided into the following categories: Political, Religious, Fraternal, Fictional, and downright Insane.
Historically, secret societies have been the subject of speculation since the time of the Ancient Greeks, when meetings were held sub rosa or under the rose – a flowery emblem attributed to the Ancient Egyptian god Horus. Curiously, in his later incarnations with the Greeks and the Romans, Horus was regarded as the god of silence. During Europe’s Middle Ages, a rose suspended in council chambers swore all those present to secrecy.
These rules remain intact. Take one of the world’s most secretive secret societies, the Skull and Bones – an elitist men’s group that was spawned at Yale University. Some of its better known members include Senator John Kerry and President George W. Bush, though the group existed way before either of them were even a twinkle in their mother’s eye (Bush senior is also a Skull member). With only 15 Yale seniors inducted into the Society every year, members are said to set their clocks five minutes ahead in order to reinforce the feeling that they are ahead of the rest of the world. Initiation rites are kept in strict confidence, but rumour has it that the applicants must kiss a human skull. Once inducted, members choose a new name that reflects their physical stature and personality. Aptly, George W. Bush’s society name is reported to be ‘Temporary’ as he could not think of one at the time of his initiation.
The New World Order or Novus Ordo Mundi refers to a plan in which a powerful and secretive group of individuals is thought to be conspiring to eventually rule the world via an autonomous world government, which would replace sovereign states and other checks and balances in world power struggles. In the New World Order, historical and current events are seen as steps in an on-going plot to rule the world primarily through a combination of political finance, social engineering, mind control and fear-based propaganda.
Don’t look startled, you already sort of know who they are. Other names for the New World Order include the Illuminati Bankers, High Cabal, and the Power Elite. Avid proponents of this theory claim that this movement is orchestrated by some of the world’s most prominent families such as the Rothschilds, the Rockefellers, the omnipresent Bushs, the Morgans and the Du Ponts.
American President and figurehead on the 100 USD bill Benjamin Franklin once said, “Three may keep a secret, if two of them are dead.” So I leave you on this final note and should you not find my article in the next issue of Bespoke, you’ll know why.
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