From "The Illuminati", "Skull and Bones" "Assassins" to "Freemasons" and "Priest of Sion", conspiracy theories about secret brotherhoods with famous members... These are the most secret societies in history. 1. "Skull and Bones"

The Order of Skull and Bones is a society of Yale University and was originally known as the Brotherhood of Death. It is one of the oldest student secret societies in the US. It was founded in 1832 and membership is open only to an elite few. The society uses rituals with Masonic nuances even today. Members meet every Thursday and Sunday in a building they call "The Tomb". According to Judy Schiff, archivist at the Yale University Library, members' names were not kept secret until the 70s, but the rituals have always been secret. The two Bush presidents were members of this society when they studied at Yale, as well as a number of other names of famous and powerful people.

2. Freemasons

The Masonic Grand Lodge was established in 1717, when four groups of minor lodges merged. Membership levels were originally first and second degrees, but in 1750 they were expanded to create a third degree. When a person reaches the third degree, he is called "Master Mason". Freemasons conduct their regular meetings according to a certain ritual. This includes many references to architectural symbols, such as the compass and the square. They refer to God as the "Great Architect of the Universe". Freemasons use signs and handshakes to enter their meetings, as well as to identify themselves to other people who may be Freemasons. To become a Freemason you must be recommended by another Freemason.

3. "Rosicrucian"

The "Rosicrucian" order is believed to have been the brainchild of a group of German Protestants in 1600, when three documents were published: "Fama Fraternitatis Rosae Crucis", "Confessio Fraternitatis" and "Chemical Marriage of the Christian Rosenkretuz anno 1459". The first document tells the story of a mysterious alchemist who travels to different parts of the world to obtain secret knowledge. The second document talks about a secret brotherhood of alchemists who were preparing to change the political and intellectual face of Europe. Members of this brotherhood claim that their origins are older than these documents. Today there are many such groups and each claims a direct link to the original.

4. "Ordo Templis Orientis"

The OTO (Order of the Eastern Temple) was originally modeled as a Masonic brotherhood, but under the direction of the self-styled "great beast", Aleister Crowley, began to follow the principles of his own religious system called Thelema. Membership is by several degrees and many rituals are used during this process. This brotherhood currently has over three thousand members worldwide. Crowley himself created a specific mass for the brotherhood. The ritual is performed according to a certain style and virgin priestesses, children and priests are used for this. During the mass, ancient Egyptian gods are invoked, as well as the devil, and at one point the priestesses perform a naked ritual.

5. The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn

The Order of the Golden Dawn was created by dr. William Robert Woodman, William Wynn Westcott and Samuel Liddel MacGregor Mathers. All three of them were freemasons and members of the "Societas Rosicruciana in Anglia" society. The Golden Dawn belief system derives largely from Christian mysticism, Hermeticism, ancient Egyptian beliefs, alchemy, theosophy, magic, and Renaissance writings. William Yeats and Aleister Crowley are two of the most famous members of this group. The underlying order documents are known as Coded Documents. They include 60 pages containing magical rites.

6. Knights Templar

The Knights Templar are an offshoot of the Freemasons and are not directly related to the original Knights Templar, a religious military group formed in the 12th century. The members of this society claim no direct connection with the medieval brotherhood, merely a borrowing of symbols. To become a member of this group, a person must be a Christian Master Mason. This organization is special and not just a high degree of Freemasonry. Orders borrowed from medieval society are described as "commemorative orders" or degrees. However, some Masons and non-Masons, and even anti-Masons, insist that some Masonic rites are directly influenced by the Templars.

7. "The Illuminati"

A movement of free thinkers who were the most radical branch of the Enlightenment, whose followers took the name "Illuminati" was founded on May 1, 1776 in Igolstadt (Upper Bavaria) by Adam Weishaupt. Although it was illegal, many influential intellectuals and progressive politicians considered themselves members. The fact that this society did not require belief in a supreme being made it famous among atheists. There are many conspiracy theories, according to which the "Illuminati" still operates to this day and manages the major actions of the world's governments with the desire to create a world-wide government based on humanistic and atheistic principles.

8. The Bilderberg Group

This group is a little different from the others because it has no official membership. The members of this group are people of great influence who meet every year in secret. The matters discussed are kept secret. The structure of the meetings resembles a conference and usually the meetings are held in five-star hotels in different countries of the world. Attendance at the meeting is by invitation only. The first meeting was held in 1954 at the "Bilderberg" hotel in the Netherlands. Although the agenda and list of participants is public, it is not yet clear whether these details are made known by the group itself or not.

9. Parish of Zion

After the publication of the book "The Da Vinci Code" by Dan Brown, the name of this company has aroused a lot of interest around the world. In fact, this group is completely fictitious. It was a line created in 1956 by a pretender to the French throne, Pierre Plantard. Extant letters dating from the 60s that Plantard, de Cherisey and de Sede wrote to each other confirm that all three were involved in this row, outlining their schemes of defense against criticism and how they could continue to do so. deception Despite this, there are those who believe that the Pariah exists and functions even today.

10. "Opus Dei"

Opus Dei is an organization of the Catholic Church that emphasizes the Catholic belief that ordinary life is the path to holiness. Members of this organization live in special centers. The order was founded in 1928 in Spain by the Catholic priest, Josemaria Escriva, with the approval of Pope Pius XII. Most of the organization's approximately 87.000 members of both sexes are lay people who are led by a prelate elected by a general assembly approved by the Pope.

11. Assassins

The Assassins (Hashish addicts) were a mysterious group of Muslim assassins who operated in the Middle East during the 1090th century. It was founded by Shia Muslims to create a utopian Shia state. They used guerrilla tactics against the enemy, including espionage, sabotage and political assassinations. According to legends, before the assassination they would take hashish, while enemy leaders often woke up in bed with a knife on the pillow and the message for execution. They had an impregnable fortress in Iran – Alamut. The order was founded there in 1256 by Hasan al Sabah. The castle was destroyed by the Mongols in XNUMX.

12. The Qataris

Even today conspiracy fans cite their end as one of the darkest sides of Christianity. But who were the Cathars really? During the 13th century, the crusade against the Albigensians (citizens of a French Catalan town), led by Pope Innocent III, purged this heretical Christian society living in the mountains of southern France. Why? Simple: The Cathars worshiped the notion of dualism, or rather the idea that there was a good God and a bad God, they opposed the bureaucracy of the Catholic Church, which they judged to be corrupt, since according to them the Church had fallen under the sin of power and money, they refused to worship God in temples and cathedrals. And not only that: the Qataris considered men and women equal and in their society, women had important positions. Reason enough for the Church to start a crucifixion and exterminate them. In 1229, the survivors were all converted by the Inquisition, only to become legend many centuries later for Da Vinci Code enthusiasts. Considered for a long time as heretics, today they are viewed in a different light, also because the Cathars along with their treasures took with them many secrets that can never be found. Behind the mask of heresy that the Catholic Church put on them, an advanced civilization appears, that of the philosophical and spiritual tradition, which summarizes the mysticism of the West and Greco-Roman knowledge.

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