John Lawrence Reynolds - Secret Societies: Their Mysteries Revealed

SECRET SOCIETIES

Copyright 2006 by John Lawrence Reynolds

First published in Canada by Key Porter Books Limited, Toronto, Canada, 2006

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced by any means, nor transmitted, nor translated into a machine language, without the written permission of the publishers.

The right of John Lawrence Reynolds to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

Condition of Sale

This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, re-sold, hired out or otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent publisher.

Summersdale Publishers Ltd

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Disclaimer

Every effort has been made to obtain the necessary permissions with reference to copyright material, both illustrative and quoted; should there be any omissions in this respect we apologise and shall be pleased to make the appropriate acknowledgements in any future edition.

Printed and bound in Great Britain.

ISBN: 1-84024-612-X

ISBN 13: 978-1-84024-612-4

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For Anna P., of course.

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Cruelty has a human heart,

And jealousy a human face;

Terror the human form divine

And secrecy the human dress.

William Blake

The more things you know, or pretend to know,

the more powerful you are.

It doesnt matter if the things are true.

What counts, remember, is to possess a secret.

Umberto Eco

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CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

Fools, Fears and Fanatics.............................................................11

1. THE ASSASSINS

Nothing Is True, Everything Is Permitted.......................................18

2. TEMPLARS, ILLUMINATI AND FREEMASONS

The Secret Seat of Power..............................................................41

3. PRIORY OF SION

Keepers of the Holy Grail..............................................................72

4. DRUIDS AND GNOSTICS

Knowledge and the Eternal Soul..................................................94

5 KABBALAH

Origins of the Apocalypse..........................................................110

6. ROSICRUCIANS

The Pursuit of Esoteric Wisdom.................................................127

7. TRIADS

Cultural Criminals........................................................................143

8. THE MAFIA AND COSA NOSTRA

Wise Guys and Businessmen.....................................................157

9. YAKUZA

Traditions and Amputations........................................................180

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10. WICCA

The Great Goddess and the Horned God..................................189

11. SKULL & BONES

Americas Secret Establishment.................................................208

12. SECRET SOCIETIES IN POPULAR CULTURE

An Endless Fascination..............................................................230

13. CRITICS, ALARMISTS AND CONSPIRACY THEORISTS

When Does Paranoia Make Sense?...........................................246

AFTERWORD

Of Demons and Baloney.............................................................267

NOTES..........................................................................................270

PICTURE CREDITS........................................................................285

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS..................................................................286

INDEX..........................................................................................287

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INTRODUCTION

Fools, Fears and Fanatics

They were among the most frightening of early secret societies, a furtive group both feared and hated by citizens of the Roman Empire. Many suggested killing every man, woman and child who were members. Others proposed caution, having heard tales of bloody vengeance taken against enemies of the group. Some grew worried that their own neighbors might be society members, infecting their children with dangerous ideas and engaging them in revolting practices. A few were fascinated by the outrageous antics attributed to this secret organization; their curiosity piqued, their imaginations running rampant, they asked themselves: could these people really be so depraved?

Tales exchanged among the Romans were almost beyond belief.

The members of this secret group, it was said, were cannibalistic, eating human flesh and drinking human blood during secret rituals, and their gory feasts often included newborn babies. They promoted sexual orgies among brothers and sisters, and engaged in bizarre ceremonies, met in clandestine locations, avoided contact with respectable society, and identified themselves by flashing the image of an instrument of torture when they met.

An infant covered with their meal that it may deceive the unwary, one Roman wrote, is placed before him who is to be stained with their rites. This infant is slain by the young pupil, who has been urged on as if to harmless blows on the surface of the 11

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SECRET SOCIETIES

meal, with dark and secret wounds. ThirstilyO horror!they lick up its blood; eagerly they divide its limbs. By this victim they are pledged together; with this consciousness they are covenanted to mutual silence. Such sacred rites as these are more foul than any sacrileges...

Throughout the Mediterranean region during the first century of the first millennium, especially among Romans, who valued nobility above all qualities, these stories were equally repulsive and fascinating. Roman politicians began demanding elimination of the sect, without question or exception. Most citizens agreed, and crowds began to gather in the marketplace where they exchanged tales, confirmed evidence, and embellished the more unpleasant aspects of the secret societys behavior. Over time, a consensus was reached: something must be done to break the cults bonds and rein in these scoundrels, these perverts, these insurgents, these... Christians.

From our perspective two thousand years later, the tales of disgusting Christian practices sound like propaganda created by members of the Roman senate as a strategy to eliminate the sect. Perhaps by spreading vile stories among the populace, we assume, citizens would be dissuaded from joining the ranks of Christians, and Romes harsh treatment of the new religions followers would be supported.

In reality, the Roman senate had little to do with the outrageous tales. While the general populace may have been scandalized by reports of cannibalism and incest, public opinion mattered little to politicians, who were concerned with more practical matters, including the refusal of Christians to worship the emperor. Tolerant of religious disparity generally, Romes major objection addressed this single unacceptable behavior, considered an act of disloyalty to the Empire. When Christians began converting others to their point of view, their actions represented an insurgency that could not be ignored. At that point, Roman leaders encouraged stories of their scandalous activities, employing them as a weapon to suppress the movement.