The Knights Templar: a secret society of holy warriors steeped in legend. During medieval times the poor knights of Christ became one of the richest and most powerful institutions of the era. But after 200 years the order came up against one of Europe’s most powerful kings. But the Templars live on in the legends of lost treasures and secret rituals. Secret Societies: In the Shadows s1e1: The Templars, History 2023
There were rumours that the Templars found secret or forbidden knowledge at the Templar Mount. ibid.
In their religious war against Saladin, the Templars had a very unlikely ally: the fabled Order of the Assassins. ibid.
1785: A dangerous secret society that has been operating in the shadows for almost ten years. This hidden order has branches across Europe, and has within its members many of Europe’s elite. Secret Societies: In the Shadows s1e2: The Illuminati
The society’s goal is for the eradication of all governments and religions, and the creation of a universal republic built on liberty, equality and fraternity. ibid.
The same people believe the Illuminati are the invisible hand behind almost every major event in modern history. ibid.
And with the new rights and rank came new and mysterious rituals. ibid.
Behind the sound-proof walls of a hulking tomb in New Haven, Connecticut, a secret society perform their strange rituals. For almost 190 years the elite members of the Skull & Bones have sworn an oath to keep the society’s business a secret. Secret Societies: In the Shadows s1e3: Skull & Bones
A known breeding ground for CEO, Supreme Court Justices, Diplomats and US Presidents. What kind of life awaits a Skull & Bones alumni after graduation. ibid.
‘None of them is more notorious than Skull & Bones.’ ibid. author
Why would they condone let alone be a member of a secret society involved in grave robbing, theft, sexual deviancy? ibid.
In 1982 the head of Bavarian security, Hans Langermann, delivers a report to his superiors revealing the inner workings of a secret society called Le Cercle. Secret Societies: In the Shadows s1e4: Le Cercle
‘Secret Societies are basically conspiracies. A bunch of people getting together to do something that the rest of the world either does not want them to do or prefers not to hear about it.’ ibid. John Reynolds Lawrence
Since 1953 Le Cercle has come together to discuss world events and share intelligence. In quiet hotels hidden away from the public eye they plot the fate of the free world. ibid.
From the United Kingdom Le Cercle invited a number of members of the Monday Club. ibid.
While most of the world was turning its back on South Africa, Le Cercle was inviting them to the table. ibid.
The Freemasons are the world’s largest and possibly oldest secret society … Some Freemasons claim Solomon and Abif created the secret brotherhood to pass down the secrets of the Temple. Secret Societies: In the Shadows s1e5: Freemasons
For hundreds of years lodges across Great Britain met in secret to discuss spiritual and moral matters. Secrecy became an obsession for the early Freemasons. ibid.
A secret German order … Shrouded in secrecy this is The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. The secret society grows from a handful of initiates to five temples with hundreds of members. What secrets did their oaths protect? Secret Societies: In the Shadows s1e6: The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn
Alongside spiritualism a new impulse emerged: it was concerned with reviving mysterious practices from Egypt and Greece and Jewish mysticism. ibid.