Exploring Three Famous Secret Societies

The Freemasons

The Freemasons may be the quintessential Secret Society, although members of the organization would say they are not a secret society but are, in fact, a society with secrets.  This means that certain aspects of the Freemasonry are kept secret, such as the specifics of the rituals and the modes of recognition, while some aspects, such as the identity of the members, are not concealed.  While they are undoubtedly the largest of all secret organizations, with their reach spreading to every corner of the earth, Freemasonry is not a single, unified organization but a collection of organization which share a common tradition.  While conspiracy theorists are quick to place the Freemasons amongst the most devious of fraternal organizations, the observable aspects of Masonry are seemingly benign.  Whereas no non-member can be sure what goes on behind the closed doors of the Masonic Lodge, the group has always maintained that their objective is to improve the moral, ethical and spiritual aspects of its members.  The motto of the organization is “Making good men better.”  Freemasonry is often simply referred to as “The Craft.”

Masonry can be categorized into two divisions, Operative Masonry and Speculative Masonry.  Operative Masons were those historical stonemasons who practiced the physical crafts of building, stone working, architecture and mathematics.  Speculative Masonry, the latter incarnation, uses the elements of the Operative Masons as symbolic images to teach various philosophies and ideologies.  The main symbols of Freemasonry are the Square and Compasses, tools which are used in drafting and building.  Other symbolic tools of The Craft are the Gavel, the Chisel, The Plumb Line and Rule, the Gauge, the Level, the Trowel and the Mason’s Apron.  All of these are implements which would have been used by physical stonemasons and symbolize those mental facilities necessary to build an inner temple of knowledge and understanding. 

The origin of Modern Masonry is a subject which is open to debate.  The first known Masonic writing is commonly thought to be the Regius Manuscript.  This writing describes the history of Masonry as well as rules and regulations of The Craft and gives a mythological narrative of the dissemination of the knowledge of geometry.  A common theme in Freemasonry is the building of the Temple of Solomon by his Chief Architect, The Master Mason Hiram Abif.  In this masonic story, Hiram is confronted by three “ruffians” who demand he reveal for them the secrets of The Craft, specifically the “Master’s Word.”  When Hiram refused, the ruffians proceed to attack and kill the Master Mason, sealing their own fates as well.  Many of the symbolic rituals of Freemasonry revolve around this semi-biblical story.

Some believe that Modern Masonry is a fraternity reserved for the social elite.  In fact, the group consists of members from varied socioeconomic backgrounds.  One must be able to pay the dues of the organization, which are relatively minimal, and the paying of dues must not interfere with the family life of the member.   The general requirements for membership include being a free man who joins of his own will, is of good reputation and professes a belief in a Supreme Being.  Although Atheists are not allowed admittance, the nature of the belief in a Supreme Being is open to the personal interpretation of the member.  Masonry is therefore available to people of various religions including Christians, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, Sikhs and general Theists.  Although only men can join the Freemasons, there are also Masonic organizations which admit women such as the Order of the Eastern Star.  There are also jurisdictions outside of what is known as "regular" Freemasonry in which a women can be made a Mason, such as Universal Co-Masonry.

The Hell Fire Club

The London based Hell Fire Club was founded by Philip, the Duke of Wharton in 1719 and was comprised of a small number of members of high society.  Several other clubs from England and Ireland functioning under the same name would bring The Hell Fire Club into popular infamy, the most infamous being the organization founded by Sir Francis Dashwood in the 1730’s.  The club’s motto, “Do What Thou Wilt,” was later popularized by Aleister Crowley and was also adopted, with some variation, by members of the Wicca Religion.  The club of Sir Francis Dashwood was originally known as The Order of the Friars of St. Francis of Wycombe and a variety of other titles and was later designated the name “The Hell Fire Club.”

Although it is difficult to know for sure the purpose of the club, it is commonly thought that the members would meet to engage in acts which were contrary to those prescribed by Church standards, hence the name “The Hell Fire Club.”   It is reported that this may have included the reading of obscene literature, the viewing of pornographic material and the displaying of pagan images.  Although the organization was often accused of worshipping The Devil and various demons, the club itself is thought to have been mostly satirical, mocking the commonly found Gentleman’s Clubs of London.  It is reported that members would dress as characters from biblical stories and eat meals which consisted of foods such as Devil’s Loin and Hell Fire Punch.  Unlike other clubs found in London at the time, The Hell Fire Club would admit women as well as men.

The Hell Fire Club founded by the Duke of Wharton came to end in 1721, being officially disbanded by Kind George I, after which Wharton would become a Freemason and later the Grandmaster of the Lodges of England.  Francis Dashwood’s club would persist until the 1760’s.  It is rumored that Benjamin Franklin would often attended Hell Fire Club meeting as a non-member.  Historians speculate that his attendance was actually a form of spying on members of English high society.  At the time before the Revolutionary War, recording the various acts of the members would have been a way of giving the colonies political leverage over some of the members of Parliament.

Sir Francis Dashwood’s nephew, Joseph Alderson, would revamp the organization in 1781, after Dashwood’s death, under the name The Phoenix Society.  The Phoenix Society, later known as The Phoenix Common Room, is a group which is still in existence today. 

The Rosicrucians

The Rosicrucians are said to have been founded in the late medieval period by a German doctor named Christian Rosenkreuz, also called Frater C. R. C.  This group’s philosophy revolved around an esoteric form of Christianity and was often associated with Protestantism and Lutheranism.  The ideals of the Rosicrucians generally protested the dogmatic views of the Catholic Church and praised empiricism and rational thinking.  Rosenkreuz, which is considered by most to be a pseudonym, is said to have assembled a group of eight doctors, each swearing an oath to treat any and all ill patients without payment around the year 1407.

The Rosicrucian Fervor took hold of Europe in the early 1600's with the printing of the so-called Rosicrucian Manifestos.  These writings consisted of The Fame of the Fraternity of RC in 1614, the The Confession of the Fraternity in 1615 and The Chymical Wedding of  Christian Rosenkreuts in 1617.  The Manifestos painted a picture of a great universal reformation of all of mankind, a Golden Age which would include reforms in science, medicine, economics and religion.  These ideals created a great excitement among many in the upper classes of Europe, perhaps even heralding the Age of Reason or Enlightenment Era in the 17th and 18th centuries.  

Rosicrucianism can refer to both members of specific fraternal orders as well as adherents to its particular philosophy.  The Philosophy incorporates aspects of Alchemy, Ancient Egyptian mythology, Judaic mysticism and early Christian Gnosticism.  It emphasizes the rational study of nature, the physical universe and the spiritual aspects of reality.  The Rosicrucian philosophy is said to have influenced Freemasonry as it emerged in England and Scotland as is evident in the Rose-Cross Degree of Scottish Rite Masonry.

Other groups related to the Rosicrucians were the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, The Martanist Order of Louis-Claude de Saint-Martin and the enigmatic Knights Templar.  In 1915 the Ancient Mystical Order Rosae Crucis, or the Rosicrucian Order, was officially incorporated in the United States becoming of the modern incarnations of the Rosicrucian movement.  According to the AMORC, various historical persons were associated with Rosicrucianism including Leonardo da Vinci, Isaac Newton, René Descartes, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Francis Bacon and Aleister Crowley.