EsoteriaA library of sacred & hidden knowledge
Liber XXV · Secret Societies

Liber XXV · Secret Societies

Introduction

The Rosicrucian manifestos, Masonic lodges and initiatory orders.

The anonymous Rosicrucian manifestos of 1614–1616 announced a hidden brotherhood of reformers and set Europe searching for it. Freemasonry, emerging from Scottish and English lodges in the seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries, developed a system of symbolic degrees that later occult orders imitated. This section explains the real history of these societies, their symbols and rituals, and the myths and conspiracy theories that have grown up around them.

6 min readWhat Are Secret Societies? A History of Esoteric BrotherhoodsWhat are secret societies? A historian's guide to initiatory brotherhoods, from the ancient mysteries to Rosicrucians, Freemasons and occult orders.

Forthcoming in this chapter

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  • Christian Rosenkreutz: Life, Works and Influence
  • Johann Valentin Andreae: Life, Works and Influence
  • Michael Maier: Life, Works and Influence
  • James Anderson: Life, Works and Influence
  • Count Cagliostro: Life, Works and Influence
  • Count of Saint-Germain: Life, Works and Influence
  • Martinez de Pasqually: Life, Works and Influence
  • Adam Weishaupt: Life, Works and Influence
  • Albert Pike: Life, Works and Influence
  • Harvey Spencer Lewis: Life, Works and Influence
  • Max Heindel: Life, Works and Influence
  • The Secret Teachings of All Ages: History, Contents and Meaning
  • Protocols of the Elders of Zion: History, Contents and Meaning
  • The Rosicrucian Manifestos: Meaning, History and Practice
  • The Invisible College: Meaning, History and Practice
  • Operative and Speculative Masonry: Meaning, History and Practice
  • Masonic Degrees: Meaning, History and Practice
  • The York Rite: Meaning, History and Practice
  • The Royal Arch: Meaning, History and Practice
  • Hiram Abiff: Meaning, History and Practice
  • Masonic Symbolism: Meaning, History and Practice
  • Co-Masonry: Meaning, History and Practice
  • The Élus Coëns: Meaning, History and Practice
  • The Hermetic Brotherhood of Luxor: Meaning, History and Practice
  • Builders of the Adytum: Meaning, History and Practice
  • The Hellfire Club: Meaning, History and Practice
  • Skull and Bones: Meaning, History and Practice
  • The Illuminati Myth: Meaning, History and Practice
  • The Illuminati Scare of 1798: Meaning, History and Practice
  • The Taxil Hoax: Meaning, History and Practice
  • The Holy Blood and Holy Grail Myth: Meaning, History and Practice
  • Fantastic Realism and The Morning of the Magicians: Meaning, History and Practice
  • Conspirituality: Meaning, History and Practice
  • Hollow Earth and Hidden Masters: Meaning, History and Practice
  • Were the Rosicrucians Real?
  • Do the Illuminati Still Exist?