What should i know about before I start researching secret societies on my own?

I already have read up about UFO's and parapsychology phenomenas. And it has taken me a long time to accept the existence of both the existence of UFO's and the existence of something beyond our five senses and be able to understand just what power the mind has and what implications of UFO's and ET's existing may be. I'm somewhat new to all of this stuff about secret societies... I already know that I should do some research and read some books about them first... but I'm just curious. What perceptions might I already have been lead to believe about secret societies? Which of them are false? Which of them are true? Will it take the same amount of time that it took for me to even fathom about the existence of psychic powers for me to believe in secret societies? I already can conceive of the existence of secret societies by what I see and what I hear and when I read about politics. Yet I am more inclined to believe in the existence of ET's and psychic phenomena because I have had experiences in my lifetime that I felt have proven the existence of these things... yet I haven't had many experiences which allowed me to see beyond the MSM and see the possibility that secret societies can exist... but I just know that they're out there.

That being said, I'm interested in researching secret societies... but like will there be any smoking gun that will reveal to me that these kinds of secret societies do exist within my research? I already am aware of the existence of these major secret societies like the Bilderburg, the trilateral commission, and the shadow government... but like I'm just wondering if there will be anything that I can see that will allow me to confirm their existence and that they very well do play a large role in modern politics. I already know they have existed in the past... but like I just really want to see something that proves to me that they are still at large (I'm not talking about party based secret societies, but, the ones that usually aren't talked about).

So what should I know about before I research these secret societies? What should I look for that will open my eyes? Most of the work the government does is in secret. I know that. Just, what kind of questions should I be asking about these secret societies?

I have a little bit of advice for you.

First of all, and I may get yelled at for this, but forget about the Masons. Why? Because the organization simply is too big, there are too many people involved. Some try to make the case that you don't "find out the bad stuff" until you reach X level, but that is completely untrue. Are there high level Masons who also have dirty secrets? Of course. There are people everywhere with dirty secrets, especially when you're talking about people who have made a lot of money or been involved in politics on any level. But there really is no reason to believe that a cabal of powerful Masons control the world, or have any ancient secrets. It's something you'll have to decide for yourself, but so many people get so hung up on the Masons for some reason and it doesn't make any sense to me because there's just nothing there.

Now, some general advice:

Learn a lot about the ancient Mystery Cults, especially those dedicated to Orpheus and/or Horus. The overwhelming majority of symbolism used by secret societies still today is either directly copied from or derived from the Mystery Cults. I also suggest learning about the Hellfire Club (the secret society, not the bondage club in NYC that closed down a couple of years ago).

Balance your sources. History is full of people with weird grudges, time on their hands and the ability to write so you have to consider the source and what their agenda is.

Reject theories that try to connect every society to every other society. There is overlap, of course, but there are also differences. A corollary to this is you should make sure you know who is even eligible for membership. I've read sources claiming that "x infamous person" was a member of Skull and Bones when they didn't even go to Yale. Bonesmen are tapped while they are undergrads at New Haven. End of story. If you didn't go to Yale you're not a Bonesmen, not even if you're Henry Kissinger or Jack Kennedy.

Read purported "leaked documents" and "secret minutes" closely. Keep in mind that, generally, you are dealing with people who are at least educated and often intelligent. If something is sloppily put together, or reads like a third grader wrote it, then it's most likely a fake.

Keep in mind that SS's, especially the influential ones, lie to outsiders. That's part of what you're taught when you join. They lie both to exaggerate and minimize their infamy. They lie to make you like them, they lie to make you hate them, they lie for the fun of it and they lie to keep in practice lying. But then some of what members and ex-members say is true. So always look for verification of anything you hear.

When you're looking for verification of any claim, made by a member, former member or an outsider, try to make sure the sources aren't all coming from the same common source. This is especially true in the online echo chamber. Sometimes you'll find about ten different sources for a claim, but with a little bit of careful reading you realize they're all quoting each other or all quoting a single original, often absurd claim.

Real information on influential secret groups is extremely difficult to find, but often both rewarding and insanely spooky when you do find it. Good luck.

One thing I'd suggest is a book by our own Conspiracy Pro, Jim Marrs-
Rule by Secrecy.

I'm not saying I agree with 100% of the contents, but it's a well researched volume that reads like an encyclopedia of secret society conspiracies. There are plenty of footnotes and an excellent bibliography which provides a great platform for further research.

I especially liked the section on "Elder Secret Societies". I'll wager your local library has a copy, and if you're really serious about doing some research, I'll also wager that after reading it once, you'll likely want your own copy.

Plus, if you get into the book and need some clarification, Mr Marrs has a forum right here at ATS.

[Edit for typo]


[edit on 8/27/2008 by yeahright]

Aside from reading books when I read accounts of instances from members and former members of these secret societies from various books and online articles or forums here on ATS should I take a skeptical approach to everything they say? When someone on TV tries to make a program about the existence of these secret societies what should I look for and what should I be skeptical about? What truth are they telling me and what might they be telling me that is false?

[edit on 25-8-2008 by Frankidealist35]

Originally posted by Frankidealist35
Aside from reading books when I read accounts of instances from members and former members of these secret societies from various books and online articles or forums here on ATS should I take a skeptical approach to everything they say? When someone on TV tries to make a program about the existence of these secret societies what should I look for and what should I be skeptical about? What truth are they telling me and what might they be telling me that is false?

As to the existence of secret societies... I don't think any of the named ones that will come up in popular media are in question as to their existence (with the possible exception of the Illuminati... that's become more of a catch-all term than an actual organization in most people's minds, and I'm not aware of any specific information that proves the existence of a currently operating group using that name...)

The big thing to question is "how much power do they actually have?" I tend to agree with Leo's statement above re: Masonry. For example, while a lot of people will rant about how all the people in power are Freemasons, I've often challenged people on this board to name 5 people currently in a position of power (politicians, CEO's of corporations, or whatever definition of "power" you want to use) who are verifiably members of a Masonic lodge. To date, nobody has taken me up on my challenge...

reply to post by Leo Loeb


I totally agree with this. I researched the Masons for four years and it just drove me crazy. I finally just joined to see what was up and the truth was far more boring than ANYTHING I had read.

For Illuminati stuff, I can say this thread has been pretty fascinating:

www.abovetopsecret.com...

Most importantly, if somebody is trying to sell you information (DVD, Book, etc.) then they should be suspect.

Finally, I would say pick one topic and follow the thread until the end. If you start branching off into all the interconnectedness it will make you absolutely crazy.

The ancient mystical religions are a good place to start, though, because that seems to be a common thread among most of these societies.

Good Luck!

[edit on 8/26/08 by emsed1]

You´ll find out more by joining a secret society than reading about them.

End of Transmission

reply to post by Skyfloating

What kind of secret society would want a 19 year old college student studying political science? They'd probably think that I'm some kind of mole or something. I have been thinking about joining a secret society... but honestly... which secret societies would accept me?

If your interested in secret societies you should

A: form your own... technically I have one, my staff, a big chubby guy who drinks too much soda, a little punk rock girl with alot of piercings and a Mormon kid who wnet Jack and like flash a whole lot... that and a few people on the net who help me out..

But i'm the LEADER damnit Muhahahahahahha and we will plot to take over the world via video games and websites again today pinky!

B: Stay the heck away from freaks they are dangerous

reply to post by Frankidealist35


Look, there's something you should understand.

You're looking for truth. That's good. But realize that there's dangers in any search for truth. I'm not trying to be ominous here.

I've seen this before -- people talk about opening up 'rabbit holes', and not knowing what to believe; becoming 'paranoid'. But it's different than actually mental-illness paranoia.

The thing is, if you're going to start speculating, investigating, and 'embracing' believes, eg, that so-and-so group is doing such-and-such, you're going to have to enter into the mindset of believing that, then analyzing it for consistency, embracing/discarding beliefs, over and over, iteratively.

Here's a danger, though. You're starting with a certain set of 'truths', that you currently hold. You want more 'truth'. But, you may very well come to a point where you realize that the sense of 'certainty' you're looking for is impossible -- not only do you not have 'truths' of the level you hoped, but what you previously had, and valued, has been diluted by the process. Not really diluted, but not as reliable as you could have predicted.

The phrase I've heard to describe this is: be careful what doors you open; there are some doors that you might never be able to close.

That's what you should know, 'before you start'. Good luck.

A good starting point is reading. Experience is great, but it's good to know some of the background. Reading material from well recognized sources on the subject's is always a good start. Getting a introduction into philosophy wouldn't hurt either.

Originally posted by Frankidealist35
reply to post by Skyfloating

 

What kind of secret society would want a 19 year old college student studying political science? They'd probably think that I'm some kind of mole or something. I have been thinking about joining a secret society... but honestly... which secret societies would accept me?

If you are a male and believe in God the masons will take you. :-)

I live in a university town and we have a lot of students join and then when they graduate they transfer their membership to wherever they go to live.

reply to post by Ian McLean


These are great points. If you can separate your beliefs from your research and stay objective you should do okay.

A lot of people who go down this road, though, find that there are roadblocks and closed doors (no pun intended), and that the only way to break through is to join up and dig deeper.

I think this is why a lot of anti-s get frustrated and annoyed with secret societies. They want to find out everything, but in order to uncover the truth they discover that they may have to sacrifice some of their beliefs or values.

An example - Let's say you are researching Christianity. There is certainly a wealth of information about the historical and sociological aspects. But to truly get to the source of Christian faith there aren't really any words that can describe it. To really understand Christianity in its full context you might have to commit and undergo a transformative experience. But, by doing that you necessarily compromise your objectivity.

Schrodinger's Cat is alive and well in the esoteric world! (pun intended)

But this really gets to the crux of secret societies. At the heart of most of them the secrets they hold are not handshakes, passwords and good-old-boy networking, rather the secret is the experience itself.

This is why many 'secrets' can't be told. They literally 'can not' be described because the secret is the experience itself.

reply to post by emsed1

Okay... but I'm not Christian but I still believe in God (I'm spiritual hence my belief in God). Would the masons still accept me?

Originally posted by Frankidealist35
reply to post by emsed1

 

Okay... but I'm not Christian but I still believe in God (I'm spiritual hence my belief in God). Would the masons still accept me?

Yes. A lot of the Founding Fathers who were Freemasons were Deist; about 20% of my lodge is Jewish; there are a handful of Muslims in my lodge as well, not to mention all the various pagan or independent partitioner types.