# of MALE secret societies VS. # of FEMALE secret societies

reply to post by Xoanon


At least Starhawk is more civilized than her predecessors;

Druidism;
www.themystica.com...

Caesar emphatically states it, "Doctrinally...the most important Druid belief was that after death the soul passes from one to another -- hence the Celts' bravery in battle."

. . .

Much attention has been drawn to the Druid human sacrificial ceremonies that usually conducted on the festive days. "Pliny recorded that the slaying of a human being was considered a highly religious acts among the Britons, and the eating of the flesh regarded as a 'wholesome remedy.'" Also "the Roman historian Diodorus Siculus states the Irish ate their enemies, and the Greek historian and traveler Pausaniaus tells how the Gallatin Celts ate the flesh and drank the blood of children." The Irish Celts also are said to have washed their faces in the blood of the slain, and imbibed in it. They drank the blood of dead relatives, a custom that existed until the 16th century. In the Western Isles the blood brotherhood survived until recent times. All of these cultural traditions seem to indicate a Druidic influence.

Why was such influence so strong and prevalent, it might be asked? Caesar gave two reasons: Druids were omitted from military service and did not have to pay taxes. These appear to be mundane reasons when Caesar also noted some Druids studied as long as twenty years. The Druids, as it had been noted, seemed to possess gifts for learning and art. Their concern for moral philosophy made them skillful judges in rendering rewards and punishments. Their priestly duties also enhanced their judgments, as they knew how to conduct the proper ceremonies to the gods.

There were also female Druids because women were important in the Celtic culture.

More;
www.digitalmedievalist.com...

Originally posted by insightout

Originally posted by Fermcudgi

To be honest though, I have 4 younger sisters, and I can tell you with certainty, save for a few select females or very good friends, women hate other women *.. I don't know if they could be successful in a major secret society with the emotions they can experience. - just my two cents.

*bolded for emphasis


But can you really tell me with absolute certainty that women hate other women? That's a sweeping generalization and a stereotype that has never been founded to be representative of all womankind.

You could also argue the point that because of societal gender norms, many men have been discouraged from publicly showcasing their emotions (reinforcing the whole stereotype that "emotion is weakness" and "emasculating") while women are not. These can serve against both men and women, respectively, just as it could serve in their favor.
In a way, if there were/are female secret societies out there, they can make it work by tailoring the overall characteristics of the society to their needs and preferences.

And great first post. Welcome to ATS!

No, Not with absolute certainty. I was kinda joking about women there for a second, because anything can come out in a argument between 2 women easily if you've ever watched one lol..

Being perfectly honest though, I think that of course both some men and women, especially with any kind of power, or authoritative position, are perfectly capable of not only keeping a secret, but blocking it out so effectively, that it's not something you would even think about normally.

Haha Are you suggesting Walt Disney's wife? You might be on to something there lol

Thank you! I've been lurking for years, but never felt the urge to get caught u in some of the arguments here, it's very counter productive but I've finally decided to get involved in some of the conversation because a lot of my opinions are shared in part, by a few people here!

Originally posted by insightout

Good topic, thanks for broadening the church.

I think the authoritarian male power structure in most societies would crack down quite heavily on any all-female secret society which managed to accrue real power, wealth or independent knowledge. Probably because they realise there is a chance they'd use their movement to reduce conflict, distribute the power structure and generally start looking after people better. They'd know that social conflict would be more likely to be dealt with using discussion and compromise. This mixture of pro-social behaviour and power would hinder the ability of control-driven sociopathic men to continue their endless cycle of manufactured wars, fake economies and oppressive religion.

reply to post by insightout


well the Aboriginal Women of Australia have a real secret society

Secret women's business is real...

reply to post by insightout
There are branches of Continental Freemasonry that are exclusively women and there are also exclusively male orders although most are mixed gender. The Order of Women Freemasons and the Grand Lodge Feminine of Belgium come to mind, the GLFdB has active Lodges in the USA as do a number of mixed Orders; American Federation Human Rights, Le Droit Humain, George Washington Union, and International Masonic Order DELPHI just to name a few.

There are women among the Rosicrucians...

Originally posted by otherpotato

Originally posted by minettejo
When you are delivering a baby with your legs spread wide and half a dozen people watching there really isn't much left for a woman to keep secret.

What an ignorant comment. How do you think babies were born for most of human history? In the company of women. And ONLY women. Doesn't get much more secret than that.

I love how all the man-trolls come out in threads like this. God forbid you go five minutes without creating a visual of a woman spreading her legs. Jealous much?

Dude, I am a woman. I was implying that women have no need for secret societies because we have no need for secrets, the most intimate parts of our lives are already exposed. Gosh I can almost hear the wind as this post flew over.

Originally posted by minettejo

Originally posted by otherpotato

Originally posted by minettejo
When you are delivering a baby with your legs spread wide and half a dozen people watching there really isn't much left for a woman to keep secret.

What an ignorant comment. How do you think babies were born for most of human history? In the company of women. And ONLY women. Doesn't get much more secret than that.

I love how all the man-trolls come out in threads like this. God forbid you go five minutes without creating a visual of a woman spreading her legs. Jealous much?

Dude, I am a woman. I was implying that women have no need for secret societies because we have no need for secrets, the most intimate parts of our lives are already exposed. Gosh I can almost hear the wind as this post flew over.

I don't think I'm the only one who didn't get it. Thank you for clarifying however. I can see what you meant in hindsight, but you have to admit, it was an honest (mis)interpretation of what you wrote. You come off as "women can't keep a secret", no?

I always suspected it was because of women we came up with the idea of secret societies and secret handshakes in the first place.....

In ancient greece a woman couldn't leave her home without a male family member accompanying her; just like in parts of the middle east. It would have been secret enough that they were outside their homes; much less conspiring to do anything. However their is plenty of evidence to suggest women at the top of hierarchies; even if they weren't at the base; just look at the numerous goddesses cults of the ancient world and orders of priestesses decimated to male gods like with Orpheus. Even in the middle east women can be seen in power when they allegedly don't have any, be it the sultanate of women in the ottoman empire or Muhammad's favorite wife Aisha who is perhaps more responsible for the split in Islam than any other male or female. Isn't a harem a secret society that men can't join? The women just seem to be so important that they get edited out of history; which is why it's HIS story. The Davinchi codes really more about Mary Magdeline than it is about Jesus. I would consider a priesthood to be a secret society, as they were once the only people who knew how to read. In many cultures shamans are predominately women; the male shamans will even dress like women to gain some of their power.

reply to post by insightout


I know of two secret gatherings of women , and am active in one of those. Both are invitation only, neither is public, advertised, or do they use any type of recruitment Money is never exchanged or used to build useless temples, or support useless ritual. That will be all of the secrets I let loose with on truly secret societies.

I always chuckle a bit at all the mason brew ha ha in the world these days. Boys wanting and needing what women have, stuff that they can only hope to control.

i think theres alot more going on that just the groups everyone talks about im sure there is more female groups than people relize it's just they dont take the spot light as much

I always notice broad generalizations in regard to gender and stereotypes. I would encourage anyone who is in the pursuit of knowledge to understand that many of our mannerisms as adults is a result of subtle programming throughout our lives.

The reason why there are less secret societies for women is that women are generally raised to be less of thinkers and more of feelers. Think of all the women you know and how many are called names for being realistic instead of emotional. It is acceptable for a father to go off into the study to find truth and answers and disregard the children in the household in pursuit of it, if a woman does the same she is called unfeeling, cold, and a horrible person.

Societies, governments, and accepted family structures create the perfect environment for people(both men and women) to fall into preconceived rolls.

I accept government's abusive hand
I accept the spankings of my parents
I am a girl, I wear dresses
I am a girl if I don't wear makeup I am ugly
I am a girl and dad said girls aren't good at math

and so on.

To make up a secret society means that you have to be on the path to the realization you owe nothing to anyone else and your own illumination is the ultimate goal of your life.

# of MALE secret societies VS. # of FEMALE secret societies

Wonder if this could also be related to the number of Male prison societies VS Female prison societies?

Maybe it scales or something?