The diversity of secret societies

A review of "The Element Encyclopedia of Secret Societies" 

This is an interesting and sometimes entertaining “encyclopedia” dealing with secret societies and their (sometimes) peculiar worldviews. It's written from a somewhat unusual perspective. The author, John Michael Greer (known as JMG by his fans) is an initiated member of at least a dozen secret societies (including the good ol' Freemasons), yet takes a mostly skeptical look at their rituals, “Egyptians origins” or supposed world wide influence. Some may say he's hiding something. Our suspicions might deepen when we realize that JMG is the head of at least two secret orders himself, both of them claiming to be Druids! A more sober speculation is that, perhaps, Greer is so skeptical to many claims made by and of secret societies *precisely because* he is a member of several such.

The general impression I got from reading this book (which has a strong Western and even U.S. slant) is that secret societies are incredibly diverse. Some of them really have been in involved in political conspiracies, such as the (original) Bavarian Illuminati, the Italian Carbonari or the French Philadelphes. In the United States, fraternal orders of various kinds played an important role for all classes and ethnic groups before the New Deal and Great Society, since they were the main social safety network before the “welfare state”. Apart from paying for the sick or elderly, they also provided community-feeling, job opportunities and protection. In other books, Greer has expressed the opinion that fraternal orders of this type will once again become important as the “welfare state”, and even modernity itself, crumbles in the near future due to peak oil, climate change and/or intractable economic depression (the author is a “pessimist”).

If you find this incredibly boring, don't worry, Greer has also included various sect-like or cult-like groups in his encyclopedia, and spends considerable time dissecting their “rejected knowledge” claims. This is the entertaining part of the volume. Brace yourself for entries on Atlantis, Lemuria, Wicca, Rosicrucians (all 57 varieties), UFOs, man-eating reptiles from outer space and other subjects the uninitiated Amazon reviewer isn't supposed to write about. While Grand Archdruid Greer is skeptical of most “alternative” claims (even pointing out that modern Druidry has, of course, zero connection to the ancient Celtic Druid), he does have a soft spot for pre-Columbian non-Viking contacts with the New World and with the claim that Shakespeare didn't write the plays attributed to him…

Those seriously interested in fraternal lodges, especially of the more occult variety, might also want to read JMG's how-to guide on how to start your very own secret order, “Inside a Magical Lodge”.

Yes, I've written a dozen alternative reviews of this book. Perhaps I'm an initiated member of a burlesque order known as Obsessive Reviewers Lodge, Temple No 666?