The skeptical Druid

This is a book I constantly return to, both for information and for sheer entertainment. “The Element Encyclopedia of Secret Societies” contains entries on both secret societies and their frequently peculiar beliefs. Not to mention the even more peculiar beliefs *about* secret societies!

The author, John Michael Greer, is both a Freemason and a Neo-Druid. Despite this, he has a very skeptical attitude to the lore surrounding secret societies. Thus, he rejects most forms of “rejected knowledge”, including the often implausible legends of how various Masonic or quasi-Masonic fraternities were originally formed. His attack on “The Da Vinci Code” is particularly thorough and deadly. Nor does he believe that mystery cults come from Egypt, and he even wonders aloud whether the Old Testament really contains true history. It therefore comes as something of a surprise (at least if you haven't read the author's other works) that Greer believes in Atlantis, quoting Mary Settegast and Charles Hapgood as his authorities. He also embraces the Anti-Stratfordian position on Shakespeare's authorship.

Be careful… ;-)

That being said, the encyclopedia is a good introduction to a wide variety of subjects. The secret groups covered include Masonic and Masonic-inspired bodies, political conspiracies, religious cults and pagan revivalists. The emphasis is on the Western world, but a few African and Asian groups have been included, too. As background information, the author has included entries on various esoteric traditions, occult teachers, conspiracy theories and rejected knowledge claims. On p. 498, I discovered a factual error: Adyar in India is close to Madras, not Bombay…

Five stars, as usual. (Yes, I have reviewed this product before!)