There’s a big revival in witchcraft underway with the growth of social media communities like Witchtok and WitchesofInstagram, as well as festivals, markets, and specialist sections in bookstores. Surges of interest in witchcraft have happened over the last hundred years with the 1920s and 1970s being of particular interest. Let’s investigate why witches are back…
Opus Dei is a notorious secret society that wields considerable power and influence in the Roman Catholic church and wider society. So, what exactly is Opus Dei and does it pose any kind of threat? The founding of Opus Dei – the secret society Opus Dei was founded by Josemaría Escrivá de Balaguer y Albás…
At the end of the Second World War, a wave of terror and assassinations among Brazil’s 300,000-strong Japanese community was blamed on a secret society: the Black Dragon. The war had ended with two atomic bombs dropped by the Americans on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki forcing Japan to surrender. But the Black…
The Molly Maguires were a militant secret society that organised among Irish-American miners in Pennsylvania striking terror into the mine owners and ruling class. Some saw the Molly Maguires as freedom fighters while others condemned them as hooligans and thugs. So, who were these working class radicals operating in the shadows under such a bizarre…
What on earth are the Rosicrucians? This is a secret society that defies description – but maybe that’s what they want! Back in 1926, a bitter row between American Rosicrucians burst into the public glare when an open letter was sent to the newspapers airing their dirty laundry. This was a rare occurrence when the…
Is there an international conspiracy responsible for every revolutionary upheaval and political movement we have seen over the last three hundred years or more? Does this conspiracy strive for a one-world government and total domination? This is the goal attributed to an entity termed ‘The Illuminati’ – or enlightened ones. But just exactly what is…
A secret society at Yale University founded in 1832 fascinates many because of its association with top American politicians and rumours of bizarre rituals. The Skull and Bones – also called Order 322 and The Brotherhood of Death – is either a harmless student organisation or something far more sinister. The latter view was held…
