Part I
	
	Mythology and Related Mysteries
	
	 
	
	 
	
	1 - What Is a Secret Society?
	
	In this book we will concentrate mostly on the origin of 
	
	secret societies and 
	what lies behind the beliefs and rituals of many of the world’s religions.
	
	 
	
	In the beginning, this will lead us through seemingly unrelated material, 
	such as electromagnetism and cyclic phenomena, but all will become apparent 
	as we discover that this natural world relates entirely to our belief 
	systems. These belief systems are similar the world over and are the basis 
	of the esoteric side of secret societies.
	
	However, we need to understand the language of secret societies and exactly 
	what a secret society is. This is a hotly debated subject and is open to 
	various interpretations, as we shall discover.
	
	There are tales of secret societies throughout history. The first question 
	we have to ask is why they had to remain secret. According to popular 
	belief, it is because those meeting in secret were “men of renown” or 
	“standing” and were plotting to change civilization -  whether this be through 
	destroying the Church or the royalty or through defending the same.
	
	According to this popular belief, one of the original secret societies was 
	called the 
	Brotherhood of the Snake (or “dragon” or “serpent”). Although no 
	real historical records of an ancient Brotherhood of the Snake, first 
	mentioned by Madame Blavatsky, is in existence, it is a fact that the 
	rituals and beliefs of this supposed secret organization are similar to many 
	that do exist and are strangely related to the serpent. 
	
	 
	
	This is no surprise 
	to me, of course, as one of the so-called experts of ophiolatraea (serpent 
	worship). In Secrets of the Serpent I discovered that there had been an 
	ancient and worldwide serpent religion. Merged with solar, lunar, and cosmic 
	belief systems, this ancient faith did, indeed, take on a worldwide aspect, 
	utilizing the serpent on many levels. 
	
	 
	
	Eventually, these beliefs crept in to 
	secret cults and societies and became hidden.
	
	Almost in every instance these secret societies are playing a religious 
	role - contacting god or the gods in ways that the state religion cannot or 
	will not.
	
	This, in itself, gives us a good insight. It is a stark fact that religion 
	or beliefs are excellent ways of drawing in members and utilizing a 
	heightened state in the individual for their own ends -  whatever they may be. 
	As with most religions, the members of secret societies are chosen ones, 
	members of the few. A clear example of this is the way that Christians 
	say - without knowing the real meaning of these phrases - that the way is 
	narrow, or that it is easier to pass through the eye of a needle than to 
	enter the kingdom of God. 
	
	 
	
	This, in turn, makes the initiate feel more 
	important when accepted - even though precious few are turned down at the 
	initiate stage. This chosen way is universal, and not just the remit of 
	secret societies or religion. It is also found in normal everyday clubs and 
	organizations where you still have to pass tests that are blatantly measured 
	to allow everybody to enter, but at different levels. 
	
	 
	
	The idea of there 
	being different levels then moves the process on and ensures that the new 
	initiate strives to become an adherent or full member by learning the ways 
	of the club or society - and thus the initiate becomes fully engulfed in the 
	world of the society.
	
	Secret societies take this membership a step further by including certain 
	devices within the “knowledge bank” that the initiate must learn. These 
	devices include secret handshakes and words, special days of the year known 
	only to the few, and insights into standard texts. All this, and more, makes 
	the initiate feel ever more important. In all instances, the ultimate 
	enlightenment experience seems to be kept back for the very highest levels 
	of initiation - lower levels of illumination are permitted and used for the 
	lower degrees.
	
	There is also a build-up of comradeship through regular meetings. 
	
	 
	
	This 
	allows the member to feel part of a wider family and thus more important. 
	Speak to any serving military personnel and you will find that one of the 
	major factors in the success of their unit is credited to camaraderie. This 
	leads the member down a path into the secret society of such emotional depth 
	that to leave would feel like losing a member of the family. The comfort 
	zone the initiate finds himself in is such that he does not wish to leave.
	
	The initiation of any institute is the most important part. Generally, it 
	involves a ritual built around a seemingly impossible-to-understand myth. 
	
	
	 
	
	There are levels to the initiation, just as there are in any religion. It 
	actually starts earlier than most people would understand, with just being 
	chosen or selected to join. This selection process appears to have a plan, 
	and the fact that the word “chosen” is used implies that not all can enter. 
	In fact, from studies of societies, the process is almost random, the true 
	selection coming much later. 
	
	 
	
	Those not selected for the higher levels are 
	still members and do the bidding of higher members without actually knowing 
	it, and without knowing that they are often on a lower level.
	
	During the initial stages of any initiation, the new member is cleaned, or 
	cleared, of any thinking that would not benefit the society or religion. 
	This can be seen in the world in general with the military, learning 
	especially from this psychological battle of wills. 
	
	 
	
	By breaking down the 
	spirit of the recruit, the army is clearing him or her of any preconceived 
	ideas and allowing the full mind-bending techniques to appear unsullied in 
	the mind of the new soldier.
	
	The same is true of secret societies as the new recruits are told to leave 
	the world behind, including family and friends, who are called distractions 
	or are of the world or devil. The initiates are then given as a replacement 
	the new family of the church or society - who, at this stage of the process, 
	are always forthcoming with help and love to such an extent that the recruit 
	is overwhelmed with joy. This remains in the new recruit’s mind, deeply 
	entrenched due to the cleaning process previously carried out.
	
	This process inspires loyalty and a desire for more. The church and society 
	alike supply the demand with mystical insights that can only be supplied to 
	those who pass tests. These tests are created to deepen the bonds of the 
	initiate further. With each new learning process the adherent feels more and 
	more special and is, indeed, given special status.
	
	There are tests put in place to determine whether the initiate has the 
	ability to move further. The deeper aspects of these organizations are as 
	ever more and more secret, and at the highest level they have to be, as this 
	is where the true secret or purpose of the society or religion lies.
	
	The Knights Templar tested the initiate with spitting on the cross. The 
	reason is simple and has nothing to do with the irreverence spoken of by the 
	Church. 
	
	 
	
	On one level, if the initiate fails to spit upon the cross as 
	requested, he is rewarded for his true faith with membership, and believes 
	he has made it. On the other level, if he does spit upon the cross, then he 
	has shown true discipline and will be led by the masters’ authority wherever 
	that may take him - this initiate will move further up the scale that is 
	hidden to the first who failed to follow the command.
	
		
		As soon as the proselyte arrived at the ninth degree he was ripe to serve as 
	blind instrument to all passions, and above all to a limitless ambition for 
	domination… We thus see those who should have been protectors of humanity 
	abandoned to an insatiable ambition, buried under the ruins of thrones and 
	altars in the midst of the horrors of anarchy, after having brought 
	misfortune upon nations, and deserving the curse of mankind. 
		
		(Von Hammer 
	quoted in The Trail of the Serpent)
	
	
	The effects of the ways of the society are seen to the outside world as 
	strange and unusual. 
	
	 
	
	However, these can eventually become the norm and 
	accepted by the general population. Take for instance Christianity: In the 
	early years of its existence, it was classed as a cult or secret 
	organization due to having to remain underground. 
	
	 
	
	The reason being that the 
	state religion believed itself far removed from the Christian cult’s creeds, 
	when in reality they were the same solar beliefs. Roman philosophies were 
	then what we now class as Pagan, but were followed by the majority. 
	
	 
	
	Even 
	Pagans had been underground at one point in their existence. Eventually this 
	underground stream of Christianity grew and grew, with members in positions 
	of “state authority” joining. This, in turn, made it more and more 
	acceptable. Yes, there was a lot of “state” hatred for this cult on the 
	surface because of its secret ways and its threat to the state religions. 
	
	
	 
	
	Christianity had secret signs, secret handshakes, special myths, and 
	rituals, just as any secret organization. And this is the nub of the “secret 
	society” question - it has to remain secret because of the state that makes it 
	a secret society. 
	
	 
	
	Eventually, Christianity ruled the majority of the globe 
	and was then fighting against other underground streams, which retained the 
	mysteries of ancient myth, as we shall discover.
	
	Amazingly, exactly the same can be said of Islam, Judaism, Buddhism, and 
	even communism - all of which began as secret and clandestine organizations 
	seemingly against the state. Just like the secret society of the Nazis in 
	the 1930s, all these now standard organizations or religions began within 
	secrecy and ended up taking power - a goal mocked by anti-conspiracy theorists 
	across the globe. 
	
	 
	
	The fact remains that history has shown, in every 
	generation, that secret societies have gained power and become church and 
	state - as was their goal.
	Today we have secret societies across the world in each country - all with 
	their own goal and all being watched, as ever, by the state. 
	
	 
	
	The Arabs and 
	some Christians believe that the Jews are in charge of worldwide 
	conspiracies to take over the world. 
	 
	
	
	
	Mary the Mother of God or copy of Isis
	 
	
	The Druze 
	and Yezidis in Syria and elsewhere are seen as threats to the norm. 
	
	 
	
	The 
	fabled Illuminati are seen as a hidden league of gentlemen by many and are 
	believed to be at the heart of Christian American power. The Christian 
	community believes that global terrorism is funded and carried out by 
	worldwide networks of Islamic secret organizations.
	
	What history has shown is that eventually these underground streams do alter 
	the power balance of the world. Just look at September 11 and the disgusting 
	attacks on America - they were carried out by clandestine organizations and 
	did indeed alter the world. Another example was the revolt in America 
	against the British Empire, which was backed, led, and inspired by the 
	secret society of the Freemasons. 
	
	 
	
	In Russia and France, the revolutions were 
	similarly created by secret organizations.
	
	
	This does not mean that every attempt by every secret society will work, and 
	history is littered with hundreds of such failed attempts. Others have 
	managed to claim power only fleetingly.
	
	Another interesting point to note, and something that relates to our 
	understanding of secret societies, is that many of the greatest minds the 
	world has ever come to know were members of secret organizations. 
	
	 
	
	Plato was 
	an initiate into the mysteries of Eleusis and he even tells us in his 
	writings how he was initiated. He claimed that he was placed in a pyramid 
	for three days where he died symbolically, was reborn, and was then given 
	the secrets of the mysteries. 
	
	 
	
	There is no wonder that the Great Pyramid was 
	claimed to be part and parcel of the mysteries - the names given to it - Ikhet 
	and khuti - meant “glorious light” or “shining.”
	
	So what is a secret society? 
	
	 
	
	It is simply a group of individuals, basing 
	their origin in the mists of time or in the celestial and solar dance of the 
	cyclic universe, who come together to affect change. Sometimes they are 
	successful, sometimes they are not, but in most cases, they affect some kind 
	of change in society at large. They are, on the whole, spiritually based, 
	and there is a major thread running through those who have been successful, 
	and that thread is illumination, which gave rise to the name “The Shining 
	Ones.”
	
	In 1863 Le Couteulx de Canteleu writing in Les Sectes et Societes
	
	Secretes said:
	
		
		All secret societies have almost analogous
		
initiations, from the Egyptian to the Illuminati, and
most of them form a chain and give rise to others.
	
	
	
	
	A Secret Language
	History is a lie. 
	
	 
	
	History is, as Justice Holmes said, 
	
		
		“what the people who 
	won say it is.” 
	
	
	It has been warped over vast periods of time to fit with 
	each generation’s idea of what is fact and what is truth. Without the 
	existence of the secret societies, our history would have been totally 
	different.
	
	The history of mankind is like a vast jigsaw puzzle. 
	
	 
	
	Only when all the 
	pieces are laid down in the correct order can we see the bigger picture. The 
	result is quite startling. We will see a grand and enlightening picture of 
	how mysteries of the ancient and not so-ancient world can now be solved, from 
	megalithic standing stones, the Holy Grail, and alchemy, to the truth behind 
	religion and our present political systems. 
	
	 
	
	The story of secret societies 
	hides the real history of mankind.
	
	In much the same way that modern day genetic research is showing how 
	recently interlinked we are as a human race, the research and subsequent 
	conclusions set out in this book will show how our own political and 
	religious belief systems are from the same source. 1 There is, after all, 
	nothing new under the sun. New religious systems are just renewed elder 
	religions with different names and different settings - the underlying beliefs 
	are the same.
	
	We can learn from this history and understand the cyclical patterns of human 
	behavior, which will help us to predict the future more easily - or so we are 
	told. We will look at the existence of life and consciousness; trace where 
	it came from and where it is going. 
	
	 
	
	We will move over millennia of mysteries 
	to reason an actual history based upon fact and evidence. We will see 
	whether there actually is a worldwide conspiracy, and, if so, where it is 
	leading us. We shall establish motives, seek out new data, view existing 
	documents in a new light to gain an overview of vast periods of time and 
	civilizations, and finally come to grips with the mysteries of faith.
	
	One of the most disturbing aspects of secret societies comes from the clear 
	understanding that we have been lied to for centuries by one historian after 
	another. Yet we must not lose sight of the fact that these professionals are 
	responsible for piecing together huge amounts of information and giving 
	supposedly factual accounts based on their own belief systems, which are 
	influenced by the time and location in which they lived or are living. 
	
	
	 
	
	Without the hard work of these historians, a book such as this would have 
	been impossible to write, even though its conclusions are in stark contrast 
	to the accepted view. We must remember: many of the history books we read 
	today were written, or at the very least researched, during a Victorian age 
	of high Christianity - a time when every theory and fact was bent towards a 
	Christian viewpoint. 
	
	 
	
	For instance, when it was discovered that there were 
	ancient crucified gods that predated Christ, these were hushed, destroyed, 
	or even purported to be the God-given knowledge of the future crucifixion of 
	Christ. This is, of course, utter rubbish, coming from a religion that 
	itself was a creation of ancient cults - as we shall see.
	
	We must also understand that many historians, artists, builders, 
	politicians, religionists, and laypeople wanted to pass the truth on but 
	could not. So they devised ciphers, codes, and symbolism for their own kind 
	and future generations to decipher. The beauty of many of these symbols was 
	that most were already known and already held orthodox significances and, 
	therefore, the hidden meaning could easily be cloaked in mainstream 
	religiosity.
	
	Symbols are hidden all around us like a trail of clues leading toward 
	treasure. We come into contact with them everywhere we go - from the symbolic 
	architecture and stained-glass windows of medieval churches, to, for 
	example, the logo on a company van. My own company logo was symbolic of 
	Phase Transition, the changing of one substance into another. For a 
	marketing company, this was ideal. 
	
	 
	
	Only people who knew about such things 
	would be able to see this, however. 
	
	 
	
	Others would just see an arrow with a 
	wavy line. I had hidden a symbolic device within an otherwise 
	ordinary-looking company logo.
	
	Mankind has used this subtle language for thousands of years. Through each 
	generation, this alternative form of communication has developed and grown 
	increasingly complex, making it more difficult to decipher. The only way to 
	discover the secrets of symbolism is to break down each and every painting, 
	building, or text into every possible meaning, and consider both the people 
	who created these artifacts and the time in which they lived. 
	
	 
	
	These finds 
	must then be weighed against known historical data, such as archaeological 
	information.
	
	One of the greatest works of symbolism on every level is 
	the Bible. To the 
	scholar who knows the alternative meanings of some of the apocalyptic texts 
	it has been obvious, for a long time, that there is truth hidden away. To 
	many more the underlying principle of the whole book is astrotheological - Jesus 
	as the sun, Mary the moon, and all 12 apostles are therefore members of the 
	Zodiac. 
	
	 
	
	But there are so many hidden layers that show that any number of 
	meanings are possible, and we must remember that lies are also hidden in 
	code. Of course, to add to this, there are hundreds of texts and so-called 
	Gospels, written at the same time as the Bible, that simply never passed the 
	test of the early Christian propagandists and were discarded from liturgy. 
	
	
	 
	
	These are equally valid now to the history of man, or we shall again be 
	susceptible to the manipulation of those who chose the contents of the Bible 
	in the first place.
	
	We must also be careful not to read too much into texts, as we could be in 
	danger of perceiving them in the light of our own modern society. There have 
	been many recent examples of books in which ancient structures and texts are 
	being taken as evidence of “extraterrestrial visitations.” 
	
	 
	
	Regardless of any 
	other more Earthly interpretation and a huge lack of understanding of the 
	religious and cultural traditions of the time, this evidence is abused for a 
	predetermined idea or theory.
	
	Another example of this is how modern-day evangelists use the Biblical book 
	of Revelation as “proof” of the Lord’s imminent return. They point to hidden 
	meanings regarding nuclear war and Middle Eastern dictators as if they have 
	had some kind of divine revelation themselves. The truth is, as any 
	historian will tell you, that every generation since the writing of 
	Revelation has claimed the end was very close. That is partly the point of 
	the solar cyclical Gospel, misinterpreted completely, as usual. 
	
	 
	
	All of these 
	false interpretations make it more difficult to break the code down into 
	facts.
	
	We shall begin by taking a look at our origins. The origin of life has 
	always been a fundamental part of religion. The age of enlightenment, of 
	Darwin and his contemporaries, drastically altered the religious outlook of 
	the world. If we look at the truth behind the origin of mankind, we will see 
	that Darwin was only “discovering” what was already known - that this age of 
	enlightenment was planned, and that it had to happen for the required 
	changes to occur. 
	
	 
	
	We will see how ancient man and his religious beliefs were 
	perfectly parallel to our current scientific beliefs - the difference being 
	only in the terms used. 
	
	 
	
	Take the following pattern, which has been 
	simplified but is common to the majority of the world’s religions:
	
		
			- 
			
			Only the God exists. He is supreme and is alone. 
- 
			
			The heavens and earth are formless. Everything is darkness and/or covered 
	by primeval waters. 
- 
			
			Then there is light. 
- 
			
			Heaven and earth are split apart. 
- 
			
			The land is separated from the waters. Day and night are created with the 
	new sun. 
- 
			
			The land brings forth vegetation and eventually creatures. 
- 
			
			Birds and animals are created. 
- 
			
			Man appears. 2 
	
	As you will note, this pattern is also common to the current theories 
	regarding the origin of species without the acceptance of the existence of 
	God.
	
	 
	
	It is completely in line with the so-called big bang theory and yet 
	seems to have emerged thousands of years ago. These patterns were especially 
	notable in 
	ancient Egypt, one of the mysterious forerunners of the world’s 
	faiths.
	
	Previously, religion was responsible for informing us of our origins. Now 
	scientists tell us to look for facts about our origins rather than 
	philosophize about them, while at the same time they create new theories, 
	which are sometimes prejudiced and do not take into account all of our 
	knowledge.
	
	New facts come to light with every passing day. New ideas regarding 
	mathematical equations of the laws of physics are proving some theories to 
	be fact. We need to understand these facts and theories and must not be 
	afraid to alter our own personal viewpoint once these new facts emerge. Our 
	own personal truths must change or we risk becoming stale, inert religious 
	fanatics. 
	
	 
	
	It is unfortunate that religious fervor in all disciplines 
	(including science) can stop us from seeing these marvelous breakthroughs, 
	and prevents us from moving on and even evolving.
	
	So many facts are hidden from us because of generations of prejudice and 
	intolerance that some of them will be startling. No one will remain 
	unaffected by the evidence presented here. Everyone who reads this book will 
	have his or her own belief system or personal prejudice challenged and will 
	not want to accept everything as fact. 
	
	 
	
	Much of the evidence here can be 
	taken in a number of ways, and, where this is known, each alternative 
	viewpoint has been given. Where other views are required, these have been 
	sought from original sources. I include in this all religious factions, 
	whether classed as cult, occult, or mainstream.
	
	In our search for the truth, we will examine everything that could possibly 
	fit into one book. We will start from Adam and Eve and move through to 
	modern science. We will then go on to see how our belief systems began and 
	where some of the more paranormal explanations originated. 
	
	 
	
	There will be 
	factual evidence of how our belief systems have been used, abused, and 
	manipulated by a secret and deadly group of individuals who have a history 
	going back thousands of years. 
	 
	
	
	
	The glory of religion - gold
	 
	
	They had a name, they had a power base, and they had a 
	secret, locked away within their initiated few, which had major implications 
	for the future of mankind. We will discover the secret and reveal it.
	
	There are thousands of best-selling books out there, which support mysteries 
	that simply do not exist. This book will dispel those mysteries and put us 
	back on the straight path. Why, in this supposedly enlightened age, do we 
	still believe and feed off the controlling lies of those in positions of 
	authority? The answer is simple. 
	
	 
	
	Knowledge is power - therefore if you keep 
	the knowledge for yourself, you keep the power.
	
	When we come to leave old religions behind we are simply given a new one, 
	more relevant to our age and to the political aims of the power brokers. 
	
		
			- 
			
			Do 
	we need the opium of religion or can we survive without it?  
- 
			
			Do we need the 
	repackaged “New Age” religions, or the pseudo-scientific cults that 
			look 
	towards UFOs for the meaning of life?  
	
	This book will show how even the new 
	belief systems are based upon the same old lies and the secret knowledge 
	that we are supposedly “too simple” to understand.
	
	The Shining Ones, under different names, have manipulated us over the 
	centuries by many means, including psychology. Utilizing the story of our 
	origins, they played on our desire to know who we are and where we came 
	from, and controlled our belief systems from the start. They also understood 
	some of the very basic and fundamental ways in which our brains work and are 
	influenced. 
	
	 
	
	They discovered that we were influenced not only by people, but 
	also by the world around us in more ways than we today can even comprehend.
	
	If you are ready for the truth, if you can honestly say you have an open 
	mind and are prepared to let go of misconceptions, then read on. 
	
	 
	
	Forget the 
	false interpretations of myth and religion you have heard so many times, and 
	know them for what they really
	are: 
	
		
		the secret language of the 
		
		Shining Ones.
	
	
	
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