Whispers of a Brotherhood
The true history of secret societies in modern occulture
The question of secret societies is probably the most contentious in the occult.
As I write these words, we occupy an age of suspicion. The notion that a group called the Illuminati or some other secret organization is manipulating and depriving us of power is common fare on podcasts, late-night radio, YouTube videos, below-the-radar bestsellers, and so on. In fact, one hears the term Illuminati so frequently that the very familiarity of its repetition serves as a point of validation.
Once on a streaming television show, I made laudatory remarks about the Illuminati as a historical group — and a veritable defender of principles and values that many people now embrace, such as separation of church and state, freedom of search, belief in individual potential, and perpetuation of initiatory religious experience. I received a swath of hate email. Of all the topics I’ve probed, from parapsychology to Satanism, I’ve never gotten such voluminous blowback.
The advocate of any point of contention, by nature, always perceives him or herself as part of the “Light realm,” as Gnostic teachings put it. My correspondents certainly did.
Although it is important to note current mood, my aim is not to dwell on social or…
