The Element Encyclopedia of Secret Societies
Journey through the mysterious labyrinth of the world’s secret history…
Discover 10,000 years of the shadowy side of history – secret societies from Freemasons to the Bavarian Illuminati, lost civilisations from the Mayans to the mystery of Atlantis, key figures from Leonardo da Vinci to Hitler – in this treasure trove of alternative history. Discover unsolved historical mysteries like the location of the Holy Grail and the fate of the Knights Templar, plus conspiracy theories, ancient wisdom, and forgotton sciences.
Behind the ordinary history of the world lies a second, lost civilizations, sinister conspiracies, and mysterious events. Alternative visions of history have been around for nearly fifty years and popular culture has rapidly fed into this growing obsession, from The X-Files to the phenomenon of Dan Brown’s novel, The Da Vinci Code. But how secret are these secret societies and what traces do the murky events of hidden history leave behind?
This book holds all the information you’ve been looking for to guide you through the shadows of this mysterious world. Here you’ll find the facts, arguments, important figures, and theories surrounding key questions being asked by many today: Do secret societies actually control the world, and if so, what do they plan to do with it? What were the real origins of Christianity, the Freemasons, or the French Revolution? What is the significance of King Arthur, Leonardo da Vinci, and Adolf Hitler to the world’s secret societies?
Like the quest for the Holy Grail of legend, the truth behind the shadowy side of history is easier to seek than to find. John Michael Greer is a unique guide: using a wealth of research, he also draws upon personal knowledge of secret societies and the occult underground world to guide you through the fascinating labyrinth of conspiracy theories, unsolved historical mysteries, lost arcane sciences, and secret organizations.
John Michael Greer has published numerous books about occult traditions and the unexplained. As well as researching the immense scholarly literature on occult traditions and secret societies, Greer is a practicing occultist, Grand Archdruid of the Ancient Order of Druids in America (AODA) and 32nd degree Freemason. His recent works include Monsters: an Investigator’s Guide to Magical Beings.
