This book explores the foundations of modern secret societies, examining the history and known facts of three very different organisations: the Assassins of the Middle East, the Templars of Europe, and the Secret Tribunals of Westphalia. This was the first book to gather information on these secret orders and, although this is a reprint of an 1846 edition, it is still used widely as a reference book on the subject.

Originally published in 2003, The Light Inside is a ground-breaking study of an Afro-Cuban secret society, its sacred arts, and their role in modern Cuban cultural history. Enslaved Africans and creoles developed the Abakua Society, a system of men's fraternal lodges, in urban Cuba beginnings in 1836. Drawing on years of fieldwork in the country, the book's novel approach builds on close readings of dazzling Abakua altars, chalk-drawn signs, and hooded masquerades. It looks at the art history of Abakua altars, not only tracing changing styles but also how they evolve through cycles of tradition and renovation. The Light Inside reflects the essence of the artists' creativity and experience: through adornment, altars project the powerful spirituality of Abakua practice, an aesthetic strategy. The book also traces a biography of Abakua objects - their shifting forms and meanings - as they participated in successive periods of Cuban cultural history. The book constructs close rhetorical and visual analyses of changing representations of the Abakua, spanning nineteenth-century arts and letters, modern ethnographic texts, museum displays, paintings, and late twentieth century commercial kitsch. This interdisciplinary work combines art history, African Diaspora, cultural studies and cultural anthropology with Latin American.

This book was published for the Bicentennial Celebration of the Grand Lodge of Ancient Free and Accepted Masons of Delaware that was formed in 1806. It covers primarily events and activities for the last 50 years because in 1956 Brother Charles E. Green published a history of the first 150 years. However, there is information for the reader in this publication prior to 1956, e.g. Grand Master pictures and Blue Lodge information and building pictures. The reader will be interested in the various Grand Lodge changes over the last 50 years as well as activities that Delaware Masons have organized or participated within Delaware or surrounding states. A Mason, either within Delaware or elsewhere, will enjoy reading about topics of interest regarding the Grand Lodge of Delaware, the Blue Lodges and other events that have occurred in the last 50 years. A non-mason will discover much about Freemasonry.

Based on unprecedented access to the Order's internal documents, this book provides the first systematic social history of the Orange Order - the Protestant association dedicated to maintaining the British connection in Northern Ireland.
Kaufmann charts the Order's path from the peak of its influence, in the early 1960s, to its present-day crisis. Along the way, he sketches a portrait of many of Orangeism's leading figures, from ex-Prime Minister John Andrews to Ulster Unionist Party politicians like Martin Smyth, James Molyneaux, and David McNarry. Kaufmann also includes the highly revealing correspondence with adversaries such as Ian Paisley and David Trimble.
Packed with analyses of mass-membership trends and attitudes, the book also takes care to tell the story of the Order from 'below' as well as from above. In the process, it argues that the traditional Unionism of West Ulster is giving way to the more militant Unionism of Antrim and Belfast which is winning the hearts of the younger generation in cities and towns throughout the province.

It is difficult for some to imagine that a group of men meeting behind closed doors could be encouraging each other to live lives of greater religious, family, and civic service. Yet, this is what Freemasons have been doing since 1717, when the premier grand lodge was formed in London. Recent critics have fabricated lies to defame the fraternity. This book is the Mason's response to misinformation that exists.

Over the past thousand years, the bloodiest game of the king-of-the-hill has been for supremacy on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, the site of the ancient Temple of Solomon. This book recounts the stirring saga of the Knights Templar, the Christian warrior-monks who occupied the sacred Mount in the aftermath of the butchery of the First Crusade. Recruited to a life of poverty, chastity and obedience intended to lead only to martyrdom on the battlefield, they were totally dedicated to the pious paradox that the wholesale slaughter of non-believers would earn the eternal gratitude of the Prince of Peace. The Templars amassed great wealth, which they used to finance their two hundred years of war against Muslims on the desert, in the mountains, and up the broad sweep of the Nile valley. The Templars' reward for those two centuries of military martyrdom was to be arrested by pope and king, tortured by the Inquisition, and finally decreed out of existence. But their legend and legacy just would not die. In telling the incredible story of the Knights Templar, the author's clear explanation of the cultural and religious differences among the Templars' enemies and friends in the Middle East gives fresh understanding of the people who populate this restless region. Here are the Sunnies and the Shiites, the Kurds and Armenians, the Arabs and Turks, who figure so prominently in today's headlines. The similarity of their antagonisms today and those of eight hundred years ago are often so striking as to be eerie. Dungeon, Fire & Sword is a brilliant work of narrative history that can be read as an adventure story, a morality play, or a lesson in the politics of warfare.

In 2003, the publication of The Da Vinci Code propelled the enigmatic Priory of Sion to international fame as the guardians of a sacred bloodline. But Guy Patton has been investigating the group for more than two decades, and has reached the conclusion that the Priory operates within the milieu of occult politics, a shadowy world in which secret societies throughout the centuries have tried to influence the power of governments and the fate of nations; a world of symbols, archetypes, ritual and fantasy, where the separation of idealism, personal gain, egocentricity and criminality are often blurred. Patton's investigation reveals that the Priory is only part of a web of secretive groups and individuals many of which, in true Machiavellian style, have resorted to deception, fraud, blackmail and even murder in pursuit of hidden, and frequently sinister, goals. Their manipulation is now laid bare. Michael Baigent, Richard Leigh and Henry Lincoln said that Masters of Deception should be considered as the third part of Holy Blood, Holy Grail and The Messianic Legacy

The first history of the legendary knights since the Vatican momentously released the records of their trial and exoneration

Who were the Templars?
What was the secret of their wealth and power?
Why did the pope and the king of France act to destroy them?

The Knights Templar were founded on Christmas Day 1119, on the very spot in Jerusalem where Jesus Christ was crucified. A religious order of fighting knights, the Templars defended the Holy Land and Christian pilgrims in the decades after the First Crusade. Legendary for their bravery and dedication, the Templars became one of the wealthiest and most powerful bodies of the medieval world--until they were condemned for heresy two centuries after their foundation, when the order was abolished and its leaders were burned at the stake.

In "The Templars," renowned historian Michael Haag investigates the origins and history, the enduring myths, and the soaring architecture of an enigmatic order long shrouded in mystery and controversy. The hand of the Templars, many believe, can be found in everything from Cathar heresy to Masonic conspiracies, and the Knights Templar still inspire popular culture, from Indiana Jones to Xbox games, to the novels of Dan Brown.

This book, a product of collaboration and cooperation between two non-Masonic historians and the Grand Lodge of Virginia, is an objective, comprehensive study of the history of Freemasonry in the state of Virginia. The authors relate a fascinating chronicle of Freemasonry, from its British origins two hundred years ago to today. Along the way, they describe the colorful figures who populate this history and debunk many myths about Freemasonry.

Contents:
Forward. Preface. 1.Triads, Business and Market. Part I: The Triads 2.The Origins. 3.The Organisation. Part II: Legal Markets 4.Protection Against Extortionists. 5.Protection Against Competitors: Traditional Operations. 6.Protection Against Competitors: Recent Operations. 7.Dispute Settlement. Part III: Illegal Markets 8.Drug Dealing. 9.Gambling. 10.Prostitution. Part IV: International Markets 11.Drug Trafficking. 12.Human Smuggling. Part V: Implications and Reflections 13.Are Triads Extortionists, Entrepreneurs, or Protectors? 14.International Triad Movement: Emigration or Reversion? 15.New Directions in the study of Triads.

This is the first full-length study of Irish Ribbonism. It traces the development of Ribbonism from its origins in the Defender movement of the 1790s until the latter part of the century when the remnants of the Ribbon tradition found solace in the quasi-constitutional affinities of the Ancient Order of Hibernians. Placing Ribbonism firmly within Ireland's long tradition of collective action and protest, this book shows that, owing to its diversity and adaptability, it shared similarities, but also stood apart from, the many rural redresser groups of the period and showed remarkable longevity not matched by its contemporaries. The book describes the wider context of Catholic struggles for improved standing, explores traditions and networks for association, and it describes external impressions. Drawing on rich archives in the form of state surveillance records, 'show trial' proceedings and press reportage, the book shows that Ribbonism was a sophisticated and durable underground network drawing together various strands of the rural and urban Catholic populace in Ireland and Britain. Ribbon Societies in Nineteenth-Century Ireland and Its Diaspora is a fascinating study that demonstrates Ribbonism operated more widely than previous studies have revealed.

Mustafa El-Amin, author of bestseller Al-Islam, Christianity, and Freemasonry, now examines what it is about Freemasonry that made most of the founding fathers of America feel the need to embrace it; why is it that so many people of influence (members of Congress, the Supreme Court, judges, politicians)--past and present--have joined and studied the teachings of Freemasonry.

A discussion of the development of secret societies within China and among Chinese communities in colonial Southeast Asia in the late 18th and 19th centuries.

A discussion of the development of secret societies within China and among Chinese communities in colonial Southeast Asia in the late 18th and 19th centuries.

A high-ranking Mason offers a fascinating glimpse into the Western world's most secretive society. Manly P. Hall, a scholar of occult and esoteric ideas, traces the path followed by initiates to the ancient craft. Hall also recounts the ethical training required of a Freemason, and he profiles the character traits a Mason must "build" within himself.
More than a mere social organization a few centuries old, Freemasonry can be regarded as a perpetuation of the philosophical mysteries and initiations of the ancients. This book reveals the unique and distinctive elements that have inspired generations of Masons. Thoughtful members of the craft, as well as outsiders, will appreciate its exploration of Masonic idealism and the eternal quest, from humble candidate to entered apprentice and master Mason.

Freemasonry is part of a long tradition of Western mysticism, steeped in an enduring and eclectic mixture of historical fact and legend. Much of the ritual and symbolism prevalent in Freemasonry has developed over many centuries and relies heavily on notions inherited from the customs and practices of medieval stonemasons. In this absorbing book, the history and legends of the Freemasons - from links with the Knights Templar, their explorations into alchemy and the hermetic tradition, through the age of Enlightenment and the founding fathers of the USA, to the Victorians and up to the present day - are discussed alongside the mystical symbolism of the Square and the Compass, the Five-pointed Star, the All-seeing Eye, and the Sun and the Moon. Illustrated throughout, this intriguing account will appeal to anyone interested in this 'secret' Brotherhood.

Freemasonry was a major cultural and social phenomenon and a key element of the Enlightenment. It was to have an international influence across the globe. This primary resource collection charts a key period in the development of organized Freemasonry culminating in the formation of a single United Grand Lodge of England. The secrecy that has surrounded Freemasonry has made it difficult to access information and documents about the organization and its adherents in the past. This collection is the result of extensive archival research and transcription and highlights the most significant themes associated with Freemasonry. The documents are drawn from masonic collections, private archives and libraries worldwide. The majority of these texts have never before been republished. Documents include rituals (some written in code), funeral services, sermons, songs, certificates, an engraved list of lodges, letters, pamphlets, theatrical prologues and epilogues, and articles from newspapers and periodicals. This collection will enable researchers to identify many key masons for the first time. It will be of interest to students of Freemasonry, the Enlightenment and researchers in eighteenth-century studies.