6 Secret Societies You’ve Never Heard Of

1. Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn

Back in the 19th century and the early 20th, this secret society was formed and thrived. The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn was a society that sought to study and learn the occult and everything that had to do with metaphysics and the paranormal. The society had a hierarchical and you had to be initiated in it, much like the Masonic lodges.

It is known as a magical order and credited with being one of the largest influences on contemporary magic practices such as Wicca, and on Western occultism in general. The secret society has dissolved over time as no temples have survived in the original lineage, but some organizations have kept the teaching and rituals alive even today.

2. Ordo Templi Oriente

Also known as the Order of Oriental Templars, is an occult society founded in Germany back in the 20th century One of the most well-known and influential members was Aleister Crowley, who was in charge of the society for a few years.  What first started as a branch of Freemasonry, evolved into something different with a lot of accent being put on the practice of sex magic, but one still needs to be initiated in the group.

The Ordo Templi Oriente is still active today, nationally and internationally, in the United Kingdom, Australia, Croatia, and Italy, and their main goal is spreading the “philosophical and religious system known as Thelma”.

3. Order of the Solar Temple

The Order of the Solar Temple, also known as the International Chivalric Organization of the Solar Tradition, or just The Solar Temple is more so known as a religious sect and cult. Having started as a secret society that sought to be based on the ideals of the Knights Templar, the society is more recent than you would think, having been founded in 1984.

Despite what they say to be based on, the society ended up being known as a doomsday cult, as they believed the world will at the end of the 90s. This, alongside a long string of mass suicides and murders in Canada and France, gave them a bad name, but also put them in the spotlight with the media. Many high-profile names have been speculated to be related to this cult.