Illuminati, Templars & Freemasons - The Not-so-secret Secret Societies

In The Hesperus Prophecy, when James and Declan learn about the Clypeate, neither has ever heard of this secret society.

Bruce explains the Clypeate doesn’t operate like other secret organizations. “The Illuminati, Templars, Freemasons, they’ll blab to anyone willing to listen about how mysterious and ancient they are. We don’t want outsiders thinking about us or searching us out, so we keep everything, even our name, unknown.”

For context, here’s a little background on these “secret societies”:

The Illuminati were founded in 1776 by Adam Weishaupt, a Bavarian law professor. He called his “secret society” the Orden der Illuminati, and their greatest service is as a plot device for fictitious conspiracy theories.

The Knights Templar was a wealthy, powerful Catholic military order founded in 1118 to defend pilgrims journeying to Jerusalem. Their headquarters were on the Temple Mount, one of the holiest sites for Judaism, Christianity and Islam. The order grew too rich and powerful for the Catholic Church’s comfort, causing the pope to disband the Knights Templar in 1312.

Of these three, Freemasons are the only “secret society” surviving to modern times, making it one of the oldest continuous organizations in history. Initially founded in the 14th century as a guild for stone masons, the Freemasons regulated the qualifications of stonemasons at a time when masons were building the massive cathedrals, castles, and city walls of Europe. The secret handshakes, seals, and signs allowed Freemasons to trust each other’s skills, even if they’d never worked together. Today the organization is less focused on building castles and more on charity, having evolved into a social club.

Some believe the “All-seeing eye” on the US Dollar bill is proof the Founding Fathers were Illuminati.

Knights Templar

Freemason symbol