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Why are secret societies secret?

Discussion in 'Esotericism DIR' started by janesix, Jan 13, 2021.

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  1. janesix

    janesix Active Member

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    Why are secret societies, like the masons, rosicrutians etc secret? They are supposedly modern mystery schools, and the ancient mystery schools were secret as well. What's the secret, and why are they hiding? I can understand that during the middle ages that they had to hide things from the church, but before and after that? What's the deal?
     
    #1 janesix, Jan 13, 2021
  2. Orbit

    Orbit I'm a planet

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    I think you answered your own question--and after that it was tradition.
     
    #2 Orbit, Jan 13, 2021
  3. janesix

    janesix Active Member

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    Well why was it secret to begin with, like the mystery schools of Greece?
     
    #3 janesix, Jan 13, 2021
  4. sun rise

    sun rise "This is the Hour of God"
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    There can be two basic reasons for secret groups.

    One is personal satisfaction at knowing something other's don't know - the feeling of being special.

    The other is that many people can't handle knowing something. To use an obvious example, young children have no capacity to really understand sexual attraction in all its forms. Only when they mature enough will they understand from personal experience what's involved.

    My sense is that the time for secret societies has passed.
     
    #4 sun rise, Jan 13, 2021
  5. Quintessence

    Quintessence Tale Weaver
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    To add a third, mystery religions/traditions are also kept secret because they are fundamentally experiential. That is to say, you cannot experience the mysteries of that tradition without experiencing them in the context of that tradition.
     
    #5 Quintessence, Jan 13, 2021
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  6. SalixIncendium

    SalixIncendium Ānanda
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    The secret society I belong to has but one member in the local chapter.
     
    #6 SalixIncendium, Jan 13, 2021
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