From candlelit basements to elite forest retreats, this episode of Messy Minded dives deep into the strange, spooky, and occasionally sinister world of secret societies. Jess explores the mystics, the misfits, and the megalomaniacs who’ve operated behind closed doors for centuries — including the Rosicrucians, Bohemian Grove, the dream-walking Benandanti, and Skull and Bones. Along the way, we’ll meet scandal-prone Enlightenment bros, orgy-hosting nobles, fascist Masonic puppeteers, and a goat named Lucien.Not every secret society is harmless — and one is downright terrifying. But between the robes, rituals, and wildly conflicting origin stories, this episode asks: What makes a secret society thrive and endure?With historical facts, bad Latin, and questionable handshakes — this is one initiation you won’t regret.List of sources:Janet Oppenheim, The Other World: Spiritualism and Psychical Research in England, 1850–1914 David V. Barrett, Secret Societies: From the Illuminati to the Freemasons Smithsonian Magazine – “What Are Secret Societies, Really?” BBC – “A brief history of secret societies” History.com articles on Freemasons, Skull and Bones, and the Knights Templar Helen Nicholson, The Knights Templar: A New History Dan Jones, The Templars: The Rise and Spectacular Fall of God’s Holy Warriors National Geographic – Who Were the Templars? History Extra – “Why did the Templars fall?” Christopher Hodapp, Freemasons For Dummies PBS – Secrets of the Freemasons documentary The Grand Lodge of England’s official site Atlas Obscura – “Inside the Grand Lodge of Masons” Evelyn Lord, The Hell-Fire Clubs: Sex, Satanism and Secret Societies British Heritage – “The Infamous Hellfire Club of England” Alexandra Robbins, Secrets of the Tomb: Skull and Bones, the Ivy League, and the Hidden Paths of Power Yale Alumni Magazine archives NPR – “Skull and Bones: A Secret Society That’s Not So Secret” Carlo Ginzburg, The Night Battles: Witchcraft and Agrarian Cults in the 16th and 17th Centuries JSTOR articles on dream cults and early modern witch trials Mythology.net – “The Benandanti: Good Witches of the Night” David Yallop, In God's Name: An Investigation Into the Murder of Pope John Paul I BBC News – “Italy’s shadow government” Financial Times retrospective on Italian political scandals Talbot Mundy, The Nine Unknown Ancient Origins – “The Nine Unknown: India's Most Powerful Secret Society” Alex Shoumatoff, Inside Bohemian Grove, Vanity Fair BBC – “What really happens at Bohemian Grove” Wikileaks – Bohemian Grove 2008 guest list Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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