History is replete with whispers of secret societies. Accounts of elders or priests who guarded the forbidden knowledge of ancient peoples. Prominent men, meeting in secret, who directed the course of civilization are recorded in the writings of all people. 

A secret society is a club or organization whose activities and inner functioning are concealed from non-members. The society may or may not attempt to conceal its existence. They are nothing new and have been around for hundreds of years.  The term "secret society" is also used to describe fraternal organizations that may have secret ceremonies and means of identification and communication, ranging from collegiate fraternities to organizations described in conspiracy theories as immensely powerful, with self-serving financial or political agendas.  Most people think Secret Societies are simply fraternal brotherhoods with benevolent intent.  Although you may know a Freemason, or someone who was a member of the Skull & Bones, keep in mind that most secret societies have a pyramid hierarchy.  This means that only those at the very top are aware of the TRUE AGENDA, the true purpose of the society.  Those below them only know a portion, and those beneath them know even less, until you get to the bottom.  This is also where the majority of the membership will be found.  All it takes is common sense to figure out why they operate this way. 

The secrets of these groups are thought to be so profound that only a chosen, well-educated few are able to understand and use them. These men use their special knowledge for the benefit of all mankind. At least that is what they claim. How are we to know, since their knowledge and actions have been secret? Fortunately, some of it has become public knowledge.

Time has made it obvious that the world is ruled by a powerful, secretive few. Many of heard that in 2004 both candidates for the White House were members of Yale University's secretive Skull and Bones society, many of whose members have risen to powerful positions. But Skull and Bones is small potatoes compared with the mysterious cabals that occupy virtually every seat of power, from the corridors of government to the boardrooms of Wall Street.

Take the Illuminati, a sect said to have originated in 18th century Germany and which is allegedly responsible for the pyramid-and-eye symbol adorning the $1 bill: they intend to foment world wars to strengthen the argument for the creation of a worldwide government. Or consider the Freemasons, who tout their group as the "oldest and largest worldwide fraternity" and boast alumni like George Washington and many other former U.S Presidents.

Then there are less secret societies or "groups" that can be categorized as secret societies simply because their goals are hidden beneath their surface. 

"It is useless to deny, because it is impossible to conceal, that a great part of Europe - the whoel of Italy and France and a great portion of Germany, to say nothing of other countries - is covered with a network of these secret societies, just as the superficies of the earth is now being covered with railroads." Benjamin Disraeli, 1856