Secret Societies: In the Shadows

At the height of their power, the Knights Templar owned vast swathes of land, commanded fleets, and lent money to Kings; their powers expanded across Europe and left enduring mythologies in their wake.

What started as a Bavarian group of revolutionaries hellbent on infiltrating powerful institutions has now become the stuff of legend, and some claim this elite group continues to control power from behind closed doors.

Yale's ultra-secret society is a pinnacle of the elite, and its members have become Presidents, Supreme Court Justices, and heads of industry; to be "tapped" is to be welcomed into a line of power brokers with the promise of life-long opportunities.

Perhaps the hardest society to crack, Le Cercle goes all the way to the top; what started in the post-war years as a Catholic conservative group built to broker European rapprochement now operates as a shadow intelligence agency.

The mythologies, beliefs and secret rituals of The Stonemasons.

Examining a secret society that dabbles in the occult, laying the groundwork for modern Wiccan and esoteric practices; its studies include alchemy and astral travel.