Mitchell Toy on the secret societies that have operated in Melbourne
CRIMINAL fraternities, ancient rituals and claims of child sacrifice. These are some of the secret societies that have operated in Melbourne.
Best of Melbourne
Don't miss out on the headlines from Best of Melbourne. Followed categories will be added to My News.
CRIMINAL fraternities, ancient rituals and claims of child sacrifice.
From the genteel law-abiding surrounds of the Melbourne and Savage Clubs to underground rituals and allegations of Satanist killings, influential Melburnians including former Prime Ministers dabbled in secretive societies.
Here are some of the groups that have operated in Victoria:
MORE TOY: THE GRAND MELBOURNE BUILDINGS THAT NEVER HAPPENED
THE DAY A JAPANESE SEAPLANE FLEW OVER MELBOURNE
VICTORIA’S BEST CONSPIRACY THEORIES
ORDO TEMPLI ORIENTIS
Founded in the early 20th Century and developed by prominent occultist Aleister Crowley, the Ordo Temple Orientis follows the law of Thelema.
Thelema was based on the idea that the 20th Century was the start of a new age that needed a new ethical framework.
The order has adapted a lot of traditions from Freemasonry including ritual drama and the swearing of oaths and passes prospective members through degrees of initiation.
But the organisation’s presence in Australia has not been without controversy.
Their website, referring to claims that surfaced in the early 2000s, states:
“OTO Australia has filed complaints of religious vilification against a number of persons over materials published on the internet accusing us of being a satanic cult engaged in child sacrifice.
“These claims of criminal activity have been made to the police and other enforcement agencies before being posted on the internet.”
It goes on to say: “For the past 15 years the OTO has operated successfully as an incorporated non-profit association in full compliance with all applicable obligations and duties and has satisfied all indicia to gain religious institution status.
“The OTO does not advocate or commit criminal activity.”
As of 2018 the OTO was still a registered charity in Australia and its website says any prospective participants will be directed to a Melbourne division at a place called the “Apep Oasis”.
THE FREEMASONS
One of the oldest secretive orders in the world, the Freemasons, have deep roots in Melbourne.
The Melbourne division of Freemasonry was established in 1889 and was involved in the construction of some of the city’s earliest major landmarks including the first stone courthouse and Princes Bridge.
Traditions and secrets of Freemasonry include ceremonial aprons, passionate dramatised ceremony and the use of symbols.
Its numerous past members have included Prime Minister Robert Menzies and entertainers Bud Tingwell and Graham Kennedy.
But a drop in membership over recent decades has caused Freemasonry to be much more open, broadcasting some ceremonies on the internet and throwing lodge doors open to more visitors.
More women are permitted to join under certain circumstances and despite persistent silence from members about traditions and practices, the internet has blown open the organisation’s relationship with symbology and approach to faith.
Concerns in previous decades about the order’s links with the occult and Satanism were unfounded and the group was found to be focused instead on charity work and men’s personal development.
Conspiracy theories that secret Freemason symbolism was put in the design of Parliament House in Canberra and links to the illuminati and ancient Egypt remain unfounded. For now.
PRIVATE MEN’S CLUBS
For many high flyers, membership of an old-world social club is a must.
The most prominent of these organisations in Melbourne include the Melbourne Club, the Australian Club and the Savage Club, whose membership lists include prominent businessmen and policy makers.
Lunch at such a club can provide access to important decision making or information, although as far as private organisations go, these have not been known to be involved in anything untoward or illegal.
But expensive membership fees and internal referral keeps many private clubs out of reach of the general population.
An antiquated tradition of membership acceptance in some British-style private clubs is the practice of blackballing.
Existing senior members of the club are asked to vote on a prospective member by a secret ballot of placing stones in a wooden box.
If a white stone is placed in the box, the new member is endorsed. But if a black stone is placed, there is something known about the new member’s character that is undesirable.
If all the stones placed in the box are white, the member can join. But in some organisations only one or two black sones are needed to bar membership.
Political controversy has followed some old private clubs for accepting only men as members.
THE BROTHERHOOD
The private club model has been known to be adapted into something more like the fictional Stonecutters from the Simpsons than the genteel surrounds of the Melbourne or Australian Club.
A report in 2011 aired claims that members of a secret invitation-only lunch club called The Brotherhood, founded by a former policeman, had allegedly engaged in unlawful information sharing.
It was alleged a serving police officer had wiped out more than $2000 in traffic fines incurred by the group’s founder.
There were also concerns a public officer who attended the secret lunches was pressured to access confidential government information for other members of the group.
THE THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY
Alfred Deakin, three-time Prime Minister of Australia in the early 1900s and a renowned believer in mystical spiritualism, dabbled in alternative societies throughout his life.
One of these was the Theosophical Society, an organisation still operating in Melbourne.
The Theosophy tradition was started in 1875 in the United States by a Russian philosopher and draws on esoteric symbolism and a mix of Eastern and Western ancient philosophies including Buddhism and Hinduism.
Its logo, rich with mystical symbolism, is emblazoned with the phrase, “There is no religion higher than truth”.
THE ROSICRUCIAN ORDER
Popularised in Europe in the 1600s and shifting as far as Melbourne in the 20th Century, Rosicrucianism is an order of esoteric laws, the study of which will supposedly reveal the nature of the universe.
The philosophy hinges on anonymously authored manifestos of the 17th Century and claims to tap into ancient laws of being.
Despite the manifestos being dismissed by many as either fictional works or hoaxes, the secretive order gained momentum and a worship centre for the organisation is listed in Ormond.
MORE MITCHELL TOY: HOW A BET BETWEEN RICH ENGLISHMEN STARTED WINTER OLYMPICS
How to plan a post-lockdown Great Ocean Road getaway
The regional border has lifted, which means we can plan a trip to the Great Ocean Road. Here’s where to eat, stay and play.
‘I wouldn’t even s*** that’: What you missed on Wentworth
Wentworth does WikiLeaks in the third episode of the new season, as the Foxtel drama welcomes a new face. And there’s drama for Reb and Lou. Warning: Spoilers.