Modern Elite Societies: Skull & Bones, Bohemian Grove, Bilderberg

Introduction: Power's Secret Handshakes

Not all secret societies practice magic or worship ancient gods. Some are simply elite networking clubs—where the powerful meet, bond, and make connections that shape politics, business, and culture. These modern elite societies don't claim esoteric wisdom or spiritual transformation. They offer something more tangible: access, influence, and membership in the ruling class.

Skull & Bones at Yale, Bohemian Grove in California, and the Bilderberg Group in Europe represent different models of elite organization—from college fraternity to summer camp to policy conference. Are they sinister conspiracies controlling the world? Or just rich people networking? The truth, as always, is more complex.

This is the ninth article in our Secret Societies series, completing our examination of modern secret societies. We now explore the real elite societies of the powerful, separate fact from conspiracy theory, and ask: are these "secret societies" or just exclusive clubs?

Skull & Bones: Yale's Secret Society

Origins and Structure

Founded: 1832 at Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut

Founder: William Huntington Russell

Official name: The Order of Skull and Bones (or simply "The Order")

Membership:

• 15 Yale seniors "tapped" each year
• Lifetime membership (~800 living members at any time)
• Historically male-only, admitted women starting 1992

Headquarters: "The Tomb" - windowless building on Yale campus

Rituals and Practices

Initiation:

• Elaborate ritual in The Tomb
• Candidates lie in coffin, recount sexual history
• Oath of secrecy
• Given new name ("Bonesmen" identity)

Weekly meetings:

• Thursday and Sunday nights during school year
• Debates, discussions, bonding
• Dinner and socializing

Symbols:

• Skull and crossbones ("322" beneath)
• Meaning of 322: disputed (founding year? Demosthenes' death? secret code?)

Famous Members

Presidents:

• William Howard Taft (1878)
• George H.W. Bush (1948)
• George W. Bush (1968)

Other notable Bonesmen:

• John Kerry (Secretary of State, 2004 presidential candidate)
• Henry Luce (founder of Time magazine)
• Averell Harriman (diplomat, governor)
• Many CEOs, judges, senators

What Skull & Bones Actually Does

Networking:

• Lifetime connections with powerful alumni
• Job opportunities, business partnerships
• Political alliances

Bonding:

• Shared experience creates loyalty
• "Old boy network" in action
• Mutual support and advancement

Tradition:

• Continuation of elite WASP culture
• Prestige and exclusivity
• Yale tradition and identity

Conspiracy Theories vs. Reality

Conspiracy claims:

• Controls US government
• Part of Illuminati/New World Order
• Satanic rituals
• Geronimo's skull in The Tomb (actually claimed by some)

Reality:

• Elite networking club, not world government
• Influential members, but not coordinated conspiracy
• Rituals are theatrical bonding, not occult
• Geronimo skull claim unproven

Actual power: Social capital, not supernatural or political control

Bohemian Grove: The Elite Summer Camp

What It Is

Location: 2,700-acre redwood grove in Monte Rio, California

Owner: Bohemian Club (San Francisco, founded 1872)

Event: Two-week summer encampment each July

Attendees: ~2,000 men (invitation only)

• Presidents, politicians, CEOs, military leaders
• Artists, musicians, academics
• All male (women banned)

The Cremation of Care Ceremony

Opening ritual: Performed first night of encampment

What happens:

• Theatrical production at lakeside
• Effigy called "Dull Care" burned
• Symbolizes leaving worldly worries behind
• Performed before 40-foot owl statue ("Owl of Bohemia")

Meaning: Symbolic ritual to mark transition from work to leisure

Not: Human sacrifice, Satanic worship, or occult ceremony (despite conspiracy theories)

Activities

Camps:

• Members divided into ~100 camps
• Each camp has own character and traditions
• Prestigious camps (Mandalay, Cave Man, Hill Billies)

Lakeside Talks:

• Informal policy discussions
• Speakers on politics, economics, culture
• Off-the-record ("Chatham House Rule")

Entertainment:

• Plays, concerts, comedy
• Drinking, socializing
• Outdoor activities

Famous Attendees

• Every Republican president since 1923
• Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, both Bushes
• Henry Kissinger, Colin Powell
• CEOs of major corporations
• Clint Eastwood, Bing Crosby (entertainers)

The Manhattan Project Connection

1942: Early planning for atomic bomb discussed at Bohemian Grove

Significance: Shows real policy discussions happen there

But: Not a conspiracy—just powerful people talking informally

Controversy

Secrecy:

• No media allowed
• Members don't discuss what happens
• Breeds suspicion and conspiracy theories

Exclusivity:

• All male, all elite
• Reinforces old boy network
• Criticized as anti-democratic

Conspiracy theories:

• Alex Jones infiltrated (2000), filmed Cremation of Care
• Claimed it was Satanic ritual
• Reality: theatrical performance, not occult ceremony

Bilderberg Group: The Policy Conference

What It Is

Founded: 1954

Founder: Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands

Name: From Hotel de Bilderberg (first meeting location)

Format: Annual private conference

Attendees: ~120-150 people

• Politicians, business leaders, academics, journalists
• European and North American elites
• Invitation only

Purpose

Official goal: Foster dialogue between Europe and North America

Topics:

• Global economics
• International relations
• Technology and society
• Current events

Format:

• Three-day conference
• Off-the-record discussions (Chatham House Rule)
• No resolutions or votes
• No media inside

The Chatham House Rule

What it means:

• Participants can use information discussed
• But cannot attribute it to specific speakers
• Allows frank discussion without fear of being quoted

Purpose: Encourage honest dialogue, not public posturing

Notable Attendees

• Henry Kissinger (regular attendee)
• David Rockefeller
• European prime ministers and presidents
• CEOs of major corporations (Google, Amazon, etc.)
• Central bank governors

Transparency (Sort Of)

What Bilderberg publishes:

• List of attendees (after conference)
• General topics discussed
• Press releases

What it doesn't publish:

• Specific discussions
• Who said what
• Any decisions or agreements

Conspiracy Theories vs. Reality

Conspiracy claims:

• Secret world government
• Decides elections and policies
• Controls global economy
• Part of New World Order

Reality:

• Influential people talking
• No formal power or authority
• No votes or binding decisions
• Networking and idea exchange

Actual influence:

• Attendees are already powerful
• Conference provides forum for coordination
• Ideas discussed may influence policy
• But not a conspiracy—just elite networking

Are These "Secret Societies"?

Similarities to Traditional Secret Societies

• Exclusivity: Membership restricted
• Secrecy: Activities not public
• Rituals: Skull & Bones and Bohemian Grove have ceremonies
• Oaths: Members pledge discretion
• Networking: Connections and mutual support

Differences from Traditional Secret Societies

• No esoteric teachings: Not about spiritual transformation
• No degrees or initiation system: (except Skull & Bones)
• Purely social/political: Not mystical or magical
• Transparent existence: Everyone knows they exist

Better Term: Elite Networks

What they really are:

• Exclusive clubs for the powerful
• Networking and bonding opportunities
• Reinforcement of elite solidarity
• Informal policy coordination

Not: Mystical orders, occult groups, or supernatural conspiracies

The Real Power of Elite Societies

Social Capital

• Connections matter more than secrets
• "It's not what you know, it's who you know"
• Access to powerful people = opportunities

Class Solidarity

• Elite recognizing and supporting elite
• Shared worldview and interests
• Maintaining power structures

Informal Coordination

• Off-the-record discussions shape policy
• Consensus-building among elites
• Not conspiracy, but coordination

Conclusion: Power Hides in Plain Sight

Skull & Bones, Bohemian Grove, and Bilderberg are not mystical secret societies—they're elite networking clubs where the powerful bond, coordinate, and maintain their position. The "secrets" are not esoteric wisdom but simply who said what at private meetings.

Are they conspiracies? Not in the sense of coordinated plots to control the world. But they do represent structural inequality: the rich and powerful have access to networks and opportunities the rest of us don't. That's not a conspiracy—it's just how power works.

In the next article, we will explore Women in Secret Societies: From Exclusion to Empowerment. We will examine why traditional societies excluded women, how women created their own orders, and how modern secret societies are (slowly) becoming more inclusive.

The real secret? Power doesn't need magic. It just needs a good network.

For those who question elite power. For transparency over secrecy. For democracy over oligarchy. We see you.