ZOS KIA CULTUS
The system of occult philosophy and practice created by English artist and magician Austin Osman Spare (1886–1956), and borrowed from his writings by chaos magicians…
Month: December 2022
WORSHIPFUL MASTER
The traditional title of the presiding officer of a lodge of Freemasons. The Worshipful Master of a Masonic lodge sits in a chair on the…
WOODCRAFT
A youth movement with significant pagan elements, Woodcraft was founded by Canadian-American nature writer Ernest Thompson Seton (1860–1946) in 1902, at his home in Cos…
WITCHCRAFT PERSECUTIONS
Many human cultures have imposed legal penalties on people practicing unpopular ritual practices, and inevitably these have now and then been inflicted on innocent people.…
WHITEBOYS
The first known Irish political secret society, the Whiteboys first appeared in Tipperary in the autumn of 1761. Enclosure Acts passed by the Irish Parliament…
WHITE ORDER OF THULE [WOT]
The White Order of Thule (WOT), originally founded as the Black Order, is an international neo-Nazi occult organisation that emerged in January 1994. Its founder, Kerry Bolton of New Zealand, was formerly…
WHITE LOTUS SOCIETIES
Among the most enduring and influential secret religious movements in Chinese history, the White Lotus Societies form a vast and intricate spiritual network whose roots stretch back to at…
WEISHAUPT, ADAM
German philosopher and founder of the Bavarian Illuminati, 1748–1811. Born in the Bavarian university town of Ingolstadt, Weishaupt came from an academic family with connections…
VRIL SOCIETY
In a 1947 article in the American pulp magazine Astounding Science Fiction, rocket engineer Willy Ley mentioned a small group active in Berlin during the…
VEHM
A system of medieval courts in the old German duchy of Westphalia, east of the Rhine, the Vehmgerichte or “Vehm Courts” traditionally traced their origin…