Home›Sections›Orders, Societies & MovementsSectionsOrders, Societies & Movements6 categories, 225 entries in all. Pick one to explore.Citation FormatsGeneral ReferenceGeneral Reference Citation TextDivinity Atlas. "Orders, Societies & Movements." Accessed August 30, 2026. https://www.divinityatlas.com/sections/orders-societies-and-movements.Copy General ReferenceAPA StyleAPA Style Citation TextDivinity Atlas. (n.d.). Orders, Societies & Movements. Retrieved August 30, 2026, from https://www.divinityatlas.com/sections/orders-societies-and-movementsCopy APA StyleBibTeXBibTeX Citation Text@misc{divinityatlas-orders-societies-movements, author = {Divinity Atlas}, title = {Orders, Societies & Movements}, year = {2026}, url = {https://www.divinityatlas.com/sections/orders-societies-and-movements}, note = {Accessed August 30, 2026} }Copy BibTeXInitiatory orders, closed societies and the groups that formed around a particular figure or revelation: Freemasonry, the Rosicrucians, the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, the ancient mystery cults and modern new religious movements. This material carries more mythology about itself than most, so the entries separate documented history from claimed lineage. Both categories here describe groups rather than doctrines.FactsCategories in This SectionLearn MoreSourcesComments (0)Reader Challenges (0 open reader challenges)FactsOverviewScope of This SectionWell-attestedReligious and esoteric bodies defined by admission rather than by birth or confession: initiatory orders and closed societies, and the movements formed in the modern era around a founder or a new revelation. 1Categories in This SectionSecret Societies41Chaotic Societies3Collegiate Societies3Hermetic Societies8Indigenous Societies5Legendary Societies1Masonic Societies5Militant Societies3Millenarian Societies1Political Societies1Rosicrucian Societies3Theosophical Societies3Theurgic Societies2Volkisch Societies3New Religious Movements42Apocalyptic Movements3Channeling Movement1Christian Movements11Eastern Movements4Esoteric Movements7Neopagan Organization1Parody Religion1Pop-Culture New Religious Movement1Syncretic Movements5Therapeutic Movements4UFO Movements3UFO Religion1Initiatory Grades390 Grade10=011=10110=1118th Degree11st Degree22=912nd Degree23=8130th Degree132nd Degree133rd Degree13rd Degree14=714th Degree15=626=517=418=329=21Chapter Degree2Commandery Order1Council Degree1Grade I1Grade II1Grade III1Grade IV1Grade IX1Grade V1Grade VI1Grade VII1Grade VIII1Portal1S I1Religious Orders9One undivided list of 9 entries.Religious Movements8One undivided list of 8 entries.Abuse Inquiries and Response Policies86Adriaenssens Commission1Bankruptcy Settlement1Bolivian Bishops' Conference1Case Studies 23 and 561Chapter 11 Settlement14Church-Commissioned Report11Civil Settlement3Class Action Settlement1Cologne Gercke Report1Court Judgment1Doe v. Corporation of the President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints1France Reparation Bodies1Freiburg Abuse Report1Government Commission13Grand Jury Report5Institute of Statistics of the Catholic Church1Investigative Report16Italian CEI Abuse Report1Klasnic Commission1Munich WSW Report1Munster Abuse Study1Response Policy4Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care1Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia, No. 16-00081Trier Abuse Report1University of Zurich Pilot Study1Vatican Investigation1Other SectionsTraditions & PathsBeliefs & ObservancesSacred Objects, Dress & SymbolsDeities & Sacred FiguresPeople & PractitionersBeings & CreaturesAstrology & the HeavensVedic AstrologyEastern SystemsDivination SystemsKabbalah & the Tree of LifeTarot, Runes & NumberCeremonial & Esoteric MagicAngels, Spirits & the ShadowVirtues & VicesSacred PlacesCosmology & RealmsTexts & the CanonElements & the Natural WorldMetaphysics & MatterThe Body & Its CentresModern Synthesis SystemsModern RevivalsCalendars & TimeCosmic CyclesMoreLearn MoreInitiatory Orders and Closed Societies This section gathers the organised bodies of the esoteric and religious world: initiatory orders, closed societies, the mystery cults of antiquity, and the modern movements that formed around a founder or a new revelation: Freemasonry, the Rosicrucians, the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, the ancient mysteries, and the new religious movements of the last two centuries. What sets these apart from the traditions of the previous section is their form: membership, initiation, degrees, and often secrecy. They are groups one joins and is admitted through, rather than traditions one is born into.History and reputation This is material about which a great deal has been claimed, by adherents and detractors alike, and the atlas is careful to separate documented history from legend and from the claims of hostile outsiders. The entries record when and where a body was founded so far as that is known, what it taught or practised, and its attested history, while flagging where the record is thin or the traditional origin-story is not supported by evidence. The modern new religious movements gathered here range from lawful, self-governing religions to groups that have drawn serious criticism; the atlas describes rather than endorses, and notes controversy where it is documented.Sources1. Encyclopedia of Religiontier 1Mircea Eliade (ed.); Lindsay Jones (ed., 2nd ed.), Macmillan Reference, 2005s.v. Secret SocietiesView the SourceDivinity Atlas Directory Prose, First Edition Category Descriptionstier 1Comments (0)No comments yet. Be the first to share a thought.Sign in to join the discussion.Reader Challenges (0 open reader challenges)No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.Sign in to dispute this or suggest a correction.View At A Past YearThe atlas records no dated fact of its own for this entry, so there is no other year to choose.Show This Year