Well, they’re everything but free -- that’s for sure. If you are into secret societies, the occult, and conspiracy theories, then Freemasonry is where it's at.  Stanley Kubrick’s Movie “Eyes Wide Shut” starring Tom Cruise, has our unlikely hero up against the Masons, and these guys over at Freemasonry Watch.com certainly can sympathize. The Masons are trying to shut them down www.freedomdomain.com/freemason. html Do I believe the Freemason’s control the world? No, do I care? No. But it sure makes for a fascinating study that can take you as far back in time as the Ancient Egyptians, or maybe even to Atlantis (15,000 to 20,000 years ago Antediluvian), but one thing is for sure; it is definitely a secret society based around ancient archaic knowledge, rituals, architecture, and Black and White magic.    What is Freemasonry, exactly? See, that’s just it, it isn’t quite: A religion, creed, cult, coven, clique, or corporation, it’s all of the above. Older than most religions, including Christianity, it is as enshrouded in legend and myth as the Great Pyramids and Sphinx. Thought to have originated from the minds of the greatest builders of antiquity evolved by alien intervention. You can always tell Masonic building from all of the rest, because the son of a bitch won’t fall down, and it has a very distinctive design. Masons meet in lodges, and I dare anyone to walk in and sit down for a service, and watch what happens. Odds are you will be kindly asked to leave. Because, you have to be asked to join the Masons by the Masons, and then initiated in, you just can’t sign up at the door. America, was founded by Masons escaping rank Europe, persecution, and looking for a new beginning to an old theme; getting in early, and setting up control, because we all know what the early birds come away with don’t we? Are Wiccans Freemasons? Nope, Wiccans are 'mostly' hippies and teenage girls and boys trying their hardest to fit in somewhere, anywhere -- that found a home in the New Age movement of late. A fashion statement if you will, because in all actuality, if you buy a book of witchcraft from B. Dalton or Walden booksellers to impress your friends at school like the Necronomicon, or any other grimoire, or modern tome, on white or black magic (The Satanic Bible, or any Cunningham, or Silver Raven Wolf book, Druid, Celtic, Thorn and ash etc. Bologne) [real magic, like medicine is not sold over the counter to 13 year olds -- pissed, in puberty, at the mall. You need a prescription, or the know how on ways to decode the 'real' books]Otherwise, basically, that’s what you’re getting, a fashion statement. Because, I can guarantee to you that there isn’t a spell in there that’s going to work. However, I bring this up because Wicca is linked to Freemasonry through a pretty interesting source, The Golden Dawn. Another secret ‘society’ founded by Greggory Mathers and Aliester Crowley, Israel Regardie, A. E. Waite. And others, Blavatske etc. www.hermeticgoldendawn.org index.shtml Not that these 'named few' were Wiccans, on the contrary, in fact they would, and did, laugh at the concept and birth of Wicca. That's why Blavatsky created Theosophy. To bring some "structure to this poor man's witchcraft". And because that was the only word 'simple' people at the time had to describe these odd enlightened "witches" with, and it stuck magically (no pun intended). Wicca was born, a hybrid of geniuses and idiots, accidentally. It was simply called 'witchcraft' up until the last century. Thousands of years old worship of the god and goddess Hecate and the hunt. Dyonisis, Bachus, the earth and planets, nature, a loose practice that acknowledges the connections in all things, and a way to harness and control them for one's benefit. A very selfish practice by most standards, narcissistic and horribly prone to distortion by sociopaths. Covens of witches focus on themselves and the coven, and their relationship with the god and goddess, not their communities as a whole. Also older than Christianity. Wicca, or prehistoric Shamanism was thought by scholars to have originated on a lost continent where women had taking up dancing nude around stones wearing pointed hats, and inducing hallucinations through the ingestion of hallucinogenic plants (Think back on Satan and Eve in the garden.) If that isn't a metaphor for early witchcraft, and the use of herbs to obtain a closer relationship with God, than I don't know what is? It wasn't until all of the Astrologically inclined children in the age of Aquarius got together, and decided to reinvent it, did the name ' Wicca' appear. Let's face it, being a witch just sounds more entertaining and 'special' to kids and adults looking for ways to improve dating and social and spiritual life? Why do you think there are SO many love spells? It's basic anthropology people, wake up and smell the cauldron.    “Witch”, “Warlock”, “Satanist”, “Pagans” all fabulously dull names used and developed by layman, and peasants in order to describe someone they can’t quite figure out. Similar to the word, or rather ‘abbreviation’, U.F.O., get it? Then along came the 60’s and Wicca: www.religioustolerance.org/wic_hist.htm Practically an over night phenomenon invented and used to sell a giant crap load of books to a giant crap load of people sick of Christianity, and looking for another way into the great beyond. Groups like the Golden Dawn and Freemasons, and also the Jews were acutely aware of this. The Kabalah, or Jewish magic, is a huge seller world wide. Books about magic 'in general' are huge money making devices, and everyone has there dirty little fingers in the pie. Who buys these books other than teenage boys and girls teetering upon the edge of puberty and the abyss? Well I’ve got shelves full of them. Everything on the subject under the sun. From Mather’s Greater Key of Solomon to Crowley’s Lesser Key of Solomon, and do you know what? It’s a load of crap. Because, if it wasn’t, I would have already summoned Satan twice and at least own a medium sized Casino by now, or something? My enemies would be fried pig's feet, and I’d be drinking a Pina-Colada in the Bahamas smoking some Wacky Maui Powi, word up home skilet. (Sorry, my pants were sagging.)   One might then ask “What the hell is the Golden Dawn, and where did it originate from?” Bingo, from an off shoot of the “Rosicrucians” which is another secret society linked to as many things as Hitler, Scientology, Gnosticism, and right back at the Freemasons? religion- cults.com/Secret/Rosicrucianism/Rosicrucianism.htm And these guys www. xyz.org/templars/ and even surprisingly the KKK… Isn’t this all just about as fascinating as watching an ape transform into a human being? I mean this is really getting complicated. These damn occultists are as slippery as eels and apparently tied into everything from politics, and the law, to the Clergy! Woah, is the Pope a Freemason! ? No, but Popes hired them to build their Cathedrals, and Popes hired the Knights Of The Templar to police the world and go fight the Holy Crusades, which were about stealing land, and money (as all wars are), and that’s close enough for me. Am I hearing this right, the Catholics using secret fraternal orders of men, involved in of all things ‘magic’, to fight their wars with the Muslims and Jews? Now that’s interesting, that’s practically better than Science-Fiction?    So why would Secret Pagan Fraternal Orders of Men be compelled to infiltrate Christian organizations in secret, or openly? That folks is the million-dollar-question. Money, power, and control, what else is there? All of these organizations have that in common, and they always have, right back to the beginning of it all. What is the beginning of it all? Good question, but I would assume that it was probably way back when one smart manipulative Cro-Magnon, or possibly even Neanderthal man about a 100,000 years ago first realized that the majority of his peers were susceptible to suggestive mind control whenever God, or the ‘ great unknown’ mysteries of the universe were somehow involved with the suggestion. After all what wouldn’t a simpleton do to live forever in spirit, especially if it is in the service of their great creator? Good question, apparently, they will do whatever it takes including: lying, stealing, and murdering anyone that gets in their way on a scale that not only defies logic, it controls it.    Now, do I think the Freemasons are the root of all evil, and somehow bent on world domination? No, but do I think something horribly flawed is underneath it all? Yes, and it’s not the secret knowledge, or secret rituals, because any fool can go to the public library and find every ‘so called’ secret their heart desires, or just buy a copy of Manley P. Hall’s “The Secret Teachings Of All Ages” like I did, and save yourself the trip. The horrible flaw I’m speaking of isn⠀™t in the Magic behind It all. It is in the greedy hearts and the crippled minds of the men that use it for all the wrong reasons, The Cains of this world hunting down their brothers -- right down to the very last one. Personally, I find it all about as boring and pointless, and philosophically challenging, as taking a dump while camping, and trying to keep how you wiped your ass a BIG secret. Now there’s an embarrassing top secret ritual we all can relate to.