Forbidden History - Freemasons: The Original Secret Society

Episode Date: May 6, 2025

In this episode we’re joined by historian and author, Guy Walters, as we explore the mysterious world of the Freemasons - their origins, symbols, rituals, and the conspiracy theories that swirl around them. From medieval stonemasons to modern lodges, discover what’s fact, what’s fiction, and why they’ve fascinated the public for centuries. Cast List: Guy Walters: Author & Historian  Eric Meyers: Narrator  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to the Forbidden History Podcast. This program is presented solely for educational and entertainment purposes. It contains mature adult themes. Listener discretion is advised. For over three centuries, they've met behind closed doors. Exchanging cryptic handshakes, whispering ancient oaths, and wearing gowns stitched with mysterious symbols. From the cathedrals of medieval Europe to the dollar bills in your pocket, the fingerprints of the Freemasons are, some say, everywhere.

Presidents, philosophers, revolutionaries, all sworn to secrecy within a society that claims to seek truth but is cloaked in mystery. Are the Freemasons simply a fraternal club with a taste for ceremony? Or are they the silent architects of world events, pulling strings and shaping history to fit their collected agendas? The Freemasons is one of those organizations that people are always incredibly suspicious of. And, you know, you name a conspiracy theory, and there is bound to be some Freemason connection. They're connected with the Illuminati. They've toppled governments. They've assassinated presidents. In this episode of the Forbidden History podcast, we journey into the world of the Freemasons.

They've been linked to world-changing events from the... the founding of the United States to global financial crises. But are they really the puppet masters some claim them to be? We'll hear from author and historian Guy Walters, who will provide insight into the origins and influence of the Freemasons. Along the way, we'll explore the myths and facts surrounding their history, their symbols, and the lasting impact they've had on the world. If you've ever walked past an old stone building with a square and compass etched into the wall,

or caught a glimpse of a ceremony that felt a little too ritualistic for a social club, you've likely brushed up against the long shadow of Freemasonry. It's one of the oldest and most misunderstood fraternities in the world. And yet, unlike most secret societies, Freemasonry doesn't hide in the shadows. They have buildings on Main Streets, charity drives. even websites. But where did it all begin? The Freemasons can trace origins all the way back to, hence their names,

Stone Mason guilds in Europe in medieval times. And essentially there were groups of highly skilled craftsmen, and many of them were behind building all those great cathedrals that we see around Europe that kind of popped up in the Middle Ages. And all these guilds have their own traditions, They've got their own symbols and kind of rituals, if you like, and their methods of recognising each other. And all this starts becoming more and more and more complex and esoteric

and more and more kind of complicated, if you like. But, you know, by the 17th, 18th century around there, you've got Freemasonry becoming this really kind of primary guild, if you like. So how did a group once associated with medieval stone masons evolve into a philosophical brotherhood tied to revolution enlightenment and endless suspicion. To understand Freemasonry today, you have to go back not just to one building, but to one idea. The lodge.

If you look at Britain, for example, you've got the first Grand Lodge, and that's an association of Freemasons, it's known as a Lodge. The first Grand Lodge is established in England in 1717. And that essentially is where most people think that modern Freemasonry really kicks off. But it spreads very rapidly, you know, across Europe to what were the American colonies. And actually, a lot of the Freemasonry thinking about equality becomes associated with those kind of revolutionary ideals that we see in the American Revolution and the French Revolution. And the other sort of ideal behind Freemasonry is at a fraternity, brotherhood.

The lodge. Simple in name, but complex in meaning. The first official one was formed in England likely in 1717, although Masonic legends traced their lineage much further back. However, it didn't stay confined to Britain. Freemasonry quickly spread across Europe and into the New World, arriving just in time to mingle with revolutionary ideas. And that's where things get interesting. The values Freemasonry promoted, equality among men, reason over-reasonry. superstition, fraternity over hierarchy, were more than just personal virtues. They mirrored the radical ideals that would soon erupt in the American and French

revolutions. Was it a coincidence? Or were these lodges quietly shaping history from within? The old cliche is that, you know, if you're a Freemason at a lodge meeting, it doesn't matter if you're a Duke or a Dussman. You know, if you're a Freemason, you're all the same. But, you know, the problem about it is, is that you've got this secretive organization with some very big ideas and with some very big people. And it's that that fuels so much speculation about what the Freemasons are really up to. In theory, Masonic lodges were a great equalizer. Status was stripped at the door.

Members stood shoulder to shoulder, regardless of wealth or rank. But in practice, many lodges attracted thinkers, elite, elites, and those already in positions of influence. The result? A network of well-connected individuals meeting regularly behind closed doors, with their own rituals, their own symbols, and their own rules. That combination of secrecy, status, and structure is what makes Freemasonry so enduringly suspicious.

So Freemasonry has a lot of core beliefs, and it has a lot of symbolism. It's got three kind of core tenets, if you like, which are brotherly love, and then relief of others, i.e. charity. And the big one, truth. And so you've got Freemasons following this very kind of codified system of morality, if you like. These weren't just ideals. They were codified through ceremonies, allegories, and a moral system passed down through generations. Some historians describe Freemasonry as a form of moral architecture, where personal growth is symbolized through building metaphors. Every tool of the mason becomes a lesson. The square represents virtue. The compass represents restraint and balance. But what exactly are these symbols meant to teach? And why are they

still used today? Much of those are drawn from the ancient practice of being a stone mason. one of the most recognizable symbols of Freemasonry is the square and the compass. The square and compass. You've seen them on buildings, rings, even bumper stickers. They're not just decoration. For Freemasons, they're tools of personal discipline. Another one that we all know about is the all-seeing eye. Now that the Freemasons associate with this thing called the Eye of Providence.

And what does the Eye of Providence do? Well, that kind of signifies divine guidance and, you know, God looking out for you. And then I think one of the most famous symbols, of course, you see on the US $1 bill, which is that unfinished pyramid with the Eye of Providence on top of it. And that is sometimes linked to Freemasonry, although, you know, that is debatable. Okay, so, you know, the world is divided as to whether that's a Masonic symbol or not. and I suppose that if you are going to be a secret society, probably putting your symbol on an American dollar, probably not the best way of keeping secret, frankly. The all-seeing eye is often mistaken for a Masonic creation. In truth, it predates Freemasonry and appears in Christian art and Egyptian iconography.

But its adoption by masons and later its appearance on the US dollar bill cemented it as a symbol of surveillance, power and enlightenment. Some say it's just a symbol. Others say it's a signature, left behind by a hidden architect of history. More on the mysteries of Freemasonry coming up after the break. Power attracts attention. And when power gathers behind closed doors, it attracts suspicion. Over the centuries, Freemasonry has drawn some of the most prominent men in history. U.S. presidents, revolutionary, philosophers, even astronauts. George Washington laid the cornerstone of the U.S. Capitol building in full Masonic regalia. Winston Churchill, Franklin Roosevelt, Simone Bolivar, all apparently Freemasons. So the question isn't whether influential people have been Freemasons. The question is,

did Freemasonry make them influential? Or did the already influential? simply join. Investigative historian and author, Guy Walters, explains more. A lot of Freemasons have been really influential in shaping history. Now, does that mean that Freemasonry has been in itself significant in shaping history, or does it just mean that people who were Freemasons have been significant? But, you know, that's a really hard thing to argue, and it depends on how sort of all-encompassing you think Freemasons are.

George Washington, a Freemason, laid the cornerstone of the U.S. Capitol in full ceremonial garb. Benjamin Franklin not only joined the fraternity, he also printed pro-Masonic literature and defended it in the press. Across the Atlantic, men like Voltaire and Goethe were also members, weaving Masonic ideals into their work and their politics. But, you know, there have been a lot of Freemasons, you know, in the world to be. politics, philosophy, you know, thought, revolutionaries. And even you've got founding fathers of the United States, you know, men like George Washington, you got Benjamin Franklin, you've got big US figures like Paul Revere, they were all Freemasons. And of course, there was a big overlap between some of the tenets of freemasonry

and what was going on, you know, in the founding of the United States, this whole idea of personal liberty, the whole notion of democratic governments, the whole idea of being secular, and all this kind of very strongly influences the revolutions in America and France. This wasn't a coincidence. The lodge was becoming a meeting ground for enlightenment thinkers and emerging elites alike.

And by the late 18th century, Freemasonry had spread from its British and continental European roots into the fabric of American civic life. It offered a structured space for debate connection and mutual support. Values that aligned with revolutionary ideals. And that is just, you know, back in some 18th, 19th century, even well into the 20th century, you know,

you've got a lot of people in very prominent positions in government, finance, academia, all Freemasons. Is it possible that these people in high positions may have driven the Masonic influence into American political and cultural identity, which can be seen in the symbolism embedded within the nation's official emblems. Take, for example, the reverse side of the Great Seal of the United States. It shows an unfinished pyramid, the Latin motto, novice ordo cyclorum, meaning a new order of the ages,

and, above it all, the all-seeing eye. Many have linked these elements to Masonic influence, though historians remain divided on the connection. The symbol itself, the Eye of Providence, was used in religious and artistic contexts long before Freemasonry adopted it. Still, its placement on the U.S. dollar has become one of the most cited pieces of evidence for Masonic influence in modern governance. We're entitled to our secrets. We're entitled to our own traditions. We're entitled to our, you know, initiations and our rituals and our sense of belonging to each other. And they could say, you know, what's the difference team being a Freemason or being an ardent supporter of a football club?

You know, being a member of a football club comes its own uniform. To members, the rituals and secrecy are simply part of the culture, symbolic rather than sinister. Much like a fraternity, the traditions offer identity, structure, and a sense of continuity across generations. Freemasonry has attracted statesmen, generals, and judges. and when those networks of influence form behind closed doors, even the most innocent traditions can begin to look strategic. In the 20th century, Freemasonry remained active, but its public image shifted. The quiet lodges of the past became entangled in something louder,

the growing wave of modern conspiracy theories. For decades, books, documentaries, and late-night talk radio have drawn imaginary lines between Masonic lodges and world events, economic collapses, wars, even assassinations. Some claim they pull strings from behind the curtain. Others argue they're just a convenient scapegoat, a secret society you don't have to prove, because it never claims to be entirely invisible.

While Freemasonry is often associated with historical figures, government buildings, and secret rituals passed down through generations, its symbols and influence have reached into places we might not expect. Take, for example, the Flintstones. At first glance, it's a light-hearted animated sitcom set in the Stone Age. But when we look closer at the loyal order of water buffaloes, the lodge meetings, the ceremonial garb, we start to see echoes of real-world Masonic traditions. It raises an interesting question. Were the show's creators subtly referencing free masonry, or simply drawing from a broader

cultural image of fraternal organizations? Either way, it's a reminder that the symbols and structures of masonry have seeped into every corner of modern life, even cartoons. And if that sounds far-fetched, consider this. There's even a Masonic lodge chartered on the moon. In 1969, as part of the Apollo 11 mission, astronaut and 33rd degree Scottish-right Freemason Buzz Aldrin carried with him a special deputation from the Grand Lodge of Texas. The document authorized the establishment of Tranquility Lodge No. 2000, named after the Sea of Tranquility

where Aldrin and Neil Armstrong first set foot on the lunar surface. While the lodge isn't operational in the traditional sense, there are no meetings held on the moon, it stands as a symbolic gesture, extending the philosophical reach of Freemasonry beyond Earth itself. The Freemasons is one of those organizations that people are always incredibly suspicious of, and you name a conspiracy theory, and there is bound to be some Freemason connection.

They're connected with the Illuminati, they've toppled governments, they've assassinated presidents. The claims range from the plausible to the theatrical. Some of the more extreme theories merge Freemasonry with other secret groups, the Illuminati, the Knights Templar, the New World Order. The boundaries blur quickly, especially online, where a single symbol or coded phrase can send an entire community of digital detectives into a frenzy.

Still, some of the confusion comes from Freemasonry's actual influence, especially when it comes to who's allowed inside. It's becoming this very secretive, brotherly organization, and it's no longer just open to actual masons, but they're also opening their doors to all sorts of other people. You know, kind of intellectuals, thinkers, philosophers, politicians, writers, you know, that kind of influential figure. Today, lodges are open to more than just traditional stone masons or craftsmen. They've welcomed scientists, lawyers, professors, even celebrities.

To some, a fraternal organization, evolving with time, makes perfect sense. But to critics, it's exactly what makes the group so dangerous. influence with no transparency, ideology without accountability. And then there are the buildings. Some sites, both historic and modern, have become the focus of serious online investigation. Two in particular come up again and again. People say that the layout of Washington, D.C., you know, is said to contain all sorts of Masonic influences. the streets are arranged like the pentagrams and the compasses that are associated with Masonic rituals.

I mean, who knows? Washington, D.C., a city designed from the ground up with symbolism in mind. Pierre L'Enfant, the original architect of the capital, was never a confirmed Mason, but many involved in the planning were. Certain street patterns, angles, and placements have been interpreted as forming Masonic symbols. compasses, pentagrams, even the square and ruler. Another place that gets a lot of attention linking it to kind of Masonic stuff is Denver International Airport. Look it up, look it up if you haven't been.

And that's got these really weird murals, and he's got these underground tunnels, and it's got a dedication plaque featuring the square and compass, and he's got this big weird horse, which may have something to do with Freemasonry, I don't know. Denver International Airport is perhaps the strangest of all. Conspiracy theorists point to a plaque bearing a Masonic emblem and surreal murals depicting apocalyptic scenes. Even the massive sculpture at its entrance, a blue horse with glowing red eyes,

has taken on a life of its own. The Freemasons totally acknowledged that they've been involved in financing or helping some big architectural projects and structures. But, you know, what they're not saying is that there's some sort of weird hidden functions to Washington, D.C., street layout or Denver's, Denver airport's kind of runways or whatever it is. You know, these are not hidden occult symbols relating to our supposed world domination. And the fact that there's a plaque featuring the Square and Compass at Denver International probably suggests that they're pretty public about their contribution to that. But with who else have the Freemasons encountered conflict or controversy throughout their history? Few institutions wielded more spiritual and political authority in pre-modern Europe than the Catholic Church.

So when an independent organization, secular, symbolic, and shrouded in secrecy, began attracting thinkers and statesmen, it didn't take long for tensions to rise. By the 18th century, the Vatican had taken a clear stance. Freemasonry wasn't just frowned upon. It was condemned. One of the biggest kind of conflicts, if you like, is between the Catholic Church, the Vatican, and Freemasonry. And there was a papal decree, I think it was Pope Clement the 12th in the kind of mid-18th century in about 1740, 1738, something like that. He said in this decree called, you know, Ineminenti. He said, you know, I am condemning freemasonry.

You know, I don't like its secrecy. I don't like its oaths. I don't like its anti-clericalism, which means, you know, it doesn't like it. it stance against priests. And, you know, he said, right, Catholics, you are banned from joining the Freemasonry because it's a rival belief system. You know, it represents a threat to us, you know, so we don't like it. In 1738, Pope Clement the 12th issued Ineminenti Apostolatus, the first papal bull directly targeting Freemasonry. It cited secrecy, oaths, and relativistic beliefs as dangerous, not only to the church's authority, but to the souls of its followers.

This wasn't a symbolic gesture. Catholics who joined Masonic Lodges risked excommunication. Over time, that position would be reaffirmed by multiple popes, including as recently as the late 20th century. To the Vatican, Freemasonry wasn't just another fraternity. It was a rival ideology, one with moral teachings, rituals and loyalty structures that existed outside the authority of the church. You've got to remember that even though there are plenty of Freemasons who they do believe in God,

freemasonry is secular. It is not a religious society. And that is why if you are the Pope in the 18th century, you're looking at it and going to undermine our influence. So it's a kind of power play by the Pope. You're saying, you know, you guys can go away. You know, you are representing a threat to us. I'm going to ban Catholics, I'm joining you. But, you know, Catholics have joined the Freemasons. And of course, you know, that's led to all sorts of debates within the Catholic Church as whether that can continue. Free Masonry requires a belief in a higher power, what it calls the great architect of the universe. But it doesn't align itself with any one religion. That universality, what Mason see as inclusivity was exactly what the church viewed as heresy.

In the eyes of the Vatican, Freemasonry blurred the lines between faiths, offered its own moral path, and challenged the church's monopoly on spiritual authority. And it wasn't just the Catholic Church that tried to suppress it. Authoritarian regimes, from the Soviet Union to Nazi Germany to fascist Spain, viewed Masonic lodges as dangerous hubs of liberal and democratic values. Now, when you've got people that impressive, that mighty, that influential being Freemasons, it's hardly surprising that some people are going to argue that that represents a hidden network of power and actually Freemasonry is too powerful for its own good. And this is why you have people

like Adolf Hitler in Nazi Germany, Franco in fascist Spain, basically, banning Freemasonry because they were regarded as being far too influential and actually hostile and a potential danger to their own nasty regimes. In Nazi Germany, Freemasons were among those targeted for imprisonment. Their lodges dismantled and their symbols banned. Hitler saw them as subversive, a network loyal to enlightenment values that stood in direct opposition to totalitarian control. So while Freemasonry rarely speaks openly about politics, history tells a different story about

how politics has responded to Freemasonry. Most conspiracy theories about Freemasonry are built on suggestion, patterns in architecture, cryptic symbols, historical coincidence. But sometimes there's no need to connect dots. the story breaks into the light on its own. One of the most infamous examples is a lodge known simply as P2, not in fiction, but in 1970s Italy, in the heart of real political power and real scandal. There are certainly some Masonic lodges, you know, the little HQs of Freemasonry around the

world, that have been up to absolutely no good at all. Now, the worst of these was a lodge in Italy called the Propaganda Duwe, P2 for short. This lodge was run by this guy called Lichiegel. That was linked in the 70s and 80s to an enormous amount of political corruption, financial scandal, and it was even linked to the death of the Vatican banker Roberto Calvi. Propaganda Duet, or P2, was a case. clandestine Masonic Lodge, headed by Lichio Geli, a businessman with deep ties to Italian elites. Under the surface, P2 operated more like a shadow government than a fraternal society.

In 1981, Italian police raided Jellie's Villa. What they found was a list of over 900 names, high-ranking military officials, bankers, media moguls, even members of Parliament. all secretly affiliated with the lodge. The revelations rocked Italy. Even more disturbing was its connection to the death of Roberto Calvi, dubbed God's banker for his ties to the Vatican Bank. Calvi's body was found hanging under London's Blackfriars Bridge in 1982. At first, ruled a suicide.

It was later reclassified as a murder. P2's name was all over. the case. When P2 was raided, what emerged was the fact that this lodge was used as a cover for this really secretive power network in Italy. I mean, Italy really is a place for kind of secret secret societies. Famously, there's one called the Mafia, right? But this is probably Freemasonry gone bad, if you like. Unlike most Masonic lodges, P2 operated with zero transparency. It was explicitly political, deeply embedded in Italy's economic and intelligence systems, and allegedly involved in plots to destabilize the government itself.

To this day, many Italians equate Freemasonry with corruption, not because of ancient rumors, but because of P2. P2 was a seriously problematic organization. Did it give Freemasonry a bad name? Does it help people who think that Freemasons are up to no good? You bet it does. The scandal gave conspiracy theorists global ammunition. Here, finally, was a real lodge involved in real power games.

Secret memberships, media manipulation, financial fraud, and even death. Was P2 an outlier? Absolutely. But its exposure blurred the line between speculation and evidence in the public imagination. And it left a mark that mainstream Freemasonry still struggles to erase. For an organization, so often linked with power, influence, and conspiracy, Freemasonry today operates in a strange space, part public, part forgotten.

Its symbols remain on buildings, gravestones, and even currency. Its lodges are still open, its rituals are still performed. But in many parts of the world, Freemasonry is facing a quiet decline. Frankly, some of these guys were a little bit eccentric, and I don't think it was the best social media strategy. And I think this is, you know, the problem, because I think actually membership has been really declining in recent decades. I think there are different social attitudes towards these kind of clubs and societies. The whole idea of even golf club membership is declining, because people see less role for clubs and societies in their life. In the United States, Masonic membership peaked in the mid-20th century, with over 4 million strong.

Today, that number is closer to 1 million, and shrinking. The trend is mirrored across Europe and elsewhere. Younger generations more skeptical of institutions seem less drawn to the secrecy and ritual. And in a digital age, where connection is instant and global, the appeal of closed-door meetings and coded symbols, can feel slightly outdated. You still got Freemasonry being, I would sort, pretty effective, pretty influential in less kind of obvious ways. I think a lot of people in the lodges, they like to talk about morality.

So in some ways, I think you need to think about some of these Masonic groups as more kind of talking shops, if you like, almost like a kind of church meeting. Today's Masonic lodges, in many cases, serve more as forums than for, forces. Philosophical discussions, charitable work, and tradition now take precedence over influence or networking. But the legacy remains, from the founding documents of nations to the layout of cities, the fingerprints of Masonic ideas are everywhere, if you know where to look. And I think that maybe, even if they were very influential, I don't think the masons are as influential as they might have been. Perhaps Freemasonry's greatest transformation isn't into

conspiracy or corruption, but into nostalgia. Once accused of controlling the world, many of today's masons are simply trying to preserve its memory, but secrecy, once established, rarely disappears entirely. And whether it's real influence or just the idea of it, Freemasonry remains one of his history's most enduring riddles. If Freemasonry is just a club, it's one that help shape revolutions. If it's just a ritual, it's ritual that survive centuries. And if it's something more, well, we may never truly know. Unexplored catacombs buried beneath the city, a crumbling castle perched on a mountain peak, a top-secret government bunker, a cursed mansion cloaked in legend. I'm Sasha Auerbach.

Join me in Tom Ward every Wednesday and Sunday as we reveal the mysteries and histories behind these abandoned places and ask where did everyone go. We'll hear from Sasha, who knows the history the best. In fact, there's a very famous book by a chap named Marcus Redeker called the Many-Headed Hydra, and he talks about pirate ships

as an experiment in radical democracy. And me, who knows nothing, erinautical scientists can't quite explain it. They say, we don't actually know. how it gets up there. How it stays up? You're just not good at a science. No, there are explanations?

There are explanations. Oh, okay, fine. It's just plain physics. Brought to you by Like a Shot, makers of forbidden history. Search for Where Did Everyone Go on your favorite podcast?