How to Join a Secret Society: What to Know Before You Apply
Membership in a secret society rarely works the way movies suggest — no envelope slipped under a door at midnight, no mysterious stranger on a park bench. The actual mechanisms range from open applications with published eligibility criteria to invitation-only processes governed by internal sponsors. Knowing which type an organization uses — and what those organizations actually expect — separates a realistic inquiry from a frustrating dead end.
Definition and Scope
A secret society, for membership purposes, is any fraternal or initiatory organization that restricts entry through deliberate vetting, maintains non-public ritual content, and confers status through a degree or rank structure. That definition covers an unusually wide spectrum. The Knights of Columbus, which has approximately 2 million members worldwide, accepts any practicing Catholic man and publishes its application process openly. Skull and Bones, Yale's oldest senior society, selects exactly 15 new members per year through a process called "tapping" that the organization itself controls entirely. Both are secret societies by the functional definition; they could not be more different in practice.
The history of secret societies in the United States stretches back to colonial fraternal lodges, and many organizations carry institutional DNA from that era — including the expectation that membership is earned through demonstrated character rather than purchased through dues alone.
How It Works
The mechanics of joining generally fall into one of two models.
Invitation-Only (Tap) Systems
The organization identifies candidates internally. A sponsor — typically a current member of standing — proposes the candidate to a governing body, which then votes on acceptance. The candidate may never submit a formal application at all. Freemasonry operates adjacent to this model: a candidate must be sponsored by two existing Master Masons and is subsequently investigated by a lodge committee before a ballot is cast. A single negative vote (called a "black ball") traditionally rejects the petition.
Application-Based Systems
The organization publishes eligibility requirements — age minimums, religious affiliation, professional background, or geographic residence — and accepts petitions from qualified candidates. The Odd Fellows and Shriners International both use structured application processes. Shriners membership requires existing membership in a Masonic lodge as a prerequisite, illustrating how organizations stack access requirements.
Once an application or petition clears initial vetting, the process typically involves:
- A formal investigation period, during which current members may interview the candidate or review references
- A lodge or chapter ballot, often requiring supermajority approval
- Payment of initiation fees and first-year dues
- Completion of at least the first initiatory degree or ceremony
The initiation rituals and ceremonies themselves are the boundary where membership becomes active — and where oaths and obligations are formally taken.
Common Scenarios
Three situations arise repeatedly for people exploring membership.
The sponsored candidate already knows an active member who has offered to propose them. This is the most direct path in invitation-heavy organizations. The relationship between sponsor and candidate carries real weight — a sponsor's reputation is implicated if a candidate proves unsuitable.
The unsponsored inquirer must either find a point of contact organically or use official channels. Most mainstream fraternal organizations maintain public-facing inquiry processes. Freemasonry, for example, directs interested men to lodge locators maintained by Grand Lodges in each state. The Grand Lodge of New York maintains a publicly accessible lodge-finder at nymasons.org.
The campus-based candidate faces a distinct structure. Secret societies on college campuses — particularly at universities like Yale, Harvard, and Princeton — operate on academic-year tapping cycles tied to sophomore or junior class standing. Timing is not flexible; missing the window means waiting another full year.
Women's membership adds another layer of complexity. Historically male organizations have varied policies: some grand lodges recognize co-Masonic or female-only lodges, others do not. Organizations like the Order of the Eastern Star were specifically chartered to extend Masonic affiliation to women, operating alongside but distinct from male lodge structures.
Decision Boundaries
Before pursuing membership, three questions determine whether the effort is realistic.
Is the organization accessible? Large fraternal orders with thousands of active lodges — Freemasonry, Knights of Columbus, Odd Fellows — have structured intake processes and local points of contact. Smaller esoteric orders, like the Rosicrucians operating through AMORC (Ancient Mystical Order Rosae Crucis), offer postal and online enrollment. Highly selective societies with no public-facing contact mechanism are, by design, not reachable through external initiative.
Do the eligibility requirements apply? Age, gender, religious affiliation, professional background, and geographic location all gate specific organizations. The Knights of Columbus requires Catholic faith. Several Masonic jurisdictions set a minimum age of 18, though the DeMolay organization for young men begins at age 12 (DeMolay International publishes eligibility criteria at demolay.org).
What are the ongoing obligations? Membership is not a one-time transaction. Dues, attendance expectations, degree progression timelines, and the degrees and ranks structure of the organization all represent continuing commitments. The benefits of secret society membership — professional networks, ritual community, mutual aid — are generally proportional to active participation, not passive enrollment.
The full landscape of these organizations, including documented membership criteria and the gap between conspiracy-theory mythology and verifiable history, is mapped across the secretsocietyauthority.com reference archive.