GW is a member of Skull and Bones. He joined while attending Yale University.
CBS 60 minutes reported on it:
Skull And Bones Secret Yale Society Includes America's Power Elite
(CBS) As opposite as George Bush and John Kerry may seem to be, they do share a common secret - one they've shared for decades, and one they will not share with the electorate.
The secret: details of their membership in Skull and Bones, the elite Yale University society whose members include some of the most powerful men of the 20th century.
Bonesmen, as they're called, are forbidden to reveal what goes on in their inner sanctum, the windowless building on the Yale campus that is called the Tomb.
When 60 Minutes first reported on Skull & Bones last October, conspiracy theorists, who see Skull and Bones behind just about everything that goes wrong, and even right, in the world, were relishing the unthinkable - the possibility of two Bonesman fighting it out for the presidency.
Over the years, Bones has included presidents, cabinet officers, spies, Supreme Court justices, captains of industry, and often their sons and lately their daughters, a social and political network like no other.
And to a man and women, they'd responded to questions with utter silence until an enterprising Yale graduate, Alexandra Robbins, managed to penetrate the wall of silence in her book, “Secrets of the Tomb,” reports CBS News Correspondent Morley Safer. "I spoke with about 100 members of Skull and Bones and they were members who were tired of the secrecy, and that's why they were willing to talk to me,” says Robbins. “But probably twice that number hung up on me, harassed me, or threatened me.”
Secret or not, Skull and Bones is as essential to Yale as the Whiffenpoofs, the tables down at a pub called Mory's, and the Yale mascot - that ever-slobbering bulldog.
Skull and Bones, with all its ritual and macabre relics, was founded in 1832 as a new world version of secret student societies that were common in Germany at the time. Since then, it has chosen or "tapped" only 15 senior students a year who become patriarchs when they graduate -- lifetime members of the ultimate old boys' club.
“Skull and Bones is so tiny. That's what makes this staggering,” says Robbins. “There are only 15 people a year, which means there are about 800 living members at any one time.”
But a lot of Bonesmen have gone on to positions of great power, which Robbins says is the main purpose of this secret society: to get as many members as possible into positions of power.
“They do have many individuals in influential positions,” says Robbins. “And that's why this is something that we need to know about.”
President Bush has tapped five fellow Bonesmen to join his administration. Most recently, he selected William Donaldson, Skull and Bones 1953, the head of the Securities and Exchange Commission. Like the President, he's taken the Bones oath of silence.
About 400lbs of epsom salt is added to the water in the tank to raise the density of the water above the density of the human body, so that your face remains above the water. However, since the ears are submerged when you are in a relaxed position, hearing is greatly reduced, particularly when ear-plugs are also used. When the arms float to the side, skin sensation is greatly reduced because the air and water are the same temperature as the skin, and the feeling of a body boundary fades. The sense of smell is also greatly reduced, especially if the water has not been treated with chlorine.
A therapeutic session in a flotation tank typically lasts an hour. For the first forty minutes, it is reportedly possible to experience itching in various parts of the body (a phenomenon also reported to be common during the early stages of meditation). The last twenty minutes often end with a transition from beta or alpha brainwaves to theta, which typically occurs briefly before sleep and again at waking. In a float tank, the theta state can last for several minutes without the your losing consciousness. Many use the extended theta state as a tool for enhanced creativity and problem-solving or for superlearning.
For relaxation, one simply floats and becomes the observer of the body/mind system. Active floating has many different techniques. One may perform meditation, mantras, self-hypnosis, utilize educational programs, etc. The idea of active floating is that, when the body is relaxed, the mind becomes highly suggestible and any action taken during these states will enter the information into the sub-conscious. Flotation therapy may be used to complement other body work and healing methods.
No, Gilly, I have not. However, I am familiar with the float tank and it's uses. I wonder if one could achieve the same results floating at night in the Great Salt Lake, in Utah? Could be possible. I have only floated in the ocean at night... too many waves for the purpose and not quite enough salt. Still, it is relaxing for the body!
Is anyone here a member of any of the various secret societies and fraternal organizations such as the Freemasons, Rosicrucians, Knights of Malta, Knights Templars, Theosophical Society, Knights of Columbus, or any other?
Or do you know someone who is close to you, such as a Grandfather, Father, Uncle, etc. who is?
I am neither Adam and Eve, or Adam and Steve, or Bev and Eve.
Neither do I obtain to know the experience of any of them. Neither have I experienced the flood with Noah and the Ark. I will only speak of my own experiences. I live in the NOW.
It has been interesting to meet you Trish.
Do you have any pics of the blue herons in your garden? I would like to see them and perhaps add them to my blue heron screen saver slide show. Thanks, HL
I have never even once told you to read the Bible. And I know that you did not aim this directly at me. In general, I must say that I agree with both you and goose on this comment. What I quoted to him was a writing which I experience to be true. Many others can relate to it. Many read these forums who never write a post.
As I have tried to state clearly on previous posts, I would like to present knowledge of knowing God to the pew warmers who attend churches listening to preachers who have been taught in schools of theology, who have no knowledge of God on a personal basis, that there is more to it than what they are being taught.
I have the right to answer gillys question in a way that will enlighten those pew warmers. I did not know either of you were in existance on this planet when I made the post, so it was not intended for you. Sorry if I offended you on your beliefs, but I was not talking about you or your beliefs and my message was not directed towards you in any shape or form.
Encourage one another and build one another up... this is an act of love. I am not trying to convert you... it isnt about YOU! So why must you aim to discredit and cause disention? Let those who want to know more, obtain the knowledge. Start a post of your own explaining to us what you believe since your God or whatever is so different. Perhaps others would like to know your way also.
Just because you have no experience of this, do not strike it as false.
Jesus said, "My sheep KNOW my VOICE". If it were not possible, how could this be?
I am here to tell you, as millions of others could also, that yes, God sits and talks with me, in the same way we sit and have conversation with any person whom we can see with our eyes.
Knowing God on a personal basis is not absurd, but it is an absolute, it is necessary in Knowing Him at all. This is my point in posting, to bring to you the knowledge that it IS possible to know God in this way. Those who teach that you can not, teach deception.
I am no one special. God will speak to you and everyone else, in fact, it is His desire to do so! It is sad that most choose not to. All I ask, if you disagree with me, is that you try it for yourself. The next time you are going somewhere, ask God... which way, which route would you have me take? He will tell you. He's just waiting for you to ask Him. It was the point in the death and ressurection of Jesus, that we would be brought into a personal relationship with God, be forgiven, and be his friend.
I have never heard the quote, "Knowing is seeing what was once invisable." In this, you would be stating that we know nothing, as many things have always been visable, bringing to me a conclusion that it would be impossible to know this object which I see which really does exist. I believe this deffinition you gave is incorrect.
Truely, he's kind of a skinney bird and I do not think he would be worth the effort of plucking and cooking. Although mixed with the pasta and asparagus, it may be delicious with a good Hollandaise or Alfredo Sauce!
Trish, you misunderstand me, I was commending you on your act of contemplation and encouraging you and others to continue in it! I by no means ment any assumption that you did not do this.
When I say that religion is dead, I am speaking of "rules and regulations" taught by organized institutions (churches), which have no life, in and of themselves, and produce absolutely no way to God or reaching heaven, as they teach it.
My concept of God, is only what He has shown me, revelations given to me by Him, things He has told me, (yes, He talks!) He is in all things, I will comment on a beautiful post you have shared here in just a moment, on this subject.
I am in no way against your relationship with all things in the universe or what you perseive. I post what I say, so that others may learn and gain knowledge through our conversation. It is not merely directed towards you.
Trish dear, I do not ask you to believe in "my way", I spoke against religion and it's teachings.
I encourage all to know God personally. He meets with each individual in different places, in a way that he can speak with each on their own level of understanding. He does it differently with each person.
For instance... When I see a blue heron, in flight on the lake. I am receiving a smile and a hug from God and a knowing that He loves me. It is an experience we have come to share. It is our personal "thing". To another, it may have no meaning at all. He speaks to us all in His own way and it means something different to each individual. That's what is so cool about God.
I encourage you and others to spend time in quiet meditation. It brings clarity of mind, instruction, and peace. I am sharing that there is so much more, deeper levels you can go to. There is no "right way or wrong way". Whatever works for you. There is "life" in quietness, in the stillness. Religion is dead.
Jesus said, we would know the true believers by their fruit. The fruits of the Spirit are: Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Gentleness and Self-Control.
Jesus also said to "Love One Another, by this, all men will know you are my disciples, that you love one another."
We are told to Encourage one another, to build them up, not to tear down and discourage for this is the work of our enemy, the devil.
We are also told to examine every fruit, and to abide in the vine and that every branch which does not bear fruit will be cut off and thrown into the fire.
You do not exhibit evidence of one who knows God therefore, your ordination carries absolutely No Weight and is discredited as evidence which would show you speak truth, which in turn makes you only a clanging symbol... a noise maker!
Please understand me here Mr. Shipoker. I am speaking to you in love. Do not deceive yourself. Examine yourself and stop this senceless behavior! You are fooling no one. You are simply exposing yourself as a Target!
***Calling All Believers and Prayer Warriors!!! ***
As of this moment, I ask all to PRAY for Mr. Shipoker, that the Love of God would overtake him and bring him into the knowledge of the truth. That he would Know this love, and the heights and depths and widths of this love, which surpasses all understanding. That he will be filled to overflowing with the pure love of God, permeating every part of his being until he can not contain it and it spills out upon every person he comes into contact with! Our God is faithful to do all that we ask or imagine and he will do as we ask, for our hearts are right in asking this. We stand in agreement and we shall recieve testimony and good report of the power of this prayer! In the mighty name of our Lord and Savior Jesus, our Messiah, we make this request and so be it!
First let me say that there is a difference between believing and knowing.
You can believe there is a God because someone that you trust tells you there is one, or because you read or hear convincing evidence to the fact. This is simply "head knowledge". You can always choose to change your mind and decide, I choose not to believe this anymore. This is why Religion and Theology produce no life.
To Know something is to Experience it.
When you experience the presence of God, you gain the experience of that reality. Then, you Know.
The problem with Religion and many of it's teachings, is that the introduction of the experience, is left out, as many of the teachers and preachers themselves, have never experienced the presence of God.
There are millions who DO experience the presence of God, who truely Know God and spend time with Him, receiving instruction throughout the day, sharing Joy, love, and every part of their life with Him.
If you do not Know God on a personal basis, I would suggest either talking with someone who does, and shows evidence of this in their life, (they operate with unconditional love). Or just take yourself to a quiet place where you are alone, and say, "God, I do not know if you are real, but I do want to know. Would you reveal yourself to me in a way that I may know you?" Just say what is on your heart. He will do it. You will have a personal experience, then you will know. He says, "Be still... and know... that I am God."
Yes, there is a God, and it thrills Him to no end, to share experiences with six billion, or an unlimited count of people, who truely want to have a relationship with Him. He is our helper, healer, provider, savior, deliverer and so much more. Most of all... God is LOVE! And He wants to share that love with YOU!
SHIPOKER, This is a great example of what I was trying to tell you. If you want to convince others of your disagreeing point of view, have evidence to back it up. It carries much more weight. This man took the time to search out information he wanted to debunk. This method is much more effective for accomplishing your purpose than just a brief remark to instill doubt.
Goose, thanks for your efforts and sharing your research, although it in no way contributes to the factual evidence of weather or not UFO's exist. There is much evidence to the contrary. And there are those within the government whos job it is to make sure to label every person who gets too close to exposing secret information, as "kooks". There have been too many who have worked in "Top Secret" positions, who have come forth and exposed the secret projects they were involved in. Unfortunately, it has cost many their lives.
I choose to keep an open mind and believe that anything is possible. I have no personal experience to confirm belief in UFO's, so I can not state that beyond any doubt that I KNOW they are real. This being the case, I will not instill doubt because I do not have first hand information, to back it up. 2nd hand info is "hearsay", which has no weight. I simply ponder it and think... maybe... maybe not, until I experience something which gives me no doubt.
This is precisely a good example of miscommunication. I was not refering to your comment about Sherry and UFO's. I specifically said it was on another forum (where others were sharing their personal sitings of UFO's which they themselves had witnessed).
Here and in your next post you refer to "fanatics" and use the term being "obsessive". Again, words used to try to discredit someone by categorizing them in a negative viewpoint. You lack spiritual understanding, as do many. It does not mean you are a bad person. It simply means you have not been made complete... yet.
Call me fanatic or obsessive, it's okay, in your eyes and in your understanding, I am. In my terminology, I am simply in love, and enjoy sharing it.
When you go out to eat at a good restaurant or find a store with good bargains, don't you like to tell others so they may enjoy it also? It's sorta the same for me, with the love of God.
I had my turn at living my life my way. If you knew the past life I have lived, the hell my life was, and lived my experiences and know that you should be dead, and you were given the chance to begin a new life, become a new person and have nothing from the past count against you, and you did it and made the most of the opportunity, you would possibly be this greatful to the one who had saved you and done this for you.
He who has been forgiven much... loves much!!!!
If this to you is obsessive or being a fanatic... then SO BE IT!
Just because you have not lived the experience, it does not eradicate the experience of another. It's their experience. Nothing you do or say can change the fact that they had the experience. Just because you do not experience it, does not mean that it is not real or does not exhist.
I read where you posted a comment on someones forum concerning UFO's. You attempted to negate the reality of UFO's and make those posting look like fools. Those people all shared from their own experiences. It is real to them.
I am not saying weather or not I agree with these people as to the existance of UFO's. I can not argue with their experience.
I only bring this up to point out that it seems to be a trait of your character to attempt to discredit others without stating any facts as to back up your own beliefs. True, you are entitled to your own beliefs. But if you want to convince others to discredit information, you should provide them with some evidence to the contrary.
I do not mean this as an attack to your person. It just may be helpful to you in future posts if your intent is to truely help others to discern between truth and deception.
Then may I politely say that I prefer that others see the love of God in me, creating a desire for themselves to know this love that I speak of, that when they see me, they see Him, which would result in them talking about Him, not me.
To me, the greatest compliment would be for others to say, "I just love spending time with HL and talking with her. It's just like being with Jesus!"
I was refering to the particular comment of which Mike refered to in his reply. It was from the Holy Spirit.
I should have the desire to do EVERYTHING under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and in fact did live 7 full years of my life, never removing myself from His presence. I have experienced the fullness of God durring this entire period.
It is sad for me to say, that through disapointments, I chose to remove myself from the awesome constant presence of God. In doing so, I grieved the precious Holy Spirit.
The Good News is that when I decided to come back, He was just as excited as I was for me to be there! He said, "Come on, Let's Go!"
I speak from what I know, through my experiences. I pray my words will help and encourage those who read them.
As I stated in a previous post on this forum, a vast Kingdom is within you. It is in no way hollow, or empty inside, as you say, "a mere Shell". I am glad to be MORE than human. Being full of love is really indescribable, you have to experience it yourself, to understand. It is a free gift for all! "Seek FIRST the KINGDOM of God and ALL these things will be added unto you." Jesus said, "The Kingdom of God is within you." It is in searching within ourselves, that we find God, as we search for Him, as searching for treasure, I would say that this happends when you search with a drive and passion that is unstoppable. This would be "seeking with your whole heart".
This is why I say Religion just doesn't get it. It leaves you empty, it has no spirit, it is DEAD!
Many use the name of God for justification. We are told to "test every spirit" to see if it is in fact from God. If it has not LOVE, it is not from God.
Thanks Conrad for the opportunity to share thru your reply.
HealthyLiving Forum Posts (4,775)
Secret Societies
Thanks! All is fine with me... JUST FISHING!!!