Why is Ritual secret?
 

This was a question posed to me a while back

As of lately, there have been several Greek Letter Organizations who have had their ritual leaked on the internet.

After those secrets were released, the Greek Organizations still continued to flourish. Having ritual that is exposed and open to the public seemed to not have hurt them in the slightest.

Is it merely a psychological effect? Are we keeping it secret simply for the sake of making it feel special to everyone that knows it?

Is it just because of tradition? Do we really have no logical reason for not exposing it other than the fact that our forefathers did not?

Or is it because of something completely different?

When I was posed this question originally, the person asking suggested that the reason why we keep our rituals secret is so that we don't have to be accountable to others when we break our vows.

It seemed like a silly accusation to me, but I really didn't have any kind of reply. So, why do we keep our ritual secret

i think it adds a deeper, more special meaning to the values that you and your brothers or sisters share. Even if a ritual or meaning is leaked, it really only has real value in the context of when the ceremony is performed. Its kinda like one of those 'you had to be there jokes'.

secrets dont make friends =(

True, but best friends tell each other and only each other their deepest secrets!

Hmm, interesting question. Clearly a lack of secrets dosen't kill a group (look a DU!). That being said, I really think that the shared experience of Ritual is what creates the bonds of brotherhood and sisterhood so I think secrecy deepens that. I don't want you to think I'm saying non-secret groups are any less valid, I'm just speaking from my own experience.

I once read a question that was something like, "Do you keep your Ritual secret so others don't know that you don't uphold it?" Not really the reason for keeping it secret, but a good challenge to live your Ritual.

Open rituals don't make friends either...so, there's that.

The reasons for the secret rituals have been explored in a number of places - it deepens the bonds between brothers, it is part of what makes the org what it is, etc. Each group probably has its own reasons for keeping its ritual (and, for that matters, other aspects of its operations) secret, reasons that aren't going to be discussed on an open message board.

Do you really need to identify the groups whose rituals have been leaked?

I too have heard the claim that we keep our rituals secret so that no one will know if we don't live up to our values. I think that's a valid criticism, not of secrecy per se, but of whether we do live up to our rituals. My response is that we should all try to live up to our rituals so that even if an outsider doesn't know our secrets, they'll be able to see what we value.

I think there are several reasons that most fraternities and sororities have kept their rituals secret.

The first is tradition, pure and simple. Fraternity and sorority rituals grew out the ritual practices of Freemasonary and similar groups and fall in a tradition that goes back to ancient times. (I'm not saying that GLO rituals are modern day reincarnations of ancient rites, just that they are modern-day rites of a kind that has ancient roots.) If there's one thing that typically matters to GLOs, it's tradition.

When the granddady of GLOs, the Societas Philosophiae (alias FBK) was founded, it followed the pattern of similar organizations before it and was a secret society. In part, this was because they were doing something somewhat rebellious -- they were providing a place for the free discussion of ideas, something the faculty might find threatening. The original Phi Beta Kappa induction ceremony said: "Here then you may for a while disengage yourself from scholastic cares and communicate without reserve whatever reflections you have made upon various objects; remembering that every thing transacted within this room is transacted sub rosa, . . . here, too, you are to indulge in matters of speculation that freedom of enquiry which ever dispels the clouds of falsehood by the radiant sunshine of truth."

As other fraternities came along, they copied the pattern set by Phi Beta Kappa, even after Phi Beta Kappa ceased to be a fraternity/literary society and became an honor society. In some cases, secrecy was in a sense necessary -- be secret or be expelled. (Although that secrecy could be abused -- thus the founding of Delta Upsilon as non-secret.)

Part of the secret nature of the fraternity involved recognition signs -- passwords, grips and the like. (Trivia question -- Anyone know the original Phi Beta Kappa grip?) Again, GLOs followed Freemasonary and other fraternal organizations in this regard. These recognition signs were important, particularly as Phi Beta Kappa and others spread to more than one campus. Members needed ways to identify one another and satisfy themselves that others were indeed members. This was especially so if for fear of punsihment you couldn't come out and say, "I belong to ABG."

Of course, the time came when membership in a fraternity did not have to be kept secret. But by that time, secret rituals were part of the tradition.

I think three things contribute to the ongoing secrecy of most fraternity rituals. The first is the belief that the fact that members of ABG, and only the members of ABG, know and have shared a bonding experience in some way deepens that bond. The second is pedagogical: a belief that disclosure of the values of a fraternity only in the context of a shared experience of the initiate/initiated serves to underscore the seriousness with which the GLO views those values. Finally, and frankly, there's an element of . . . fun? . . . to it. Fun may not be the right word, but from time immemorial people have been drawn to organizations with secrets. (What kid doesn't love passwords for their club?)

Put all those things together, and I think you're getting at why most GLOs have secret rituals. No, disclosure of those rituals won't "kill" the organization. (I think, though, that most GLOs would say that it can severely lessen the impact of a ritual if an initiate goes in knowing what will happen.) The Masons have gotten along for almost two centuries with their secret rituals available to anyone who looks around to find them, which isn't too hard, especially in these internet days.

The bottom line: For all of the above reasons, most GLOs find that secrecy makes initiation an experience that it wouldn't be and gives ritual a power that it wouldn't have if it weren't secret.

Some things are just meant to be confidential, whether in a sorority/fraternity, club, company, etc. because the information is best understood by those who have knowledge regarding the subject.

Rituals are understood within the context of the organization. If someone openly witnessed my org's rituals, they would have no clue what things mean to us and what it means within the context of my org.

Allowing others to publicly witness your rituals would only allow for personal interpretation/perception by those on the outside looking in who have no knowledge of your organization's inner workings. It would also allow for criticism and judgement on things that again, the public has no extensive knowledge of.

haha, touche.

having no secrets within my org, id assume its comparable to sharing an inside joke. not to say that secrets are a joke, but the bond between the people that share them are similar. The closeness between the people is what makes the joke funny to them ie. the secret special between them. the privilege of knowing meaning behind it is rooted in the strength of friendship.

I think we keep it secret because it's fun that way. If it gets out, so what? It's really just not that big a deal if other people know. Also, I think it's kind of odd when people say things like "only Tri Deltas can possibly understand the true meaning, even if other people read the ritual." I mean, there's no reason to think that a girl in another sorority wouldn't understand the ritual... at a different school going through a different recruitment, she might have been a Tri Delta. Plus, they're all pretty similar anyways. Not necessarily the theatrics of the rituals, but the words and the meanings and the symbolism are definitely comparable. I think we keep them secret because that's just the way they've always been and we wouldn't want to betray our founders as a whole.

Maybe I'm in the minority, but I don't want any part of my ritual getting out. And, my headquarters thinks it's such a big deal that a girl was recently expelled because she leaked part of the ritual.

I mean, I don't want my ritual getting leaked, but if it does, it's not the end of the world.

I think it's important to note that many rituals, initiation, etc weren't always secretive. Much of our (social Greeks) information was published for members and non-members to read. There are songs that included much of our rituals as well. If you are lucky enough to locate books from the turn of the century you can find information that is now considered secretive. I've seen a few of these books, Tri Delt, Chi Omega...about 4 others. Oddly, I found out I know which sorority tried to absorb mine - TWICE - because they published it.

I don't want to know others rituals (though I know some from just hearing things over the years. But they have no value to me. If I knew someone else knew my ritual (and they do), I don't think I'd be upset. My ritual is important to me because I've lived it.

I understand why people want it to be a secret and everything. Everyone wants their sercrest, lets be real. Its fun to think about that this ritual has been happening for 100+ years, with thousands going through the same "secret ritual" that you have. I mean, i see another Tri Delta on the street, its like an understanding, if that makes sense.

I think the coolest part of Tri Delta's ritual is that Sarah Ida Shaw wrote them when Tri Delta was founded. 120 years ago, its CRAZY to think about sometimes.

Secrets are what keep these organizations appealing. If people want to dedicate their lives to unveiling Fraternity and Sorority secrets, so be it. Even if they do uncover secrets, they'll never have the privilege or honor of actually know what they mean.

I'd wager that you are in the majority -- the large majority.

I think what people mean when they say that is this:

Quote:

Originally Posted by AXiDTrish (Post 1815770) My ritual is important to me because I've lived it.

In other words, if you haven't experienced fraternity/sorority life in the context of that specific ritual and tried to live out the ritual, then the ritual is merely words on a page and has no deeper meaning.

I'm not sure that the latter example is ritual, though. It's certainly true, however, that in some groups there have been shifts over the years in what is considered secret. It's also true that publications for public consumption might give "clues" about a group's ritual. That said, as far as I know, except among the non-secret groups like DU, the essentials of the ritual have always been kept secret by most groups.
And how do you know that? ;)

MC: I am also a member of that majority- don't get me wrong. If my ritual were leaked, I'd be sad and mad, but like I said, it wouldn't be the end of the world. My ritual is important to me and I appreciate it, but I was just trying to explain my thoughts on the question posed by the OP. I agree with my Tri Delta sister who said that she thinks it's really cool when she meets a Tri Delta on the street and knows that they went through the same ritual. I LOVE that! I mostly love that my grandmother went through the same ritual and that so many others went through the same ritual throughout years and years and years. I'm PMing you too.

^^^ Gotcha.

I agree, but I also agree with others regarding experiencing it and meeting/knowing others who have experienced the same. While I wish everyone's rituals would remain secret that are supposed to be a secret, I too would think it would be rather meaningless to someone who is just reading it/about it, rather than experiencing/partaking in it.

I definitly think that just reading someones Ritual is not the same as experiencing the performance of it. Don't worry I'm not handing out copies and saying, "Please review this and make sure I'm upholding these values, thanks!"

Actually, when you think about it, that's what your brothers and sisters should be for. We have ten basic expectations and #8 is "I will know and understand the ideals expressed in my fraternity Ritual, and will incorporate them into my daily life." and #10 is "I will challenge my fraternity members to abide by these fraternity obligations, and will confront those who violate them."

Exactly.

This might be a good time to provide a link again to Secret Thoughts of a Ritual.

I LOVE Secret Thoughts of a Ritual! When I heard it before initiation I think it was the first time I thought of Ritual in a deep way. Before it was more of a curiosity like, "OMG I NEED TO KNOW WHAT THE LETTERS MEAN!" But after I really appreciated what Rituals are supposed to be. Every pledge/new member should hear this before initiation.

Maybe they feel that theirs is special. Who is there to decide? I feel mine is special, how about yours? Do you want everyone to know?

It is something that is sacred and should only be shared when u go through the ritual and given the chance to be apart of it. I will never share my secrets, its all about being discreet! IF u wanted people to know what the rituals were about and what goes on then it would not happen in secret.

.......

Sorry, but since this is the umpteenth hundred time I've seen this on GreekChat lately:

Unless you mean separated from, they're three words: a part of.

And while I'm at it, it probably makes me an old fuddy-duddy, but the use of u for you immediately makes a post lose intelligence points for me.

Hijack: apart when it should be a part is a huge pet peeve of mine. Especially because they're opposites!

Back to your regularly scheduled thread.

People using the wrong form of 'to,' 'too,' and 'two' falls in with 'u' and 'you.'

I agree.

And that was a good first post, by the way.

There are many reasons for secrecy, most of which have been mentioned already. But there is one way to look at it that was explained to me that i really liked. My fraternity has a lot of secrets, a couple big, most small. For the most part they come from tradition which is very important to us. But on the issue of secrecy one of my alumni mentioned this to me. A lot of the stuff we don't share is secret because of what it means to us. He compared it to any other family. There will be things, family secrets if you will, that you only share within the family. It strengthens the bond between the members, and makes it seem that you are part of something unique that only you and your brothers have. I know know personally that I know secrets from various organizations, including most of an initiation I discovered by accident. While I did like some of what I learned, it didn't have the meaning to me as my own secrets were.

A lot of the stuff we don't share is secret
^^That bothered me like no other for some reason. It doesn't sit right when I read it. I just feel like it should say "A lot of stuff is kept a secret."
idk.

How do you accidentally learn most of an initiation. There's one thing when you accidentally stumble on a page or two... but most? That's like an hour long "accident!" It's like 'oops, I accidentally drove over your dog, backed over it, and then drove forward again just to make sure it was a dog.'

But that bond we feel with our other brothers/sisters is really cool. I like the feeling of looking at another brother and knowing that we've both been through something that no one else in the room has.
I had to reword that last sentence so many times. ugh.

Ritual is what keeps an organization connected. In a sorority of over 100 girls, it is certainly difficult to become close friends with everyone or to even get along. There's something amazing about knowing secrets with a group of women. Partaking in ritual creates an instant bond, despite how you may feel about a sister once a meeting is over.

Whenever a sister chooses to disaffiliate or needs to be disaffiliated, it makes me feel like a complete stranger knows our organization's ritual. If the sister could not be loyal to us when she was active, what guarantees that she will not disclose our ritual to others?

Geez, that's kinda harsh.

Sometimes people have to disaffiliate for reasons (money, family issues) that have nothing to do with loyalty.

Family issues, academics, money and other reasons beyond a person's control are completely understandable. I love sorority, but it's obviously not the number one priority in life.

However, there are people who need to disaffiliate because they misrepresent our ideals. I'm talking about those girls that you can expect to see completely trashed at a party every Friday night, doing the walk of shame Saturday morning, but won't bother to show up for a philanthropy. Of course, it is expected as we only get a week to decide who will be our new sisters. It just sucks when you find out that the chapter was misled during recruitment, and those girls have to be cut later on after being initiated.

This sounds like you are having issues with some of the women in your chapter. Have they gone before standards board? Does the rest of the chapter share your view?

And that's what pledgeship is for, training for sisterhood. If you have pledges that aren't living up to what the chapter wants, the time to talk to them about it is before initiation, not after.

(Sorry everyone for the hijack)

It's a small group of girls each year that tend to get out hand. They do get called to standards board, which is the position I hold. There's this belief in the chapter that we should not get rid of girls while they are pledging, no matter how egregious the behavior may be. I am an exec officer now, so I am sure I will have the chance to express my opinions. Thank you for your input!

If everyone knew what was going on and everyone did it, it wouldn't be special. As with any kind of ceremony if only a chosen few are allowed to attend it immediately differentiates them from others who cannot attend and take part. And, it usually elevates them socially on at LEAST a subconscious level and often a social level.