Do you know other GLOs' secret info?

[pirate00]

I know, from a loudmouth prospective member, of one local fraternity's secrets but (in Brittany Murphy's voice) "I'll never tell."

[DSTRen13]

I really don't see the point in sharing that kind of information with my husband. But when you're dealing with young college couples that are perhaps less secure about things, information flows more freely --- in quite a few cases, girls have told me all about the activities of their significant others' fraternities that they should not have known and I really didn't care to know. ("I don't like Greek life because my boyfriend had to do this and this ..." "Greeks are weird because they do such and such ..." etc. etc.)

[LucyKKG]

Hmm...I agree with a lot of what has been said here. I wouldn't actively seek out another organization's ritual, and I would feel wrong and awkward if someone wanted to tell it to me. I've heard a tiny bit of ritual from another org, but I'm not even sure it's true. Of course I'm curious! I think despite my curiosity, I would still feel SO wrong about knowing it.

I'm curious about the meaning of the letters, because I've seen these pictures (don't know what to call them) on E-bay that spell out the Greek meaning. I've seen them for several orgs and they usual include other symbols. Does anyone know what I mean? Don't you think anyone who spoke Greek could figure out their meaning from there?

[GreekRankings]

I know many sorority and frat handshakes, rituals and "secrets." One thing I learned is that they are all very, very similar. Similar handshakes, similar meanings hint: they all have to do with love/friendship/loyalty/class.

The big thing with Greeks is the "secret" stuff. Fact is, it's all really tripe, and to me, a gimmick.

[LatinaAlumna]

^You protest too much.

[SWTXBelle]

Originally Posted by GreekRankings

I know many sorority and frat handshakes, rituals and "secrets." One thing I learned is that they are all very, very similar. Similar handshakes, similar meanings hint: they all have to do with love/friendship/loyalty/class.

The big thing with Greeks is the "secret" stuff. Fact is, it's all really tripe, and to me, a gimmick.

Many religious ceremonies are similar - but what makes them not "tripe" is the meaning to the participants. Wedding vows are often alike - are they just words? No - again,what makes it meaningful is taking what is symbolic and making it real. Wedding vows have power when they are truly felt and meant. Ritual (the secret stuff) has power when it binds the members in a common goal - a common cause. It joins them, in much the way wedding vows do, through the commitment those who go through it have to making those vows a reality. Some couples divorce - that doesn't mean the vows are the problem. Some people don't "get" being greek - that doesn't mean it is "tripe" or a "gimmick". I firmly believe some people are better off not married, just as some are better off not in a glo.

[knight_shadow]

^^^ Thank you!

[Benzgirl]

When I was in school, my sister had a boyfriend that would believe anything. He was such a sweetheart, so we never let on that we would joke about it behind his back.

One night, we agreed to share one of our "rituals" with him. We called it the "squirrel handshake". She and I got into a squatting position, facing each other. We then bent our elbows and took our half-open fists, wrapping our knuckles together. His eyes got so big as he discovered one of the Alpha Gamma Delta secrets.

After he left that night, we were laughing so hard. We figured he probably told all of his brothers and they were laughing about it too.

[AGDee]

Originally Posted by Benzgirl

When I was in school, my sister had a boyfriend that would believe anything. He was such a sweetheart, so we never let on that we would joke about it behind his back.

One night, we agreed to share one of our "rituals" with him. We called it the "squirrel handshake". She and I got into a squatting position, facing each other. We then bent our elbows and took our half-open fists, wrapping our knuckles together. His eyes got so big as he discovered one of the Alpha Gamma Delta secrets.

After he left that night, we were laughing so hard. We figured he probably told all of his brothers and they were laughing about it too.

Boy am I glad you weren't one of our Founders! That would be a tough handshake to do as you got into your 40's and 50's! (Mental image of elderly women at Convention unable to get out of their squat) LOL

It's kind of ironic. I ended up knowing a lot of things about the fraternities that my two serious college boyfriends were in.. but they weren't the "nice ritual" things that I learned. It was the secret, awful, hazing things they did that I ended up hearing about in bits and pieces. Reading this thread, it dawned on me.. we hear about all the awful illegal stuff that our groups do, but we don't hear the truly inspirational, morals driven secrets that our groups see as their highest ideals. How much sense does that make? Not that I would ever tell a non-member anything, but I'm really proud of our ritual and the meanings behind everything. It almost seems silly that we don't shout these things out to the world, doesn't it?

Originally Posted by AGDee

Boy am I glad you weren't one of our Founders! That would be a tough handshake to do as you got into your 40's and 50's! (Mental image of elderly women at Convention unable to get out of their squat) LOL

It's kind of ironic. I ended up knowing a lot of things about the fraternities that my two serious college boyfriends were in.. but they weren't the "nice ritual" things that I learned. It was the secret, awful, hazing things they did that I ended up hearing about in bits and pieces. Reading this thread, it dawned on me.. we hear about all the awful illegal stuff that our groups do, but we don't hear the truly inspirational, morals driven secrets that our groups see as their highest ideals. How much sense does that make? Not that I would ever tell a non-member anything, but I'm really proud of our ritual and the meanings behind everything. It almost seems silly that we don't shout these things out to the world, doesn't it?

Our Ritual's one of the most beautiful things I've ever heard.

When I attended my first Convention in 2001, I remember the LC reciting her Ritual part was moved to tears. In 2004, I too, was moved to tears. I wish I could put into words how it felt like to experience that.

I wonder if our Founders even knew how much impact they'd have on all of us 100 years later?

[AGDee]

I know. I've probably been to 50 Initiations over the last 24 years (yes, 24 years this month since I accepted my bid!) and I still get goose bumps and tear up. I think it means more every single time I experience it. (OMG.. 24 years... I've been an Alpha Gam more than half my life)

[NutBrnHair]

"Some people, I suspect, would like to keep [the Ritual] very, very secret because if non-members found out what I stood for they might expect he members to live by it and that would be very difficult. Therefore, they keep [it] secret and they won't have to change their lifestyle."

SECRET THOUGHTS OF A RITUAL, by Ed King

[barnard1897]

Originally Posted by NutBrnHair

No.

I agree. DH will go to his dying grave refusing to tell me anything about his fraternity's ritual, but he also doesn't want to know my GLO's info so we have mutual respect on that issue. I personally believe he has forgotten most of his, so what is there to tell, but...he can dare to dream that he still remembers it!

[ladygreek]

Don't remember if I posted this 4 years ago and too lazy to go back to see.
But there are no secrets in our ritual. Our true secrets are never written down.

So someone could read out ritual, but not know the meaning behind the ceremonies.

[Scandia]

Not unless it has been leaked out online- and I cannot verify its accuracy.

To be honest, the secrets of my GLO would be as meaningless to an outsider as the chemical formula of a compound they never use.