Traditions, rituals, and symbols
Our beliefs are only in the sovereignty of the human species.
The Bohemian Grove is not a church, religion, political group, or charitable organization, but an elite collective of global influencers working to advance the interests of humanity as a whole. Our decisions are independent of all human divisions, including religious and political differences. We operate solely for the benefit of the human species we have been charged to protect, and therefore, we make no demands of our citizens regarding personal worship, morality, or belief.
The preservation of the human species supersedes everything.
Citizens loyal to the ideals of the Bohemian Grove and seeking membership in our organization are often referred to as followers of the Brohemian Grove. They are free to choose any life path they desire and follow whatever morals they desire, as long as their beliefs are always in the best interest of humanity as a whole. Followers of the Brohemian Grove renounce religious, geographical, and generational differences to work as a unit with many distinct parts, accepting that each part must be unique to function properly.
SYMBOLS
The club’s patron saint is John of Nepomuk, who, according to legend, died at the hands of a Bohemian monarch rather than disclose the confessional secrets of the queen. A large wood carving of St. John in cleric robes with his index finger over his lips stands at the shore of the lake in the Grove, symbolizing the secrecy kept by the Grove’s attendees throughout its long history.[2]
Since the founding of the club, the Bohemian Grove’s mascot has been an owl, symbolizing wisdom. A 30-foot (9 m) hollow owl statue made of concrete over steel supports stands at the head of the lake in the Grove. This statue was designed by sculptor and two-time club president Haig Patigian. It was constructed in the late 1920s. Since 1929, the Owl Shrine has served as the backdrop of the yearly Cremation of Care ceremony.
CREMATION OF CARE
The Cremation of Care ceremony is a theatrical production in which some of the club’s members participate as actors. It was first conducted in 1881. The production was devised by James F. Bowman with George T. Bromley playing the High Priest. It was originally set up within the plot of the serious “High Jinks” dramatic performance on the first weekend of the summer encampment, after which the spirit of “Care”, slain by the Jinks hero, was solemnly cremated. The ceremony served as a catharsis for pent-up high spirits, and “to present symbolically the salvation of the trees by the club …”The Cremation of Care was separated from the other Grove Plays in 1913 and moved to the first night to become “an exorcising of the Demon to ensure the success of the ensuing two weeks.”The Grove Play was moved to the last weekend of the encampment.
The ceremony takes place in front of the Owl Shrine. The moss- and lichen-covered statue simulates a natural rock formation, yet holds electrical and audio equipment within it. For many years, a recording of the voice of club member Walter Cronkite was used as the voice of The Owl during the ceremony.
GROVE PLAY
Each year, a Grove Play is performed for one night during the final weekend of the summer encampment. The play is a large-scale musical theatrical production, written and composed by club members, involving some 300 people, including chorus, cast, stage crew and orchestra. The first Grove Play was performed in 1902; for three years during World War II (1943–45) the stage was dark. In 1975, an observer estimated that the Grove Play cost between $20,000 and $30,000, an amount that would be as high as $175,000 in today’s dollars