Let's say you have a secret. One that is so simple it could be given away in a couple of sentences.
Let's say the secret was you could communicate with a real spirit and if you sacrificed a prepubescent child, or better a new born baby in honour of this spirit the spirit would make your materialistic wishes come true.
Upon discovering this secret you share it with select family and friends. When you have become rich and bored due to the mental side effects of killing kids your thoughts become corrupt and you think why not become rich and powerful.
Now to do this you need to share the secret with a few more people.
In your arrogance though you don't want to just tell people the simple truth. You want them to think you've studied and meditated and are wise and learned. So you create a huge mythos of symbolic words and symbols and rituals that very slowly give subtle hints that merely allude to the secret. This also serves as a vehichle to weed out those unworthy of knowing your secret.
Secret societies.
Gaurdians of Occult knowledge
YAWN...
Just a bunch of assholes who currently think they rule the world. Mentally insane. Driven mad by a corrupting evil force which comically rather than empowering them is destroying them.
Poor little loves.
You reap what you sow.
