What Is The Illuminati?

 ILLUMINATI

Just mentioning the Illuminati is the cause of much discussion. Either a person is convinced of an Illuminati plot to control the world, or they vehemently deny the existence altogether. Either side your opinion lies, discussion of The Illuminati can be a fascinating subject.

Illuminati, the word itself is supposed to mean those who have become Spiritually Enlightened, or make claims to that affect. Even today there are those Intellectually Pretentious people who consider themselves to be part of an Elite Race of Wise Men.

There has always been people that believed that a Higher State of Awareness can be achieved through Meditation, linking oneself not only to God but to the very Universe itself.

There are also warnings of the “left hand path” or trying to attain enlightenment simply for the power available on this path. Supposedly this path will provide paranormal abilities that can be used to obtain wealth and power.

Those that study Kundalini Energy believe that the power rises from the base of the Spine Chakra and rises up to the Crown Chakra, enabling total enlightenment. It might be a coincidence that the 33rd level of Freemasonry is the highest level that can be achieved in that Secret Society. There are also 33 vertebrae in the human body.

How Did They Begin?

There is historic evidence that proves that the Illuminati is/was quite a real organization. It was founded by a Bavarian Professor of Law, a man named Adam Weishaupt. Even though Adam Weishaupt was born of Jewish Ancestors, his family converted to Catholicism. Mr Weishaupt was educated by the Jesuits. The Jesuits are an order with their own mystery.

Adam Weishaupt joined the Freemasons, the Illuminati was a Secret Society within a Secret Society. Its members infiltrated Masonic Lodges and took over control of Lodges all over the world. They also infiltrated and controlled many Universities.

The Order of the Illuminati was created on May 1st 1776, also known as Mayday which is a sacred holiday to the Pagan religion. It is also a major holiday to most modern communists. The year 1776 also has some note in history. it was the year that the American Declaration Of Independence was created. Is it a coincidence that many of the creators of the Declaration were themselves Masons?

Adam Weishaupt used the code name “Spartacus” (the gladiator who rose up against Rome). After WWI German communists called themselves “spartacists.”

Weishaupt supported and fought for a revolution to overturn the current Social and Political systems currently in place. He was also a supporter of the end of all Religious orders.

He despised Judeo- Christian morals as well as the family unit and even wanted to dissolve the institution of marriage. He wanted to empower women by telling them they were being oppressed by men. His ultimate goal was the creation of a Global Government based on socialistic values. Most of his beliefs are now being enacted by modern day leftists.

What Did They Do?

There was a meeting of Masons and various other radicals in 1782, the conference was held in Wilhelmsbad in Germany. This was where Weishaupt enlisted German Royalty and French Masons, who were used to expand the order to France, inducting as many other Masons as possible. They proceeded in taking over the Grand Orient Lodge in Paris. They even infiltrated and took control of the Jacobin clubs.

They sought the inclusion of wealthy individuals and members of the aristocracy into the movement. Much like the billionaires and the intellectual leftists of today.

These were the same people who cultivated the French Revolution in 1789. Overthrowing a King, who although being weak and ineffective was not what would be considered a tyrannical leader. The economy of France at this time was actually prosperous despite the recent wars that France had been involved.

The Duke of Orleans hoarded an enormous amount of food, to create a shortage. They used hired mercenaries (similar to the “rent a mobs of today”) to induce the extremely bloody French Revolution. This Revolution did not coincide with other Revolutions. This Revolution did not start with the masses rising up, it consisted of a number of Elitists Factions which revolted from the top down.

The Revolutionaries agitated the Reign of Terror in which untold hundreds of thousands of people were killed. Many peasants, low income workers and members of the clergy were decimated. They were similar to the Leftists of today in that they were infatuated with Population Control. Even though France at that time was far from being overpopulated, there was only a fraction of people in France compared to the population of today. Robespierre encouraged the slaughter of roughly fifteen million people.

Similar to the Leftists of today The revolutionaries of France (like the Illuminati) despised Christianity. They did not support marriage or Christian morals. Torture, vampirism, even the atrocity of cannibalism was commonplace with the Revolutionaries. They wanted to destroy any existing morality so that they could carry on with the reconstruction of society.

Any of this sound familiar?

In the mean time Charles Theodore, Prince-Elector, Count Palatine and Duke of Bavaria outlawed the Order of the Illuminati in 1785. This did not result in the destruction of the Order, but it did force it to continue its existence underground.

The ultimate result of the French Revolution was the creation of a Fascist State, a sort of Dictatorship that was the first the world would see of this sort of Government. The ancient civilization of Sparta is similar to a Fascist Tyranny. Even Plato in his “Republic” described this sort of State, maybe inspired by Sparta.

Every Communist Government has supported the end to Private Property and the redistribution of wealth, being beneficial to the State. In reality these Governments have been in reality a fascist entity. Having a small group of Elitists living in wealth and luxury by owning all the property of the Nation.

The people are left in poverty conditions and enslaved. Even Mass Murder and the destruction of the Population becomes a standard operating procedure for these kinds of Governments. Though history has labeled both Hitler and Mussolini as “Right Wing”, the truth is both of these men created socialistic economies. Both were socialist by nature with the acronym for Nazi being National Socialist.

The Illuminati was in fact a historical reality. Even George Washington warned the People of America about them. This leaves us with a couple of Questions.

1. Does the Illuminati still exist in any form?

2. Did Weishaupt create a New Order or did he in fact just reguvinate an ancient evil that has existed for centuries?

What Happened To The Illuminati?

After the Order of the Illuminati was eliminated, there sprung up in Germany and other places, Secret Societies that were pursuing the identical agenda as that of the Illuminati. One of Weishaupt’s followers, the Baron Von Knigge created the German Union book publishers in 1788.

In 1815 the “League of the Just” made an appearance. It was this League of the Just that recruited Karl Marx to author the Communist Manifesto. “The Order of Death” which appeared in Germany in the 1830′s was a club for the Wealthy Elite. The symbol of this order was a “skull and Crossbones”, which was a Masonic Symbol.

The order quickly sought the recruitment of Wealthy Young American Students. These students brought the order to the United States, the United States Chapter 322 of the order is known as “Skull and Bones”.

There were many Elitists in America that belonged to this fraternity of brothers, many moved on to find careers in the intelligence agencies. Even some Presidents of the United States had their start belonging to this Secret Order. The Illuminati formed many “Democratic Societies” here in America. In Europe a radical Italian Order called the Carbonari existed among the Masons, Their leader was named Mazzini.

Freemasons

The Freemasons first appeared in Scotland and England late in the seventeenth century. They have always been a very secretive society using a pyramidal, hierarchical structure They engage in secret rituals, and seem to proficiently use magical and mysterious Symbols.

There were other Secret Societies that were founded in the United States and elsewhere. These groups could usually be found to be connected with the Masons. George Bickley’s Knights of the Golden Circle, who promoted the idea of Southern secession which helped ignite the Civil War.

There are rumors that people involved in the Confederate Secret Service were members of the Knights of the Golden Circle. Rumour also has Jesse James and John Wilkes Booth as being members of these societies. The Knights of the Golden Circle became the Ku Klux Klan after the end of the Civil War.

Other Secret Societies

Throughout Europe during the late Nineteenth and into the early Twentieth century many occult societies made appearances. The Theosophical Society which was founded in 1875 in New York City by Helena Blavatsky is just one example. The purpose of these societies was the investigation, the practice and the study of mediumistic phenomena.

In both Germany and Austria, the Order of the New Templars was created. The connection of this society with the Freemasons will be discussed later in the article.

There was a German Order called the ONT, which had its name changed to the Thule Society. It was this Society which created the Nazi Party. This was the party responsible for elevating Adolf Hitler to be its leader.

Alice Bailey, who was from England and a member of the Theosophist Society openly discussed her hatred of Jews. She was also quite vocal in her support for Hitler, Mussolini, and Napoleon. She taught that God was a tyrant, and that she worshipped the fallen angel named Lucifer. Once she moved to the United States she formed the Lucis Trust (Lucifer=Lucis), which supported the idea of a one world government.

This Society and those like it boasted of members such as Henry Kissinger, It also had a part in designing and maintaining the freakish Meditation Room at the United Nations Headquarters. The room contains an enormous monolith of magnetic ore, very similar to other magnetized monoliths like the one resting atop the ancient pyramid at Tiahuanaco in Bolivia.

Then you have famous Americans such as Albert Pike, who was a very well known nineteenth century Mason and a worshipper of Lucifer. There is another very mysterious club located north of San Francisco. The Bohemian Grove in Sonoma County is a place where strange rituals are performed. These rituals are performed around a forty foot stone owl called Moloch. On the door of the Bohemian Club building in San Francisco is a symbol of an owl, a crescent moon and the saying “weaving spiders, come not here.”

Many famous Americans from different secret societies take part in these rituals. There are also very powerful secret political organizations, like the Council of Foreign Relations which is a secret government controlling the United States along with the Trilateral Commission and the Bilderberg Group.

Are All Secret Societies Part Of The Illuminati?

There are numerous Secret Societies in the world today. Are all these groups in the same belief as the Order Of the Illuminati espoused by Adam Weishaupt? Are they branches of the original Order Of the Illuminati?

Nineteenth Century British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli claimed that there was a Secret Group Of Men who had control over the Political Parties. Even the American President Woodrow Wilson made reference to just such a group of powerful organizations, even to the point of saying that it was dangerous to criticize them at all. Winston Churchill not only made the claim that the Illuminati existed in the 1920′s, he also claimed that they were the force behind Marxism.

Could it be possible that the Illuminati existed in ancient times? Could they have existed in prehistoric Atlantean Times? Did they exist long before Weishaupt founded the Illuminati.

In ancient Greece and Rome there were Priesthoods of Mystery Religions that would be considered Secret Societies. These religions had hierarchical leadership and rites of initiation. In the 12th century there was a Secret Order among the Crusaders. They were called the Hospitallers. The Hospitallers still exist today, they are known as the Knights of Malta and they belong to the Catholic Church.

There were other Crusaders who formed the Templars, actually the Templars were formed by nine French Knights. The Templars used many of the same symbols as the Hospitallers. The Templars gained control over the Fiat Money System allowing them to accumulate enormous wealth and power. The French King Philippe the Fair outlawed the Templars and ordered their destruction. The Templars escaped on their fleet of ships with their treasure and completely escaped capture, never to be found.

Many of the Templars joined the Knights of Malta, the ones who escaped to Spain and Portugal changed the name of their Order to the “Knights of Christ.”

Robert the Bruce of Scotland can give credit to his victory over the English to a secret group of knights who mysteriously appeared on the battlefield. It was later in Scotland that the Order Of The Masons appeared. Even today these Masons claim to be descended from the Templars.

Even though there is definitive proof of the existence of the Illuminati in history there is no proof that they are active today. When the history is studied though there is compelling evidence to prove that not only did they exist but that they are still quite active today.

Can they be stopped?

It is unknown as to the actual extent of control residing in these secret societies. Only recently has their existence been revealed. What kind of difficulties arise when the leaders of the world are aligned with these forces? Where does their actual loyalty lie?

If a leader has taken an oath to their society and another for their position within the government, which oath is upheld? These questions need to be answered before we can truly understand the actual motivations behind current events. Please share your knowledge, ask questions, realize who you are and what your status is in society. Expose those that seek to manipulate others. It is our duty, our destiny, our purpose in life. To attempt to make the world a better place for all. You are the change that the world needs. You have the power. Together, we are unstoppable.

666 LOGOS OF WALT DISNEY, CORPORATIONS & ILLUMINATI SYMBOLS

The Order of the Illuminati: Its Origins, Its Methods and Its Influence on the World Events

The Order of the Illuminati is often at the center of debates about the impact of secret societies on human history. Is the Illuminati a myth or does it truly secretly rule the world? As the number of people asking that question has grown, facts about the Order have become diluted with misconceptions and disinformation, making objective research on the subject difficult. This article attempts to shed some factual light on the Order of the Illuminati by reviewing some of the most important documents on the subject.

The world “Illuminati” is thrown around rather freely to describe the elite group that is secretly running the world. Most have a general idea of the meaning of the term, but are confused about the concepts and the ideas relating to it. Is the Illuminati the same thing as Freemasonry? What are their goals? What are their beliefs? Why do they act in secret? Do they practice occultism? Attempting to objectively research the subject can become an arduous task as most sources end up being either dismissive disinformation pieces that deny (and even ridicule) anything related to the Illuminati or, at the other end of the spectrum, espouse ill-informed fear mongering based on rumors and misconceptions. In both cases, the researcher ends up with the same result: a distorted version of the truth.
Considering that Secret Societies are supposed to be, by definition, secret, and that history is often rewritten by those in power, obtaining the unbiased truth about the Illuminati is a challenge. This article does not claim to “reveal” or “expose” everything that is to be known about the Illuminati; it rather attempts draw a more precise picture of the Order by citing authors who have extensively studied the subject. Whether they are, at the end of the day, critics or apologists of the Illuminati, these authors base their thoughts on credible facts. Some of the most interesting documents on the Illuminati were written by initiates of Secret Societies as they understood the philosophical and spiritual undercurrent driving the movement forward. Using these works, we will look at the origins, the methods and the impacts of the Illuminati on world history.

Types of Secret Societies

Although several groups called themselves “Illuminati” in the past, the most influential and memorable of them was the Bavarian Illuminati. Founded on May 1, 1776, the organization created by Adam Weishaupt blurred the line between “spiritual” and “political” Secret Societies. By  mixing the occult sciences of Freemasonry and Rosicrucianism while conspiring to achieve precise political goals, the Illuminati became an actor on the world stage. While most Secret Societies of the time catered to rich people and their fascination with occultism, the Bavarian Illuminati actively sought to profoundly change the world.

Secret Societies have existed throughout the course of history, each of them with different aims and with different roles in society. While the Egyptian mystery schools were part of the Egyptian institution, other groups were secret due to their subversive and conspiratorial aims. These two next quotes, written by two famous political figures, describe these opposing views on Secret Societies:

“A mystical Fraternity, who, in an earlier age, boasted of secrets of which the Philosopher’s Stone was but the least; who considered themselves the heirs of all that the Chaldeans, the Magi, the Gymnosophists, and the Platonists had taught; and who differed from all the darker Sons of Magic in the virtue of their lives, the purity of their doctrines, and their insisting, as the foundation of all wisdom, on the subjugation of the sense, and the intensity of Religious Faith?”
- Sir Edward Bulwer Lytton, 1884 1

“The governments of the present day have to deal not merely with other governments, with emperors, kings and ministers, but also with the secret societies which have everywhere their unscrupulous agents, and can at the last moment upset all the governments’ plans.”
- British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli, 1876

These quotes describe different realms of influence of Secret Societies. The first one refers to the spiritual side while the second describes the political side. Not all Secret Societies dwell in the spiritual and not all of them get involved in political machinations. The Bavarian Illuminati operated in both realms.

“Spiritual brotherhoods are pledged to Wisdom and guiding humanity towards the realm of the Infinite; Political brotherhoods [are comprised] of power-seekers who cloak their manipulative agenda in darkness. (…)

All secret societies share certain fundamental themes. Membership is restricted to those who have an abiding interest in the subject. Thus, a spiritual group will attract people seeking more knowledge of a particular teacher or type of practice. The student is aware of the subject matter in advance and will approach the group for further instruction. More rarely, an individual may be “tapped” by the group because of a perceived affinity to its purpose.

In a political secret society, membership is restricted to those who share an ideological affinity with the goals the group represents. At the furthest end of the political spectrum, the mission will be revolution. Such a society will go to great lengths to defend itself. (…)

The Illuminati are perceived by many as spanning the chasm between the spiritual and the political secret society. Often credited (or blamed) for influencing the French Revolution in 1787, the Illuminati taught a doctrine of social and political liberation that hinged on the equality of man, the embrace of rationalism, and the denial of crown and church as the legitimate institutions for the regulation of social and moral values. (…) While the views of the Illuminati may sound quite advanced for the time, the European revolutions they are believed to have encouraged degenerated into brutal bloodbaths whose singular lack of moral compass was appalling.” 2

While some believe that Adam Weishaupt was the sole mastermind of the Illuminati and that his organization rose to glory and died in less than twelve years, most researchers initiated in occultism believe that the Bavarian Illuminati was the rare appearance of an ancient Brotherhood that could be traced back to the Knight Templars of the Middle-Ages.

Manly P. Hall, a 33rd Degree Freemason and prolific author, described in his pamphlet “Masonic Orders of Fraternity” an “Invisible Empire” that has been silently working for centuries towards social change. It periodically became visible throughout History, through different organizations who bore different names. According to him, these groups have a great yet silent impact on society, even transforming the educational system to form future generations.

“The direct descent of the essential program of the Esoteric Schools was entrusted to groups already well-conditioned for the work. The guilds, trade unions, and similar protective and benevolent Societies had been internally strengthened by the introduction of a new learning. The advancement of the plan required the enlargement of the boundaries of the philosophic overstate. A World Fraternity was needed, sustained by a deep and broad program of education according to the “method”. Such a Fraternity could not immediately include all men, but it could unite the activities of certain kinds of men, regardless of their racial or religious beliefs or the nations in which they dwelt. These were the men of “towardness”, those sons of tomorrow, whose symbol was a blazing sun rising over the mountains of the east. (…)

It was inevitable that the Orders of Fraternity should sponsor world education. (…) The program included a systematic expansion of existing institutions and the enlargement of their spheres of influence.

Slowly, the Orders of Universal Reformation faded from public attention, and in their places appeared the Orders of World Brotherhood. Everything possible was done to prevent the transitions from being obvious. Even history was falsified to make certain sequences of activity unrecognizable. The shift of emphasis never gave the impression of abruptness, and the motion appeared as a dawning of social consciousness. The most obvious clues to the secret activity have been the prevailing silence about the origin and the impossibility of filing the lacunae in the records of seventeenth- and eighteenth- century fraternal Orders. (…)

The Orders of Fraternity were attached by slender and almost invisible threads to the parent project. Like earlier Schools of the Mysteries, these Fraternities were not in themselves actual embodiments of the esoteric associations, but rather instruments to advance certain objectives of the divine plan.” 3

Here, Hall mentions a “silence” and lack of information regarding the workings of Secret Societies during the 17th and 18th century, the epoch during which the Bavarian Illuminati was active. It is during this time period that Secret Societies took action, causing revolutions, overthrowing Monarchical and Papal powers and taking hold of the banking system. Was the Bavarian Illuminati part of the Invisible Empire described by Hall? Is it still active today? Let’s first look at Adam Weishaupt and his infamous Secret Society.

Adam Weishaupt, Trained by the Jesuits

Adam Weishaupt was born in Ingolstadt, Bavaria on February 6, 1748. His father died when he was seven and his godfather, Baron Ickstatt, entrusted his early education to the most powerful group of the time: the Jesuits. Known for its subversive methods and conspiratorial tendencies, the Society of Jesus had a stronghold on Bavaria’s politics and educational system.

“The degree of power to which the representatives of the Society of Jesus had been able to attain in Bavaria was all but absolute. Members of the order were the confessors and preceptors of the electors; hence they had a direct influence upon the policies of government. The censorship of religion had fallen into their eager hands, to the extent that some of the parishes even were compelled to recognize their authority and power. To exterminate all Protestant influence and to render the Catholic establishment complete, they had taken possession of the instruments of public education. It was by Jesuits that the majority of the Bavarian colleges were founded, and by them they were controlled. By them also the secondary schools of the country were conducted.” 4

The inner-workings of the Society of Jesus was quite similar to the occult Brotherhoods it was apparently working against. It functioned with degrees, initiation rites, elaborate rituals and esoteric symbols and had been suppressed countless times in several countries due to its subversive tendencies.

In 1773, Weishaupt’s godfather used his great influence at the University of Ingolstadt to place his godson as chair of canon law. At that time, the institution was under heavy Jesuitical dominance and that particular position was traditionally held by influential Jesuits. Weishaupt’s growing embrace of Age of Enlightenment philosophies placed him at odds with the Jesuits and all kinds of political drama ensued. Despite this fact, Weishaupt learned a lot from the Jesuit’s organization and their subversive methods to obtain power. It is during this time that the idea of a Secret Soceity began to enter Weishaupt’s thoughts.

“Brilliant, and well trained in the conspiratorial methods of access to power, young Weishaupt decided to organize a body of conspirators, determined to free the world from the Jesuitical rule of Rome.” 5

While some authors believe that the Jesuits (who were suppressed by papal bull in 1773) used Weishaupt to perpetuate their rule, others state that he was seeking to overthrow their powerful hold on Bavarian. On a wider scale, he was convinced that the world would profit from the overthrow of all governmental and religious institutions in the world to replace them by a world-wide, yet secretive, committee of “initiates”. To acheive his aims, he would use Jesuit methods against the Jesuits.

As Weishaupt pursued his studies, he also became knowledgeable in occult mysteries and Hermetism. He recognized the attractive power of this mysterious knowledge and understood that Masonic lodges would be the ideal venue to propagate his views. He therefore sought to become a Freemason, but was quickly disenchanted with the idea.

“His imagination having taken heat from his reflections upon the attractive power of the Eleusinian mysteries and the influence exerted by the secret cult of the Pythagoreans, it was first in Weishaupt’s thought to seek in the Masonic institutions of the day the opportunity he coveted for the propagation of his views. From this, original intention, however, he was soon diverted, in part because of the difficulty he experienced in commanding sufficient funds to gain admission to a lodge of Masons, in part because his study of such Masonic books as came into his hands persuaded him that the “mysteries” of Freemasonry were too puerile and too readily accessible to the general public to make them worthwhile”. 6

Weishaupt soon realized that, to achieve his aims, it would be necessary for him to create his own secretive group, composed of powerful individuals who would embrace his views and help him propagate them.

“He deemed it necessary, therefore, to launch out on independent lines. He would form a model secret organization, comprising “schools of wisdom,” concealed from the gaze of the world behind walls of seclusion and mystery, wherein those truths which the folly and egotism of the priests banned from the public chairs of education might be taught with perfect freedom to susceptible youths.” 7

The goal of Weishaupt’s organization was simple yet monumental: to overthrow all political and religious institutions in order to replace it with a group of Illuminati initiates. According to him“universal happiness complete and rapid could be achieved by disposing of hierarchy, rank and riches.Princes and nations will disappear without violence from the earth; the human race will become one family; the world will be the abode of reasonable men”. On May 1, 1776, the Order of the Illuminati was founded.

The Bavarian Illuminati

Weishaupt’s Illuminati began humbly with only five members, but after a few years and with powerful connections, the Order became a major political force across the world. Influential deciders, rich industrials, powerful noblemen and mysterious occultists joined the Order and participated in its conspiratorial objectives. Some historians claim that the Order’s quick rise to success was due to a secret meeting between Weishaupt and a mysterious figure named Cagliostro, the most powerful occultist of the time.

“In Ingolsstadt, Cagliostro is believed to have met Adam Weishaupt, professor of philosophy and canon law at the university, who in 1776, had founded the sect of Illuminati. Calling themselves heirs to the Knights Templar, they declared their interest in using celestial intervention as achieved by Cagliostro for the furtherance of a program of worldwide religious reform, but one more radical than Cagliostro’s, “committed to avenging the death of the Templar’s Grand Master Molay by reducing to dust the triple crown of the popes and disposing of the last of the Capet Kings.”

Cagliostro obliged, and described in prophetic detail the decapitation of Louis XVI, an event hardly to be envisaged at that time as anything but improbable.” 8

The Bavarian Illuminati was originally comprised of three primary grades: Novice, Minerval and Illuminated Minerval. Each grade was designed to achieve particular objectives while assuring complete control and dominance to the apex of the pyramid. Here’s a brief look at each grade.

Novice

Entry-level members of the Bavarian Illuminati were attracted and introduced to the Order using attractive vocabulary (the quest for wisdom and betterment) and occult lore. They were however introduced to a highly monitored and controlling hierarchy, one that resembles the system of the Jesuits. There was no mention of the Order’s political aims.

“Once enrolled, the instruction of each Novice was to be in the hands of his enroller, who kept well hidden from his pupil the identity of the rest of his superiors. Such statutes of the order as he was permitted to read impressed upon the mind of the Novice that the particular ends sought in his novitiate were to ameliorate and perfect his moral character, expand his principles of humanity and sociability, and solicit his interest in the laudable objects of thwarting the schemes of evil men, assisting oppressed virtue, and helping men of merit to find suitable places in the world. Having had impressed upon him the necessity of maintaining inviolable secrecy respecting the affairs of the order, the further duties of subordinating his egoistic views and interests and of according respectful and complete obedience to his superiors were next enjoined. An important part of the responsibility of the Novice consisted in the drawing-up of a detailed report (for the archives of the order), containing complete, information concerning his family and his personal career, covering such remote items as the titles of the books he possessed, the names of his personal enemies and the occasion of their enmity, his own strong and weak points of character, the dominant passions of his parents, the names of their parents and intimates, etc. Monthly reports were also required, covering the benefits the recruit had received from and the services he had rendered to the order. For the building-up of the order the Novice must undertake his share in the work of recruitment, his personal advancement to the higher grades being conditioned upon the success of such efforts. To those whom he enrolled he became in turn a superior; and thus after a novitiate presumably two years in length, the way was open for his promotion to the next higher grade.” 9

When a Novice proved to his superiors to be worthy of advancement, he was initiated to the grade of Minerval.

Minerval

Minerval seals of the Bavarian Illuminati. These pendants, worn around the necks of Minerval initiates, featured the Owl of Minerva . Also known as the Owl of Wisdom, this symbol is still found today in powerful places: around the White House, hidden on the dollar bill or on the insignia of the Bohemian Club.

The term Minerval is derived from Minerva who was the Roman goddess of poetry, medicine, wisdom, commerce, weaving, crafts, magic, and the music. She is often depicted with her sacred creature, an owl, which symbolizes her ties to wisdom. An ancient symbol of the mysteries, Minerva is prominently featured in places such as the Library of Congress and the Great Seal of California.

The second grade of the Illuminati was one of indoctrination. The initiates were lectured on the spiritual principles of the Order but had little information regarding the true aims of Weishaupt and his close circle of administrators.

“The ceremony of initiation through which the Novice passed into the grade Minerval was expected to disabuse the mind of the candidate of any lingering suspicion that the order had as its supreme object the subjugation of the rich and powerful, or the, overthrow of civil and ecclesiastical government. It also pledged the candidate to be useful to humanity; to maintain a silence eternal, a fidelity inviolable, and an obedience implicit with respect to all the superiors and rules of the order; and to sacrifice all personal interests to those of the society.” 10

Minervals were permitted to meet some of their superiors (Illuminated Minervals) and to engage in discussions with them. This privilege alone was a great source of motivation for the new initiates.

Illuminated Minerval

Selected from among the Minerval, the Illuminated Minerval were given specific tasks to accomplish in order to prepare them to take action in the “real world”. Most of their work consisted in the study of mankind and the perfection of methods to direct it. Each Illuminated Minerval was entrusted with a small group of Minervals who were scrutinized, analyzed and lead towards specific directions. Lower-grade members of the Order therefore became test subjects for techniques that might be applied to the masses in general.

“To the grade Illuminated Minerval were admitted those Minervals who in the judgment of their superiors were worthy of advancement. Elaborate initiatory ceremonies fixed in the candidate’s mind the notions that the progressive purification of his life was to be expected as he worked his way upward in the order, and that the mastery of the art of directing men was to be his special pursuit as long as he remained in the new grade. To accomplish the latter, i.e., to become an expert psychologist and director of men’s consciences, he must observe and study constantly the actions, purposes, desires, faults, and virtues of the little group of Minervals who were placed under his personal direction and care. For his guidance in this difficult task a complicated mass of instructions was furnished him.

In addition to their continued presence in the assemblies of the Minervals, the members of this grade came together once a month by themselves, to hear reports concerning their disciples, to discuss methods of accomplishing the best results in their work of direction and to solicit each other’s counsel in difficult and embarrassing cases. In these meetings the records of the assemblies of the Minervals were reviewed and rectified and afterwards transmitted to the superior officers of the order.” 11

From this basic structure, the Illuminati began its expansion. Everything was in place for Weishaupt to achieve an important goal: the infiltration of Freemasonry.

Infiltration of Freemasonry

In 1777, the year following the creation of the Illuminati, Weishaupt joined the Masonic lodge of Theodore of Good Counsel in Munich. Not only did he successfully propagate his views into the lodge, he also managed to get the lodge to be”virtually absorbed into the Illuminist order almost immediately”. 12

A definite alliance between the Illuminati and Freemasonry became possible in 1780 when a prominent figure by the name of Baron Adolf Franz Friederich Knigge was initiated into Weishaupt’s Order. The German diplomat’s Masonic connections and organizational skills were promptly put to use by the Order. Knigge would go on to accomplish two important tasks for the Illuminati: He revised the hierarchy of the Order, created new higher grades and allowed the full integration of Masonic lodges into the system.

“Two weighty consequences promptly followed as the result of Kinigge’s advent into the order. The long-sought higher grades were worked out, and an alliance between the Illuminati and Freemasonry was effected.” 13

Knigge, an influential North German diplomat and occultist joined the Illuminati in 1780. He is here shown displaying the sign of the Hidden Hand (see the article entitled The Hidden Hand that Shaped the World on the Vigilant Citizen).

Knigge’s influence upon the Order was profound and immediate. The new system he devised attracted Freemasons and other powerful figures, which gave the movement great momentum. Here’s the system devised by Knigge:

Knigge’s kept the Order’s original grades untouched but added new grades above them. The second level of the Illuminati incorporated the grades of Freemasonry making therefore the Brotherhood simply a part of the wider Illuminist superstructure.

“The grade Novice (a part of the system only in a preparatory sense) was left unchanged by Knigge, save for the addition of a printed communication to be put into the hands of all new recruits, advising them that the Order of the Illuminati stands over against all other forms of contemporary Freemasonry as the one type not degenerate, and as such alone able to restore the craft to its ancient splendor. (…)

The three symbolic grades of the second class seem to have been devised solely for the purpose of supplying an avenue whereby members of the various branches of the great Masonic family could pass to the higher grades of the new order.” 14

The highest grades of the Order were restricted to a select few and included powerful individuals and influential figures. The grade of Prince held within its ranks National Inspectors, Provincials, Prefects and Deans of the Priests. At the top of the pyramid were the Magus (also known as Areopagites), which comprised the supreme heads of the Order. Their identities were safely guarded and are still difficult to confirm today.

Knigge’s strategy gave impressive results and allowed the Illuminati to become an extremely powerful movement.

“The new method of spreading Illuminism by means of its affiliation with Masonic lodges promptly demonstrated its worth. Largely because of the fine strategy of seeking its recruits among the officers and other influential personages in the lodges of Freemasonry, one after another of the latter in quick succession went over to the new system. New prefectures were established, new provinces organized, and Provincials began to report a steady and copious stream of new recruits. (…) Students, merchants, doctors, pharmacists, lawyers, judges, professors in gymnasia and universities, preceptors, civil officers, pastors, priests — all were generously represented among the new recruits. Distinguished names soon appeared upon the rosters of the lodges of the new system. Duke Ferdinand of Brunswick, Duke Ernst of Gotha, Duke Karl August of Saxe-Weimar, Prince August of Saxe-Gotha, Prince Carl of Hesse, Baron Dalberg, the philosopher Herder, the poet Goethe, the educationist Pestalozzi, were among the number enrolled, By the end of 1784 the leaders boasted of a total enrollment of between two and three thousand members 106. and the establishment of the order upon a solid foundation seemed to be fully assured.” 15

Weishaup, however, did not enjoy his Order’s success for long. Suspicions of Illuminati conspiracy against governments and religious arose across Europe. Seeing a credible threat against its power, the Bavarian government launched an edict outlawing all communities, societies and brotherhoods that existed without due authorization of the law. Furthermore, internal disagreements between Weishaupt and the higher ups of his Order lead to disputes and dissension. In the midst of it all, some members went directly to the authorities and testified against the Order, an opportunity that was not missed by the Bavarian government.

“Out of the mouths of its friends, the accusations which its enemies made against the order were to be substantiated. By the admissions of its leaders, the system of the Illuminati had the appearance of an organization devoted to the overthrow of religion and the state, a band of poisoners and forgers, an association of men of disgusting morals and depraved tastes.” 16

By 1788, through the use of aggressive legislation and criminal charges, the Bavarian Illuminati was apparently dissipated and destroyed by the government. While some see here the conclusion of the story of the Illuminati, one must not forget that the tentacles of Illuminism had the time to spread way beyond to confines of Bavaria to reach Masonic lodges across Europe. In other words, the Illuminati was never destroyed, it simply went underground. A year later, an important event would prove that Illuminism was more alive and potent then ever: the French Revolution.

The French Revolution

The violent overthrow of the French Monarchy in 1789 symbolizes to many the victory of Jacobinism and Illuminism over the traditional institutions of the time. The adoption of the Declaration of Human Rights officially recorded Masonic and Illuminist values into the core of the French government. The country’s new motto “Liberté, Égalité et Fraternité” (Freedom, Equality and Brotherhood) was said to be a famous Masonic saying that was used in French lodges for centuries.

The official document of the Declaration of Human Rights contains several occult symbols referring to Secret Societies. First, the symbol of the All Seeing Eye within a triangle, surrounded by the light of the blazing star Sirius, is found above everything else (this symbol is also found on the Great Seal of the United States). Underneath the title is depicted an Ouroboros (a serpent eating its own tail), an esoteric symbol associated with Alchemy, Gnosticism and Hermetism, the core teachings of Masonry. Right underneath the Ouroboros is a red phrygian cap, a symbol representing Illuminist revolutions across the world. The entire Declaration is guarded by Masonic pillars.