The Illuminati are members of a secret society created in 1776 by the German Adam Weishaupt. He was a professor of natural law, worked at the University of Ingolstadt. Weishaupt was a deist: he believed in the existence of God, but denied many religious dogmas.
Weishaupt was convinced that the human mind is equal to the divine, and science does not at all go against God, who, having created the world, no longer intervened in the course of events and gave everything to the will of people. Weishaupt's views found understanding among his colleagues - not all, but a few. But that was enough to create a secret society.
Illuminati history
The Illuminati in Latin means "enlightened", and at first there were very few of them. But gradually, not only teachers, but also students of the University of Ingolstadt entered the society. At the meetings, they discussed scientific, spiritual issues, related to religious topics.
In 1780, Baron Adolf Knigge became the Illuminati. He was a nobleman, but his family became impoverished, and the baron earned his living in the civil service. Knigge had a complex character, did not get along well with people, but he was ambitious, ironic, wrote satirical books, ridiculing high society. And this man became the second after Weishaupt.
Since it was customary among the Illuminati to call each other by nicknames that were taken from ancient history, Weishaupt was called "Spartacus", Baron Knigge - Philo, associating himself with Philo of Alexandria.
During the year, the baron recruited more than a hundred new members into the secret society: noble and educated people who had authority in secular circles. Thanks to this, the Illuminati order gained weight and seriousness.
However, in 1784 Knigge left the fraternity. He wanted to take the place of the master, but Weishaupt objected. The dispute was resolved by members of the order, who supported the former master, and the baron left the secret society, unable to find the strength to come to terms with defeat. And it was a disaster for the Illuminati.
Knigge was not silent: he ridiculed the secret brotherhood, distributed caustic satirical pamphlets, openly talked about the harmfulness of the ideas held in the order. This alerted the authorities and the clergy: the first suspected a conspiracy, the second heresy. By the end of 1784, the government issued decrees that prohibited the activities of the secret society, and the Pope openly condemned the Illuminati.
In 1785, the main ideologist of the brotherhood, Father Lance, died; a list of members of the order was found in his clothes. This is how the church learned all the real names. And the Illuminati, unable to withstand the pressure of the authorities and the church, abandoned their views, dubious facts about the work of the secret society surfaced. And in 1788 it was outlawed and executed for membership.
Master Weishaupt left the department at the university and moved to Gotha. He was sheltered by the local nobility, who had similar views. Nobody knows what happened next: for 40 years nothing was heard about the creator of the order. But according to some researchers, Weishaupt revived the brotherhood, making it completely different - secret and powerful. And the members of the new order were supposedly people with huge means and state power.
There is a version that the Illuminati exist now, but no one knows about them. The order is considered so powerful that it can force the heads of state to fulfill their will, since they, too, are part of it.
Members of the secret order
There is no reliable data on the charter of the members of the brotherhood, their moral qualities and principles. But there are different versions. According to the most popular of them, the Illuminati received special training after preliminary selection. And the higher the level of training, the deeper the person was initiated into the secrets of the order.
According to the same version, all the Illuminati were united by the fact that:
- they knew who they were, what they were supposed to do and strictly carried out the tasks assigned to them;
- they were convinced of their own exclusivity and exclusivity, often indeed proving to be gifted and intelligent people;
- they created (according to many versions - still create) rules for those people who are not part of the order, secretly ruling entire countries;
- they were incredulous, heartless, insensitive and calculating.
There are even signs by which you can supposedly recognize the Illuminati today:
- a member of a secret brotherhood must be ambitious, wealthy and powerful;
- must be part of a powerful family (modern oligarchs are often suspected of involvement in the order);
- is obliged to graduate from a prestigious university (at Yale University there is even a society of young Illuminati called "Skull and Bones", but whether they have anything to do with the real Illuminati is unknown).
And the philosophy of the Illuminati is to bring the world to a new order that will not depend on religions and illusory ideals. Members of the brotherhood, as some researchers think, strive for victory over space and time, and therefore consider themselves above people and human law. Therefore, people who are not members of the order are only tools that can be controlled.
Symbols and signs of the Illuminati
The most famous symbol of the order is the pyramid. She personifies the structure of society, where the base of the pyramid is the bulk of the people, the top is the Illuminati. The pyramid is also depicted on the dollar bill.
But the secret brotherhood has other symbols:
- The "Eye of Osiris" is an eye inscribed in a triangle: a protective sign, which also means superiority and power over other people;
- Minerva's Owl is a rare and poorly understood sign that symbolizes wisdom and knowledge;
- the phrase "Novus Ordo Seclorum" surrounding the "Eye of Osiris" is translated from Latin as "the new order of the ages."
Interesting Facts
The hierarchy within the secret brotherhood and in ordinary society does not coincide. Not always, but often. This means that a person with a high rank and great power in the familiar world - a minister, an oligarch, or even a president - within the order can take the place of an ordinary executive and not make any significant decisions. And some not particularly prominent owner of a hotel or restaurant may occupy a high position and be powerful.
The mysterious deaths of such representatives of show business as Anna Nicole Smith, Amy Winehouse, John Lennon and even Michael Jackson are associated with the activities of the Illuminati. And among the living stars, Rihanna is ranked among the members of the secret brotherhood, because she uses the identification mark of the "satanic greeting", Madonna, because she has been fond of the occult for many years, Justin Bieber, since he comes from a family of Freemasons, Lady Gaga, who uses not only symbolism, but also the psychological tricks of the order to attract viewers, and Britney Spears, because the tattoo on her arm depicts a triangle.