The Illuminati -By Nefertiti

Who are these obscure but highly elitist clandestine brotherhood, the incubators of democracy, science & ecumenical religion? Who are these radicals with powers wrapped up in their ability to stay anonymous & keep their correspondences a secret?

The Illuminati, plural of the Latin word “Illuminatus” (the unusually enlightened), is a clandestine organization steeped in mystery & conspiracies, & birth in esoterism for more than 500 years. But who are they really? What do we know about them?

Believed to have existed in its earliest form as the gnostic “Alumbrados” (Spanish word for enlightened) around 1492, who later fell victim to the Church’s Inquisition, it reached France from Italy, then Spain in 1623, in the form of “Illuminés.”

The Bavarian Illuminati is the most prominent group to be associated with the name “Illuminati.” Founded in 1776 by Adam Weishaupt (a professor of canon law at Ingolstadt, a city in Bavaria, Germany), Weishaupt was a former Jesuit while his colleagues were all priests.

Weishaupt wanted to replace Christianity with a religion of “reason.” His members called themselves the “Perfectibilists,” or Perfectionists in English. Frustrated by the church’s teachings & spiritual stagnation, Weishaupt wanted to usher in CHANGE.

But how? How would he achieve change in that age & era? People were beginning to fill their heads with enlightenment. But there was also great confusion, more specifically — “the uncertainty of how these changes might be implemented.”

Within a few years, there would be the uprising by irate mob, leading to the execution of the last French Monarchy (that of Louis XVI & Marie-Antoinette).

Welcoming this first sign of change in France but rejecting the violence, Adam Weishaupt had in mind a different approach. “He wanted to undermine the State from within.” He hoped to achieve this through a Secret Order, & his students were perfectly positioned to receive his ideas.

“Reason” anchored on “enlightenment” would become the bedrock of this new Secret Order – the Illuminati.

Weishaupt in one of his famous speech said “No to Revolution! Violence achieves nothing! We must tie the devil’s hand & govern without domination! Legion of men must dominate the mighty in this world, they will pursue the grand plan of guiding mankind & never give up!”

A great speech by many stretch. To put it more clearly, Adam Weishaupt wanted a secret government within the state.

A scary idea even at that time. People were motivated to join such secret societies because it was the melting pot for hotheads, for revolutionaries, people with insane ideas, who could express themselves within a secret order, without the fear of retribution.

In the aftermath of the French Revolution, the Illuminati setup countless lodges & began to recruit new members, especially the academia.

Weishaupt & his recruits would spread across the cities of Bavaria, across Europe, from Italy to Denmark, Warsaw to Paris, making connections with Masonic lodges (were they often managed to gain prominent positions).

The movement over time acquired a rigorously complex constitution & internal system of communication conducted in ciphers. The Illuminati rejected “throne & altar,” but they were not unaware of the consequences of opposing absolute rulers.

Adam Weishaupt was self-opinionated, he was narcissistic & domineering. He wanted the state held in higher degree of purity & perfection. As the supreme leader of the fraternal society, he demanded absolute loyalty & obedience from members.

They gave themselves Greek names as cover, & introduced their own time standards. Ritualistic rites were attributed to the order. They took a vow of silence, were forbidden to speak about the society’s rituals & aims.