1:5 HISTORY:
The Illuminati Throughout the Ages

One does not need to be a member of the Illuminati to gain enlightenment. Most of those who completely rejected all forms of mysticism and concomitantly completely adhered to self-honesty, reality and reason have not been part of the ancient Illuminati, but simply were rational, thinking individuals who had come to a right understanding of the nature of reality and of their own minds. Throughout history there have been many such non-Illuminati, enlightened individuals. In the past these were relatively rare, but with the increasing spread of scientific knowledge such individuals have become more common in recent centuries, and are more common today than in any other point in history. We salute these individuals and their enlightenment, but we recognize that in unity of numbers there is great power, and that by joining together the enlightened are much stronger than they are alone.

What follows is a short summarized history of the organized Illuminati – the organization of those enlightened individuals who have banded together since ancient times in recognition of their mutual self-interest and in the recognition that an enlightened world is in the self-interest of all. The purpose of publishing this history is to shed light on our millennium-spanning struggle, and to clear up various misconceptions regarding our involvement with various individuals and events. This summary does not reveal our entire history (our full history is revealed only to our higher members) but it does provide a glimpse into our organization and methods.

Pythagoras and the Origins of the Illuminati

The Illuminati was originally not a unified organization, but a loose association of individuals united by their shared non-mystical enlightenment, who generally kept the fact and nature of their enlightenment hidden from others, particularly in environments which would be hostile to their enlightenment. Such hostility was normally due to:

It was the ancient Greek philosopher and Mathematician Pythagoras who first formally organized this loose association into a unified secret society. The name “Illuminati” was not used at this time; Pythagoras' group was called the “Pythagorean Brotherhood,” or sometimes simply the “Brotherhood” or the “Pythagoreans.” (It should be noted that despite the term “Brotherhood” many females were also members). Pythagoras established strict protocols for bringing new members into the Brotherhood, and for evaluating their fitness for either being lead to true Illumination or alternatively for being lead to some form of eumystical pseudo-Illumination.

Pythagoras' protocols have been refined and modified over the millennia, but it is a testament to his genius that his general approach is still in use to this day.

Pythagoras was born on the eastern Aegean Greek island of Samos, in approximately 570 BCE. He was an extremely intelligent individual, of the sort who would be called a “Renaissance Man” in later millennia. Although he lived in a very mystical time, he was not an inherently mystical person himself. He traveled widely, seeking knowledge.

Reliable knowledge (of a type that we would consider “scientific” today) was very sparse in the time of Pythagoras; furthermore, mystics were themselves far more widespread than non-mystical, reality-based, rational thinkers. One area, however, where Pythagoras found absolute certainty was in mathematics, and he himself made many mathematical advancements.

He also developed ideas regarding the nature of the mystical mind, and began to uncover how mystics were controlled by their mysticisms, and how this control was often wielded by governments and religions. He found that it was often much easier and more productive to replace a destructive or harmful mysticism held by a very mystical person with another, less harmful mysticism, i.e., a eumysticism, rather than to attempt to directly remove the mysticism altogether. It was sometimes the case, however, that if these “replacement” eumysticisms were carefully crafted so as to contain superficially hidden inconsistencies along with inarguable facts, that more intelligent and (in particular) intellectually honest individuals would eventually see through the mysticism and break through to a truly non-mystical mindset.

Pythagoras ultimately dedicated himself to the eradication of mysticism, or at least, to the establishment of a society of non-mystical individuals, where each would have the greatest opportunity to flourish as far as their talents, intelligence and efforts would take them. He moved to Croton, in Magna Graecia in about 530 BCE at approximately 40 years of age. (This is now the commune of Crotone in the Southern Italian region of Calabria.) This is where he established the Brotherhood.

Membership in the Pythagorean Brotherhood was not freely open to all. Candidates were subject to a probationary period which was intended to test their fitness for membership. Since secrecy was of vital importance to the Brotherhood, candidates were required to take a literal vow of silence – a multi-year period of “verbal restraint,” or “echemythia.” This was intended as a means for testing and honing the patience, temperament and self-discipline of the candidates. Echemythia also served as a very powerful symbolic representation of the secrecy they would be expected to maintain if they were admitted into the Brotherhood.

An important maxim of the Pythagorean Brotherhood was “not all things are told to all.” Instead of simply divulging all of the secret teachings and methods of the Brotherhood to all members, the membership was divided into several gradations, or degrees, with each having a different level of access to this information. The lower degrees were called the Akousmatikoi ("listeners") and the higher degrees were called the Mathematikoi ("learners" or “students”). To further hide the nature of the true Illumination of the Brotherhood, sometimes members deemed unfit for membership in the Mathematikoi were told that they were being promoted into the Mathematikoi; instead, such individuals were essentially “pseudo-Mathematikoi” who were merely given plausible-sounding eumysticisms, ensuring that if they ever did reveal what they were taught, it would seem that they were revealing the Brotherhood's highest secrets, while in reality they were revealing nothing of the sort.

The Akousmatikoi (and the pseudo-Mathematikoi) were the earliest form of Gnostic-Illuminati. The Mathematikoi were the earliest form of Scio-Illuminati.

The absolute certainty of mathematics provided a solid foundation upon which to construct the teachings of the Brotherhood. All members, both Akousmatikoi and Mathematikoi, were therefore well-trained in mathematics. (The Mathematical foundation of the Brotherhood is reflected by the fact that, to this day, Pythagoras is most widely known for the “Pythagorean Theorem,” which describes the relationship between the lengths of the three sides of a right-triangle: a2+b2=c2. It should be noted, however, that it was not Pythagoras who originally discovered this relationship, although he is often credited as providing the first proof of the theorem.) This gave the entire Pythagorean Brotherhood a common body of absolutely irrefutable knowledge, and helped hone their reasoning skills.

The Akousmatikoi (and pseudo-Mathematikoi) were presented with a set of eumysticisms to go along with the mathematics which they were taught; these consisted largely of a specially constructed eumystical version of numerology. Regarding the nature of reality, they were taught that “all is number,” meaning that everything is literally made of numbers and caused by numbers. (The genius of this eumysticism is that, while it is technically incorrect to say that things are “made of numbers,” it is nevertheless true that everything is ultimately mathematical in nature; furthermore, mathematical training is extremely valuable for the development of logical thinking.) Another prime example of this “Pythagorean” numerology is the mystical meaning applied to the “Tetractys,” a triangle composed of four rows of dots, with one in the top row, two in the second, three in the third, and four in the fourth:

•

• •

• • •

• • • •

It should be noted that, presented to an inherently non-mystical, intellectually honest person, the Tetractys and all such eumysticisms would be recognized, sooner or later (and probably sooner) as the pure nonsense which they are; for the receptive mystic, on the other hand, these and other such “sound-good” mystical concepts provide quite compelling and mystically satisfying contemplation.

These Mathematical eumysticisms were part of a larger, comprehensive eumystical framework which ostensibly explained the nature and origin of the world and the arrangement of the cosmos, described the “metempsychosis” of the soul (the supposed immortality and transmigration of the soul into another living form after death) prescribed vegetarianism (due to the “fact” that other living beings contain transmigrated souls) applied the concept of “harmony” to many facets of life (where “harmony” was defined in terms of Mathematical ratios) and so on.

This eumystical framework was designed to give the mystically-minded among the Akousmatikoi a sense of certainty regarding their view of the world, and their actions in it, to present the Pythagorean Brotherhood with an air of authority and mystery, and to promote non-violence and temperance among the Akousmatikoi and others who came in contact with the Brotherhood and their ideas. This proved to be an excellent method for instilling into others such concepts and behaviors which were useful to and valued by the Brotherhood.

The Mathematikoi, in contrast to the Akousmatikoi, were taught to see through these and all other forms of mysticism. Instead of the mystical concept that “all is number,” for example, they were taught that everything appeared to be Mathematical in nature, and to operate according to Mathematical principles which could be discovered through reason and observation. The Mathematikoi thus had an essentially scientific view of the world, long before the advent of modern science.

The Mathematikoi were also taught Pythagoras' insights into the nature of the mystical mind. They were well-aware of the eumystical concepts being taught to the Akousmatikoi and also of the hidden purpose served by promulgating these eumysticisms. In other words, the Mathematikoi learned the art and science of mysticontrol, and used it for good (eumysticontrol) rather than evil (dysmysticontrol).

The profound secrecy of the Brotherhood has caused the hidden knowledge of the Mathematikoi to remain largely unknown outside of the Illuminati to this day (until this revelation, of course). It is the teachings of the Akousmatikoi, instead, which are typically associated with the Pythagoreans to those outside the Illuminati, or more specifically, to those outside the Scio-Illuminati.

The Pythagorean Brotherhood gained considerable political influence in Croton, due in large part to their mastery of mysticontrol. It was their intent to exercise their will “invisibly” through their mysticontrol of the ruling council of Croton, until such time as they would be able to replace the council with a “democracy of merit,” in which individuals would have the right to vote on issues only for which they had demonstrable competence. Their ultimate goal was to create a political system with very limited governmental powers, and much greater individual freedom and autonomy.

Croton sent an army of over 100,000 to battle against its rival city of Sybaris in 510 BCE, when Pythagoras was about 60 years of age. Croton was victorious in this campaign, but in the post-victory climate an insurrection took place in Croton, resulting in the disbanding of the ruling council, the formation of a non-meritocratic democracy, and the expulsion of the Brotherhood from Croton.

The Brotherhood, in reaction to these events, began to transform itself from merely being a society with secrets into a truly secret society. In other words, instead of being an openly visible, openly active organization with certain inner secrets which they kept among themselves, they went “underground,” keeping the very fact of their existence and their activities secret. This kept the organization as a whole, as well as its individual members, far more secure, although operating in such secrecy also presented its own difficulties. (It would not be until the time of Adam Weishaupt, in the late eighteenth century, that the Illuminati would again reveal its existence publicly.)

Secret Societies

It is much harder for an organization to recruit new members when the very existence of the organization is itself secret. It is also harder for the members of an organization to carry out complex plans without revealing the existence of the organization. To address these and similar issues the Brotherhood created various "spin off” groups, seemingly unconnected to itself, but designed to further the goals of the Brotherhood in various ways. As new members joined and participated in these other groups, they were trained and secretly evaluated by members of the Brotherhood for fitness as potential members of the Brotherhood. Those who showed the traits desired by the Brotherhood were then further tested and groomed. To those who met all the strict criteria of the Brotherhood, the Brotherhood revealed itself and its purposes (albeit in a limited way) and were invited to join. Those who did join were given a limited amount of information about the Brotherhood (and initially a fairly large amount of disinformation as a means of concealing its true nature) but would advance over time, and be given greater amounts of information and responsibility.

The history of the Illuminati, following the creation and eventual going-underground of the Pythagorean Brotherhood (which eventually came to be called the “Illuminati,” as it is known today) is often a history of the spin-off secret societies which they created, and of their activities. Here are some of the reasons that the Illuminati created these secret societies:

Not all secret societies were created by the Illuminati, of course. It has often proven advantageous, however, for the Illuminati to infiltrate certain of these non-Illuminati-created organizations, in order to exert influence over their activities. This infiltration is actually not limited to secret societies; the Illuminati has infiltrated and influenced many organizations and movements. It has also placed members, where possible, in key positions of political or social influence throughout history.

Aristotle

Aristotle was a student of Plato, and Plato was a student of Socrates. While these three renowned philosophers are generally credited as laying the foundation of western philosophy, only Aristotle was ever a member of the Mathematikoi; in fact, he became a Grand Master of the Pythagorean Brotherhood.

Socrates and Plato were never considered for membership in the Mathematikoi because of their inherent mysticism, and were thus confined to membership in the Akousmatikoi. They both denied the fundamental reality of the material world, and instead held that the “real” world is some postulated “perfect” realm of “forms” or “ideals” and that the material world is merely a sort of “shadow” of that “perfect” realm. They professed that knowledge was actually not a matter of learning, but was instead a matter of “memory” of the perfect realm, which we experienced in the time before our birth. They each held views asserting some sort of afterlife.

Plato did prove valuable in his role in the Akousmatikoi, however, even creating a rather sophisticated mystical system which has been used (sometimes in its original form, but often with various enhancements and variations) by the Illuminati for various eumystical purposes ever since. Plato was eventually expelled from the Akousmatikoi, however, because it was discovered that he was not keeping some of the “secrets” with which he was “entrusted.” (Of course, these “secrets” amounted to nothing other than eumystical nonsense, and anything he “revealed” was actually of no import at all, other than as proof that Plato could not be trusted with anything of real import.)

Aristotle was born in 384 BCE in the ancient Greek city of Stagira. He went to Athens at the age of 18 to study under Plato, where he remained for 19 years until the age of 37, around 347 BCE. As a student of Plato, he initially followed Plato's teachings, but eventually rejected the Platonic mysticisms and instead embraced an empirical approach to the study of reality. During his time at Plato's Academy he attracted the attention of the Pythagorean Brotherhood, and in due time he became a member, first of the Akousmatikoi, but later (as he came to reject mysticism) of the Mathematikoi. He is considered by some to be the first true scientist, and his writings and significant contributions covered such diverse subjects as physics, metaphysics, biology, zoology, poetry, theater, music, rhetoric, logic, linguistics, politics, government, and ethics. He constructed the first comprehensive Western philosophical system, embracing metaphysics, logic, aesthetics, science and politics. He was appointed Grand Master the same year he left Plato's Academy.

He was appointed as head of the royal academy by King Philip II of Macedon and was given use of the Temple of the Nymphs at Mieza where he gave lessons to three future kings: Philip's son Alexander the Great, Ptolemy and Cassander. This gave him the opportunity to attempt to influence these men in ways favorable to the goals of the Pythagorean Brotherhood. It should be noted that as payment for his service at the royal academy Aristotle requested Philip II to rebuild Aristotle's hometown of Stagira, which Philip had occupied and destroyed in 348 BCE, and also to free and resettle those inhabitants who had been enslaved, and to pardon those inhabitants who had been exiled; not only was this request granted, but many new buildings and improvements were made, such was the value placed upon Aristotle's teachings.

Aristotle had to deal with Alexander carefully. His teachings had to please Philip, or he would be in danger of losing his position, if not much worse. Aristotle and the Brotherhood wanted Philip (and eventually Alexander) to rule their subjects with justice and kindness, and ultimately wanted the same for all peoples. Aristotle craftily taught Alexander to be "a leader to the Greeks and a despot to the barbarians, to look after the former as after friends and relatives, and to deal with the latter as with beasts or plants," with the idea that once the “barbarians” (the Persians and others) were conquered and were under Alexander's rule the same justice and compassion would be extended to them as to the Greeks. Aristotle's teachings played a large part (along with the strength of Alexander's army) in Alexander's successes as a ruler and military leader, and in his coming to be known as “Alexander the Great.”

Aristotle eventually returned to Athens where he established a school in 335 BCE, called the “Lyceum.” The ostensive purpose of the Lyceum was to teach Aristotelian philosophy and other subjects, and it was quite successful in this. It also served a secret purpose, as a training, recruitment and meeting place for the Pythagorean Brotherhood. Thus Aristotle's Lyceum was instrumental to the spread of reality-based philosophy and non-mystical thinking and also facilitated the operation and growth of the Brotherhood.

Alexander the Great died in 323 BCE, and upon his death the Athenians began to exhibit strongly anti-Macedonian feelings. Aristotle began to fear for his life, due to his long association with the Macedonians. He moved away from Athens in 322 BCE, and died from natural causes the same year, on the Greek island of Euboea.

Epicurus

Epicurus, like Pythagoras, was born on the Aegean Greek island of Samos. He was born in 341 BCE, approximately 150 years after Pythagoras' death. At age 18 he left Samos to begin a mandatory 2-year term of military service. During his service his family had been forced to leave Samos and to move to Colophon, on the coast of what is now Turkey. (His parents were Athenian-born, and all Athenian settlers in Samos were forced to relocate to Colophon by Perdiccas, after the death of Alexander the Great.) Upon the completion of his military service he joined his family in Colophon, where he studied philosophy under Nausiphanes, a follower of the teachings of Democritus. It was in Colophon where he was first introduced to the Brotherhood, who recognized and valued his non-mystical mind and philosophical agility.

Epicurus eventually created and publicly taught a philosophy and approach to living, called “Epicureanism,” which was an ingenious eumystical synthesis of the teachings of Democritus and the Mathematikoi of the Brotherhood. It was, of course, not a revelation of the existence of the Brotherhood, or a full exposition of its teachings, but a philosophy designed to help achieve the goals of the Brotherhood, i.e., the promotion of non-mystical thinking and human happiness. Many elements of Epicureanism were reality-based and grounded in logic and rationality, and its eumystical elements were designed to to free mystics from more dangerous mysticisms, and to ultimately lead them toward a non-mystical outlook altogether.

Epicurus eumystically asserted that gods existed, but that they do not concern or involve themselves with the affairs or actions of humans in any way, and that there was therefore no reason to fear them. He also denied the possibility of immortality or any sort of life after death, and held that the cessation of sensation and thought which occurs at death should not be feared. In this way he sought to address and eliminate what he felt were the two fears which did the most to diminish human happiness: the fear of the gods and the fear of death.

As is typical with eumystical concepts, the Epicurean concepts regarding the nature and existence of gods was designed to have a different effect upon mystical individuals than upon those who were non-mystical by nature. It allowed mystics to hold on to the “god-concept,” while releasing them from god-based fears and mystical activities such as prayer or “worship,” and ideas of “divine authority” regarding morality or ethics. With “divine-authority” removed from such considerations, humans could base their behavior solely upon reason and reality.

For the naturally non-mystical, the simplicity of the Epicurean concept of the gods and our relationship to them, on the one hand, when contrasted with the corresponding complex traditional mystical concepts, on the other, often naturally leads to speculations that the gods do not exist at all. To put this simply, it often leads to atheism, i.e., freedom from the form of mysticism which is most insidious and destructive for most (mystical) individuals. Once this form of mysticism has been conquered it is usually much easier to conquer any others which an individual holds.

An important component of Epicureanism, aside from its doctrine relating to the gods, was its approach to pleasure and happiness. Epicurus defined “pleasure” as the absence of pain (this state is called “aponia”) and freedom from emotional disturbance or fear (this state is called “ataraxia”), and held that such pleasure was the “greatest good” a person could achieve. He taught that the way to achieve pleasure, thus defined, was through living a simple and self-sufficient life, surrounded by friends. This was essentially a form of hedonism, although it was a hedonism characterized by moderation, so as to avoid the suffering which typically accompanies overindulgence.

The following is a translated excerpt of Epicurus' “Letter to Menoeceus,” in which he discusses his concept of pleasure:

When we say, then, that pleasure is the end and aim, we do not mean the pleasures of the prodigal or the pleasures of sensuality, as we are understood to do by some through ignorance, prejudice, or willful misrepresentation. By pleasure we mean the absence of pain in the body and of trouble in the soul. It is not an unbroken succession of drinking-bouts and of revelry, not sexual lust, not the enjoyment of the fish and other delicacies of a luxurious table, which produce a pleasant life; it is sober reasoning, searching out the grounds of every choice and avoidance, and banishing those beliefs through which the greatest tumults take possession of the soul. Of all this the beginning and the greatest good is wisdom. Therefore wisdom is a more precious thing even than philosophy; from it spring all the other virtues, for it teaches that we cannot live pleasantly without living wisely, honorably, and justly; nor live wisely, honorably, and justly without living pleasantly. For the virtues have grown into one with a pleasant life, and a pleasant life is inseparable from them.

Some of Epicurus' ideas regarding the universe seem remarkably modern. As a follower of Democritus, Epicurus believed that things are ultimately composed of atoms, and that the motion and interaction of these atoms within otherwise empty space determines the events which occur in the universe. The universe itself, he held to be eternal and infinite. He even proposed a phenomenon remarkably similar to quantum fluctuations to help explain free will: he stated that atoms must “swerve” in an unpredictable manner, and that it is this unpredictable swerve which underlies free will.

Epicurus returned to Athens in 306 BCE, after having been selected as the Grand Master of the Pythagorean Brotherhood. He established a school in the garden of his home, simply called “The Garden.” It was the first Greek school to allow the admission of women as a rule rather than as an exception. Over the gate of the school was this enticing inscription: “Stranger, here you will do well to tarry; here our highest good is pleasure.”

The Garden was very successful as a recruitment tool for the Brotherhood. The disciples of Epicurus were required to swear an oath of allegiance to the core tenets of Epicureanism, and they were organized into a hierarchical structure. Those more advanced in the hierarchy were those who demonstrated non-mystical thinking, such as expressing the idea that there was really no reason to hold a belief in the gods. Once Epicurus was convinced that one of his followers was a fit candidate for membership in the Brotherhood, he would appoint someone to tell him or her of the existence of a secret organization, and to invite him or her to join. Everyone who was so asked answered in the affirmative, and all went on to become fully inducted into the Brotherhood.

Lucretius

Titus Lucretius Carus (circa 99 BCE – circa 55 BCE) was a Roman member of the Pythagorean Brotherhood. He was a poet and philosopher, and would often refer to the enlightened Brotherhood, in Latin, as the “Illuminati.” Lucretius' name took hold, helped by the fact that Latin had replaced Greek as the official language throughout much of Western civilization; this is the name of our organization to this day.

Lucretius wrote the philosophical poem “De Rerum Natura,” which is translated into English as “On the Nature of Things” or "On the Nature of the Universe." This epic was an exposition of Epicureanism in dactylic hexameter.

This ancient poem, describing a remarkably modern world view, served as a catalyst of the Renaissance, the Reformation, and the Enlightenment some 1500 years later when the Italian Illuminatus, Gian Francesco Poggio Bracciolini, “found” a copy in January, 1417. As an Illuminatus, Bracciolini already had a copy of the poem, and simply stated that he found it in a German monastery; in fact, he claimed to have “found” several ancient documents in a similar way.

Freemasonry (1366-Present)

The Association of Freemasonry with the Illuminati

There is perhaps no organization so associated with the Illuminati in the public mind as the Freemasons. (This is largely due to Adam Weishaupt, about whom more will be said later.) The Illuminati created Freemasonry as a separate, independent organization, but based upon principles and invested with goals which would be useful to the Illuminati.

Despite the past success which the Illuminati has had with the creation and use of Freemasonry, today Freemasonry is working to advance the Old World Order agenda of the parasitical elite, rather than the New World Order agenda of the Illuminati. This is due, in part, to the fact of the open existence of Freemasonry, the general ease of admittance into Freemasonry, and the visible power collectively wielded by the Freemasons. These factors made the Freemasons a valuable tool for the Illuminati, but in time it also caused Freemasonry to become a visible and valuable target of the parasitical elite, and to be relatively easy for them to infiltrate and subvert. In the past the Illuminati had been able to successfully thwart such attempts at infiltration and subversion, but due to the much greater sheer size and power of the Old World Order this became increasingly difficult – and eventually impossible.

Today, unfortunately, Freemasonry is a firmly Old World Order organization, not an Illuminati organization. Hence the Illuminati no longer actively recruits members from among the Freemasons, except in very rare circumstances; it is simply too risky to admit members who may retain allegiance to Freemasonry (and to the Old World Order and its goals) rather than to the Illuminati (and the New World Order and its goals).

The Origin and Evolution of Freemasonry (1366-1720)

In medieval Europe, stonemasons built huge cathedrals, churches, fortresses, castles, and all sorts of other stoneworks. It was vital that these buildings were built properly or they would be unsafe; improper construction could result in unstable structures which could collapse either during the construction process, or at some point after construction was finished and the building was in use. To properly design and construct such massive architecture required the mastery of diverse disciplines including math, geometry and engineering, as well as aesthetic and artistic vision. Even today, designing such edifices using computers, and building them using modern construction techniques and machines, is far from easy; in the middle ages it was a herculean task.

The major employer of masons in medieval England was the monarch. The monarch, however, was far from “noble” in its employment practices. It was very common for masons to be subject to forced impressment: in other words, they were forced to work under whatever conditions and at whatever wages were decreed by the crown.

The Illuminati was well aware of this deplorable practice. Certain very skilled masons were even members of the Illuminati. Given the Illuminati's resistance to all forms of oppression, it was natural that it should use its influence to organize the masons into a united “trade fellowship” or “trade guild” (somewhat similar to the trade unions which exist today) as a means for resisting the forced servitude imposed by the crown, and for creating safer working conditions and procuring fair wages.

The Illuminati began formulating specific plans for improving the conditions of the stonemasons in the late winter of 1366. Four masons were elected to London's Common Council ten years later, in 1376, but despite their attempts, this had very little immediate positive effect upon the plight of the masons. It should be noted, however, that the first use of the word “freemason” as opposed to simply “mason” occurred at this time, highlighting their desire for freedom from forced labor, unsafe conditions and unfair wages.

The following century, however, began to see the slow advance in the conditions of masons. This was aided in part by the Illuminati-inspired production of the first few of what became known as the “Old Charges” or the “Gothic Constitutions” of Freemasonry. These documents were each a sort of manifesto, describing (in a largely mythological fashion, carefully designed to create an air of ancient mystery and authority) the origins and history of the craft of masonry, including seemingly “historical” precedents under which the masons were given favorable working conditions and fair wages, and rules of conduct for the masons themselves. These documents cited such things as:

In addition to the above eumystical “facts,” these documents also contained prescriptions regarding the proper working conditions and wages for the masons. The combined effect of the mysticisms and the descriptions of proper working conditions and wages was to harness the mysticism of the era in a way that elevated the status of the masonic craft (both among the masons themselves and others) and ultimately did result in an improvement of conditions and an increase in wages. This is a classic example of successful eumysticontrol.

The masons would meet in a “Lodge.” (The original use of the word “Lodge” was to refer to a temporary shack used by the masons on larger construction sites; this term eventually came to be used to indicate the meeting places of the masons.) Eventually non-masons were also admitted into the Lodge. This created a distinction between “Operative Masonry” and “Speculative Masonry:” Operative Masons were those who were actual stonemasons, whereas Speculative Masons were those “accepted” into the Lodge despite the fact that they were not stonemasons themselves. Among those who were accepted were the architects who worked closely with the masons, and whose role in construction became more important as the responsibility for design shifted from the Master Mason to the Architect. Others accepted as Speculative Masons included various wealthy and powerful individuals, for whom the masons created elaborate rituals and “mysteries” as a form of novel diversion; the patronage of the wealthy and powerful was beneficial in raising the conditions and wages of the Operative Masons.

The stonemasons became so well-organized that it eventually became apparent to the Illuminati that such organization could be used for larger social and political purposes. It also became apparent that for these purposes it was not necessary to have actual stonemasons in the Lodge at all, and in fact would be much more beneficial to have individuals in the Lodge who were in positions of power to actually facilitate or carry out social or political operations. This brought an end to the era of “mixed Lodges” and saw the beginning of purely Speculative Lodges, and the beginning of the use of the term “Free and Accepted Mason.”

The Illuminati were involved in the creation and consolidation of the earliest of the Grand Lodges of Freemasonry. The First Grand Lodge was officially created on June 24th, 1717, at the Goose and Gridiron, in St. Paul's Churchyard. John Theophilus Desaguliers, a high-ranking Illuminatus, was elected as Grand Master of the Lodge in 1719. He is considered to be the “Father of Modern Freemasonry.” He was instrumental in bringing Freemasonry into the form it has today. In addition to his single term as Grand Master of the First Grand Lodge, he served as Deputy Grand Master under two figurehead Grand Masters and acted as Grand Master for “irregular Lodges” which he formed for the purpose of performing initiations. In order to facilitate the secrecy of the Freemasons, he instituted the practice (following that of the Illuminati) of having members remember rather than write down the rituals of Freemasonry. Desaguliers also guided Freemasonry on a mission of self-publicity.

The Corruption of Freemasonry (1721- Present)

In England, the last commoner to be elected Grand Master was George Payne, in 1720. Subsequent Masonic Grand Masters have all been members of the nobility. This marked the beginning of the corruption of Freemasonry from a New World Order aligned organization, working to promote social equity, to an Old World Order organization, working to maintain power in the hands of the powerful. It was at this time that Freemasonry began to become a force helping “the rich get richer and the poor get poorer.”

Freemasonry spread out from the British Isles, throughout the rest of Europe, Russia, North America, and beyond. The same type of corruption of Freemasonry which occurred in England also occurred in other nations as well, but this took a bit longer in the “New World,” due to its isolation from Europe.

The American Revolution

The “New World” represented a unique historical opportunity for the Illuminati. Even though various European nations colonized areas of North and South America, the “mother countries” were simply too far away to be very effective in the event of a colonial uprising. This was territory separated from the European monarchies by thousands of miles of ocean, in an era when a transatlantic voyage was a dangerous affair in wooden ships and took weeks or even months. The New World was an ideal place to attempt to establish a New World Order, with minimal interference from European monarchs.

The Illuminati had many agents involved in the philosophical, political, and military aspects of the American Revolution, and in the early years of the the newly formed United States of America; the most prominent of these was undoubtedly Samuel Adams. There were also many Freemasons with such involvement; among these, some of the more prominent were: George Washington, Ethan Allen, Edmund Burke, Benjamin Franklin, William Daws, Paul Revere, Benjamin Tupper, John Paul Jones, and John Hancock

The French Revolution

The American Revolution showed the world that nations could be governed without monarchy. This ignited the imagination of Europeans, and revolutionary fervor next took hold in France. Once again the Illuminati had agents working for revolution.

Freemasons, however, were more divided in their support, due to the corruption of Freemasonry in Europe by the “nobility,” despite the best efforts of the Illuminati. Thus, while there were a number of French Lodges and individual Freemasons which supported the French Revolution, there were also a number of anti-revolutionary “Legitimist” Lodges.

The lack of unity among the Freemasons resulted in a much longer, more difficult and violent struggle, much to the dismay of the Illuminati, as the Jacobin Club instituted its Reign of Terror, repeatedly attempting to purge itself of anti-revolutionary interlopers. The Illuminati and the pro-revolutionary faction of Freemasons did ultimately prevail, despite this, finally achieving the revolutionary overthrow of the French monarchy and the establishment of a French republic. This was a hard-won victory, however.

The Spreading and Continuing Revolution

The Illuminati (often utilizing the Freemasons and other secret societies) continued to work for revolution throughout Europe and the rest of the world. While many of the attempted revolutions were largely successful in bringing about conditions of social liberty, equity and justice, there were also some major failures. Even in those places where revolution was initially successful, there was often an unfortunate tendency for the hard-won social and political gains of the people to be slowly eroded. This is because, over time, new social and political powers often tend to become corrupted and more money and power hungry, and thus begin to work to increase their wealth and power at the expense of the people. The people are also often slow to fully realize the extent to which they are being exploited and allowing their liberties to be eroded, and by the time they finally do wake up to their condition, they often find that they must fight that much harder to reclaim their rights.

The result of this is that it is thus sometimes necessary to revolt against the new abusive powers, just as it was necessary to revolt against the previous abusive powers; furthermore, if the people have allowed the abuse of power to persist too long and to grow too big, it may be necessary for such a revolution to be violent in nature. Thomas Jefferson expressed this quite eloquently when he wrote, “The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.”

The Illuminati understands that, while such violent revolution is sometimes necessary, it is much preferable to minimize or even avoid violence, where possible, and instead to effect positive political and social change – even political and social revolution – by more peaceful means. To carry out a violent revolution obviously requires a great deal of force, coupled with a certain degree of strategy. A peaceful revolution, on the other hand, either minimizes or completely dispenses with the need for force, but requires a very well constructed strategy.

We, the Illuminati, do have such a non-violent strategy for peaceful revolution in place. The nature of this strategy requires that certain aspects are not publicly revealed. That said, however, we are working to move the world to a social system which provides for maximum personal liberty and social stability, and which is inherently resistant to all forms of the abuse of power. For the individual, empiricorationalism is a highly powerful tool for personal development and success and for recognizing and avoiding all forms of parasitical personal exploitation. For society, empiricorationalism is a highly powerful tool for the advancement of society and for recognizing and avoiding all forms of parasitical social exploitation.

The only significant work being done regarding the development of an empiricorational conceptual, personal, and social framework is that of the small private brain trust, the Scionics Institute (https://scionics.org). The Institute is integrating philosophy, physics, psychology, and even spirituality and more, into an essentially universally applicable empiricorational system.

Francis Bacon (1561-1626) and the Establishment of Rosicrucianism

Francis Bacon was born in London, England, on January 22, 1561. His father, Sir Nicholas Bacon, was a fairly high-level Illuminatus and an extremely influential English politician. Francis Bacon eventually also became a very influential politician himself, but he is by far most remembered by history for his contributions to scientific philosophy. He formally established and popularized the inductive method, which came to be known as the “Baconian method,” or more commonly, the “scientific method.” While he is publicly remembered for establishing the scientific method, the Illuminati also privately remember him for his role in the establishment of “Rosicrucianism.”

Bacon lived in an era during which it would have been unwise to openly profess an anti-Christian and atheistic belief system so, like essentially all of the European Illuminati before him, he was ostensibly Christian, although quite openly anti-Catholic. (Catholicism was recognized by the Illuminati to be by far the most destructive, authoritarian and oppressive of the Christian faiths of that time.) He advocated the systematic empirical investigation of all things in the natural world; of course, as an Illuminatus, he recognized that there is only the natural world and that, strictly speaking, there is no separate supernatural existence at all.

Francis Bacon was first inducted into the Illuminati in 1578, a year before the death of his father. He was elected Grand Master of the Illuminati 10 years later, upon the death of the previous Grand Master, Bernadino Telesio.

One of the Illuminati's main goals before and during the time of Bacon was the acceleration of the erosion of the power of the Catholic Church, resulting from the 16th century Protestant Reformation. This was initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin, and others. (It should be noted that there were earlier attempts at reformation by such individuals as John Wycliffe and Jan Huss, which never gained significant traction.)

In order to give further impetus to the movement away from dogmatic religious faith in general, and from Catholicism in particular, the Illuminati (under the direction of Francis Bacon) anonymously published three manuscripts which marked the origin of Rosicrucianism, between 1607 and 1616. These manuscripts were:

Rosicrucianism is a eumystical amalgamation of various sources of “ancient wisdom” including such mysticisms as gnosticism and hermeticism, combined with non-orthodox Christian ideas. It also promoted the very non-mystical view that empiricism and rationality are superior to inflexible dogma.

Although Rosicrucianism was not specifically Protestant in nature, like the Protestant Reformation it did act to spread ideas which were contrary to oppressive Catholic authority. The symbol used by Martin Luther (the “Luther Rose” or “Luther Seal”) to represent his own faith, and soon adopted by others to represent first the ideas behind the Protestant Reformation in general, and then more specifically to represent “Lutheranism,” was a combination of a cross, a red heart, and a white rose. The symbol of Rosicrucianism was essentially a variation of this, being a combination of a red rose and a cross, in a configuration very similar to that of the “Luther Seal.” The very name of the fictional founder of Rosicrucianism, Christian Rosenkreutz, was intentionally created as a means to play upon this symbolism. This similarity in symbolism certainly did not go unnoticed by the people of the time, as they were very aware of the shifting attitudes towards the Catholic Church.

At the time of its introduction, Rosicrucianism was presented as though it was a secret organization, already about 150 years old, which was based upon traditions and knowledge far older. This gave it an air of great mystery and provided an opportunity for the Illuminati to invite various individuals to attend secret Rosicrucian meetings, at which members of the Illuminati could survey the attendees in search of any who displayed the proper non-mystical mindset and other desirable qualities. (It was often the case that, after becoming familiar with the eumysticisms of Rosicrucianism, the naturally non-mystical would reject Rosicrucianism; this is when they would be contacted by a member of the Illuminati, about participation in a true anti-religious, reality-based secret society. This would be the beginning of their induction into the true Illuminati.)

The role of Rosicrucianism became diminished over time as “Speculative Freemasonry” began to gain in popularity. The Illuminati abandoned its Rosicrucian activities, after Rosicrucianism had outlived its purpose. It is of note that there are still certain references to Rosicrucianism in Freemasonry, although these are essentially empty references used to contribute to the “mystery” of Freemasonry, rather than anything of greater significance.

In addition to furthering the goals of the Illuminati through his contributions to scientific philosophy and his part in the creation and spread of Rosicrucianism, Francis Bacon also instituted policies designed to increase financial support for the operation of the Illuminati. He aggressively encouraged voluntary donations from the members. Such donations had always been an important source of funding for Illuminati operations, but they were rather irregular and unpredictable. As a result of Bacon's financial policies they became a much more regular and dependable source of funds, from his time right until today. Bacon certainly lead by example in this regard, as he donated significant funds himself, so much so that he spent much of his life in considerable debt. He considered it to be well worth it, however, due to the vitally important work of the Illuminati.

He also initiated a policy of having the Illuminati set up businesses to be run by Illuminati members, and worked to draw as much business as possible to them. A portion of their proceeds was then given directly to the funding of Illuminati activities and operations. This had the double benefit of providing a good living for the operators of the businesses, and for further increasing the availability of funds for Illuminati operations. It has always been paramount that such businesses be run with the highest standards of honesty and integrity.

Francis Bacon died on April 9, 1626, of pneumonia. It is interesting to note that he had been experimenting with cold and freezing as a means for the preservation of food. Many hold that his death was a direct result of his never-ending quest for knowledge and the betterment of the human condition.

Adam Weishaupt (1748-1830)

The Illuminati had long felt that if it could operate with some degree of openness about its existence and goals it would be able to operate much more efficiently and effectively. The spreading corruption of Freemasonry by the Old World Order only added urgency to this desire. The Grand Council of the Illuminati charged Adam Weishaupt, a high-level Illuminatus in Bavaria, with revealing the existence of the Illuminati (albeit in a very limited and eumystical way) for the first time since the Pythagorean Brotherhood first went underground. Weishaupt announced the existence of the Illuminati (which for a short time was known as “The Order of Perfectibilists”) approximately two months before the signing of the Declaration of Independence in America.

Adam Weishaupt was born on February 6th,1748, in Ingolstadt, in the Electorate of Bavaria. He came under the tutelage of his godfather, Johann Adam Freiherr von Ickstatt, at the age of five, after the death of his father, Johann Georg Weishaupt. Ickstatt was a professor of law at the University of Ingolstadt, just as Weishaupt's father had been.

Ickstatt was a member of the Illuminati and a proponent of the Enlightenment, and proved quite influential in helping the young Weishaupt to develop an extremely rational, non-mystical mindset. When Weishaupt began his formal education at age seven at a Jesuit school, Ickstatt taught him to remain quietly skeptical regarding the mysticism of Catholicism and his Jesuit schooling when dealing with Church or school officials. This allowed the naturally intelligent and rational Weishaupt to please his teachers, excel in school, and gain direct exposure to Catholic and, in particular, Jesuit teachings, while concealing his rational disbelief. It was not until years later that Weishaupt openly revealed his disdain for Catholicism and the Jesuits.

Weishaupt later enrolled at the University of Ingolstadt and graduated in 1768 at age 20 with a doctorate of law. He became a professor of law four years later, in 1772. He became a professor of canon law the following year.

Ickstatt recognized early on that Weishaupt was a natural candidate for Illuminati membership. Ickstatt brought Weishaupt into the Illuminati while in his young teens. Weishaupt progressed fairly rapidly within the Illuminati, and in his late twenties was charged by the Grand Council with publicly revealing the existence of the Illuminati in a limited way. They felt that society had attained a sufficient degree of enlightenment in Bavaria and elsewhere to allow the Illuminati to begin to operate with some degree of openness. Greater openness, it was thought, would facilitate greater efficiency of operation. Here is a summary of their plan:

On May 1st, 1776, Adam Weishaupt ostensibly “officially founded” the Illuminati, with a small handful of members. The Illuminati actually had existed, of course, under various names, since the time of Pythagoras – even earlier, if the loose organization of pre-Pythagorean non-mystics is considered to be part of the Illuminati as well – so it would be more accurate to say that it was on this day that he revealed the Illuminati to the public, while making it seem to be a new organization so he could avoid publicly revealing any of its secret history. Also, it was not the true Scio-Illuminati that Weishaupt revealed, but a form of Gnostic-Illuminati.

Weishaupt was initiated into Munich's Masonic Lodge in 1777. He then proceeded to successfully introduce “Illuminism” within the Lodge. He was eventually thwarted, however. Certain papers containing eumystical Illuminati writings were uncovered in 1784 and interpreted as seditious, and the Illuminati was banned by Karl Theodor, Elector of Bavaria, in 1784. Weishaupt was forced to flee Bavaria.

Thus the Illuminati, after a brief period of public exposure, was forced to go underground once more. That brief period did much to enhance the power and reach of the Illuminati, however, and to help fuel the revolutionary fervor which would soon sweep through France.

Weishaupt settled in Gotha (now a German city) were he wrote a series of works on Illuminism, including A Complete History of the Persecutions of the Illuminati in Bavaria (1785), A Picture of Illuminism (1786), An Apology for the Illuminati (1786), and An Improved System of Illuminism (1787). He died in Gotha on November 18, 1830.

Your Place in Our Continuing History

The snippets of our history which we have revealed is representative but incomplete, both by design and by necessity. Our work continues to this day, and our history continues to be written. We therefore ask you to become familiar, not with our history, but with our plans for the future. Our values, philosophy, and goals are outlined later in this revelation and throughout our website, to the extent to which they can safely be disclosed. We believe that all good, rational, reality-based people, upon understanding our values, philosophy, and goals, will naturally find themselves aligned with us, and will naturally want to work to bring about the social and political change we advocate.

If you do find yourself aligned with us, there are many things you can do. You can petition, protest, and vote for such positive social and political change as we advocate. You can help spread our message and ideals, both by directly espousing our values, philosophy, and goals to others, and also by simply referring them to our website. You can support us by means of direct financial donation, according to the instructions which can be found on our website.

It is even possible to move beyond simply supporting us, to actually joining our noble ranks. This requires you personally to be rational, grounded in reality, and reject mysticism in all its forms. It further requires you to recognize oppression, injustice, irrationality and mysticism, and their damaging and deadly effects on others, and to be willing to work to eliminate these evils in the world.

You are urged to register to join our site. From time to time we will send communications and instructions. This may of may not lead to your further promotion within the Illuminati.

We need people from all walks of life, and from around the world. We need philosophers and scientists. We need mothers, fathers, teachers, and students. We need artists, musicians, and actors. We need thinkers and feelers. We need lawyers, doctors, construction workers, politicians, soldiers and police. We need entrepreneurs, sales clerks, waiters and waitresses, bankers, and farmers. We need YOU, as many of you as possible.

The time of our Revelation is now. The time of our Revolution is near. Join us.