There are a few key ways for ordinary researchers to identify movements and groups from history that were linked to the Illuminati. The groups in question probably taught reincarnation, probably had an unusually strong message of freedom and equality directed at the least privileged strata of society, probably wished to remove power and wealth from the greedy and oppressive rulers of society, probably emphasized the " Holy Spirit " and probably made claims that seemed astonishing and heretical to those brainwashed by revealed religions such as Christianity, Judaism and Islam.
These claims would often be perceived as self-exaltation to such a degree that it amounted to self-deification. " I am becoming God " sounds to some people like a crazy assertion, but the meaning behind such a claim was that the practitioners were asserting that they had made first contact with their higher self …. with the divine spark, part of the divine order - and they could now start to partake of the divine i.e. they had attained the initial stage of godliness and could anticipate progression to full union.
Revealed religions regard such claims as the greatest taboo whereas for mystery religions they are the supreme truth, the culmination of the personal quest for ultimate knowledge ….. for the Holy Grail itself.
Not all groups that taught messages of this kind were directly linked with the Illuminati. Some were imitating the Illuminati, based on second-hand knowledge and rumors, some were led by renegade Illuminists who had been expelled from the society for transgressions, and some inspirational leaders just happened to create religions and philosophies ( usually in opposition to revealed religions ) that shared elements in common with the teachings of the Illuminati.
The Illuminati have never had a large number of members for the simple reason that secrets do not remain secrets if too many people have access to them. It is because the Illuminati have adopted a leadership role behind the scenes rather taken the field as a mass movement that they have been called "puppet-masters". Below is a list of the groups and movements that were either led by the Illuminati, connected to the Illuminati, or influenced by the Illuminati. Its a history of resistance to the rich elites. In the same way that the establishment is essentially a coherent whole, duplicated across nations and time, so is the resistance to it.
By no means is all resistance associated with the Illuminati, but resistance of a certain type, with the sorts of characteristics described above ..…. invariably is. It is the world's most fascinating secret history.
The Order of Solomon
Solomon, the famous Biblical King of Israel, is sometimes referred to as a Grand Master of the Illuminati even though he lived centuries before the first official Grand Master, Pythagoras. He was given this title retrospectively to honor his importance to the Illuminati.
In Solomon's time, the Illuminati were wandering holy men, mystics and
philosophers. One of these travelled to the kingdom of Israel, was introduced to Solomon, and succeeded in enlightening him. ( King Solomon, renowned for his wisdom, was quick to see the truth of what he was being told. ) Solomon created a secret group that came to be called the Order of Solomon, the task of which was to a) work to end the Hebrews' worship of Jehovah, and
b) something much more remarkable ….. to actually kill Jehovah. ( This forms the background of the book The Armageddon Conspiracy. )
The Order of Solomon disintegrated after Solomon's death, though it was reborn much later in the form of the Order of Poor Knights of the Temple of Solomon - the famous Knights Templar whose earliest years were dedicated to excavating the foundations of Solomon's Temple to rediscover ancient treasures and secrets.
Druidism
A Celtic version of Gnosticism. Just as there were Celtic and Roman versions of Christianity, with the Roman emerging on top, there were also Celtic and Greek versions of Gnosticism. The Celtic version was virtually exterminated when the Romans slaughtered the Druids in Britain. Remnants of Druidism survived in Ireland but gradually succumbed to Christianity.
( Druids met Pythagoras, the Illuminati's first Grand Master, and adopted many of the teachings of the Illuminati. Merlin, in the legends of King Arthur, represents both Druidism and the magical power of a man who has direct and reliable contact with his higher self. )
Simon Magus
He was the greatest and most revered Grand Master of the Illuminati ... for reasons that will not be disclosed. Early Christian Church Fathers regarded him as the most prominent and dangerous Gnostic ….. the arch heretic.
There were many Gnostic sects, all of which were respected by the Illuminati, but there was considerable divergence between what each sect taught. The Gnostic sects that were closely linked to the Illuminati were the Carpocratians, Cainites, the Ophites and the Johannites.
Mithraism
A Gnostic mystery religion led by the Illuminati. The Illuminati attempted to
introduce a religion that would appeal to the Roman Army and thus allow them to secure military control of the Roman Empire. Many Roman soldiers became Mithraists, but the secrecy inherent in Mithraism eventually counted against it. For obvious reasons, mystery religions cannot go public on any significant scale and that prevents them from becoming mass movements. Christianity entered the public sphere and became far more popular and powerful than Mithraism. It stole many Mithraic elements and gradually neutralized the threat of Mithraism.
Manichaeism
Mani was a member of the Illuminati tasked with creating a Gnostic religion open to all ( rather than to approved initiates only, as in Mithraism ) which would directly rival Christianity. It was called the " Religion of Light."
The idea was that the best Manicheans would then be introduced to the Illuminati's higher mystery religion: Illumination. Manichaeism was highly successful for a time, but was ultimately defeated by the world's main religions.
Mani himself suffered a horrific death. For 26 days he was kept in prison in heavy chains, then he was flayed alive and his skin, stuffed with straw, was nailed to a cross and suspended over the main gate of the great city of Jundishapur as a terrifying spectacle for those who followed his teachings. His dead body was decapitated and the head placed on a spike.
Hermeticism
A school of thought not established by the Illuminati but which addressed many similar interests and helped to keep alive esoteric thinking in a time when the Illuminati came close to extinction during the collapse of the Roman Empire and the coming of the Dark Ages. Hermeticism has always been greatly respected by the Illuminati.
The central difference between Hermeticism and Gnosticism is that Hermeticists do not say that the world is the creation of an evil Demiurge and that humanity is under his malign power. Rather, they claim that humanity is separated from God by a kind of laziness, apathy, stupor, ignorance, lust, and enslavement to bodily concerns instead of those of the spirit.
distractions, of a materialistic mind-set, it could commune directly with God. Gnosticism and Hermeticism both concern the quest to discover the higher self, the divine spark, the means for man to become God. To that extent, the Illuminati are supportive of the agenda of Hermeticism.
Those people who do not find themselves convinced that earth is in thrall to a malignant force can still find their way to many of the truths of Illumination via Hermeticism.
Illumination and Hermeticism are two roads to salvation. The Illuminati always taught that those who follow the Hermetic path will, one day, as they discover higher truth and insights, reach the same path as the Illuminati.
The essential difference between Hermeticism and Illumination on one side, and religions like Christianity, Judaism and Islam on the other is that whereas followers of the latter are alienated from God and regard him as external, distant , infinitely far above their level, the former see him as internal, close and, when enlightenment is attained, identical with them.
Buddhists and Hindus, meanwhile, think that when they reach enlightenment …. they will become absorbed in the divine essence, the great and eternal Oneness. In other words, Christians, Jews and Muslims view themselves as always separate from God ….. Buddhists and Hindus as becoming one with God / Nature ( but with their own individuality totally extinguished ) and Hermeticists and the Illuminati as becoming God, but with their individuality retained.
This is a difficult concept for most people to grasp. The best modern analogy is that of a hologram. Physicist David Bohm said of the hologram "…one in effect sees the whole of the original structure, in three dimensions, and from a range of possible points of view ( as if one were looking at it through a window ). If we then illuminate only a small region [of the hologram], we still see the whole structure, but in less sharply defined detail and from a decreased range of possible points of view ( as if we were looking through a smaller window ). It is clear, then, that there is no one-to-one correspondence between parts of an 'illuminated object' and parts of a [holographic image of this object]. Rather, the interference pattern in each region [of the hologram] is relevant to the whole structure, and each region of the structure is relevant to the whole of the interference pattern [of the hologram]."
Do you see the holographic analogy to God and the divine sparks that
reside in humanity ? Each spark is individual yet contains the whole ( God ), but " as if one were looking through a smaller window ".
Moreover, the whole ( God ) relies on each individual part. So …. which path will you choose ?
Do you want to stand always in God's infinite shadow as the Christians, Jews and Muslims do, or become absorbed by him so that you as an individual no longer exist, as the Buddhists and Hindus advocate, or do you want to attain divinity while
retaining your individual identity ? The answer is obvious to any thinking person.
An example of a group led by a renegade Illuminist was the Euchites who looked back to the early years of the Illuminati. The Illuminati started out as wandering holy men, mystics and philosophers before becoming a settled organization.
The Euchites went back to basics and again became nomadic holy men living by begging. They taught that they had communed with their divine selves and were therefore incapable of sin, everything they did was good and justified.
This often led to anarchic excess, particularly of a sexual nature.
This represented a corruption of the Illuminati's teaching of " Sin for Salvation ". " Sin for Salvation " requires high levels of control and self-discipline and must always be harnessed to strict asceticism.
Sinning for sinning's sake is self-indulgent, counter-productive and leads to no genuine contact with the higher self. But " sin " when used as a deliberate attack on the teachings of false religions can be an instrument of transcendent liberation. Much of the rhetoric of sin has nothing to do with good and evil and is all about control ….… about mass brainwashing to promote the agenda of the controllers. Nothing is more important than ridding humanity of such " sins ".. the sins defined by the Old World Order …. which are no sins at all.
The Cathars
Gnostics who posed a serious religious challenge to the Catholic Church in the south of France in the Middle Ages. ( The precursors of the Cathars were groups such as the Paulicians, the Athingani, and the Bogomils ) The Cathars were also associated with a strong literary tradition in the form of Goliards and Troubadours. This was the beginning of the Illuminati's attempt to use stories, poetry, art,
painting and sculpture to communicate concealed heresies to the wider world, to smuggle them past the Catholic authorities, and to pass on coded messages. The Cathars regarded the established Church as the " synagogue of Satan " and the altar as the mouth of hell.
The Vatican launched a crusade against them and they were virtually wiped out.
The Knights Templar
Supposedly orthodox Catholic military monks who were in fact Gnostics seeking to retrieve unique treasures from the ruins of Solomon's Temple in Jerusalem, and to
erode Catholicism from a privileged insider position.
The Vatican eventually realized the danger and suppressed the Templar Order. The last Grand Master was burned at the stake.
The Capuciati
A precursor of the Jacobin Clubs of revolutionary France. At the end of the 12th Century, the Capuciati rose up against the nobility and tried to implement a society based on freedom and equality. They were brutally suppressed.
The Alchemists
Gnostic thinkers who attempted to combine science and spiritualism, to find a quasi-scientific path to spiritual enlightenment. ( Some of the alchemists were " metaphorical " scientists i.e. they were using the language of proto-chemistry to describe a process of spiritual refinement and elevation ….. they weren't seriously engaged in scientific experiments.) Alchemy was conducted in such secrecy that it managed to avoid formal condemnation and persecution by the Vatican.
Alchemists rarely ventured into the open, and only did so if they had secured the protection of a powerful prince. Freemasonry was born from a combination of the alchemists and the remnants of the Knights Templar.
The Heresy of the Free Spirit
Was a movement that flourished in medieval Europe and was based on the idea that the practitioners had reached a state of perfection that moved them beyond sin ( like the Euchites ). They repudiated social and moral norms and were often highly promiscuous. However, this promiscuity was more like the " free love " of the 1960s. It was frequently accompanied by drug use, was intended to spread love and
community, and, above all, was aimed at being a conduit to a higher plane, to spiritual emancipation and communion with the higher self.
For Gnostics as apposed to Christians …. the concept of " Holy Spirit " holds a very different meaning.
To Christians, the Holy Spirit was the third person of the Holy Trinity, and, in Catholic theology ……… acted through the Church and the holy sacraments. Catholics had no access to the Holy Spirit other than through the sacraments.
For Protestants, the individual could interact with the Holy Spirit directly, without the need of the Church or any sacraments.
For Gnostics, the Holy Spirit was actually a coded reference to the higher self, the divine spark. By using that term, they could masquerade as Christians and thus avoid accusations of heresy, whilst actually spreading Gnostic teachings. If they succeeded in linking to their higher self, they would be filled with spiritual, mystical understanding …. gnosis itself …… that would reveal the true nature of existence. Acting through their higher self, part of the divine order, they would no longer be capable of sinning. They would be truly free of the constraints and travails of the world. For this reason, they were called Eleutherians - from the Greek word " free ". ( Some groups were more free than others, some became completely anarchic and self-indulgent while others retained a strong and clear spiritual purpose. It was not freedom itself that was the crucial issue but how that freedom was exercised …. irresponsibly or with clear focus.)
Joachim of Fiori ( a Grand Master of the Illuminati ) and Amaury of Bene
( a senior Illuminist ) were responsible for the revolutionary idea that the world is divided into three ages - that of God the Father ( Jehovah / Judaism ), God the Son ( Jesus Christ / Christianity ), and God the Holy Spirit ( which for Joachim and Amaury meant Abraxas / Gnosticism ).
The Dulcinites,
under the leadership of Fra Dolcino, were a Joachimite movement with close connections to Catharism. They advocated egalitarianism and soon attracted the hostility of the Church and nobility. They were exterminated in 1307, the same year that the Templars were arrested and suppressed.
The Brethren of the Free Spirit, the Homines Intelligentiae, the Adamites, the Amalricans, the Beghards/Beguines, the Picards, the Turlupins, the Ranters and the Perfectionists
Were all groups of a similar type, inspired by the antinomian ideas of Joachim of Fiori and Amaury of Bene, and dedicated to absolute freedom. Because they did not perceive themselves as bound by the conventions of society, they often acted, in secret and sometimes openly, in ways that scandalized public opinion. Inevitably they attracted the hostility of the Church and most were savagely persecuted.
Hieronymus Bosch was a member of the Adamite sect and his paintings are full of coded references to the teachings of the Adamites. William Blake's paintings and
writings are also full of Gnostic symbolism, and coded messages.
The Hesychasts
An offshoot of the Illuminati that appeared in Macedonia in the Byzantine Empire in the 14th Century. Their activities were based at the monastic community at Mount Athos ( "Holy Mountain") . The Hesychasts were mystics who endeavored to see a vision of the light of the True God. They regarded this contemplation as the highest goal of humanity, taking them as close as possible to the divine order, bringing them into the company of the divine spark, their higher self. In this way they could become united with God. This experience could be described as " uniomystica " ( mystical union ) the ecstatic feeling of being one with God.
In order to disguise their practices as falling within orthodox Christianity, the Hesychasts said that the light they were seeking was that of Jesus Christ's
Transfiguration on Mount Tabor where " man " and " God " visibly became one and Christ shone with the mystical light of God. After a long debate, Hesychasm was accepted as non-heretical by the Eastern Orthodox Church, but was rejected, peacefully, by the Roman Catholic Church.
A similar idea, originating in Spain with the Alumbrados, met with a different fate.
The Alumbrados ( also known as Aluminados )
The Spanish chapter of the Illuminati in the 15th and 16th centuries. Ignatius of Loyola was a senior member of the Alumbrados, assigned the task of infiltrating the Catholic Church with a new group modeled on a non-military version of the Knights Templar. The group he founded was the Jesuit Order.
The Alumbrados recruited a number of " Conversos " - Jews who had been forced by the Spanish authorities to convert to Christianity if they wanted to remain in the country or even simply to stay alive. Many of these were well versed in the
teachings of the Kabbalah. " Moriscos " ( forced Moorish converts ) were also recruited. The Illuminati have always been happy to take new members from different traditions, provided those people are not wedded to the mainstream "religions". The Conversos and Moriscos were usually those who were already uncomfortable with their original religions, though they had no fondness for
Christianity, simply converting for convenience rather than through any conviction. Like the Hesychasts, the Alumbrados sought to achieve a state of perfection that would allow them to experience a vision of God, a direct transcendental encounter with the divine. At that point, when they had received the "light" they would be able to communicate directly with their higher self.
The Alumbrados were persecuted by the Spanish Inquisition, and departed from Spain. Many went to neighboring France where they were known as the Illuminés