Everyone has seen it – the so-called “All-Seeing Eye”, following the world’s population around, controlling it, not allowing people to live their lives in peace. This beady eye is all-seeing, all-knowing and all-powerful – and it is allegedly the symbol of an influential secret society known as the Illuminati.
People may have heard of the concept of the Illuminati, but they cannot be sure whether or not it is the stuff of myth, legend and superstition, or whether this organization really has infiltrated every aspect of society and controls the population of the world.
Conspiracy theorists would have you believe that the Illuminati is still at large, controlling the world on a global scale due to its presence inside worldwide financial institutions, national governments and even multi-national organizations.
But, if this secret society is as powerful as some people believe, how did it come to gain such a strong and far-reaching influence? Where did the Illuminati originate from and, if it is a secret organization, how do people actually know about it? Also, what symbols other than the All-Seeing Eye are associated with this secret organization?
Well, here are 16 mind-blowing facts about the Illuminati that the supposedly secret organization doesn’t want you to know about …
16. Illuminati Means “The Enlightened Ones”… A Group Who Know More Than The Rest Of Society
The Illuminati likes to keep itself hidden off as a secret group which any outsider cannot infiltrate – and the meaning of the organizations name reflects this.
“Illuminati” literally means “enlightened” in Latin – and supposedly contains members who are better informed and more knowledgeable than those are not in the organization.
Hopefully that information makes you more enlightened, anyway…
15. They Are Actually A Non-Religious Sect… So Claims They Carry Out Christian Deeds Are False
In popular culture – including in the film and book “Angels and Demons” – the Illuminati are often portrayed as a religious order, sometimes even with links to the papacy and the Catholic Church.
However, the Illuminati was actually set up as a secular, non-religious sect who wanted to dismiss religious influence over public life and state power.
Unlikely that the Pope is going to be a member, don’t you think?
14. The Illuminati Was Actually Formed In Opposition To Superstition… Yet It Has Become The Stuff Of Legend
Another one of the founding principles of the Illuminati that is misunderstood is that it was against superstition and “obscurantism” – which is when facts are deliberately withheld from the public.
Ironically, the Illuminati has become one of the most mysterious and unusual groups in the world – almost the stuff of legend – and so is almost in opposition to its own founding principles.
13. The Illuminati Has Not Officially Existed Since 1785… But Many Groups Claim To Be Off-Shoots
First established in Bavaria in May 1776, the Illuminati in its original form lasted just nine years before it was outlawed in 1785.
With the Roman Catholic Church and the Bavarian government worried about the impact the Illuminati could have, an Edict was released by German ruler Karl Theodor in 1785 that outlawed the organization.
Due to the fact the Illuminati had arisen out of the Enlightenment, any conservative politicians at the time feared the organization – so Theodor banned all secret societies. Theodor then demanded that all of the Illuminati’s secret documents were confiscated and published, so this forced the movement even further underground – with groups such as the Ordo Templi Orientis claiming to be an organization directly descended from the original Illuminati.
If the Illuminati does still exist, then it really is an underground movement.
12. There Are Three Classes In The Order Of The Illuminati
This three-tiered system established a hierarchy within the organization, and the classes were:
1. Class I – “The Nursery” (containing the Noviciate, the Minerval and Illuminatus minor).
2. Class II – “The Masonic Grades” (this involved three “blue-lodge” sub-grades of Apprentice, Companion and Master).
3. Class III – “The Mysteries” (lesser mysteries included Priest and Prince, while the greater mysteries included Mage and King)
Due to the fact there were sub-categories even within the individual classes of the organisation this meant that there was a clear hierarchy for the Illuminati. It begs the question, does such a hierarchy still remain in place to this day?2. Class II – “The Masonic Grades” (this involved three “blue-lodge” sub-grades of Apprentice, Companion and Master).
3. Class III – “The Mysteries” (lesser mysteries included Priest and Prince, while the greater mysteries included Mage and King)
11. Allegedly Members Of The Illuminati Have Already Infiltrated Every Level Of Worldwide Society
The Illuminati as we “know” it today, or as we like to think we “know” it, has supposedly infiltrated every level of worldwide society.
In fact, the US government, the Vatican City, NATO, the UN, Hollywood and global media outlets are just some of the prominent and powerful groups who have supposedly been infiltrated – or even initially established – by the Illuminati.
Allegedly, because this group controls the government and all forms of media, that is the reason why this conspiracy is able to be kept under wraps and people just go about their everyday lives without realizing the Illuminati is running a global empire.
10. The Illuminati Allegedly Control The Banks And Big Business… And That’s How The Conspiracy Is Financed
You’re thinking: “How could the Illuminati possibly have the resources to run a conspiracy on a global scale?” Well, because they allegedly control most of the money too.
The biggest banks in the world and the leading global businesses supposedly have connections dating back to the formation of the original Illuminati in Bavaria – and allegedly finance the conspiracy’s activities accordingly.
No reason has ever been given as to why such a conspiracy is needed if they already own the money-making businesses, but those are the allegations…
9. Alleged Members Include Miley Cyrus, Jay-Z, Beyonce, Lady Gaga… And The Pope
Musicians, actors and literary figures have been seen covering their eyes, creating the Illuminati’s supposed triangle symbol with their hands, and in many other ways supposedly “proving” their links to the organization.
Rappers in particular – including Jay-Z, Snoop Dog and Kanye West – have been accused of being members, as have Beyonce, Miley Cyrus, Lady Gaga, Emma Watson, Celine Dion, Rihanna and Bradley Cooper.
Interestingly, the Pope is another alleged member – despite the fact the organization is anti-religion by nature – as is Barack Obama.
It would be great to witness a secret meeting of the Illuminati just to see Jay-Z greet the Pope, wouldn’t it?
8. The Illuminati Have Been Blamed For Such Historic Events As The Assassination Of JFK, The Battle Of Waterloo And The French Revolution
One of the many accusations levelled at the Illuminati is that they have been the masterminds behind some of most-important events in history.
Famously, some conspiracy theorists claimed the Illuminati orchestrated the 9/11 terror attacks and that it was not actually Al Qaeda. Others have claimed that President George W Bush was a member of the Illuminati and that he deliberately orchestrated the attacks for his own political means.
Other historic events that the Illuminati have supposedly been responsible for include the assassination of President John F Kennedy in 1963 (given extra credence due to the fact there remains evidence a second shooter was present), Emperor Napoleon’s defeat at the Battle of Waterloo, as well as the French Revolution itself – with the anti-religious nature of this important event drawing parallels with the ideals of the original Bavarian organization.
7. The “New World Order” Theory Was Originally Anti-Jewish Propaganda… And Has No Basis Of Truth At All
The Illuminati and the so-called “New World Order” are now two concepts that are often portrayed as inseparable entities – but they are actually mutually exclusive.
Whereas the Illuminati have existed in some capacity since the 1770s, the New World Order theory only arose early in the 20th Century when anti-Semitic propagandists such as Nesta Webster and Edith Miller alleged Jews were propping up both finance capitalism and Soviet Communism in order to divide and rule the entire planet.
Supposedly a secretive Jewish power elite with a globalist agenda have conspired to rule the world via an authoritarian global government – but, even if such a thing as the “New World Order” conspiracy theory does exist, it is not the same as the Illuminati.
The Illuminati secret society was founded in Bavaria on May 1, 1776 – and, just two months later, on July 4, the Declaration of Independence was adopted by a Continental Congress to establish the original thirteen states of the USA.
Due to the fact the Declaration of Independence came just two months after the formation of the Illuminati, many conspiracy theorists have suggested that some members of the secret organization were involved in the original establishment of the United States of America.
These theorists then claim that members of the Illuminati have remained as prominent government figures in the USA – in both the Democratic and Republican parties – ever since, and that they are therefore pushing their own secret agenda on to a worldwide scale.
5. The Freemasons And The Illuminati Are Not The Same Organisation
Another common misconception – that some people think the Illuminati want you to believe – is that the Freemasons and the Illuminati are one and the same. In fact, the Freemasonry is a separate organization altogether, although it does share many common principles with the Illuminati.
A fraternal organization that can be traced back until at least the 14th Century, the Freemasons are one of the world’s oldest and largest non-religious groups. Alongside its dismissal of religion, the Freemasonry also shares a hierarchical system similar to that of the Illuminati. Yet the Freemasonry’s existence is acknowledged, despite the fact it is exclusive to its own members, whereas the Illuminati has not been proven to still be around.
Interestingly though, despite the fact the Freemasonry has been accused by some as being another branch of the Illuminati, it has actually suffered suppression from both the extreme right (including in Nazi Germany) and from the extreme left (most notably in the USSR).
4. Illuminati Mythology Does Not Actually Feature Satanism… Or Blood Sacrifice
Anyone who has watched “Angels and Demons” or any other film which depicts the Illuminati as some sort of satanic cult sacrificing humans to Beelzebub would be forgiven for thinking this is exactly what the organization is – but this is simply untrue.
The original Bavarian Illuminati did not go about making blood sacrifices to Lucifer or repeating bizarre satanic chants for no apparent reason.
Yes, the Illuminati were an anti-religious group but that did not make them Satanic. There is no evidence to suggest that the Illuminati did – or ever has – sacrificed members, or enemies, to the Devil. So all those theories about Whitney Houston’s death are more than likely a load of rubbish, it seems…
3. The Original Illuminati Symbol Was Not The “All-Seeing Eye” Or A Pyramid… But An Owl
The symbols that have come to be associated with the Illuminati are the “All-Seeing Eye” and a spooky pyramid – but they were not the first emblem adopted by the group.
Popular culture seems to have made the association between the “All-Seeing Eye” – or “Eye of Providence” – and the Illuminati, but it was actually an owl that was first used by the organization.
The “Owl of Minerva” or “Owl of Athena” is a symbol of knowledge, first featured in Roman mythology – and it was chosen as the Illuminati’s image due to the fact it highlights wisdom and perspicacity, something the organization claimed to have.
2. The “All-Seeing Eye” Features On US Bank Notes… Which Is Why Some Believe The Federal Reserve Is Under Illuminati Control
As has already been mentioned, the “All-Seeing Eye” was never originally a symbol of the Illuminati but has come to be linked with the organization through popular culture.
Despite this, due to the fact that both the All-Seeing Eye and the unfinished pyramid feature on the US one-dollar bank notes, this has led to some people claiming that the American government is actually controlled by the Illuminati.
Seen on the reverse of the note just above the unfinished pyramid, the All-Seeing Eye features on all one-dollar bills in the USA. Is the US government – AKA (allegedly) the Illuminati – really keeping tabs on the whole population?
1. The Illuminati Supposedly Create Their Own False Conspiracy Theories So That People Fail To Learn Of Their Existence
Critics of Illuminati conspiracy theorists often say that the idea is ridiculous, and that far too many supposed theories exist for it to possibly be true.
However, believers of the conspiracy say that this merely proves the existence of the Illuminati – and that the organization themselves are responsible for throwing people off the real scent.
It is alleged that Illuminati members invent false conspiracy theories in order to discredit the real global plot that they are involved in – and to confuse those who are getting close to discovering the truth.
That’s a whole lot of conspiracy theories of conspiracy theories about conspiracy theories right there (if that makes any sort of sense at all)…
By Chris Waugh, WhatCulture
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