Over the past two millennia, some mysterious religious organizations-ghosts have appeared and disappeared in our world. They have always been shrouded in mystery and therefore gave rise to a lot of legends. Before them experienced mystical fear. Acting in different countries and changing their guise, they kept only their name unchanged - "Illuminati". Discarding fiction and turning to historical sources, we will try to find out who the Illuminati really are.
From the cult of Cybele - to enlightenment
The first information about them, relating to the II century, is filled with nightmares. The Illuminati sect originated in Greece among the worshipers of the dark and cruel cult of the goddess Cybele. Its high priest, Montanus, first coined this age-old name. About what the rituals were associated with the worship of the goddess can be understood from the description of the ceremony of accepting new members of the sect.
Documents that have come down to usthey tell how the temple priests in a wild frenzy inflict bloody wounds on themselves with daggers, and the neophyte himself (a new member of the brotherhood), as a sign of renunciation from the world and complete departure into the bosom of the goddess Cybele, castrates himself. All their other rituals are also filled with blood and mystical horror.
The First Illuminati Community
In Greece during this period, paganism dominated, but Christian communities had already appeared. And this same Montanus, interested in a new teaching for everyone and taking its main provisions as a basis, created a secret society of a Christian persuasion, whose members were called enlightened, that is, illuminated by the light of truth. The main provisions of this truth were the predictions of the imminent end of the world and the need to give up all material we alth for complete spiritual purification.
The founder of the society himself suffered from epilepsy and his seizures, during which he rolled on the ground and shouted out something incoherent, passed off as invasions of the Holy Spirit. This was a success with his followers. But the first Illuminati did not last long. The pagan emperor subjected them to persecution for their connection with Christianity. Later, for the distortion of the true teachings, the Christians turned their backs on them, declaring the Illuminati as heretics. Over time, their historical traces were completely lost.
Illuminati among Syrian dervishes
After four centuries, the Syrian dervishes felt themselves enlightened. These beggars (in the literal sense of the word) followers of a religious and mystical movement close to Buddhism led a wandering lifestyle or settled inmonasteries. They were popular among the people, as they knew how to cure illnesses with prayers and spells, predict the future and summon spirits. Sometimes dervishes united in brotherhoods. To figure out who the Illuminati are in Syria, you need to turn to one of these brotherhoods, called enlightened ones.
These sun- and dust-blackened wanderers have formed their own cult of worship of divine light, going against conventional religion. This was followed by an immediate reaction from the authorities, especially since the dervishes enlightened by their teachings switched from secret activities to public agitation.
Unauthorized performances have always ended badly. The authorities quickly figured out who the Illuminati were. Wandering preachers were rounded up and executed. Executions, on the other hand, were invented sophisticated, so that it would certainly be repulsive for others to become enlightened. However, it was not possible to completely destroy the current, and it is believed that in deep secret it could exist until our days.
From the mountains of Afghanistan - to conquer the world
Until the 15th century, nothing is known about the activities of the Illuminati. They were reborn this time in the mountains of Afghanistan. A major religious figure of that time, Bayazet Anzari, formed a secret mystical society, whose name in translation sounded like “enlightened”, that is, all the same Illuminati. The purpose of creating society was "modest" - just the possession of the world.
The adherents of the new teaching passed under the guidance of Anzari eight steps on the way to perfection and at the endbecame owners of magical knowledge that, in their opinion, could ensure the success of their plans. They formed a special caste of magicians - the Illuminati. Soon the enlightened ones tried to take practical steps to conquer the world. They decided to start with India and Persia. But, having too small an army and excessively large arrogance, almost all of them died in this adventure.
Spanish Illuminati
About the same years in Spain, in the heyday of the Inquisition, the Order of the Illuminati arose. He was, like all other similar organizations, secret and mystical. But this time, his adherents took up arms against the teachings of the Christian church itself. Rejecting all church rituals, they argued that the soul can perfect itself and become enlightened without prayers, sacraments, and everything else that Christianity prescribes.
The enlightened soul gets the opportunity to contemplate the Holy Spirit and ascend to heaven. Even the very concept of sin and repentance, according to their theory, was excluded. One can imagine how the mouths of the Fathers Inquisitors watered at the news of such clients. As a result, those who repented ended their lives in the cellars of monastery prisons, and those who persisted rose to the sky along with the smoke of fires.
Illuminati activities in Picardy and southern France
But it was still not possible to completely destroy the order of the Illuminati. Some of them safely escaped to France and there, in Picardy, continued their activities. Of course, they kept the name. Mobizon Abbey became their center. However, here, byAccording to contemporaries, the purely religious goals of activity were supplemented by secular, purely mercantile ones. A struggle began for the souls and wallets of local parishioners, as a result, in 1635 their activities were banned.
However, the land of France turned out to be very fertile for enlightened mystics. A hundred years later, a society with the same name appears in the south of the country. In the beginning, their activity assumed a wide scope and made it possible to attract numerous neophytes. But over time, their ideas began to lose popularity, and the Illuminati got lost among numerous other religious associations.
A truly powerful and influential mystical society with that name appeared in France in 1786. It is characterized by the fact that both the Illuminati and the Freemasons were its adherents. Their teachings were based on the works of the Danish mystic Emmanuel Swedenborg. The founders of the society, the Polish Freemason Gabrienki and the former Benedictine monk Joseph de Perietti, demanded that all followers strictly perform magical rituals based on the teachings of Swedenborg.
Illuminati organizations in Paris and London
From the south, the Illuminati and Freemasons moved their activities to Paris, and from there to abroad. Their influence covered many European countries. The largest branch of the organization was in London. The sign of the Illuminati appeared on the banks of the Thames. Public interest in the Illuminati was very high, and this probably explains the birth of a large number of all kinds of legends associated with their activities. There were even ridiculousrumors that the Illuminati and Zionists, being in collusion, seek world domination through magic and mystical actions.
Myths created by printing
There have been numerous printed materials on this subject. To be convinced of the fantastic nature of everything stated in them, it is enough to open the monograph "Secret Societies", published in those years in England. In it, the author, talking about who the Illuminati are, without a shadow of embarrassment, tells about the ritual of initiation of a new member into their society that he allegedly saw.
In the description you can find the gloomy hall of the ancient castle, and the coffins with the dead, and the revived skeletons taking part in the ceremony, and all other paraphernalia of the Middle Ages. In this edition, the alleged conspiracy of the Illuminati received explicit support from otherworldly forces. But the 18th century was already enlightened, and the fires of the Inquisition in this part of Europe had long been extinguished.
Organization of the Illuminati in Germany
But the most powerful and influential was the organization that appeared in 1776 in Bavaria. Its founder was professor of ecclesiastical law Adam Weishaupt. In the creation of society, German pedantry and thoroughness were fully manifested. The society was called the "Order of the Illuminati". This made him mysterious. The fact is that in Germany of those years little was known about who the Illuminati were. Immediately after the creation of the society, Weishaupt became a member of the Masonic Lodge of Munich. This far-sighted step allowed him to enter the circle of the most influential people in Germany.
With their support, the organization receivedrecognition in many European countries, which contributed to the widespread dissemination of doctrines. Interestingly, the goal that the Illuminati set for themselves was a new world order. He, according to Weishaupt, included the overthrow of monarchies, the destruction of private property, the elimination of the institution of marriage and the eradication of all religions in favor of his teachings.
To implement the plan, a whole system was developed, which includes elements of mysticism, ancient philosophy and the foundations of economics. Various spectacular rituals were widely practiced to influence the adepts. All this was a success. Enlightened Weishaupt numbered in the hundreds of thousands. But, having known glory and triumph, this organization also ceased to exist, crushed by the powerful pressure of state and church authorities.
Modern Illuminati Fiction
The way the world works is that everything mysterious and secret has an attractive power. It makes our imagination work, which, if real facts are lacking, immediately completes the picture with the most fantastic details. When it comes to different societies, especially those that have achieved serious results, the flight of human imagination is boundless. The Illuminati and Zionists especially suffered from idle fabrications.
All serious historians who de alt with the Bavarian society, called the "Illuminati", claim that its activities ceased in the late 1870s. However, rumors remain extremely popular that the Illuminati are still alive today. Moreover, some people even claim thatthe heads of almost all the world's governments are members of the organization once founded by Weishaupt. In literally every political statement, they hear the secret message of the Illuminati.
Illuminati symbols in Dan Brown's novel
Evidence for their fabrications they find everywhere. Suffice it to recall the interpretation of the symbolism depicted on the dollar bill, so detailed by Dan Brown in his sensational bestseller Angels and Demons. Literally in every symbol, he saw the sign of the Illuminati. There is no point in listing them. Anyone can open the pages of the novel himself, and get all the information in the 31st chapter. I just want to say that, if desired, the obscure can always be interpreted in any sense.
Enlightened in our country
Do Illuminati exist in Russia? Yes, of course they do. This is easy to verify, even just by making a request on the Internet. The page that opens will inform you that this organization aims to establish equality and justice on earth, giving people Light. Implementation paths are not specified. Judging by the fact that the word "light" is written with a capital letter, one can guess about a certain sacred meaning inherent in it. In general, everything is very vague and vague. However, it is possible that this is only for us, for the uninitiated. That's how the Illuminati behaved. Russian or foreign, they always tried to wrap themselves in mystery.
