Secret Societies: Who Are The Illuminati?

No one likes the idea of being controlled. But did it ever cross your mind that we are all just puppets. Someone pulls the strings and we dance ponds and a scheme we have absolutely no clue about. Maybe not, Maybe you're just overthinking things. At least that's what they want you to think. The concept of secret societies has been around longer than we can imagine. The idea that powerful figures in the shadows are controlling the world around us has been popular in all corners of the world, from the Knights Templar military order that made it their duty to protect Christians during the Crusades, to the Freemasons, will seem to sneak their way into every corner of American history. There is just no other group that seems to peak the interest of others quite as well as a secret society. But out of all of the secret societies out there, there is one so sinister yet so intriguing that it continues to be the subject of conversation on almost every conspiracy site out there. Have you ever heard of the Illuminati? My name is Edwin, and here is a dark memory most widely associated with the all seeing eye at the top of the pyramid. The symbol for the Illuminati has taken many forms over the years, but what many people do not know is that the original group used the owl of Minerva as its original symbol, the symbol of wisdom and knowledge, as was a Roman goddess of wisdom Minerva. Of course, other than the symbol, there are also many things that most of us probably don't realize about the Illuminati, such as it was a real group less than five hundred years ago. During the time of the monarchy, royalty often abuse or power and use their religion as an excuse to persecute those that did not share their same beliefs, especially in Europe where royalty was very common during the seventeen hundreds. Therefore, on May first, seventeen seventy six, a guy named Adam Wishopt decided enough was enough and he created a secret group called the Order of the Illuminati. The group was born in an area called Bavaria, which is now a part of Germany. Due to the abuse of power that was rampant in the state and church, Adam created the group as an opposition to government and its religion's influence on society and culture. He wanted to create a safe space for people to openly criticize the government, to debate with others and express or god given right to free speech. And seeking to expand his way of thinking, Adam went on to recruit five law students at the school he taught at the University of Ingolstadt, but the names of the students and every other official member being unknown, most of the public's focus was on the professor himself. Being a professor of canon law at the college, it made sense that he was not fond of religion having such a large hold over people in their minds. He was a freethinker at heart and didn't want to be silenced. He wanted to infiltrate the powerful institutions of his states so people could live in a world of equality and freedom. However, as he should have expected, the more people he recruited, the harder it became for him to control his group. Soon, much more radical ideas made their way into the group, spreading like wildfire. While the central idea of the Illuminati remained mostly the same, the methods it used became more controversial for that time period, with many members now encouraging the group to overthrow the government and abolish the church. That didn't take long for them to establish a system of informants and spies. These members were used to gain information on influential members of society and use it to exploit them. Now many of you may be wondering just how large this group really was. Well, the number of members is unknown, as it was supposed to be a secret society. The Illuminati was never supposed to be discovered, but it is estimated that more than two thousand people joined the society across multiple different countries. Just as soon as it spread to France, the group was shut down. Authorities had managed to crack down on these schemers and even discovered that Adam Wayshopt was a creator. After his untimely reveal, he was banished from Bavaria and not much is known about him or his life after this. It really is hard to believe that they were discovered, though how paranoid and careful they seemed to be. For example, the group initially did not trust anyone over the age of thirty and even refused to recruit them at first, and when someone did join, there was a lot of information they were required to produce about themselves that included names of their ancestors, their family and friends' names, the names of those that considered their enemies. As mentioned earlier, the members never use their own real names, though its by providing literally everything else about their lives. The leader, Adam was only referred to as Brother Spartacus. The rest of the members were divided into groups. These groups were the Novices, Minervals, and Illuminated Minervals. The Illuminati isn't the only group that plans to overthrow the government and spread out among members of society. The first one is the New World Order, an extension of the Illuminati group. However, unlike the Illuminati, there is no evidence that this group has ever existed. The New World Order is the name for a supposedly secret emerging to talitarian world government with all of the power in the hands of Illuminati Mens members. Another one similar to this group, with hardly any evidence to prove its existence as well, is the Builderberg Group. The secret group of elites from all around the world is believed to be the most powerful society to have ever existed. Unlike the New World Order, this theory emerged from actual meetings between powerful people that have happened many times in both the United States, and the United Kingdom. The group that we have saved for last is the one most similar to the Illuminati, since there lies the evidence that it existed at one point. And actually you may just recognize this particular one. Do you remember Cicada three three zero one. If the name sounds at all familiar, then you're on the right track, as it isn't the first time they were discussed on this podcast. Many episodes ago, we dove deep into who this group was and their impact on modern culture. But as a brief reminder, Cikeda three three zero one was an anonymous group that took the Internet by storm a while ago, but their mysterious and mind bending puzzles seemed to lead all over the world. Those that managed to finish were supposedly asked to join the group. There were many clashing stories on what happened if you managed to finish the puzzle. Theorists out there then proposed the idea that it was a recruitment project used by secret international intelligence agencies. Now, when it comes to the Illuminati, remember how I said that it was disbanded many years ago. Well, just because someone says something doesn't make it true. There are many people today who believe that it never truly disbanded, and many members continue to meet in secret and have spread across the entire world today. The people that believe this also believe that because of it, they were responsible for many large scale events that have happened throughout history. Some of these include the French Revolution, the assassination of American President John F. Kennedy, even the terrorist attack of nine to eleven killed thousands of people in New York City in September of two thousand and one, and even mini school things such as President Thomas Jefferson was once accused of being a member of the group, even though there was no evidence whatsoever. But is there any proof? It just so happens that a recovered letter from seventeen eighty nine just may be the answer. It was written by President George Washington, and in it he described the Illuminati in detail and addressed them as a threat. So much for not real right then? There are some more modern incidents that theorists like to use as hard evidence as well. Take, for example, celebrities. One of the biggest theories is that many of them are members of the Illuminati that were replaced with clones. Now I can admit it is a bit out there, but there are some videos that do make the idea seem a little less crazy. Searching YouTube, you can find clips of celebrities all of a sudden just zoning out and having seemingly robotic smiles on their faces. While there are most likely logical explanations for these occurrences, it definitely send chills down my spine whenever I come across a new video. With the subject as popular as the Illuminati, it is no surprise that it has taken the media by storm. With books and movies about it coming out left and right, the subject has quickly turned into one of entertainment. For example, one of the most famous thrillers out there is a Da Vinci Code. This story mirrors a purpose and the effect of the Illuminati had in society, since it describes an underground group that guards an important secret. If it came out, the world would never be the same. However, with all of these adaptations coming out there, many people quickly forget that it was once a real group with real people, and it involved real consequences. And while it may be thrilling, we must remember that it originally stemmed from people feeling so oppressed by the government that they felt the need to meet in secret in order to express their opinions. In this world, some things thrive in the light, and some prefer the shadows. The darkness shields them from the public eye as they grow more power as each year passes. The same goes for the Illuminati. Maybe it really was disbanded centuries ago. Again, maybe you didn't. Perhaps they too have been lurking in the shadows all these years, waiting for the perfect time to come out into the light and reveal the strings that are controlling us all. This episode of A Dark Memory was written in research by Medel Inguera and produced by me Edwin Cowarwis. If you have ideas for the show, visit a Dark Memory dot com or send an email at Hello at a Dark Memory dot com. Follow this podcast to stay up to date with our weekly episodes. See Yua soon.