The other day I was waiting for my food at the drive-through window and noticed a peculiar shape – one we can all identify – an ovate eye encased by a triangle.
This image – to be exact
All of you most likely identified this image with a fair amount of ease, but then maybe your mind raced to more uneasy topics – as mine did. What could it mean? Could they be involved in a sort of scheme? Was it safe for me to be there?
I was getting a hot chocolate from a well trusted Starbucks in public around mid-day, so I figured it may just be coincidence that some security system or sponsor shared that emblem. I soon realized I also had no idea what I was anxious about, what even is the Illuminati? And what could they possibly do to me? I dove into some research on behalf of all my fellow over-cautious overthinkers, as all I really knew was that it was some sort of secret society many were weary of.
The fact that one of the first websites I tried to use was blocked only fueled more conspiracies to develop in my mind.
THE BACKGROUND
After quite a bit of digging and searching, I discovered some of the truths about the Illuminati. First of all, their correct name is the “Bavarian Illuminati” as they were discovered in Bavaria and then after spread to France, Italy, Poland, and Hungary (among other places). It was a group founded by Adam Weishaupt – a German professor fascinated with enlightenment ideals – in 1776. The main goals of the group were to influence political decisions by recruiting those of elite classes to their ranks. Bavarian Illuminati members were strongly opposed to religious affiliation with the government; They mingled with another secret society, called the Freemasons, in order to recruit from their ranks and monopolize their connections. Deciphering between the Freemasons and Illuminati can be quite difficult as the Illuminati not only adopted their members but many of their rituals and ideals as well. The difference between them is mainly that Freemasons were not quite as hidden in the shadows, their society began in 1717 and is still continued today. They have complex levels for their members to gain rank in, and have separate organizations for women, girls, and boys; the main freemason group is technically fraternal with only men over 21 being involved.
Freemason ritual – considering a photographer was present it is clear they are quite a bit less secretive
HOW THEY WORK(ED?)
To join the Illuminati, one was normally recruited by a current member. They focused on gaining members younger than the age of 30, as they believed that elders were too set in their ways to reach the same enlightenment (luckily with current politics our candidates are way past their Illuminati-prime, so there’s no worry of a presidential-level infiltration). The goal of the Illuminati was to reach world domination and gain control of politics, they wanted church and state to be separated. They had spy-like protocols in order to remain as secretive as possible. They had a plan that took their founder over 6 years to create that was supposed to end in world domination, and although they did not necessarily achieve that goal, historians are amazed by how widespread and deep-rooted within the short time they were around.
Some of our founding fathers were actually Freemasons, and a few were even speculated to have been in the Illuminati; despite their roots in America, discovering the details of their rituals and initiations has been nearly impossible due to the highly secretive protocols that were implemented. What is known, though, is that there were three levels in their hierarchy: Novice, Minerval, and Illuminated Minerval. They also utilized pseudonyms (Adam’s was Spartacus) and unique symbols (such as the owl) to remain undercover. One of the symbols they used was the very well-known “Eye of Providence” (the very one I saw at Starbucks), but for the Illuminati and Freemasons it was considered a symbol for “architect of the universe”.
The suspicious “Eye of Providence” on our very dollar bill which appeared in 1935
THEIR ¿DOWNFALL¿
About a decade after the creation of the Illuminati, Duke Karl Theodore of Bavaria began to grow weary of the secret society that had birthed in his nation and made secret societies illegal (in 1784). However, there were still traces of the Illuminati, so in 1785, he declared the Illuminati to be a branch of the Freemasons – an already illegal organization. In 1786 the Bavarian government was able to seize over 200 letters and many Illuminati books and papers from a prominent Areopagite of the time period. By 1787, The Illuminati was said to have disbanded, as the Duke instituted the death penalty for anyone found to be a member of a secret society.
Duke Karl Theodore of Bavaria, a (long) name feared by Illuminati and Freemason members alike
But was that the end? Most Illuminati conspiracies were birthed due to the lack of closure that this indefinite ending provided. The Illuminati had already spread to many other countries so losing the birthplace/meeting place did not seem sufficient enough for a complete disintegration. Not only that but the Illuminati was founded just 2 months before Americans signed the Declaration of Independence, and one of the very principles that the United States of America was founded on was the importance of the separation of church and state. Many convincing conspiracies have surfaced over time as authors have fixated on the power they held over their short reign, and many believe that the Illuminati was not finished off by the Bavarian government, merely forced underground.
SHOULD WE BE AFRAID?
Probably not is the short answer.
The Illuminati is rumored to have rather harsh rituals, apparently including sacrifices; nevertheless, their only means of sacrifice was also considered to be war, meaning they attempted to gain armies and create war as a sacrifice that affected all ages and genders. Although, there is no proof that they have any blood on their hands, and mainly the allegations against them are conspiracies. When doing research it is difficult to even discover their rituals as well, as their original documents are in different languages (none are in English sadly).
Overall, there is no evidence proving that the Illuminati ever reached world domination, yet there is not much evidence against that either (mysterious oooo). Would we know if the world was being dominated by a secret society? Maybe not, maybe it’s all a simulation anyway. But, what I can assure you is that there is no reason to be wary of the Illuminati, their history is not nearly as terrifying as it’s cracked up to be. I can also assure you that there is no logical reason to be afraid when you see the eye of providence in a Starbucks drive-through, either.
An extra video to make comprehension easier, there is quite a bit to digest.
P.S.
Thank you to Starbucks also for their slow preparation of the hot chocolate – couldn’t have learned all this without that extra time for observation.
Works Cited
https://www.vox.com/2015/5/19/8624675/what-is-illuminati-meaning-conspiracy-beyonce https://www.livescience.com/40048-what-is-the-illuminati.html https://www.britannica.com/topic/order-of-Freemasons https://vt.co/lifestyle/illuminati-questions-youve-scared-ask-now/ https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-41804543 http://www.bbc.com/travel/story/20171127-the-birthplace-of-the-illuminati https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20170809-the-accidental-invention-of-the-illuminati-conspiracy http://people.virginia.edu/~sfr/enam481/groupa/illumhist.html https://bigthink.com/paul-ratner/how-to-join-the-illuminati-and-other-secret-societies https://www.philadelphiafed.org/education/teachers/publications/symbols-on-american-money/ https://www.history.com/news/secret-societies-freemasons-knights-templarEye Of Providence – Powerful, Secret Symbol With Deep MeaningMIRROR DEATH RITUAL OF THE ILLUMINATIhttps://www.npr.org/2020/01/20/797981353/thailand-opposition-party-accused-of-illuminati-link
Sophie!! This is so fascinating! You did a really great job presenting the information in an engaging but informative way. It is interesting to differentiate between what is the factual history and what is all speculation and conspiracy theories, as that is definitely a large part of what makes up the Illuminati that we think of today. It is also fascinating to think about all of the different political and religious organizations that are shrouded in mystery, like Scientology or religious cults. Like the Illuminati, it is most likely that mystery that surrounds these organizations that draw people in, rather than the actual historical and factual information, showing us what we really need to be emphasizing more as a society. This post was very interesting, I learned a lot!
This was very interesting to read. While I’m not a follower of any conspiracy theories myself, I know several people who believe a few at least to some degree. I’ve always thought the illuminati history was very fun to read about, especially since the freemasons are still around today. Last year someone in my APUSH class did a project on this conspiracy theory. The fact that some of our founding fathers were a part of the illuminati lens itself to the theory, although I do wonder how the lizard people theory got entwined with the illuminati since some people see them as aliens. It’s interesting that this showed up at Starbucks though. Have you looked into any of the corporate symbols that people think are connected to the illuminati?
Wow, I hadn’t even seen any mention of the lizard people in my research but that is quite an interesting theory – much more out there though! I tried looking up security companies rumored to be associated with the Illuminati and Starbucks itself but I couldn’t find any, maybe a more general search will show any rumored connections.