What is the Illuminati? (An expose of the mysterious group)

"ILLUMINATI", the word itself is the cause of much discussion. Either a person is convinced of an Illuminati Plot to control the world, or they vehemently deny the existence altogether. Either side your opinion lies, discussion of The Illuminati can be fascinating.
Illuminati, the word itself is supposed to mean those who have become Spiritually Enlightened, or make claims to that affect. Even today there are those Intellectually Pretentious people who consider themselves to be part of an Elite Race of Wise Men.
There has always been people that believed that a Higher State of Awareness can be achieved through Meditation, linking oneself not only to God but to the very Universe itself. There are also warnings of the "left hand path" or trying to attain enlightenment simply for the power available on this path. Supposedly this path will provide paranormal abilities that can be used to obtain wealth and power. Those that study Kundalini Energy believe that the power rises from the base of the Spine Chakra and rises up to the Crown Chakra,enabling total enlightenment. It might be coincidence that the 33rd level of Freemasonry is the highest level that can be achieved in that Secret Society. There are also 33 vertebrae in the human body.

How Did They Begin?
History will show that the Illuminati is quite a real organization. It was founded by a Bavarian Professor of Law, a man named Adam Weishaupt. Even though Adam Weishaupt was born of Jewish Ancestors, his family converted to Catholicism. Mr Weishaupt was educated by the Jesuits. The Jesuits are an order with their own mystery. Adam Weishaupt joined the Freemasons, the Illuminati was a Secret Society within a Secret Society. Its members infiltrated Masonic Lodges and took over control of Lodges all over the world. They also infiltrated and controlled many Universities. The Order of the Illuminati was created on May 1st 1776, also known as Mayday which is a sacred holiday to the Pagan religion. It is also a major holiday to most modern communists. The year 1776 also has some note in history. it was the year that the American Declaration Of Independence was created. Is it a coincidence that many of the creators of the Declaration were themselves Masons?

Adam Weishaupt used the code name "Spartacus" (the gladiator who rose up against Rome). After WWI German communists called themselves "spartacists."
Weishaupt supported and fought for a revolution to overturn the current Social and Political systems currently in place. He was also a supporter of the end of all Religious orders.
He despised Judeo- Christian morals as well as the family unit and even wanted to dissolve the institution of marriage. He wanted to empower women by telling them they were being oppressed by men. His ultimate goal was the creation of a Global Government based on socialistic values. Most of his beliefs are now being enacted by modern day leftists.

What Did They Do?
There was a meeting of Masons and various other radicals in 1782, the conference was held in Wilhelmsbad in Germany. This was where Weishaupt enlisted German Royalty and French Masons, who were used to expand the order to France, inducting as many other Masons as possible. They proceeded in taking over the Grand Orient Lodge in Paris. They even infiltrated and took control of the Jacobin clubs.
They sought the inclusion of wealthy individuals and members of the aristocracy into the movement. Much like the billionaires and the intellectual leftists of today.
These were the same people who cultivated the French Revolution in 1789. Overthrowing a King who although being weak and ineffective was not what would be considered a tyrannical leader. The economy of France at this time was actually prosperous despite the recent wars that France had been involved.
The Duke of Orleans horded an enormous amount of food, to create a shortage. They used hired mercenaries (similar to the"rent a mobs of today") to induce the extremely bloody French Revolution. This Revolution did not coincide with other Revolutions. This Revolution did not start with the masses rising up, it consisted of a number of Elitists Factions which revolted from the top down.
The Revolutionaries agitated the Reign of Terror in which untold hundreds of thousands of people were killed. Many peasants, low income workers and members of the clergy were decimated. They were similar to the Leftists of today in that they were infatuated with Population Control. Even though France at that time was far from being overpopulated, there was only a fraction of people in France compared to the population of today. Robespierre encouraged the slaughter of roughly fifteen million people.
Similar to the Leftists of today The revolutionaries of France (like the Illuminati) despised Christianity. They did not support marriage or Christian morals. Torture, vampirism even the atrocity of cannibalism was commonplace with the Revolutionaries. They wanted to destroy any existing morality so that they could carry on with the reconstruction of society.

Any of this sound familiar?
In the mean time Charles Theodore, Prince-Elector, Count Palatine and Duke of Bavaria outlawed the Order of the Illuminati in 1785. This did not result in the destruction of the Order, but it did force it to continue its existence underground. The ultimate result of the French Revolution was the creation of a Fascist State, a sort of Dictatorship that was the first the world would see of this sort of Government. The ancient civilization of Sparta is similar to a Fascist Tyranny. Even Plato in his "Republic" described this sort of State, maybe inspired by Sparta. Every Communist Government has supported the end to Private Property and the redistribution of wealth, being beneficial to the State. In reality these Governments have been in reality a fascist entity. Having a small group of Elitists living in wealth and luxury by owning all the property of the Nation.
The people are left in poverty conditions and enslaved. Even Mass Murder and the destruction of the Population becomes a standard operating procedure for these kinds of Governments. Though history has labeled both Hitler and Mussolini as "Right Wing", the truth is both of these men created socialistic economies. Both were socialist by nature with the acronym for Nazi being National Socialist.
The Illuminati was in fact a historical reality. Even George Washington warned the People of America about them. This leaves us with a couple of Questions.

Does the Illuminati still exist in any form?
Did Weishaupt create a New Order or did he in fact just reguvinate an ancient evil that has existed for centuries.
What Happened To The Illuminati?
After the Order of the Illuminati was eliminated there sprung up in Germany and other places, Secret Societies that were pursuing the identical agenda as that of the Illuminati. One of Weishaupt's followers, the Baron von Knigge created the German Union book publishers in 1788.
In 1815 the "League of the Just" made an appearance. It was this League of the Just that recruited Karl Marx to author the Communist Manifesto. "The Order of Death" which appeared in Germany in the 1830's was a club for the Wealthy Elite. The symbol of this order was a "skull and Crossbones", which was a Masonic Symbol. The order quickly sought the recruitment of Wealthy Young American Students. These students brought the order to the United States, the United States Chapter 322 of the order is known as "Skull and Bones". There were many Elitists in America that belonged to this fraternity of brothers, many moved on to find careers in the intelligence agencies. Even some Presidents of the United States had their start belonging to this Secret Order. The Illuminati formed many "Democratic Societies" here in America. In Europe a radical Italian Order called the Carbonari existed among the Masons, Their leader was named Mazzini.

Freemasons
The Freemasons first appeared in Scotland and England late in the seventeenth century. They have always been a very secretive society using a pyramidal, hierarchical structure They engage in secret rituals, and seem to proficiently use magical and mysterious Symbols.
There were other Secret Societies that were founded in the United States and elsewhere. These groups could usually be found to be connected with the Masons. George Bickley's Knights of the Golden Circle, who promoted the idea of Southern secession which helped ignite the Civil War.
There are rumors that people involved in the Confederate Secret Service were members of the Knights of the Golden Circle. Rumour also has Jesse James and John Wilkes Booth as being members of these societies. The Knights of the Golden Circle became the Ku Klux Klan after the end of the Civil War.

Other Secret Societies
Throughout Europe during the late Nineteenth and into the early Twentieth century many occult societies made appearances. The Theosophical Society which was founded in 1875 in New York City by Helena Blavatsky. The purpose of this society was the investigation, the practice and the study of mediumistic phenomena. In both Germany and Austria, the Order of the New Templars was created. the connection of this society with the Freemasons will be discussed later in the article.
There was a German Order called the ONT, which had its name changed to the Thule Society. It was this Society which created the Nazi Party. This was the party responsible for elevating Adolf Hitler to be its leader.
Alice Bailey, who was from England and a member of the Theosophist Society openly discussed her hatred of Jews. She was also quite vocal in her support for Hitler, Mussolini, and Napoleon. She taught that God was a tyrant, and that she worshipped the fallen angel named Lucifer. Once she moved to the United States she formed the Lucis Trust (Lucifer=Lucis), which supported the idea of a one world government.
This Society and those like it boasted of members such as Henry Kissinger, It also had a part in designing and maintaining the freakish Meditation Room at the United Nations Headquarters. The room contains an enormous monolith of magnetic ore, very similar to other magnetized monoliths like the one resting atop the ancient pyramid at Tiahuanaco in Bolivia.
Then you have famous Americans such as Albert Pike, who was a very well known nineteenth century Mason and a worshipper of Lucifer. There is another very mysterious club located north of San Francisco. The Bohemian Grove in Sonoma County is a place where strange rituals are performed. These rituals are performed around a forty foot stone owl called Moloch. On the door of the Bohemian Club building in San Francisco is a symbol of an owl, a crescent moon and the saying "weaving spiders, come not here."
Many famous Americans from different secret societies take part in these rituals. There are also very powerful secret political organizations, like the Council of Foreign Relations which is a secret government controlling the United States along with the Trilateral Commission and the Bilderberg Group.

Are All Secret Societies Part Of The Illuminati?
There are many Secret Societies in the world today. Are all these groups in the same belief as the Order Of the Illuminati espoused by Adam Weishaupt ? Are they branches of the original Order Of the Illuminati?
Nineteenth Century British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli claimed that there was a Secret Group Of Men who had control over the Political Parties. Even the American President Woodrow Wilson made reference to just such a group of powerful orginizations even to the point of saying that it was dangerous to criticize them at all. Winston Churchill not only made the claim that the Illuminati existed in the 1920's, he also claimed that they were the force behind Marxism.
Could it be possible that the Illuminati existed in ancient times? Could they have existed in prehistoric Atlantean Times? Did they exist long before Weishaupt founded the Illuminati.
In ancient Greece and Rome there were Priesthoods of Mystery Religions that would be considered Secret Societies. These religions had hierarchical leadership and rites of initiation. In the 12th century there was a Secret Order among the Crusaders. They were called the Hospitallers. The Hospitallers still exist today, they are known as the Knights of Malta and they belong to the Catholic Church.
There were other Crusaders who formed the Templars, actually the Templars were formed by nine French Knights. The Templars used many of the same symbols as the Hospitallers. The Templars gained control over the Fiat Money System allowing them to accumulate enormous wealth and power. The French King Philippe the Fair outlawed the Templars and ordered their destruction. The Templars escaped on their fleet of ships with their treasure and completely escaped capture, never to be found.
Many of the Templars joined the Knights of Malta, the ones who escaped to Spain and Portugal changed the name of their Order to the "Knights of Christ."
Robert the Bruce of Scotland can give credit to his victory over the English to a secret group of knights who mysteriously appeared on the battlefield. It was later in Scotland that the Order Of The Masons appeared. Even today these Masons claim to be descended from the Templars.
Even though there is definitive proof of the existence of the Illuminati in history there is no proof that they are active today. When the history is studied though there is compelling evidence to prove that not only did they exist but that they are still quite active today.