The fundamental message of Masonry is truly man’s pursuit of communion with his creator. And Masonry is a very unique and ancient age-old repository wisdom and knowledge.’ Johnny Royal, 33 & Beyond: The Royal Art of Freemasonry, freemason, 2017
It’s a means by which you discover you own identity. ibid.
To become a mason you must believe in a supreme being. ibid.
It is meant to be profound and transformative. ibid.
3rd Degree: A Mason becomes a made-man within the fraternity. ibid.
Scottish Rite: 4 - 33 degrees: I would describe the Scottish Rite as a modern-day mystery school. ibid.
‘There are certain truths, holy truths, that enlighten man about his past, present, and future condition. They most certainly exist.
In each century they veiled their techniques. This diseased world requires help. To act therefore is our first purpose. To make the world better and wiser. We do not recruit for our own benefit. This is a labour worthy of the holy legion of better men.’ Johnny Royal, Illuminated: The True Story of the Illuminati, 2019, Adam Weishaupt, founder of the Illuminati
In the south of Germany lies the state of Bavaria … Along the banks of the Danube River is the city of Ingolstadt … It is also known as the backdrop for a much darker narrative about the world’s most controversial secret society, the Illuminati. ibid.
The true story of the Illumani is a very human one. A story of rebellion, a story of love, and a story of great loss. ibid.
‘Weishaupt got the idea of forming a secret society from one of his students.’ ibid. historian
‘Secret societies saw themselves as the inheritors of these ancient mysteries.’ ibid.
While the Jesuits conspired against Weishaupt, he used his intellect to fight back. ibid.
‘The first stage of the Order was a student group.’ ibid. historian
The Illuminati degrees were broken up into three classes: The Minerval class, the Freemason class, and the Mysteries class.
In 1777 Weishaupt became a member of the Freemasons … he decided not to continue in Freemasonry. But his cunning mind saw an opportunity to grow his own Order by infiltrating Masonic lodges and recruiting their members. ibid.
‘The Illuminati cannot mention membership at all.’ ibid.
‘If you’re going to advance at all in the Illuminati you have be a Freemason.’ ibid.
A second enemy of the Illuminati arose – a Rosicrucian group calling themselves Order of the Golden and Rosy Cross. ibid.
A multitude of Freemasons joined the Illuminati. ibid.
Shortly after the recruitment of Bode, Knigge and Weishaupt commenced their work on what would be the final set of degrees for the Illuminati, the Mysteries class. ibid.
Around this time, Knigge began to view Weishaupt as a hypocrite for preaching liberty and freedom through the Illuminati teachings … Knigge and Weishaupt had a fallen out. ibid.
It was in a large sense one man working out his issues, and attempting to manifest his own utopian vision as reality. ibid.
In 1784 the Illuminati began to fall apart. ibid.
That same year the most powerful enemy of the Illuminati surfaced – Charles Theodore, Elector of Bavaria. Between 1784 and 1787 Charles Theodore issued several edicts which would ban all secret societies in Bavaria. ibid.
Weishaupt … lost his professorship from Ingolstadt University and was eventually exiled. ibid.
‘It was not a big bang, it was a whimper at the end.’ ibid.