The Degree System of
the llluminati
Robison
1798
This is the arrangement of the ranks and
progress of the Illuminatus:
Nursery |
|
|
|
Masonry |
|
|
Apprentice |
Fellow Craft |
Master |
Scotch Novice |
Scotch Knight |
|
The Mystery Grades |
|
|
|
Novice
1. Introduced to an llluminatus
Dirigens
2. Reception into the degree
3. Candidate is presented to a Table
4. Candidate is asked to read several items:
1. A very concise account of the
Order, its connection with Free Masonry, and its great
object, the promoting the happiness of mankind by means of
instruction and confirmation in virtuous principles
2. Several questions relative to the Order, and instructions
for submitting a written response:
-
What advantages do you hope
to derive from being a member?
-
What do you most
particularly wish to learn?
-
What delicate questions
relative to the life, the prospects, the duties of man,
as an individual, and as a citizen, do you wish to have
particularly discussed with you?
-
In what respects do you
think you can be of use to the Order?
-
Who are your ancestors,
relations, friends, correspondents, or enemies?
-
Whom do you think proper
persons are to be received into the Order?
-
Whom do you think unfit for
the Order?
-
What are your reasons for
both?
Minerval
• Academy of llluminism
• Brethern of Minerva
• Instruction for the Minerval
• Reception at the dead of night in a dark temple desert
• Reception into the degree
1. Introduced to a Bodhi
Initiator
2. Candidate is presented to a Table
3. Candidate writes on a piece of paper:
llluminatus Minor
The Minerval must advance within three years of initiation, or, if
he is found to be unfit, remains a Free Mason and is called a Sta
bene.
If he is found worthy the Minerval is advanced to llluminatus Minor.
-
Conference is called for Notice
-
The Candidate is told that
whereas he had been to date a mere scholar, that his next
step would carry him into action.
-
The Candidate is told that he
must from that point forward consider himself as an
Instrument in the hands of his Superiors.
-
The Aim of the Order is now
fully revealed: To make of the Human Race, without any
distinction of nation, condition, or profession, one good
and happy family.”
Oath of the llluminatus Minor:
I, N.N. protest before you, the
worthy Plenipotentiary of the venerable Order into which I wish
to be admitted, that I, with all my possessions, rank, honors,
and titles which I hold in political society, am, at bottom,
only a man; I can enjoy these things only through my fellow-men,
and through them also I may lose them. The approbation and
consideration of my fellow-men are indispensably necessary, and
I must try to maintain them by all my talents. These I will
never use to the prejudice of universal good, but will oppose,
with all my might, the enemies of the human race, and of
political society. I will embrace every opportunity of saving
mankind, by improving my understanding and my affections, and by
imparting all important knowledge, as the good and statures of
this Order require of me. I bind myself to perpetual silence and
unshaken loyalty and submission to the Order, in the persons of
my Superiors; here making a faithful and complete surrender of
my private judgment, my own will, and every narrow-minded
employment of my power and influence. I pledge myself to account
the good of the Order as my own, and am ready to serve it with
my fortune, my honor, and my blood. Should I, through omission,
neglect, passion, or wickedness, behave contrary to this good of
the Order, I subject myself to what reproof or punishment my
Superiors shall enjoin. The friends and enemies of the Order
shall be my friends and enemies; and with respect to both I will
conduct myself as directed by the Order, and am ready, in every
lawful way, to devote myself it its increase and promotion, and
therein to employ all my ability. All this I promise, and
protest, without secret reservation, according to the intention
of the Society which require from me this engagement. This I do
as I am, and as I hope to continue, a Man of Honor.
Illuminatus Major,
or Scotch Novice
• The Candidate is represented as
depositing an account of his life in the hands of his Sponsor,
and this was checked by information derived from the
Intelligence Department of the Order.
Intermediary Degrees
Illuminatus
Dirigens, or
Scotch Knight of lllluminism
• Founded on Ecossais Grades of Masonic Chivalry and reproducing
points of their procedure.
• The Candidate was called upon to testify his belief that the
Superiors of llluminism were also the unknown and lawful
Superiors of Freemasonry.
1. Short Introduction teaching
how the holy secret Chapter of Scotch Knights is assembled
2. Fuller accounts and instructions relating to the whole
3. Instructions for the lower classes of Masonry
4. Instructions relating to Mason Lodges in general
5. Account of a reception into this degree, with the bond
which each subscribes before he can be admitted
6. Concerning the solemn Chapter for reception
7. Opening of the Chapter
8. Rituals of Reception, and the Oath
9. Shutting of the Chapter
10. Agape, or Love Feast
11. Ceremonies of the consecration of the Chapter
12. Appendixes
1. Appendix A: Explanation
of the Symbols of Free Masonry
2. Appendix B: Catechism for the Scotch Knight
3. Appendix C: Secret Cypher
Class of the Lesser
Mysteries
Epopt, or Priest of
llluminism, or Presbyter
1. An Introduction
2. Further Accounts of the Reception into this degree. The
Candidate was hoodwinked and driven by a circuitous route to the
lace of assembly. o He was brought into a brilliantly
illuminatted Temple, wherein was a vacant throne, by which lay
the insignia of royalty, and a cushion whereon was filded a
white priestly robe and girdle. o The Candidate was to choose
between them, and if he was guided rightly he became a Priest of
the Order, when a part of its policy was unveiled to him.
3. The candidate is to read the Instruction in the Third Chamber
4. The Ritual of Reception
5. Instruction for the First Degree of the Priest’s Class,
called Instructio in Scientificis
6. Account of the Consecration of a Dean, the Superior of this
Lower Order of Priests
Regent, or Prince, or
Principatus llluminatus
The political aspects of the Order
were developed in this Grade of Knighthood.
1. Directions to the Provincial concerning the dispensation of
this degree
2. Ritual of Reception
3. System of Direction for the whole Order
4. Instruction for the whole Regent degree
5. Instruction for the Prefects or Local Superiors
6. Instruction for the Provincials
Class of the Greater
Mysteries
Magus,
or Philosopher
Rex,
or Man-King
Back to Contents
Wieshaupt’s
biographical notes
David Ferguson
Having read some of the tract and other things about the llluminatus
I can’t help noticing that Weishaupfs aim was nothing of the kind,
indeed such an aim would have been chronologically impossible; not
simply because giant media corporations and telecommunications
companies did not exist but because democracy itself had not at that
time been established in order to be overthrown. I therefore cannot
see a connection with any alleged attempt to displace democratic
government in the 21st Century. I hope you will forgive me for
indulging in what must seem like a very simplistic bit of filling in
the historical background.
Weishaupt and the illuminists were plainly influenced by the
emerging philosophies of the enlightenment, for Robison points out
the similarity with Toland, and Spinoza is also mentioned; Kant’s
idea of mankind coming of age seems to be there as well although
Kant is not mentioned. The aim and ambition of the enlightenment was
to replace belief in divine revelation with faith in human reason.
Political action then should no longer be based on God’s law but on
principles discoverable by man. But what were these principles?
Many of the early liberals were
believers in a laisez faire approach to economics, ie if governments
kept their hands off the market would run in such a way as to ensure
long term justice. Monetarism is a modern heir of this view and it
is the ideology espoused by right wing politicians and giant media
corporations, although as we know the practice is often not free or
hands off!
Weishaupt comes from the other end of the post enlightenment
political spectrum. He has been described as a socialist (in The
Occult Conspiracy) and an anarchist (by Eco) but both these terms
are anachronistic since neither of these ideologies emerged until
the mid-nineteenth century. None the less he does belong in the
libertarian tradition from which these later movements would evolve,
a tradition which, curiously enough is sometimes seen as originating
from Gerald Winstanley who also allegedly replaces the concept of a
transcendent God with that of immanent reason (see Woodcock’s
Anarchism).
Weishaupt’s aspirations seem to have
been twofold firstly to abolish belief in the Christian God and
secondly to establish a libertarian republic. He sees these two
running together because he takes the view, held by many at that
time, that once you abolish belief in the Christian God man’s
natural goodness will flourish (cf eg Rousseau). In some ways his
ideology is similar to that of Bakunin Proudhon and Marx who share
this view that religion is a barrier to social progress.
But these later writers are looking back
on the failure of the first French Republic and asking what went
wrong, both forms of socialism (Marxism and anarchism) are, as well
as being a reaction to the emergence of industrialism, an attempt to
answer this question. For Weishaupt the enemy is the existing social
hierarchy, the aristocracy, which must be overthrown in order to
create the free republic. Like Bakunin he would not follow the
socialist program “from each according to his ability to each
according to his needs” but rather say “from each according to his
ability to each according to his deeds”, le he would establish a
meritocratic republic rather than a truly egalitarian one in the
socialist sense.
So how does a plot to overthrow the aristocracy in the 18th century
relate to a plot to abolish democracy in the 21st? I can see no
connection. My friend Richard who is into occultism tells me that
this is because both black and white occultists think in centuries.
However in order to do so they would need to be able to do what Marx
and all other historicists have failed to do and make accurate long
term historical predictions. Occultists have no trouble in believing
they can do this because they think they have sources of secret
information: if occultism is false this kind of long term planning
is not so far as we know possible.
You say:
Not least because of the Masonic
blood-oaths, freemasonry is absolutely NOT compatible with
Christianity. The uninspiring lead given in today’s
mason-embracing Church of England and Opus Dei dominated
Catholic church should make us, and them, turn to the opening
chapters of Revelation which spell out how established church
institutions are going astray, with unbelieving clergy doing
their worst and leading the flock over the cliff. Which is where
the man-made religion comes in.
The exasperating mess the British church and democracy are in
begins to make sense, and further light is shed on Her Majesty
Queen Elizabeth N’s “powers at work in this country about which
we have no knowledge”. Maybe you haven’t seen the latest
addition to the Bilderberg website maam? [TG]
But the churches in Revelation were not
established churches in the modern sense nor does Revelation say
that the seven churches are as they are because of any kind of
occult conspiracy, therefore such a conspiracy is not needed to
explain the state of todays churches (use Ockham’s razor). Similarly
if, as is apparent, Weishaupt was being influenced by ideologies
that were common at the time, there is little need to assume that
the illuminati have made any great contribution to the growth of
such ideologies.
The roots of the ideologies which
emerged at the time of the enlightenment are quite deep and were
established long before the 18th century (specifically look at the
roots of Greek thought in pagan religion and the influence of Greek
thought on Thomism and the outgrowth of that in medieval Europe eg.
Schaeffer’s Escape from Reason, Dooyeweerd’s Roots of Western
Culture) The ideology of the enlightenment has retained its power
largely because Bible believing Christians have been so
intellectually inept.
‘White’ occultists tend to explain social and political problems in
terms of a conspiracy because they believe, as Christians do not,
that people are naturally good, another key enlightenment belief,
but it seems foolishness for Christians to adopt such views.
Of course in the long run paganism and occultism do have a
destructive effect on society and on the church and you are right to
fight them; the best weapon is the gospel itself. You often write as
if totally unaware of the changes in the Church of England since the
1930’s. At that time the conservative batten was very much in the
hands of the Anglo-Catholics and evangelicalism, which had been
strong in the previous century, was in decline. This is why the
questioning of freemasonry came from an Anglo-catholic Walton
Hannah.
However Anglo-Catholicism was
increasingly moving in a liberal and mystical direction, because of
the comparatively weak view of scripture held by many of its
leaders. Mystical theology of the type held by liberals like Inge
with its emphasis on experience rather than doctrine has certain
affinities with occult philosophy, so it is easy for the distinctive
content of Christianity to be sidelined. Even so Anglo-Catholicism
had some strong dogmatists like Eric Mascall who in some measure
supported Hannah.
Since the sixties evangelicalism has
reemerged and it is this reemergence which has lead to the declining
influence of freemasonry on the C of E something which is recognized
by Knight etc. Of course it needs to go further. But you must
recognize that the Church of England has increasingly democratized
itself during the last century, this means that for better or worse
no one, not even the Archbishops, can just get rid of things they
don’t like.
It is this conspiracy across the centuries stuff I can’t swallow.
The evidence seems weak to the point of nonexistent. Is there in
fact any evidence at all to suggest that the llluminatus still
exist. By the way what do you make of the claim made in the Catholic
encyclopedia of 1910 that Weishaupt converted back to Catholicism
before his death? Sound’s unlikely to me.
Back to Contents
|