Is Beyonce really in Illuminati? Is Hillary Clinton or Rihanna? Is Drake? Am I?
Allegedly, operating in secret the Illuminati is quietly pulling the strings, awaiting their emergence in the public eye, at which point of course it will be too late. Comprising of shadowy elites manipulating world affairs, they are erasing borders and controlling the financial institutions to introduce a universal currency, a universal New World Order.
Even if you have not heard of the Illuminati chances are you have seen its symbol: The all-seeing eye found on the US Banknote.
But what about the real history of the Illuminati and how it became what it is today?
In 1776 Bavaria, Adam Weishaupt, a law professor, founded the Illuminati. He wanted to spread enlightenment ideals around the world that opposed superstition, corruption, and religious influence over public life. The Bavarian Illuminati operated rigorously, extending from Italy to Denmark and from Warsaw to Paris. The stronger Roman Catholic proponents ultimately banned the movement. No evidence of the Bavarian order appears in the historical record after 1785. So, the group lasted only for a decade or so.
Though the group faded into irrelevance, conspiracy theories about Illuminati persisted.
In 1965, two American schoolmates used the printer of a drug attorney to print copies of a book named Principia Discordia. The book promoted that chaos is as important as order. Discordianism gathered steam throughout the 60s and 70s with them actively trying to spread mischief and misinformation. Their mission was further expanded by two more Americans Robert Wilson and Robert Shea. They decided to consolidate all the great conspiracy theories into a novel. In fact, they enjoyed it so much, they turned it into a trilogy. Deliberately trying to spread a little chaos and misinformation about the Illuminati, they wrote letters to mainstream press like Fanzines and Playboy. Wilson was the editor of Playboy. They would also write letters from imaginary readers claiming the Illuminati was real, not real, may be real, to keep people talking about it. Their trilogy traveled far and wide. They wrote theories about Illuminati shooting Kennedy, its links to the Freemasons, and their involvement in sowing the seeds of the French Revolution. Cleverly they blended imaginary theories with just enough truth to make them plausible.
It was a funny series and gave new life to the Illuminati. The Illuminati was vague enough to fit into any form from New World Order to Religious Paranoia to even pop culture films like Angels and Demons. Imagine the eye atop a pyramid plastered across album covers, embedded in music videos, conveying mystery and power. Jay-Z, Beyoncé, and Lady Gaga are speculated of having Illuminati membership. The allure of the hidden society has provided fertile ground for artists to create narratives that captivate and blurr the lines between reality and fiction.
Many experts have debunked the idea saying that the ‘proofs’ of the existence of the Illuminati are based on misinformation, misinterpretation, and outright fabrication. Despite claims of an Illuminati encore, credible evidence remains as elusive as the society itself. As much as we love a juicy conspiracy, the burden of proof lies on those who claim they’re still pulling the strings in the 21st century. The world’s a pretty tangled place. Attributing every twist and turn of global events to a single secret society might be a tad too simplistic. Conspiracy theory is like a jigsaw puzzle; everyone’s got piece to fit in.
But remember, speculation and reality are two different worlds.
Or maybe that’s what Illuminati wants you to believe
VASUNDHARA BAGRI
XII C1
