I've spent a lot of time researching the Illuminati and the Free Masons; which I really started because in high school I chose to do a report on my Great Great Great Grandfather was a Free Mason (James Abram Garfield) who was President for less than a year before he was shot and killed.
However, this is what I understand as being the most accurate (whether or not it is, that's still anyboby's guess because there really is way too much misinformation out there).
Adam Weishaupt was a student at a Jesuit college in Bavaria and later became a professor of law. In time he became more liberal and left the order. In 1776 he started an organization of free thinkers which "became" known as the Illuminatus or the illuminated. Now I understand that they supposedly used some potent strain of marijuanna mixed with some secret ingredient to obtain this illumination which Weishaupt learned about, supposedly originating from the middle east (no surprise there) from a tryant named Hassan I Sabbah (not sure of the validity of that one). However, the popular role playing game "Vampire the Masquerade" uses the history of Hassan and his cult as the basis for the Sabbat, which is one of the family of vampires known for being assasins in the game. Not really relevant, but I thought it was interesting to point out.
In 1777/1778 roughly a year after the Illuminatus had been formed, it was discovered that many of the members held very important and key positions within the various governments of Europe, even the secretive Free Masons. Weishaupt was exilled and fled. There is a lot of speculation as to where, but Gotha seems to be the most popular concensus.
Other interesting facts, Weishaupt and George Washington supposedly were "dopplegangers" and there is wide spread belief that Weishaupt came to the "New World" and assumed George Washington's life.
"Most" everything else is pure speculation. It is true that it widely believed that the Eye of Horus (Egyptian) over the peakless pyramid (also Egyptian) is their "official" symbol, and there are many things that could be said about that.
What makes the Illuminati interesting is that they did infiltrate the Free Masons, and even though the Illuminati was discovered and "banned", there is no proof that they did not continue their secret society. With that said, it is also interesting to note that up until the point of President Reagan (can't verify after him) every president of the United States was a Free Mason except for one. John F. Kennedy, who was Catholic, was that exception (conspiracy sparks should be zipping through your brain now). What makes this even more interesting, is that Free Masonry and Catholicism mix like oil and water. It seems to be quite "taboo" to associate with the other for those two parties.
I'm not trying to say that this is the "BIBLE" of Illuminatism, but it seems to be grounded in the truth more so than other theories I've heard. This shit does go on and on and it gets very difficult to discern between truth and fiction (if there is any real truth to be discovered at all).
But bear in mind that Free Masonry is still a very powerful organization in the world today. They have their own bank, and they are supportive of each other in ways that most of us could not fathom.
The Eye of Horus
