What is an Illuminatus? Part 2
Continuing the transcription of William Cooper’s broadcast on the Illuminati:
“In 1654, the ‘Illuminated’ Guerinets came into public notice in France.
“[Now,] documents still extant show several points of resemblance between the German and Central Asian Illuminists: points which are hard to account for on the grounds of pure coincidence, and yet which still might, one supposes, be nothing more than that. The Prophet Mohammed, for example, is claimed as an initiate by the Western Illuminati. Their calendar is the very same which survived in current usage in the former Iranian territories among the Afghans of the time. New Year’s Day with them was the same day as the Persian (and Afghan) Nev Roz festival. Further the degrees of initiation, although seemingly artificial ones coupled with some of the degrees of Freemasonry, were also eight, and there are parallels in the naming of the individual degrees. Like the Roshaniya, the Illuminati stated that they had the objective of gaining important converts for the purpose of improving the state of the world. A comparison of the degrees shows the similarity:
“[In the Roshaniya, the Seeker; and in the Illuminati, the Apprentice.]
“[In the Roshaniya, the Disciple and in the Illuminati, the Fellow-craft.]
“[In the Roshaniya, the Devotee and in the Illuminati, the Master.]
“[In the Roshaniya, the Enlightened One and in the Illuminati, the Illuminatus major.] “[In the Roshaniya, the Master and in the Illuminati, the Illuminatus dirigens.]“[In the Roshaniya, the Commander or Emir and in the [Illuminati, Prince.] “[In the Roshaniya, Priest and in the Illuminati, Priest.]“[In the Roshaniya, King or Chief and in the Illuminati, King.]
“[Now,] the early stages of initiation were designed to admit people into the brotherhood to test them for reliability, and possibly to train them for responsible tasks connected with the greater diffusion of knowledge. Even in higher degrees it seems that tests are also applied. Those who were to become priests, for example, were taken to a secret place, where a throne stood, with before it the choice of priestly or royal regalia. The aspirant had to make his choice. Those who opted for the symbols of worldly power were dismissed [promptly]; but candidates taking up the sacred vestments were saluted with the phrase: ‘Hail, O Holy One!’ The members of this degree were considered teachers, in whose hands was the training of disciples.
“Priests identified themselves with a secret sign: both hands, crossed, were placed flat upon the head. In shaking hands, the priest extended his palm, with the thumb held vertically upwards. The countersign was the fist, with the thumb enclosed within it.
“Princes were those who can influence events at a very high level, either in academic or political affairs. The room in which the initiation to this high and secret degree was celebrated was hung with red; the garments which the prince was to wear were red and white. [Now,] these are, of course, the colors of the Ishmailis as well. In the ritual the candidate is presented as a slave, and states that he wants to liberate society from tyranny. The sign of the degree was the extending of both arms. As the countersign, before taking the hand of another, the prince gripped both his elbows.
“In 1786 a raid upon the house of an influential lawyer, Zwack, reveals secret papers connected with the Order, and it is through these that many of the inner workings of the organization became known. Men were to be influenced through their women folk and a large? scale plan for initiating women members was at an advanced stage of development…
“…It has been widely claimed and touted that many of the charges which were made against the German illuminati were false; and that the possession of instructions, for instance, on forging seals was due to the fact that the lawyer Zwack had a collection devoted to that subject, as a matter of legal interest to him. It is also said that the project of enrolling women and young girls had in actual fact been taken from the aims of a very different society, the Mopses. While this matter still remains open, however, one may as well examine some of the documents which are stated to have belonged to the Society.
“Zwack had written, in his own hand, a document describing the manufacture of a strongbox which would blow up if it were tampered with. He also had a collection of impressions of the seals of several hundred important persons; and the already mentioned data on how to forge or substitute them. These, he stated in a letter of protest, were a part of the [exhibits] of his criminological collection. (laughs)
“The famous memorandum detailing the plan to win over women for the cause comes from papers seized at the home of Baron Bassus, one of the members. The document states that women are the best means of influencing men. They should be enrolled, and into their minds put a hope that they might themselves in time be released from the ‘tyranny of public opinion’. Another letter asked how young women can be influenced, since their mothers would not consent to their being placed under the Illuminati for instruction. Five women were suggested by one member, as a start. They were four step-daughters of one of the Illuminati, who were to be placed in the care of the wife of yet another Illuminated One. They, in their turn would, enlarge the society through their friends. It was further mentioned that women are not considered to be really suitable for such an undertaking, because they are ‘fickle and impatient’. But the Order was most sorely hit by the fact that something quite discreditable to the character of the founder was discovered; and it was thought that he might be trying to use the organization for personal reasons.
“[Now, the establishment version goes something like this:] Weishaupt, upon the suppression of the Order, refused a pension which he was offered after he had been dismissed from his professorial chair. He attributed his downfall to the machinations of the Jesuits, whom be hated and who had opposed him that as he was not of their number, whereas they considered the university post which he held a longstanding prerogative of their own.”
[William Cooper]: And nothing could be farther from the truth, for Adam Weishaupt was himself a Jesuit priest, holding a professorial chair at a Jesuit university.
“[Now,] he and Zwack were both banished, and little is heard of them thereafter, although there are rumors that they carried on the Society respectably in Saxe-Coburg and the Netherlands.”
[William Cooper]: Another incident that you will not hear in establishment accounts is the story of the messenger writing from one Bavarian illuminati lodge to another, who was literally struck by lightning — divine intervention, if you will. Struck dead from his horse, in his pouch carrying the papers of a secret plan to take over individual nations, and ultimately the world, were put into the hands of the Bavarian government and many of the portions of these papers are almost word for word what later became known as the Protocols of the Wise Men of Zion.
“Illuminism had spread to France, however, some years before its suppression in Germany. Influential personages were members, many drawn from the ranks of the important Masons of Paris. As in the case of the German branch, it was soon alleged that they pursued terrible aims and practiced frightful orgies. An extract from a French book (almost certainly grossly exaggerated) of the seventeen-nineties — La Secte des Illuminés — will give a fair idea of this:
“‘The huge château of Ermenonville near Paris was one of the chief lodges of the Illuminated. It belonged to the Marquis of Gerardin, who protected Rousseau and later gave him a tomb on his estate. St. Germain, the notable impostor, presided over it. He claims to be a thousand years old, and to be able to make gold. He was said to be immortal, but [(laughs) strangely] died in 1784.”
[William Cooper]: And even today, some Looney Tunes wackos claim that they converse with St. Germaine, who still alive walking around in a modern-day suit and tie.
“[Well,] on the day of his initiation [at the Château of Ermenonville], the candidate was conducted through a long, dark passage into an immense hall draped with black. [There were]…faint…lamps [sat around the room]…[There were men dressed as] corpses in…shrouds. [There was an] altar…of human skeletons, [which] stood in the center [of the large hall. And, in the flickering, low lamplight, the priest conducting the initiation resembled] ghostly forms [moving] through the hall[. And everywhere there was the stench of some terrible] odor. [Two men], dressed as specters, [always] appeared and tied a pink band or ribbon [which was] smeared with blood around [the] forehead [of the candidate]. Upon this was an image of the lady of Loretto. [William Cooper: Does this sound familiar, ladies and gentlemen?] A crucifix was placed in his hand, and an amulet hung around his neck.”
[William Cooper]: He was asked to remove his clothes; and if he showed any hesitancy, his clothes were removed for him.
“…and laid upon a funeral pyre[. Crosses of blood] were smeared [upon his body and his genitalia] were tied in [a ribbon] or [with] string.
“[Then,]…frightening figures, [covered with blood] and mumbling [strange incantations], approached and threw themselves down in prayer. After [a long period of time,]…weeping[, crying, wailing broke out as if a herd, a plethora of mourners were bereaved upon the death of their closest and deepest love]…the funeral pyre [burned brighter and brighter. All the] clothes [of the initiate] were consumed. [And] from[, behind or near this] fire, [one of the priests emerged almost as if he had taken form from the smoke of the pyre itself. And] the five…figures went into…convulsions [and loud wailing and screaming took place. And then] came the voice of [someone concealed behind a curtain]…these oaths, which the candidate had to repeat:
“‘In the name of the crucified one, I swear to sever all bonds which unite me with mother, brothers, sisters, wife, relatives, friends,mistress, kings, superiors, benefactors or any other man to whom I have promised faith, service, or obedience;
“‘I name the place in which I was born. Henceforth I live in another dimension, which I will not reach until I have renounced the evil globe which has been cursed by Heaven;
“‘From now onwards I shall reveal to my new chief all that I have heard or found out; and I shall also seek out and observe things which might otherwise have escaped me;
“‘I honor the aqua toffana; it is a quick and essential medium of removing from the earth, through death or robbing them of their wits, of those who oppose truth, and those who try to take it from our hands;
“‘I shall avoid Spain, Naples, and all other accursed lands, and I shall avoid the temptation to betray what I have now heard;
“‘Lightning will not strike as rapidly as the dagger, which will reach me, wherever I may be, should I betray my initiation.”
“[Then, a seven?branched ]candelabrum, bearing seven black candles, [was] placed before the candidate, and [a large] bowl containing human blood. [The candidate washed] himself in the blood, and [drank] a quantity of it. The string around his [genitalia was] removed, [and then he was carried to] a bath to undergo complete ablution. After this, he [was given] a meal composed of root vegetables.’
“[Now, folks, (laughs)] while it is possible that such ceremonies as this have actually taken place…”
[William Cooper]: And we know that they have, because it is exact…the exact ceremony that George Bush underwent in the crypt, or what is known as the tomb, or the skull and bones at Yale University…
“…[that] it will be recalled that such items as ‘human blood’ are generally not of the genuine variety in any society other than those reputed to be dedicated to criminal or perverted ends.”
[William Cooper]: Well, I have this to say: no one knows but those who actually take part in the ceremony, whether it’s chicken blood or human blood or pig blood or cow’s blood.
“[And, as it is] with the initiations of other societies, there is no doubt that the candidate may have been made to believe that he was actually going through an initiation which involved horrible things of this nature [such as human blood]. Initiation into the ancient mysteries was often accompanied by the exposure of the candidate to fear [another] emotions, in order to make [him] receptive to the oath or message which was to be made manifest.
“It has been said[, folks] that the European version of the Order of the Illuminati contributed in no small measure to the development of revolutionary doctrines which eventually culminated in the Russian and other Communist machines.”
[William Cooper]: And in fact, those of serious study, who have perused the depths of the available material as I and others have, have no doubt, have no doubt whatsoever that Communism — international Socialism — is the direct product of the Mystery Schools of the Illuminati, as was the formation of this nation which was guaranteed to lead us in to what is known as the New World Order — Novus Ordo Seclorum: the formation of a one world totalitarian state ruled by benevolent “despotism,” is the way that they put it.
“[And] there is little doubt that the Order was dedicated to the overcoming of princely power as it was then known, and to the diffusion of anti-religious ideas. [And] this can best be seen by examining the development of the teaching of the member, as he progressed from one degree of initiation into the next.
“[Now, folks,] many young enthusiasts with a taste for mystery and a desire to fight oppression in any form were drawn, through a deliberate plan, from the ranks of [all of the colleges and universities and from all of the other supposedly benevolent fraternital organizations]. After an oath of obedience and silence [had] been extracted from the candidate, he was then handed over to a Director [or Teacher, or, if you will, Hierophant], to be taught that the Order was one of the discipline and effort, and that the final objectives were to do good through leaving aside all preconceived notions and upon the basis of free thought to lead mankind to salvation.”
[William Cooper]: But salvation granted by who, and salvation from what? That is the question that intelligent men should be asking. However, it’s been my experience that most men and most women don’t ask any questions whatsoever — or very few, anyway.
“Those who managed to show that they were likely to accept the next stage in teaching, were advanced to the rank in which he was made to swear that he would work under the orders of his masters without doubt or question. He would not use his critical faculties in any way in any matter connected with such instructions.
“[Now,] in the lower ranks — [or] (laughs) the ‘nursery’…”
[William Cooper]: For all of you Blue Lodge Master Masons out there who think you know so much, that are nothing more than the greatest group of followers that ever conceived and let loose upon humanity.
“[Yes, in the ‘nursery’] — the member was very much in the dark as to the way in which the Order was run, and how it should accomplish its design of freeing the world. As he progressed, however, he found that part of his service to the Society was to gain financial and social power, and to place them at the disposal of the group. [Indeed,] he was expected to be a diligent Mason, and to try to gain control over [Freemason] funds. It was not until the tenth rite of promotion had been completed that the member [was] given — with the grade of Priest — certain definite knowledge.”
[William Cooper]: And now, today, in the order known as the Scottish Rite, this information is not given until the candidate actually reaches the 30th degree, according to the actual writings of the man who was the Grand Commander of all of Freemasonry of the world and of the Scottish Rite of Freemasonry in the United States, Mr. Pike. General Pike.
“[Well, this knowledge] included the fact that the Illuminati were proposing to destroy princes and prelates throughout the world, and were to remove forever the feeling of local nationality from the minds of men. [William Cooper: Another goal was to destroy all existing religions.] The ways in which this was to be done involved infiltrating high positions in education, administration[, of government, the military and, of course,] the Press.
“The very highest degrees showed that the rationalism and materialism of the thinkers who developed it were determined to stamp out all belief in religion. God and any faith in a deity, the initiate was told, were human inventions, and [they] had no real meaning [whatsoever]. [Now,] this was developed further, and the member who arrived at the highest position [in the Order, or (that [designated as] Rex [or] King) learned that he was now the same as any king, [on the same level, with the same rights and the same divine right of rule,] and that all men were capable of equal advancement [but all men were not equal]: hence the need for kings over [man] was an illusion [perpetrated by those in power, and this perpetration was to be broken at all costs].
[William Cooper]: And the highest, for the men who sat at the head of the Council, the Council of hidden supervisors made up of nine members was designated as Rex Mundi, or literally translated, “Kings of the World.” In their machinations to overthrow, topple the Kings and Queens of all the countries of the world from their thrones, they established the United States of America and the English colonies in the New World. And its ultimate goal — its secret destiny — was to be the catalyst to bring into the world what they called the Great Society or the New World Order. And it certainly worked, dear listeners. As you can look back through history, the granting of the common man of liberty, fraternity, equality, freedom that he had never tasted or known before in history, lit the spark that then ignited the French Revolution — of course, with the leadership and the manipulation of the people of the Illuminati, the lodges of Freemasonry, the Ancient Order of the Rose and Cross and others — the highest level were all the same with the same goals. And this spark of revolution spread throughout the world. And, until we all grow up and learn how to stop this, it will continue.
[William Cooper]: As the secret societies propel us, manipulate us, deceive us, lie, operating in secret, infiltrating everything decent and good that man has ever built, destroying it from within, bringing closer and closer their goal of what they believe will be a Utopia on earth: a one?world, totalitarian, Socialist order. They hope to create the world where they will rule as being the ones who possess the only truly mature minds; they will establish a council of advisors to a world, charismatic, political and religious leader who will be the outward rule, but he will really take his orders from this “benevolent despotism,” this Council of Learned Elders; and everyone on the face of this earth will be in total control for every 24-hour period of their lives. There will be one world religion catering to the needs of man. not men obeying the laws of any God. The general rule will be, as has been touted many, many times by these people: “Do as thou wilt shall be the whole of the law.” And even murder will be considered to be a learning experience provided that the perpetrator actually learns something. People who exhibit violent tendencies as a matter of normal behavior on their part will simply be eliminated.
[William Cooper]: Ladies and gentlemen, I hope this is beginning to come together and make sense to you, if it doesn’t as yet. We have a long, long, way to go as you have probably already begun to understand.
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