The Illuminati Part I: Foundations

We typically view "The Illuminati" as a singular monolithic entity made up of individuals with a common purpose, a common set of values, objectives and strategies and in the case of some theorists, even a common bloodline (myself included until recently). In reality, nothing could be further from the truth. I've been studying Leo Zagami's dissertation on the Illuminati, Confessions of an Illuminati, a three volume scholarly work that goes into great detail about how the secret society is organized and its inner workings. What I particularly appreciate is that his work is completely devoid of any ideologically engendered conspiracy theories. He provides a scholarly analysis of what secret societies are, how they are structured before going intro a detailed historical analysis.

What the Illuminati is, rather than a monolithic organization, is more of a confederation- a network of secret societies, each with their own specific purposes, rules, objectives, beliefs, etc.. Although similar, they are structured differently... the best analogy I can think of is snow- all together is an accumulation of snow, that would represent the Illuminati as a whole; but each snowflake is individual possessing a unique structure although comprised of the same material formed in a crystalline structure and although they all may look alike to the naked eye, upon close examination all are vastly different- so too are the secret societies that comprise the Illuminati.

I want to follow roughly the same format as Mr. Zagami, staying away from personal criticisms, my own opinions and stay with a scholarly discourse. Not having read the entire book, I have no idea where it will lead, so we can explore the inner workings of the Illuminati, as told by an insider, together.

Secret Societies

There are four different classifications of secret societies...

1) Societies with a secret form: These are the classic secret societies- societies that pursue actions that are generally in public view with a purpose that is known and pursued by groups that are not secret.

2) Societies with a secret objective: These according to Mr. Zagami, are the "most insidious." Their existence is known but their purpose is completely unknown. Freemasonry typically opens its temples to the public, but keeps their true goals hidden.

3) Societies with secret means: In these types of secret societies the secret is not based on the purpose or object, or on the shape; but on the their manner of expression of their desires or purposes. Often pressure groups, financial or commercial interests, "which with certain actions, often unspeakable, generally unacknowledged, influence the course of a variety of events in history."

4) Mixed Societies: The true secret societies as perceived by the public. They are usually reserved by nature but are often considered to be hostile in their actions. "Their objects are hidden, their forms [organizational structures] are secret plus their means and activities are generally concealed... the effectiveness of a secret society grows according to the way in which it proceeds in manipulating its own reality."

There are also four classifications formed according to objective criteria.

1) Religious: Their purpose is religious whether preexisting or a new religious philosophy.

2) Socio-political: The primary objective of this type of secret society is to satisfy a perceived political or social need using secret means... and these groups are invariably in opposition to the existing political order of their own country- positions contrary to existing government institutions.

3) Occult Movement Society: These are fairly self-explanatory. Occult by nature, their objective is in practicing esoteric initiation such as magic, alchemy, etc..

4) Pan-finalist: These societies are not intended to counteract any existing order, but to create something entirely new.

This is in fact incomplete, there are other classifications and subdivisions as well. I just wanted to provide some structural foundation that shows that there many diverse groups within what has come to be called The Illuminati and to show in part its complexity rather than monolithic structure. It is also to show that secret societies, like many other groups in a network tend to overlap and intertwine (as we will see in future chapters). Like the individuals in them, groups have multiplicity of interests. For example, a man can be on the Board of the Federal Reserve, the Board of Directors of a major company, a member of the Bilderberg group and member of the Trilateral Comm, all with different interests, forms and purposes... the same is true of secret societies.

Excerpted from the secret document File of the Illuminati known in Illuminati circles as Sheet No. 51 appearing in Confessions of an Illuminati By Leo Lyon Zagami pp. 35-39

NEXT: Illuminati Part II: Black Masses, Gnosticism & Sex Magick (also a list of some of the organizations that make up the Illuminati)