Temple of Mysteries - The Illuminati Degrees

Rosslyn Chapel Rosslyn Chapel Mystery Part I Rosslyn Chapel Mystery Part II History of Rosslyn Chapel Rosslyn Chapel Carvings Rosslyn Chapel, Templars & Masons Rosslyn Chapel and Freemasonry The St Clairs of Rosslyn St Clairs: Protectors of the Gypsies What Lies Beneath Rosslyn Chapel Rosslyn Chapel and The Secret of the Templars The Knights Templar Birth of the Knights Templars' Legend The Founding of The Templars The Knight Templars Centuries Warriors, Monks, Diplomats and Bankers The Wealth of the Templars Order and Discipline The Secret of the Templars The Templars and Gnosticism The Johannite Heresy The Warriors and the Goddess The Templars and The Holy Grail Mary Magdalene The Magdalene in the New Testament A Problem of Identity The Magdalene of the Heretics - Part I The Magdalene of the Heretics - Part II Henry St Clair Expedition to America The Life of Prince Henry St Clair Brave New World The Zeno Map & Narrative Zichmni and Prince Henry Freemasonry Legends Mark Man Genesis of Freemasonry Holy Warriors The Templar Power - Part I The Templar Power - Part II Rennes le Chateau The Sauniere Mystery History of Rennes Le Chateau What Did Sauniere Find Inside Sauniere's Church The Sauniere Story: Facts & Fables Priory of Sion The Modern History The Historical Claims The Priory of Sion's Aims Opinions on The Priory of Sion Pierre Plantard The Grand Master Illuminati The Illuminati Degrees Illuminati Origins Roshaniya Militants The Illuminati and Revolution Illuminati Roots and Offshoots Leonardo da Vinci Leonardo da Vinci the Heretic The Incredible Hidden Blasphemy The Great Templar Secret Leonardo da Vinci The Engineer, Scientist and Innovator The Turin Shroud The Mystery of The Turin Shroud The Significance of The Turin Shroud The Quest for the Turin Shroud Stone of Destiny Events Leading up to the Theft The Legend: From Bethel to Scone A Potted Pre-History of Scotland The Coming of the Patron Saint St Fillan & Bannockburn The Stone of Destiny? Finding the Lost Ten Tribes of Israel Destiny in the 21st Century Conclusions Store Music

Illuminati

The Illuminati Degrees

The Order of Illuminati, as devised by Adam Weishaupt, had its own initiatory system and rituals - which bear striking similarities to not only the rituals of Freemasonry but also appear to borrow freely from earlier mystery cults. Ceremonies for the Order were divided into three classes, or stages, with separate degrees in each group.

Stage 1 - The Nursery

Where following the submission of a preparatory essay, the candidate would pass through the following degrees:

1. Novitiate
2. Minerval
3. Minor Illuminatus
4. Magistratus

Stage 2 - Symbolic Freemasonry

In which the candidate would pass through the following degrees:

1.Apprentice
2. Fellow Craft
3. Master
4. (a) Scots Major Illuminatus and (b) Scots Illuminatus Dirigens

Stage 3 - Mysteries

1. Lesser (a) Priest and (b) Prince
2. Greater (a) Magus and (b) King

Secrecy

Novices had to swear a binding oath of secrecy and complete obedience to their 'superiors'. The Order's authoritarian structure also has uncannily close parallels to that of the Jesuit Order. The writer Ellic Howe wrote that the Order was based on "an extraordinary system of mutual espionage”. At the end of every month the Novice had to deliver to his proposer a sealed letter. This contained a detailed report on every aspect of his relationship with his mentor, who sent it unopened and unread to Weishaupt through an appropriate channel. The proposer, in his turn, had to furnish similar information about the Novice. Weishaupt devised printed forms for these 'intelligence reports'. An incredible volume of information had to be supplied ... this mutual espionage was a feature of all the Illuminati grades", he wrote.