A review of Baron von Knigge’s Illuminati apology.

Knigge on the Illuminati (According to Knigge) and Other Reflections (According to the Historical Record)

Short bio on Knigge from my book below, sans endnotes.

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Knigge, Adolph Franz Friedrich Ludwig, Baron von (1752 Bredenbeck, Germany – 1796 Bremen, Germany)

Philo

Second in command under Weishaupt (from 1780-84), Knigge studied law at Göttingen in 1769, and subsequently served the courts of Hesse-Kassel and Weimar. He was a chamberlain in Hanau (1776) and Frankfurt am Main (1780), then in Hanover and Heidelberg in 1783; and in 1791, Knigge was appointed civil administrator in Bremen.

Baron von Knigge was “a man of considerable distinction in his day.” He penned works of “romance, popular philosophy, and dramatic poetry” and wrote reviews for Nicolai’s Allgemeine Deutsche Bibliothek [General German Library]. His novels were “attractive bait to catch the readers’ interest, a well-designed vehicle for transmitting revolutionary messages.” Most of Knigge’s works were either banned or censored, especially after publicly supporting the French Revolution. His 1788 book, Über den Umgang mit Menschen [On Human Relations], a guide on politeness, manners and etiquette, for instance, “landed on the inquisitors’ desk in 1820, with critics saying its philosophy encouraged selfishness and concentrated on personal happiness in a way that contradicted Catholic spirituality.”

Knigge was fascinated with secret societies. At the earliest age possible (twenty-one), he joined the Cassel Masonic Lodge ‘Zum gekrönten Löwen’ (1773), and became a member of the Strict Observance (alias, ‘a Cygno’) in 1779. Knigge was intrigued with the subjects of theosophy, magic, alchemy, and Rosicrucianism. He inherited this occult fascination from his father, Philipp Carl von Knigge, “whom he had observed spending his time in the study of Masonic Mysteries, and his money in the vain pursuit of the Philosopher’s Stone. The father’s gold had vanished in the crucible, and the son reaped nothing but the dross.”

Strict Observance freemasonry was conceived in Germany by Baron von Hund. The “Knights of Strict Observance” swore allegiance to “unknown superiors” and claimed direct descent from the Knights Templar and the Rosicrucians. The Strict Observance lodges created an occult pedigree to attract recruits with the promise of joining an Order of a continuous, ancient descent. Secrets that began in antiquity were more appealing than something only recently devised. Weishaupt understood this from the beginning, and created his own mythical genealogy for the Illuminati. When Knigge joined the Order he immediately asked Weishaupt for proof the Order’s antiquity. Weishaupt admitted it was only a ruse, but rather than being offended, Knigge—knowing that an ancient pedigree was an important part of a secret society’s appeal—immediately “proceeded to build one of his own, where the Illuminati were declared as having originally been founded by Noah, and revived after a period of decline by St John the Evangelist.”

In July, 1780 Knigge was insinuated into the Illuminati by Costanzo (Diomedes); his alias alludes to Philo Judaeus (15-10 BC–45-50 AD), the Hellenized Jewish philosopher from Alexandria.

By Charles Burris

Excerpt:

I have attempted to relate to my students that once upon a time a secret society named the Order of the Illuminati was indeed founded on May 1, 1776, by a former professor of canon law at the University of Ingolstadt, Bavaria named Adam Weishaupt. This clandestine organization existed for a number of years and had an elite membership of significant and influential persons throughout Europe who acted covertly in furtherance of the goals and objectives of this group. Using primary source documents, careful and diligent scholars have documented who those specific members were and what the goals entailed. But the organization went out of formal existence. No successful scholar has been able to authentically document the continuation of the organization by overt or covert means to the present day.

Over at TopSecretWriters

Biographical essay on some notable members of the Bavarian Illuminati, utilizing relevant and up-to-date, specialized scholarly research: 10 Notable Members of the Illuminati

1. Charles-Pierre-Paul, Marquis de Savalette de Langes (1745-1797)
2. * Gabriel Honoré Riqueti, Comte de Mirabeau (1749-1791)
3. Alexandre-Louis Roëttiers de Montaleau (1748-1808)
4. Count Franz Joseph von Kolowrat-Liebensteinsky (b. 1748)
5. Johann Caspar [Jean Gaspard] Schweizer (1754-1811)
6. Friedrich Christian Carl Heinrich Münter (1761-1830)
7. Francesco Mario Pagano (1748-1799)
8. Ignaz Edler von Born (1742-1791)
9. Friedrich Ludwig Ulrich Schröder (1744-1816)
10. Mathias Metternich (1747-1825)

Not necessarily the most important members: noteworthy, chiefly through their efforts to extend the life of the Order, and/or having themselves been involved in revolutionary activities. Johann Caspar Schweizer, in particular (which I had unfortunately overlooked in my book), is an important example of the latter.

Were you aware that a high-ranking Illuminati member had sent letters to both John Adams and Benjamin Franklin, asking permission to settle in America, that John Adams replied, and that the letters still exist? I hadn’t. In fact, it’s a brand new discovery.

Learn about it here.

Sections: IX. Instruction for Cato, Marius and Scipio; X. Instructio pro Recipientibus [Instruction for those Conducting Receptions]; XI. Instruction for those who obtain the right to insinuate a candidate; XII. Oath

Some Original Writings of the Order of the Illuminati (pp. 43-60)

• Einige Originalschriften des Illuminatenordens at Scribd
• Some Original Writings of the Order of the Illuminati (pp. 26-43)

Theresa Winslow - 02/07/10

Helen Brockmeyer just got out of a 20-year relationship, so it’s understandable that she’s been on a bit of an emotional roller coaster lately. But at least she’s got a lot to show for it.

The Annapolis resident’s relationship, or maybe a better word would be obsession, was with Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - and it ended in December when she released her exhaustive book about the Austrian composer. Specifically, about his death in 1791.

Brockmeyer spent two decades and tens of thousands of dollars investigating her theory that Mozart was murdered. She even learned German and worked as an au pair in Germany so she could personally visit the composer’s stomping grounds.

The 55-year-old spurns accepted dogma about an illness claiming Mozart’s life, and instead believes his throat was slashed by Freemasons as retribution for insulting an Austrian prince. Mozart and the prince were both Freemasons, but the prince’s aristocratic standing spelled disaster for the composer when the complaint was aired, she said. Her exact reasoning is spelled out in great detail in the 452-page, textbook-size “Echoes of a Distant Crime: Resolving the Mozart Cold Case File.”

Full story

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Interesting stuff. I, for one, will surely pick up a copy.

Through a bit of poking around at the Mozart forum and at Brockmeyer’s site, the main culprit in the alleged murder seems to be Illuminatus Prince Christian Karl von Lichnowsky. Here’s a short bio on him from my book Perfectibilists (p. 349):

The Influence of the Illuminati and Freemasonry on German Student Orders (and Vice Versa)

“Master Conspiracy” Redux

The So-Called Schwedenkiste (“Swedish Box”), the Most Significant Illuminati Archive

Just in case you missed it (and most did). And because I hadn’t made it clear in the article; the owl of Minerva holding an opened book is the insignia of the Bavarian Illuminati - not the “all-seeing eye,” and especially not the reverse of the Great Seal of America. What’s more, the article (”Owl of Wisdom: Illuminati, Bohemian Club, Schlaraffia, James Gordon Bennett Jr.“) shows two examples of the insignia (2 of 3 known to still exist).

Adam Weishaupt continued to utilized the motif after he had went into exile - this is why Barruel wrote in his Memoirs Illustrating the History of Jacobinism, that Weishaupt “adopted the bird of night for his emblem.”

Masonic historian Arturo de Hoyos:

This design, with the addition of the letters P.M.C.V. (per me caeci vident : through me the blind see), was cast or hand-graved as a jewel to be worn by Minervals. There is no record of how many were made, and only three are known to exist: one in a private collection in Ansbach, Germany; one in a private American collection; and one in the Deutsches Freimaurermuseum Bayreuth. A photograph of this last one appears in Freimaurer Solange die Welt besteht (Historisches Museum der Stadt Wien, 1993), p. 314.

… and some of the secrets contained therein can be read/viewed here.

The book can be purchased in most major retailers, and pre-orders have already been shipped.

It’s 500+ pages, profusely illustrated, and represents the first monograph on the Bavarian Illuminati (in the English language) in two hundred years. A lot of ground is covered and most of it will be new to the reader.

Thanks for everyone’s patience, and I hope it has been worth the wait.

Perfectibilists.info should be up and running soon (not sure what it will contain). Right now it re-directs to the Trine Day page for the book.

Was Carl Jung’s Ancestor an Illuminatus?

Some Original Writings of the Order of the Illuminati (pp. 12-26)

Design sketch of the alchemical laboratory at the Louisenlund estate of Landgrave Karl von Hessen Kassel

In an email Monday, L.G. wrote:

I’ve been searching for materials about the Illuminati (I read yesterday some of your notes on “May Day” and the Illuminati - quite interesting and helpful!) and there is one historical personage that keeps popping up in my searches: Saint Germain, the so-called “Wonderman of Europe”. I don’t know if he was an “illuminatus”, but his persistent connections to May 1st in the New Age Movement are very interesting. According to some sources, he “ascended” on May 1st 1684, and was crowned as the new “Chohan” (Planetary Lord) on May 1st 1954. I know these are just New Age inventions, with no historical value, but anyway the choice of that day is curious, to say the least.

While reading Manly P. Hall’s “The Secret Destiny of America”, I noticed he mentioned a person –not named in the book– who apparently influenced the creation of the american flag and called himself “The Professor”. What I wanted to know is if you know, from your own studies, if this man had anything to do with the well-known european aristocrat who called himself the Count of Saint Germain. If there was a connection, and if there was any possibility for him to have been a member of the Bavarian Illuminati, maybe this could explain the connection between the New Age “Ascended Master” Saint Germain and the day of the foundation of the Bavarian Illuminati.

By the way, as I’m talking about Saint Germain and the New Age Movement, maybe you’ll find curious the fact that certain new age circles working with this “ascended master” use a kind of violet disc with a dot in the middle as a tool for “spiritual exercises”. You can see it here (the fourth from above):
http://www.naveluz.arq.br/download.htm

This, amazingly, reminds me of the point within a circle used by the Illuminati to designate their Order. What do you think about all this?

Thanks for your time and attention.

The short answer, is no; Saint Germain wasn’t a member of the Illuminati. His name doesn’t appear on any authentic membership list, nor would you expect to find it. Quite the opposite.

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