The Illuminati Cultural Movement and Controversy

 

xoxo

It’s all over the Internet…has completely taken over Youtube…Shit, every time I type in the name of a Rihanna video, countless videos show up supposedly ‘exposing’ her affiliation to a secret organization known as the Illuminati.

But what the hell is the Illuminati?! There are so many theories on what type of organization this group really is and whether or not it actually exists. I mean is it a spiritual movement? Or is it something more political or cultural? If you were to google “Illuminati” what type of answers pop up in your search engine…probably a combination of all three.

All I can recommend to people who honestly and earnestly want to know more about this “Illuminati” thing is that they would be best off doing the research for themselves and coming up with their own opinions – I have mine.

In my mind the Illuminati is a very real sect/organization/affiliation – whether they actually go by or answer to that name, I’m not sure – but that is the name that ‘outsiders’ of said group call them by. This secret organization had its beginnings in Europe under a different name, Bavarian-something (I’m not a history buff, or a know-it-all, this is just my interpretation of pop culture’s recent mania over the Illuminati) and was a progressive group that pursued the knowledge of science, humanism, and perhaps dabbled in the occcult. Many influential politicians and world leaders were members of this group, though it was said to be illegal to be a member as well as persecuted by the Catholic Church and possibly other Christian denominations.

Whether Illuminati members actually took part in sinister occult rituals or not, we shall never know. However, there did tend to grow an association with pagan, occult beliefs and this secret sect. The reason why I believe the world is so frightened to death by the Illuminati is because they are an international organization with extremely influential members (politicians, religious leaders, social activists, actors, entertainers, and other celebrities). It’s similar to the lore around the Roman Catholic sect of Opus Dei, which is a controversially conservative group of Catholics whose main goal is to, for lack of a better word, infiltrate our society so as to influence Catholic teachings in general society.

And that’s what many Christians and non-Christians alike have a problem with. In my own mind, I can’t deny the recent and very prevalent strong use of symbolism throughout the entertainment industry; and many people believe that the Illuminati is subtly trying to control mass media using occult symbolism to saturate our youths minds. This is done with sun symbolism, ancient Egyptian occult symbolism, black and white symbolising ‘duality’, goat skulls (Baphomet), triangles, unicorns, etc, etc.

In all fairness, there has to be some truth there. Why suddenly are all actors and actresses covering one eye? I mean, for what purpose? Why does everyone one black and white checkerboard floors in their music videos? What’s this fetish with robots? You have to see it for what it is…there is a lot of the same symbolism occurring in various media, not just today, but also throughout history.

The Illuminati are also closely tied in with the Masons, which was basically the basis and foundation for this country. It is a well-known fact that many of the Presidents were members of the freemasons and regularly attended the Masonic Temple (which, to the dismay of many is closed to outsiders and never has any windows). These masonic symbols also have frequently appeared in various media lately (i.e. “the all-seeing eye”, pyramids, keys, columns, etc.).

I have a feeling that the Illuminati do indeed exist; and I personally know someone who has been approached by members of the freemasons and told that the Illuminati are tied in with masonry and that Jay-Z is somehow involved…

Now, as interesting as it is to loose yourself in conspiracy theories and watching videos analyzing the symbolism (I personally love it!). I don’t believe that the Illuminati pose a real hazard. Similar to other powerful organizations and groups like the Roman Catholic church, Opus Dei, World Bank, shit…I don’t know…they pose a threat to various other groups because of their sheer power in numbers and influential members.

But the important thing to remember is this: occult or no occult ties, symbolism similar to art can be perceived and interpreted a variety of ways. I don’t think that a thirteen year old watching one of Jay-Z’s videos will see a goat skull and automatically associated that with the devil and promptly set up a satanic altar. In various cultures, symbols can mean different things. For instance, in Asian cultures (especially Indian cultures), no one would dream of wearing white to a wedding because white is reserved for funeral services/cremations. White is hardly the sign of purity but usally the sign of death or ghostly spirits. Even speaking from a strictly Christian/Catholic perspective (of which there are many members who oppose the Illuminati fiercely) – many Christian and Catholic symbols are actually pagan-based. It has been historically proven that traditional coptic crosses evolved from the Egyptian ankh, which is a sign of male-female duality. Similarly, the robes and vestments many Catholic clery wear are also similar to the robes and vestments worn by pagan priests of the pre-Christian era. Another example is how Haitian and New Orleans voodoo practitioners highly revere the cross, in the Christian sense but mainly in an “occult”-based religious emphasis on “the crossroads”. A symbol – although powerful in its own right, is still subject to a culture or individual’s personal interpretation; it’s relative.

Symbols – sinister or otherwise cannot hurt you.

Furthermore, whether the Illuminati/the entertainment industry’s aim is to actually brainwash the public or not is besides the point. No one likes to be told what to feel, how to think , or what to do. Call me naive, but I have a little more faith in the human race than that. We may start wars, kill eachother like savages, but we are hardly a brainless bunch waiting to be enslaved by an elite group. Especially, Americans. We may go crazy for Lady Gaga’s bloody performances, paint stars over one eye because we think it’s “cool”, and put our middle name as “Fierce” after Sasha Fierce on our Facebook pages…but really? Brainwashed to buy certain products, brainwashed to worship Satan? Hardly. We may be pop-culture fanatics in this country, but let’s not forget what this country is built on what this country has been about since day one. Think about our war of Independence from Great Britain, the Puritans coming to escape religious persecution, the Civil Rights movement, and countless of other big moments in our country’s history. We are not a people known for holding our tongue or standing down to the “elite”.

So forgive me for still having faith in the human race or in Americans in general. On top of that – even if an elite group were somehow able to totally infiltrate our culture, brainwash us, and take over – how long would it be until that elite group destroyed itself? Greedy and power-hungry individuals may be on top for a little while, but they soon find that their power is fleeting. Everyone within that group would be vying for the top spot, backstabbing eachother, and eventually the organization would crumble (i.e. fall of the Roman Empire).

So do I believe in the existence of a secret organization known as the Illuminati? Yes. Do I believe they are affiliated with freemasonry? Yes. (In fact they may be affiliated in various religious organizations including Christian ones as well.) Do I believe that they have influence in our society in areas of politics, science, philanthropy, the arts, and the media? More than likely, yes. Do I believe that they have atheistic or even occult ties? Yes…but who’s that really hurting?

Here’s a side note on that topic…I could personally care less if Satanists are creating top-charting music hits and expanding their own wealth – meanwhile we have church scandals where pastors and priests are raping and molesting innocent children. And what is it that Christians seem to be more concerned about? That’s the real evil righ there.

Not to say that Illuminatis are even Satanists…from my perspective they probably dabble in some form of occult practices that sample from various cultures and world religions (think, Wicca, New-Age). And are all their messages really all that offensive? I recently saw a commentary on Lady Gaga’s new video “Born this Way” which spoke of a new generation that cares not for racial differences, appearances, or sexual orientation. Sounds like a very Christian message to me…

My point it this: if reading/discussing/learning about the Illuminati interests you, than by all means look into it. I personally find it extremely fascinating but maybe from a more anthropological viewpoint; as in why people believe what they believe, symbolism in culture, etc. But please don’t become one of those people creates hour long youtube videos tearing apart this or that artist. Whether the Illuminati exist or not is not really relevant today…there are so many other issues worth noting.

War and hunger in poverty-stricken countries, rape and domestic abuse, the objectification of women in society (do the Illuminati play a role???), etc. etc. So many other important topics to cover and try to figure out than whether the world is going to be taken over by money-hungry “Satanists”.

In my personal opinion, this world with its many  real problems and issues has much more to worry about than this group of Illuminati thinkers. But on the other hand, our society (which many believe is so infiltrated by the evil Illuminati) really isn’t that bad. We are making slow and steady progress to the society that even crazy-ass Lady Gaga speaks about in her song: “Born this way”. Self acceptance, racial pride, diversity, rights/acceptance for people with different sexual orientations, women’s presence in the workplace, etc. If there are people who have problems with these kind of changes in society or the music/art that promotes things that are actually positive (a sizable population of Illuminati haters), than perhaps they should form their own secret society or build their own utopia – hey, there’s always Mormonism…

I find it funny that people always believe that it’s the end of the world. I don’t know why they want to scare themselves so bad. Even a thousand years ago people believed society was evil and the world was coming to an end. In recent times – look at how people responded to the year 2000, Y2K conspiracy theories and end of the world assumptions with Nostra Domus (whatever his name is) and oh, lord, here comes 2012…

I guess for some people it’s just easier to point to certain year as the end of times. Similarly, it’s easy for many to look at an entire group and blame that one group for the evil in the world (Beyonce’s booty-shaking performance, Rihanna’s boustiers, Gaga’s acceptance of homosexuals). It’s the blame game. It’s an obsession.

Hope I didn’t offend anyone. Just stating my own beliefs on the subject.

xoxo