Conspiracy Theory

Conspiracy and rumours of conspiracy seem to be now an inherent part of the modern cultural landscape. Perhaps this has always been the case all through history. Just as it is in human nature, given a certain twist of mind, to want to conspire towards a multitude of different goals, either good or evil, selfless or selfish, beneficient or harmful; so it is also in our nature that we should speculate on the intentions and underlying motivations of others. Sometimes when these speculations deal with powerful political forces, real or imagined, that are believed to have the potential to affect our lives, Geo-Politics and the course of World History, then this is usually called Conspiracy Theory. The term is also used relating to lesser conspiracies but we’re more interested in the wider and more encompassing ones in this chapter.

Conspiracy Theories are often dismissed by academics and political commentators as crank ideas and paranoid musings unsupported either by evidence or sound reason. Without a doubt most Conspiracy theories will turn out to be way of the mark and far from the truth. At the same time the most extreme Conspiracy Theories speculating the most unimaginable evils being planned or executed may actually turn out to be more or less totally correct. The idea that Hitler and the Nazis had a master plan to take over the entire World, exterminate all Jewish people, eventually drive to extinction all other non Aryan races as well and breed a race of supermen with psychic powers; this would have been considered something of a crank Conspiracy Theory. Only it turned out to be completely true. People who warned against the extreme evil and malevalent intentions of Adolf Hitler such as Winston Churchill were for a time sidelined and thought to be expressing fringe views unsupported by any evidence that most people would have been aware of.

So while it is true that most Conspiracy Theories concerning all the various malign forces that would take over over the World and create all the varieties of Evil One World Order imaginable, will not have much correspondence with reality whatsoever. At the same time it is in the make up of some people to want to rule and dominate, and if given half the chance then no doubt these sorts of people will try. It is also easy to imagine that there are people who want to take over the World, either for their Bloodline, their Race, their Religion or perhaps for their Country. As we mentioned this was indeed the case with Hitler and the Nazis. And in order to take over the World, then some sort of conspiracy is required. So it is that the most far fetched, while still reasonable, Conspiracy Theories may actually turn out to be true.

The Huge Varieties of Conspiracy Theory

The Conspiracy Theory literature out there in published form, either in book format or on the Internet is myriad, diversified, multi-faceted and multi-level. Almost any and, seemingly, every permutation of Conspiracy Theory has be thought about and written up for Conspiriologists to ponder and perhaps integrate into their own personal syntheses of the ‘big picture’. We’ve already mentioned conspiracies concerning powers bent on World domination which might include National Governments and their respective agencies but then there are also Freemason Conspiracies, International Banker Conspiracies and various Conspiracy Theories involving the partly historical and much speculated upon Bavarian Illuminati. In the Past Papist Conspiracy Theories were popular where the Pope and the Catholic church were seen as a potent player in the hidden conspiratorial political landscape. Other recurring themes in Conspiracy Theory include conspiracies by large Multi-National Corporations or Governments, to suppress miracles technologies such as Flu, Aids or Cancer cures, free and limitless energy inventions or anti-gravity machines; in order to maintain some existing profitable line of business. Related conspiracy theories also involve large Corporations or Governments making up various nefarious plans to make huge sums of money at the expense of someone elses large scale human suffering and even death. The former category may seem illogical, whereas the latter are often supported with more evidence and seem more plausible in a depressing way. Another popular category of Conspiracy Theory involves the assasinations of famous people, for instance Lady Diana, Pope John Paul I, and of course President John F. Kennedy. A set of related Conspiracy theories that have caught people’s imaginations in recent times involves the 9-11 destruction of World Trade Centre Twin Towers and connected events in the Middle East, i.e. the Iraq War; where there is often suggestion of deliberate involvement by American agencies in the planning and perpetration of all these happenings. Anyway, the list of varieties of Conspiracy Theory is very long and very often different Conspiracy Theories are merged and interlinked to create an even larger set of permutations and combinations. However it is not the purpose of this chapter to go through all the varieties of Conspiracy Theory exhaustively. That would take much more than a single chapter and would probably fill a small library of books. We might have millions of words of analysis and speculation that would still not arrive at anything certain, provable, disprovable or even sensible. So what then will this chapter say about Conspiracy Theory?

The basic proposition of this chapter is that the essential message behind this book, that Everyone is God and the Prophecies are Now; provides the key for understanding some of the most recurring themes in the Conspiracy Theory literature, i.e. what is behind Freemasonry?, who are the true Illuminati?, the rebuilding of the Temple of Soloman and what is the end game behind some of the major Conspiracies affecting the entire World and happening over an extended historical time frame up to the present. What we will show is that once we realize the relevance of the notions that Everyone is God and the Prophecies are Now, to some of the main ideas behind Conspiracy Theory then we get a much clearer view on things. We cast light on the general idea that World History and World Politics is influenced by Illuminati and Secret Societies. That behind the Illuminati and these Secret Societies lies an awesome secret, are involved in supernatural and occult practices; and wish to set up a King of the World, a World government and a World Religion thereby creating a One World Order. First we’ll take a look at one of the most regular fixtures of the Conspiracy Theory landscape, the Freemasons.

Secret Societies as Mystical Secret Societies: Freemasonry as a Case Study

One explanation as to why Secret Societies have to be secret in the first place is that they hold heretic beliefs which would have caused them to be persecuted or even killed if they didn’t keep themselves and their beliefs secret. There is a old idea that the big secret behind Freemasonry is the idea that ‘Everyone is God’ and that they are essentially a mystical organization which derives from and are a continuation of ancient Mystery Religion and Gnosticism. Recently in 2009 this idea was made mainstream through the publication of a best selling novel, ‘The Lost Symbol’ by the Author Dan Brown which presented this idea at the end of the Story. Also the fastest and biggest selling adult fiction book ever, at that point in time, the tale revolves around Freemasonry and at the end of the book it is revealed that the Masonic ‘Lost Symbol’ is the means by which people become God and realize their true nature. Though a work of fiction with a lot of creative licence applied, nonetheless it has put the idea of Freemasonry’s mystic heart into the popular imagination. While at the same time it would be naive to suppose that every rank and file Freemason is some sort of Mystical Adept and actually most will be completely unaware of this deeper aspect to Freemasonry. However the point is that in its origins and perhaps still at the apex of its organization is to be found the truth that is also at the original esoteric heart of all mainstream religion. So in the same way that most mainstream Christians, Jews or Muslims would find the idea that ‘Everyone is God’ to be completely unfamiliar and would certainly reject the notion that it is the central truth behind their respective faiths, so it is that most Freemasons and even Master Masons would find hardcore Gnostic and Mystical truths most inaccessible and totally unfamiliar. The point being made here is that if we put Freemasonry in its wider historical context and engage in a little detective work then we soon uncover its mystical roots, its ancient mystical heritage and also perhaps its mystical future destiny.

The idea that Freemasonry has this mystical dimension is undeniable. In London one just has to visit the Masonic Headquarters in Covent Garden and notice all the mystical and hermetical books in the library there, to get an idea of Freemasonry’s spiritual dimension. While claiming not to be a religion, at the same time a belief in God is required of all Freemasons. It is certainly not an organization for atheists and the organization has its own various epithets for God. Some examples of Freemason names for God are GAOTU(Grand Architect of the Universe) and Jahbulon(this name is supposed to be an amalgam of Yahweh, Baal and Osiris, representing both good and evil.)

But why should an organization derived from Medieval Stone Masons Guilds that were involved in the building of Europes churchs and cathedrals also be so involved in the mystical if the context in which they worked i.e. mainstream Christianity of Medieval Europe had all but lost its mystical dimension? One answer comes even from the official history of Freemasonry which assumes a historical lineage and continuity between modern day Freemasons, the Medieval Stone Workers Guilds and the Builders of the Ancient Temple of Soloman. A central character in Freemasonry folklore is the character Hiram Abiff who was the chief builder and architect of the Temple of Soloman. Here is where the we can make the connection between Mysticism and the process of manual labour in stone craft. It is because in ancient Isreal only the mystically initiated were allowed to enter holy ground including the holiest inner sanctums of the to be built Temple. So how to build the holiest parts of the Temple without violating it with the prescence of the uninitiated. The simple answer was that the builders of the Temple also had to be mystical initiates. So the manual labourers and workers of stone who built crucial parts of the temple were also its high priests, initiates and religious functionaries. So Hiram Abiff is seen not just as an architect and builder but also as a master of the Ancient Mysteries. It is believed that in the design, proportioning and geometry of the Temple of Soloman, is reflected divine truths and secret sacred codes.

It is also supposed by some that the lineage of Freemasonry goes even further back in time to the builders of the Egyptian Pyramids and that there is a continuation and lineage of descent starting from the Ancient Egyptian Mysteries, onto the Mysteries of Judaism and the Greek Mysteries, onto early Gnostic Christianity and Pagan mysteries of Pre-Medieval Europe and leading up to Rosicrucianism, Renaissance Hermeticism, the more recent Magical, Alchemical, Occult practices of Europe and also of course Freemasonry. Seen in this light then Freemasonry is essentially a Mystical Secret Society preserving into modern times a vestige of the Ancient Mystery Traditions. This would also explain the traditional antagonism between on the one hand Freemasonry and on the other, the Catholic Church. It is really a continuation of the struggle between two interpretations of Religion, a Gnostic and Mystical interpretation as represented by Freemasonry versus a more Literalist, De-Mystified and Political interpretation championed and often imposed by force and on the pain of death, by the Catholic Church.

Further support for the idea of Freemasonry as a Gnostic Mystical Secret Society which has at its heart the belief that ‘Everyone is God’ derives from connections that Freemasonry has with Mystical Islam. In an earlier chapter we explored the idea the idea that Islam has two sides to it. Like all religion it has an Exoteric side to it dealing with outer mysteries, i.e. the familiar rules, rituals, fantasies and fables of religiosity; contradistinct from a hidden Esoteric side dealing with the more unfamiliar mystical inner mysteries. In Islam the inner mysteries derive from the ‘Batin’ which are the hidden meanings of the Koran and the sayings of Muhammad. This Esoteric side to Islam is represented by the various Sufi groups found throughout the Muslim World and also by some Shiite sects but not all. The word Shiite derives from an expression meaning Partisan, in the sense they are the ‘party of Ali’. Ali was the Cousin, Son in Law and closest companion of the Prophet Muhammad and it is believed that the secret of the ‘Batin’ was passed onto him. This is one of the reasons why it is considered by some Muslims, i.e. Shiites, that it is Ali who is the legitimate hier to Muhammad, because it was to him that the Truth behind Islam was entrusted. So the Shiites have always tended to be more Mystical whereas the other main sect of Islam, the Sunnis, tend to be more Worldly and Political. Fundamentalist Sunnis will deny the ‘Batin’ altogether or the idea that there are hidden meanings, or any sort of mystical dimension to the Religion whatsoever.

Anyway, back to Freemasonry. The commonly supposed connection between it and Mystical Esoteric Islam, we’ve just described, derives from the Knights Templars and their association with the Sufis and a particular Shiite Sect called the Nizaris(AKA Assassins), during their time spent in the Crusader Kingdom of Outremer situated in the conquered lands of the Levant and which included Jerusalem and the ruins of the Temple of Soloman. Drawings from that time even depict Knights Templars dressed in the thick woolen cloaks from which the Sufis derive their name. And we know that the Templars collaborated with the Nizaris who were themselves a minority sect which was considered heretical and persecuted by the more numerous Sunnis.

The basic idea is that the Knights Templars started out as very Religious Knights serving the orders of the Pope and in the defence of Christendom. During their extended time spent in the Near East and the interactions they had with the Sufis and Shiite Nizari, they absorbed their mystical outlook, knowledge and even elements of their religion and organization. So as a result they transformed into a very Mystical and Gnostic order of Knights with beliefs sharply at odds with those of mainstream Christianity as represented by the Catholic Church. This would have been one of the reasons why the Order of the Knights Templars were eventually destroyed in 1307 on the command of the King of France, Philip IV. Anyway, the story goes that not all the Knights were killed but that some managed to escape, one group ending up far away in Northern most parts of the United Kingdom, Scotland, and from here they connected with existing Freemason groups, merging with them and influencing their future course and evolution.

This connection that Freemasonry has had with Mystical Islam through the Knights Templars, actually explains a lot of the practices of modern day Freemasonry. For there exists a lot of parallels between the Mystical Esoterics Sects of Islam, both past and present, and Freemasonry practice of today. For instance both in the past and even in present times, the Shiites and Sufis have often been persecuted by the Majority Sunnis, who have regarded them as heretical and deviant. So as a result these mystical Shiite and Sufi groups would practice a doctrine known as ‘Taqquiya’ which essentially means Dissimulation, i.e. pretending to be something you’re not and keeping your true identity and beliefs secret. This has even involved Shiites or Sufis living in Sunni communinities, actually pretending to be Sunnis, even going to Mosque with the Sunnis and in public doing everything as they would do, but all the while secretly holding onto their true beliefs. Sometimes this would have a been a matter of life or death, as the schism between Sunni and Shia Islam has often been accompanied by a lot of extreme enmity and conflict.

One consequence of this life of Taqquiya or Dissimulation was that not only would it have been hard for majority Sunnis to detect the Shias or Sufis living in this way among the Sunnis, but also the same would have been true for other Shias or Sufis who actually shared the same beliefs. So in order to get around this problem and make it possible to identify the people who had the same beliefs but who had to keep them secret and hidden from the majority, then a system of secret signs and social codes was developed consisting of subtle gestures and signals, sometimes in the form of covert hand shake gestures or perhaps as special replies given in reply to specific questions. The secret hand shakes of modern day Freemasonry are legend and are used as a means by which Masons may identify one another. Another way it is believed that a Freemason may identify another Mason, is by asking the question ‘How old are you?’, to which a Mason will reply, ‘I am very Old’, if he wishes to reveal that he is a Freemason. This would be one of many such question and response couplets that could be used by two Freemasons in order to reveal their identity to each other.

Another parallel between modern day Freemasonry and some of the esoteric sects of Islam is in the organization of Freemasonry into essentially autonomous lodges where each one is initially authorised by a Grand lodge. And also in the way that new Freemasons are initiated into a Lodge, which is always by introduction and being approached by an already initiated Freemason and Lodge member. This parallels the organization of Sufi and some Shiite sects, which had to organize and evangelize under the constraints of ‘Taqquiya’ or Dissimulation. It was impossible for them to openly advertise for new members and the Mystical nature of their beliefs meant that a lot of discernment was required in the identifying of potential new recruits. And so careful approaches would be made to suitable candidates who would then be intitiated into the esoteric secrets of the sect in gradual degrees of initiation. Also the atmosphere of persecution that these Esoteric Sects of Islam had to operate under, meant that their adherents had to form themselves into autonomous cells that didn’t necessary have much knowledge or interaction with other cells, and this was to contain any breach of security whenever one cell was discovered by the unsympathetic Sunna authorities, which would have led to its demise but not that of neighbouring cells which could remain secret.

But the main and deepest parallel that Freemasonry would have with Esoteric Islam is the idea that a person’s real identity is God, which is the hidden truth behind Islam as it is also the case for Christianity. This was explained in the earlier chapter ‘Everyone is God’. So in the same way that a lot of Classical Knowledge, for example some of the writings of Aristotle, was lost to Medieval Europe in the Dark Ages and preserved by the Muslim World, to be eventually returned to Europe thereby helping to seed the Renaissance; so it is that the Mystical and Gnostic Knowledge of early Christianity, that was all but wiped out by the Catholic Church, would have been maintained from the time of Muhammad and preserved by the Esoteric Sects of Islam, eventually transmitted to Europe by a variety of routes and one of these being by way of the Knights Templars. Interestingly the Nizari sect which in modern times would be referred to as the Ismaili, are sometimes referred to as a Gnostic sect of Islam. In the past the Shiites have sometimes been referred to, by fellow Muslims, as Batinyya or Batini, which means Esotericists. And the Mystical elements to Sufism are well know. So it is really this aspect of Islam which would have perhaps been absorbed partially or extensively by the Knights Templars and transferred onto Freemasonry. It is also perhaps no coincidence that the current leader of the main Ismaili Sect, the Aga Khan along with his Father were both Freemasons. This is perhaps a further sign of the connections that exist and have existed between Freemasonry and Esoteric Sects in Islam.

What what does this say about Freemasonry and its ultimate purpose. When we understand the parallels between Freemasonry and the Esoteric Sects in Islam, especially some of the Shiite factions then we can perhaps understand the underlying purpose of the Freemasons and their original reason for existing, even if this purpose has been forgotten by the Freemasons of today. For a further paralllel between Freemasonry and certain Shiite Sects such as the Nizari, is that they are both seen as conspiratorial shadowy organizations in their respective domains, i.e. the Occident and the Muslim World, rumoured to be plotting all sorts of subteruge and subversion against the incumbent powers that be and the status quo, i.e. the Catholic church along with the Kings of Christiandom in case of Christianity and the Sunni Caliphates of Islam. The Muslim world in the past and also in present times, has been and is full of rumours of Shiite conspiracies to take over the Muslim world, usurp Sunni Islam and spread their heretical faith. This is not an altogether irrational fear as historically there is a precedent which would seem to lend support to such conspiracy theories. The prime example would be what happened in Persia in the late 15th Century, in what is Iran today. Persia, which in Medieval times was originally a Sunni land, was conquered by a Sufi order from Azerbajian, with strong Shiite leanings called the Safavi. They then went about systematically converting their newly obtained Sunni Muslim subjects into Shiite Muslim subjects. They did this by bringing in Shiite religious teachers and Imams from already shiite lands, in what is today places like Syria, Iraq and Yemen. And so it is to this day that Iran is still a Shiite majority country with Sunnis only make up a small percentage of the total population.

The proposition here is that we may extrapolate from the situation in Islam to give us an understanding of a similar process that may be occuring in the Occident and which would shed light on one of the meanings and purposes of Freemasonry. We suggest that in the same way that Islam is partly characterized by an ongoing conflict between two rival sects, i.e. the Shia and the Sunni which represent a more Mystical and more Worldly interpretation of Islam respectively; so too a similar conflict has been happening in Christianity between on the one hand a more mystically orientated Gnostic Christianity versus on the other a more Literalist interpretation of Christian Mysteries as represented by the Catholic Church. The main difference between Islam and Christianity in this respect is that the Catholic church has done a better job of exterminating and eradicating Gnostic Christians than the various Caliphates through the ages have been able to do unto the various Shiite Sects and Sufi orders, though not necessarily for want of trying.

More specifically what is suggested here is that there is a conflict happening in both Christianity and Islam between on the one hand minority sects that have a mystical orientation and preserve at their heart the original truth of World Religion that Everyone is God, as represented by Gnostic Christians, Shiites and Sufis; and on the other hand the majority factions of both faiths which have a more Worldly and practical outlook, as represented by Catholicism and Sunni Islam. Also traditionally the latter majority factions of these religions have also been more associated with social control and with the political power of the Caliphs of Islam, the later Roman Emperors and of course some of the various Popes.

In an earlier Chapter entitled ‘Everyone is God’ we described how it is generally the case that the major Religions of this World are two tiered with an Exoteric aspect focused on the Outer Mysteries of religion and consisting of the familiar rules, rituals and regulations which most people understand by the word religion. We also described how this contrasted with the Esoteric or Inner Mysteries of religion which contains the core sacred truths of religion, especially the idea that ‘Everyone is God’ and also the mystical practices by which people may achieve mystical union with God. Relating this dual aspect of religion described in the earlier chapter to the present chapter, what we are seeing are some of the political implications of this divisioning of Religion. Specifically we are seeing the conflicts which can arise between competing factions within a religion which either espouse the Exoteric Outer Mysteries or else the Esoteric Inner Mysteries. In Christianity, the Exoteric Outer Mysteries would be represented by the Catholic Church and the Esoteric Inner Mysteries would be represented by groupings like the early Gnostics, the Cathars, Bogomils, the Knights Templars and later by Freemasonry. In Islam the Outer Mysteries would correspond to Sunni Islam and the Inner Mysteries to Sufism and some of the more Esoteric Shiite Sects.

What this gives us then is an interesting angle for interpreting what is the true meaning behind Freemasonry. This is to see Freemasonry as being originally a Mystical and Spiritual Fraternity which has guarded and maintained certain mystic beliefs at its heart, including the idea that Everyone is God, in opposition to organizations such as the Catholic church which through the ages has sought to eradicate such beliefs, literally consigning such beliefs and its adherents to the flames. And that it is for this reason that the Catholic church has always had such enmity towards Freemasonry. Which in itself would seem strange seeing as the Masons would have derived from the Guilds of stone workers who built all the Catholic churchs and cathedrals of Europe in Medieval times. You’d think the Catholic church would have a more friendly attitude towards its valuable skilled craftsmen. That is were it not for the mystical beliefs behind Freemasonry and the challenge this would have presented to the Catholic church.

Freemasonry, Revolution and Scientific Method

Seen from this perspective of the Freemasons as a mystical secret society we can derive an understanding of what was behind the Freemason involvement in the American and French revolutions, and also behind the setting up of the Royal Society which has existed as the World’s premiere Science institution. The Freemason led French and American revolutions can be interpreted as being part of this conflict between an incumbent order based on an oppressive hereditary monarchical hierarchy and superstitious religion versus an underground secret society which would seem to champion Liberty, Equality and Fraternity, while also incorporating a more reasonable, though mystical, interpretation of God. This revolutionary and also evolutionary side to Freemasonry could be seen to derive from its core mystical beliefs which through the ages have run counter to those of the dominant incumbent powers, and which when manifested in the form of political expression, will necessary come into conflict with existing power structures. It is perhaps poetic that first flowering of Masonic inspired Revolution should have occurred in France, the place where the Knights Templars had their main base and where on one fateful Friday the 13th, the Mystical order came to be destroyed on the orders of the French King.

This period of revolutionary activity and the time leading up to it was a busy time for Freemasonry. Apart from fomenting revolution, Freemasons in London, including the celebrated architect Christopher Wren, were instrumental in the forming of the Royal Society in 1660, which has been one of the most influential Scientific Institutions fostering the growth and spread of the Scientific Method. The Royal Society grew out of a small group of Freemasons who met regularly to discuss Scientific matters which was called the Invisible College and consisted mainly of Christopher Wren and some like minded Masonic friends. It is even said that Freemasonry was the guiding force behind the birth of modern science, under the cover of the Royal Society. It is also poetic that it has been the rise of modern science which has really driven the process of Secularization, where the power and influence of the Catholic church along with other traditional religious institutions has come to be steadilly eroded. This process is also characterized by people losing their faith in the Religion of the Outer Mysteries and a falling away into Atheism, Agnosticism or Fundamentalism. It is entirely appropriate that this process was so helped along by a select band of Freemasons. Could this process have been consciously planned and conceived by the Freemasons who founded the Royal Society. And which had such an effect in promoting the spread of the Scientific Method thereby undermining the Catholic Church, which has been the traditional nemesis of Gnosticism and Esoteric Religion. This would surely have been one of the brilliant and successful little conspiracies ever executed. We can but speculate.Therefore through sparking political revolution and the nurturing of science, Freemasonry certainly has had a major impact on the World and human affairs. And this would have been either through actively and consciously planning conspiracies or else purely through accident.

There is of course much speculation about all the other ways that Freemasonry may be affecting the World today. Of course individual Freemasons and even larger sections of Freemasonry may be involved in all sorts of activities which could be considered conspiratorial and not necessarily benign. There is most certainly a large part to Freemasonry which has to do with the seeking of self betterment, mutual aid and career advancement through membership of the organization. And also the seeking of advantage often at the expense and disadvantage of non Freemasons. Humans will be humans and sometimes humans can act in selfish and corrupt ways. This would be true of any large organization. In the United Kingdom one Freemason who achieved notoriety is the master criminal Kenneth Noye. He was actually a Master Freemason of a lodge based in Hammersmith London which ironically had and has many policemen as initiated members. His involvement in crime included laundering the proceeds from a major gold bullion robbery for which he served 8 years in jail and fews years after release, being sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of a small time drug dealer who owed him money. He also stabbed to death an undercover policeman but managed to get away with a self defence verdict. So this illustrates that not all Freemasons are necessarily good citizens but reflect the diversity and extremes of human nature. This darker side to human nature may also be manifested higher up in the hierarchy of Freemasonry and perhaps large sections of the organization are involved in grand geo-political conspiracies with aims not beneficient to the rest of humanity. Who knows, we can but speculate.

However the main point of this section on Freemasonry is to show a positive side which the organization has had in the past and one which may also be a part of Freemasonry’s future. If Freemasonry has forgotten its original truth, purpose and meaning, then perhaps it can be reminded of it and become once again a force of benign revolution, evolution and the advancement of humankind towards a better, more just and peaceful future. The real conspiracy behind Freemasonry may actually have to do with the maintaining and transmission of the Esoteric Inner Mysteries of True Religion. And being the representatives of Gnostic and Universal Mystic truths often in the face of persecution by the incumbent powers that be, i.e. the Catholic Church and God fearing or Pope fearing monarchies of Europe. In response Freemasonry, either individually, in small groups or as a collective whole, may have been systematically conspiring against these powers, and which would have led to the French and American Revolutions. Perhaps this stuggle is still actively going on today. Or perhaps Freemasonry took on a completely different direction or as some Conspiracy Theorists would suggest, that Freemasonry become at some point infiltrated and massively corrupted by another yet more shadowy, mysterious and sinister organization, the Illuminati.

Who are the Illuminati?

So who were the historical Illuminati? The Illuminati were a Secret Society founded by a Bavarian Professor of Law named Adam Weishaupt in 1776. His first recruits came from among his students and the order would quickly grow to 1000 members in the space of 3 years or so. The Illuminati is believed to have attracted to its ranks many progressive politicians and influential intellectuals including even the likes of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. In 1777 Adam Weishaupt is believed to have joined the Freemasons and it seems there followed something of an infiltration of Freemasonry by Illuminati members and also a process of recruitment from Freemasons into the Illuminati Order. In this way the Illuminati is believed to have become a secret society within another secret society i.e. the Freemasons; with Illuminati members quickly achieving positions of seniority and effectively taking over local Masonic lodges.

Then in 1785 it came about that a man called Jacob Lanz was struck by lightning while travelling to Silesia. The Bavarian authorities found hidden papers on the body, sewn into the garments, which contained lists of Illuminati members. The papers also hinted at the secret plan of the Illuminati. There followed investigations by the authorities and raids on the houses of suspected Illuminati members, including Weishaupt himself. Papers and documents seized would seem to reveal the true intentions and ultimate goal of the Illuminati. This was expressed in Adam Weishaupt’s own words when he writes, “Do you realize sufficiently what it means to rule - to rule in a secret society? Not only over the lesser or more important of the populace, but over the best of men, over men of all ranks, nations, and religions, to rule without external force, to unite them indissolubly, to breathe one spirit and soul into them, men distributed over all parts of the world?’. He also writes that, ‘The final aim of our society is nothing less than to win power and riches ... and to obtain mastery of the World’.

After the discovery of the Illuminati conspiracy by the Bavarian authorities there was a systematic attempt to destroy the underground organization. This variously involved the banishment, imprisonment, confiscation of goods and execution of those found to have been involved in the conspiracy. In the course of this process it was discovered just how extensive the influence of the Illuminati had become. It’s tentacles had spread to all branches of authority in Bavaria and Greater Germany; also reaching France, Italy, Austria, Poland and England and even America. At its demise the Illuminati was reckoned to number between 2 to 3 thousand people in total, including many government officials, aristocrats, academics and other persons in positions of influence.

However it is widely supposed, by conspircay theorists, that the Illuminati were never completely destroyed and that the organization survived, continued growing and spread over the entire World. It is also believed that the Bavarian Illuminati themselves were merely a localised and more recent manifestation of something that has existed well before the 18th Century and perhaps even going back to antiquity. But this is where we pass from the realm of historical fact into that of historical speculation and conspiracy theory. What we can definitely say is that the historical organization and secret society started by Adam Weishaupt certainly ignited the imaginations of conspiracy theorists over the years and right up to the present. They form a recurring theme in the conspiracy theory literature and are often seen as an invisible hand guiding World history and influencing, even effectively controlling World Politics. Though actual hard evidence for this is scant or none existent, nonetheless the idea is pervasive.

Another unanswered question concerns the nature of the Illuminati movement. The most common perception is that they were a conspiracy merely concentrated on the predictable human objectives of obtaining power, wealth, influence and domination over other humans. Documents uncovered by the Bavarian authorities would seem to support this. The Illuminati are usually portrayed as an evil organization and one that is necessarily so. A cynically constructed secret power structure with the purpose of infiltration, manipulation and control that was built on a lie. For it was purported that the Illuminati promised the revelation of a great secret to its initiates but only to be eventually told that, ‘The secret is that there is not secret.’ So it would obviously seem that what we have in the Illuminati is a sinister conspiracy, based on a deception and primarily motivated by greed and power lust.

However we are presented with a difficulty when it comes to any serious and impartial assessment of the Illuminati. The problem is that all the historical evidence we have, with which to understand and judge the Illuminati, comes from the same people whose aim it was to destroy them. In this case the Bavarian authorities. It is easy to see that it would have been in their interests to portray the Illuminati in the worst possible light and in a way that would best justify their actions. Also there would needed to have been a campaign of propaganda by the authorities to discourage any sympathies for the Illuminati and also to dissuade potential future recruits. It is not inconceivable that this process of discrediting would involve the wholesale suppression of facts as well as their systematic creation from the imagination. We have a similar situation in this regard, to that of the Gnostic Cathars of Southern France, the already mentioned Knights Templars and also the countless other heretics tortured and killed during the Inquisition. For in all these cases what we know about all these groups comes from the same people who purpose it was to eradicate them, literally consigning them, along with their beliefs, to the flames. And in all cases these groups were alleged, by their persecutors who were usually either agents of, or acting at the behest of, the Pope and Catholic Church; to have been involved in all sorts of diabolical and nefarioius practices. In a manner not totally dissimilar to the negative image of the Illuminati that was presented by the authorities of Catholic Bavaria.

We’re going to propose a shocking idea that will be completely anathema to conspiracy theorists. The proposition is that there exists the possibility that the Illuminati were completely misrepresented by the Bavarian authorities. Also we’d like to propose that the Illuminati may have shared a common set of core beliefs to that of the Gnostic Cathars, Knights Templars, various Medieval Heretics and also Freemasonry. That like the Cathars and Templars, they too were the casualties of the war between Literalist Religion as represented by the Catholic church and Mystery or Mystical Religion as represented by the Gnostics, Heretics, Templars and Masons. That far from being necessarily an evil organization they were an organization made of humans and so will show both good and evil aspects. And instead of being a secret society based on a falsehood, there may have been a true mystical spirituality underlying the Illuminati and may even have been inspired variously by the spark of true illumination. The reason why the Illuminati were able to grow so quickly and attract so many talented and capable people may have been that at the heart of the organization existed a compelling truth rather than, as is commonly supposed, an empty lie.

Preposterous, most if not all seasoned conspiracy theorists would say. But we know that Illuminati founder Adam Weishaupt certainly had a keen interest in the mystical and also in mystery religion. It is not inconceivable that his movement was inspired in part by this mystical interest and it is also completely reasonable to suppose that he may even have been mystically Illuminated. A result that will surely be obtained by those who truly seek and it does seem that Weishaupt was a true seeker. It may be therefore that the big secret behind the Illuminati is not that there is no big secret but rather that it is the same secret that lies behind Freemasonry, the Knights Templars, the Cathars and all Mystery Religion. Furthermore the secret turth which is found at the esoteric heart and origin of all World Religion, including ironically Catholicism.

Another perspective on the Illuminati is given by an observer in the late 18th century who writes, “Weishaupt... proposed as the end of Illuminism the abolition of property, social authority, nationality, and the return of the human race to the happy state in which it formed only a single family without artificial needs, without useless sciences, every father being priest and magistrate.” - Henry Martin, Histoire de France depuis les temps les plus reculés jusqu’en 1789, XVI. 533. Of course this would be dismissed by conspiracy theorists as Illuminati propaganda but it is no less credible than the ‘evidence’ and propaganda of the Bavarian authorities. The greatest irony concerning conspiracy theories surrounding the Illuminati is that the conspiracy theorists themselves may be the unwitting dupes of a conspiracy by the Bavarian authorities acting in concert with and implementing the policies of the Catholic church. And that the actual big lie behind the Illuminati is the one that was fabricated by the Bavarian Authorities and perpetuated by self righteous conspiracy theorists of the present.
Of course this is all a matter of speculation and ultimately which interpretation a person will settles upon will depend to large degree on personality and temperament. But what we hope to have showed is that things are never totally clear cut and that unquestioned assumptions can turn out to be completely mistaken. Sometimes it turns out that the bad guys were really the good guys and the people that are or were assumed by the majority of people to be mostly beneficient to the common good, were really mainly evil. What we would like to do next is to put the Bavarian Illuminati in a wider context. Even if the conspiracy of Adam Weishaupt’s Illuminati came to nothing is there another sense in that the Illuminati have been the guiding hand of World history. Are the Bavarian Illuminati, as supposed by some conspiracy theorists, really part of something far bigger and more ancient. We will suggest that this is indeed the case but not in a way that most conspiracy theorists would conceive or accept.

The True Illuminati and the role of Mystical Illumination on the unfolding of World History

What we would like do now is to show the effect that Mystical Illumination has had on World history. If the central truth behind World Religion and also behind some of the more well known Secret Societies, is the idea that Everyone is God, then what happens to people when they encounter the divine and directly apprehend the Sacred. What we propose is that if this process of Connection with God and the Transcendent is called Mystical Illumination; then we are able to derive from this a powerful and compelling interpretation of who are the true Illuminati and what is the real guiding force behind World history.

The basic idea is that there is a mystical dimension to World history and in particular behind some, if not most, of histories greatest figures. The people who really define the course of human history and who have laid the foundations for the World we know today. Of course we have the founders of World Religion, together with the Prophets, Avatars, Saints and mystic visionaries whose historical input has been profound and literally World changing. Figures like Jesus, Moses, Muhammad, Buddha etc. These are historical figures who have a obvious connection with the Sacred and even come to directly represent and personify the divine. But less obviously we also have such notable historical figures such as Alexander the Great and Genghis Khan. That these conquerers and warlords should be associated with the sacred may at first seem perverse. However when we study their biographies in close detail then we discover that they had an interesting relationship with the mystical dimension. Alexander the Great really saw life through the lense of Mythology which is thinly veiled allegory for the Sacred. Towards the end of his life after he made all his conquests he said that he had become God. Most historians would see this as a sad folly, but when we understand the truth that everyone is God, then this seeming folly may in fact have been Alexander’s greatest and most crowning achievement, i.e. mystical union with the divine. In the case of Genghis Khan we find someone who had a life long interest in Religion and also someone who himself and all through his life, went into shamanistic visionary trance states. He is best understood as a shaman warrior and mystical warlord. It was in one of these visions that he apprehended his calling to conquer the World.

Some of the greatest thinkers of history were particularly spiritual and heavily involved in mysticism. The hugely influential Pythagoras was during his life revered as a God man and led a religious community. Both Socrates and Plato were involved in the Greek Mysteries. It was Einstein who said that ‘Mysticism is source of all true science’ and Isaac Newton had a very strong interest in Kabbalah, Alchemy and Prophecies. The hugely influential philosopher Georg Willheim Friederich Hegel actually believed he was God.

Then we have some of the greatest artists of the ages such as Leonardo Da Vinci and Michelangelo. Da Vinci is thought to have been heavily involved in mystical practices and Michelangelo thought he was God’s artist rendering the divine in his paintings and sculpture. Vincent Van Gogh embarked upon his calling to be an artist after a spiritual experience after a long walk and prolonged exposure to the wind and rain. Perhaps in a full blown mystical state he scribbled on the wall of his lodgings, ‘I am the Holy Spirit’.

The Poet and Mystic William Blake thought that the source of poetry and the creative muse was one and the same as the source of Prophecy and Divine Revelation. A related idea is found in Science and Mathematics where some notable thinkers such as Kurt Godel and Roger Penrose believe in the actual existence of a Platonic Transcendent realm where ideas and mathematical truths exist eternally and which the human mind may connect with during flashes of inspiration and specially heightened moments of creative thought. The Logician Kurt Godel, though not well known generally, was probably one of the greatest thinkers of the 20th century. Albert Einstein said, in his later years, that the only reason why he went daily to his office at the Princeton Institute of Advance Study was so that he could walk home together with the reclusive Godel and enjoy intellectually stimulating conversations with him. Kurt Godel was a Platonist and believed in a transcendent realm of perfect forms and pure idea. While he may not have shared Plato’s explicit mysticism Godel did believe in his metaphysical position which was essentially religious in nature. What to Godel was a realm of abstract mathematical and logical ideas was to Plato the realm of the divine. The point here is that even if people don’t directly believe in mystical or spiritual truths, then once we realize that everyone is God and that our higher mind is the mind of God, then we see the real source of truly inspired ideas is God and our higher selves. So that each and every truly inspired idea is a mini state of mystical illumination. In a sense poets, artists and all inspired thinkers are in a sense Illuminati. The word ‘inspire’ actually contains within it a reference to this truth, i.e. literally meaning to receive the spirit. The same can be said of the word ‘Charisma’. If some of most important historical actors exert their influence through their charisma, then the root and literal meaning of this word is also a reference to connection with the Sacred, ‘charis’ is Greek for spirit.

Finally, we add to this collection and miscellaneous mix of historical characters, those who achieved what they were able to do not through normal reasoning processes or for normal selfish ends but to serve higher religious and mystical goals in a completely selfless and idealistic manner. For example the explorer Christopher Columbus who was motivated to embark on his voyages of discovery because he thought it would hasten the Second Coming of Christ. The same for Oliver Cromwell was driven by Apolcalyptic expectation and did specific things like allowed Jewish people to return to England because like Columbus he thought this would help usher in Christ’s return.

So we see a dimension to World history which may not seem immediately obvious or apparent. We see a hidden mystical influence on the course of history which is mediated by people who connect with the Divine in varying degrees, and in a sense receive illumination. Through this mystical input they variously receive their calling, derive their strenghth, gain insights into the true nature of things and obtain artistic inspiration. They then go on to influence the World and sometimes fundamentally changing it. In this way World history is profoundly shaped and guided. If we take this mystical influence away from the lives of these people then these historical figures are no longer the people they became. And if these historical figures are taken out of the equation of World History then we don’t have the same process of cultural advancement, pursuit of knowledge and political unification. World history is driven by such people together with their mystical visions, spiritual revelations and various inspired ideas. In a real sense these people are the real Illuminati, the real movers and shakers of World history. Not a human conspiracy to serve human goals and objectives but rather the divine conspiracy of the Hand of Providence and the Cosmic Intelligence to serve the will of God and realize the ordained purpose of history.

Funnily enough, this mystical dimension is alluded to by some popular and well known onspiracy Theorists but they don’t go on to make the conceptual leap that it is this very mystical dimension which lies at the heart of the real Conspiracy behind world history and which explains so many of the recurring themes in the Conpiracy Theory literature. The former TV Sports presenter and compiler of Conspiracy Theories David Icke, talks about Infinite Consciousness, Infinite Love and his own mystical experiences but then dwells obsessively on his idea of Shape Shifting Lizards hailing from another planet, who he proposes are the real protagonists behind the shaping of World History and who are and have been conspiring behind the scenes, led by a multi-dimensional master lizard. The popular Zeitgeist film, which collates a lot of popular Conspiracy Theories currently in circulation into a well presented video format, likewise alludes to ideas of Mystical Oneness and the Spiritual Dimension without takng it any further. It is perhaps the influential Conspiracy Theorist Robert Antoine Wilson who presents an idea which is quite close to what is being proposed in this Chapter, when in his book Cosmic Trigger he outlines a Mystical and Occult Conspiracy operating over the course of World history. In his view this conspiracy has been mediated by all the various Mystical Traditions and Occult organizations that have existed through the ages, including the Knights Templars, Sufis and Freemasonry; which we also discussed earlier on. What we’re saying is that the ultimate truth behind World Religion and the big secret all through World history, i.e. the mystical idea that ‘Everyone is God’, is also the key concept which explains and unravels a lot of the recurring mysteries of the Conspiracy Theory landscape. It is the reason why a lot of the World’s conspiracies are happening and it is the truth, when directly experienced as mystical Illumination and Union with God, which inspires people to start conspiring in the first place.

What we’ll do now is to discuss other types of major conspiracies that may be happening in the World today and some of the goals or end games that these conspiracies are conspiring towards.

Conspiratorial End Games

We will now consider what might be the final end game of a supposed World Conspiracy. Even though we have given more positive interpretations on the possible motives of organizations like the Freemasons and tried to present a different perspective on what is the actual overall guiding hand of World history and the Illuminati; nonetheless this does not mean that there do not exist a possibly multitude of Conspiracies, perhaps interacting or interlocked, happening right now on this planet consisting of various powerful forces and agencies with the potential to cause much havoc, upset, mass oppression, suffering and death. Obviously we have Conspiracies focused on conquest, domination, taking over either the entire World or large portions of it and related conspiracies to secure the earth’s natural resources. These sorts of conspiracies are predictable. They can consist of individual powerful countries or collaborating conspiratorial coalitions. Also they can derive from certain religious groupings or organizations.

Examples of this broad category would include a supposed conspiracy happening in the Muslim World to try and establish a Fundamentalist Sunni Muslim Caliphate upon the whole world. And then there are the supposed Shiite Conspiracies aimed at dominating the Muslim world and converting all Sunnis into Shia. Or perhaps conspiracies involving vestiges of Hitler’s Nazi program to establish an Aryan blonde blue eyed One World Order perhaps perpetuated by Neo-Nazi White Supremacist groups. Or even a conspiracy happening deep within the hierarchy of the Chinese Communist Party to take over the World and revive the Empire of the Middle Kingdom and the Tributary system of Vassal states. Or a conspiracy happening within the European Community led by a would be modern day Charlemaigne together with a network of top European politicians and aristocrats who would recreate the Holy Roman Empire but in a 21st century manifestation extending across the whole of Europe. And of course there are the quite prevalent conspiracies involving a surreptitous take over of the World by a secret cabal of Jewish leaders, usually alleged to involve the internationally coordinated clandestine manipulation of governmental and financial institutions. This last variety of World dominance conspiracy by Jewish people was described in vivid and lurid detail, in the infamous document ‘The Protocols of the Elders of Zion’. Now believed to be a forgery created in the late 19th Century, it outlines plans for Jewish world domination. Hitler referred to it in Mein Kampf and it was made required reading in the school rooms of Nazi Germany and was generally a popular read. It’s influence has been widespread and long lasting even making the rounds in present times particularly in Right Wing circles, among conspiracy theorists generally and also parts of the Arab World.

The imagination can run wild with these sorts of conspiracies of World domination and Global take over. And these sorts of musings can be easily dismissed as the paranoid, over imaginative rants of a much too creative conspiracy theorist. But at the same time, there can be no doubt there are people, within their respective countries, races or faiths, who would be very pleased at the sorts of end scenarios just described. And if given the oppurtunity matched with sufficient ability and intent, then it is entirely plausible that these sorts of things are being planned by various people or groups and being implemented to various and varying degrees. Anyway we may speculate, and this being a chapter about Conspiracy Theory, in the present context it would be entirely appropriate to do this. In all these cases, the end games of all these varieties of conspiracy would be some sort of state of World domination or the dominion over a certain desired portion of the Earth and the people in it.

What will explore next is another different sort of end game of another popular conspiracy theory and one which ties into earlier chapters about Prophecies and Messianic Expectation. This involves the idea of the rebuilding of the Temple of Soloman.

The Rebuilding of the Temple of Soloman

The temple of Soloman would seem to exist as an important focus of the Jewish faith. Completed in the 10th Century BC, it was first destroyed in 586 BC by the Babylonians during their conquest of Isreal. After the defeat of the Babylonians by King Cyrus and the Persians in 539 BC and the return of the Jewish people from the first exile, the Temple was rebuilt but initially not to the same scale or granduer of the first. Later on it was King Herod who completely renovated this Second Temple effectively taking it apart and rebuilding it. This process begin around 20 BC and according to the Bible took 46 years to complete. Subsequently in 70 AD the Romans sacked the Temple completely destroying most of it and sent the Jewish people on their second exile. The ruins of the Temple that exist in Jerusalem today including the famous remains of the Western Wall are all that is left of it.

That would be the end of the story if it were not for the fact that the rebuilding of the Temple, a Third Temple of Soloman, is an important element of Jewish prophetic expectation and could even be considered as an integral part of the Jewish faith. At the Jewish Passover festival every year the prayer, ‘Next year in Jerusalem’ is said, meaning perhaps next year we’ll celebrating Passover in Jerusalem. The desire and hope is that one day the Passover will be celebrated in Jerusalem with a rebuilt Temple of Soloman. So from this a constellation of conspiracy theories has built up over the years which various describes the systematic bringing about of the reconstruction of the Temple. Often these conspiracy theories tie in with other traditional conspiracy theories such as Zionism and all the various alleged Jewish conspiracies to take over the World. These further speculations would be describing the wider context in which the rebuilding of the temple would be taking place and perhaps the conditions in which it could happen. What we will specifically concentrate on is the rebuilding of the Temple aspect of this line of speculation. Is there an active process underway which will lead to the rebuilding of the Temple of Soloman in the not too distant future?

First of all, I’d like to describe the not too well known fact that Judaism has traditionally forbidden Jews to try to set up a Jewish state in Isreal and even to set foot in the grounds of the ruined temple. The tradition position on the matter was that Jewish people should wait untill the Messiah returns before returning to Isreal and rebuilding the Temple. So it is highly ironic that Zionism is in a sense un-Jewish. Witness any contemporary anti-Zionist protest march or demo, and spot the Ultra-Orthodox Jews among the crowd protesting the violation of Jewish religious laws concerning the conditions of the return of the Jews to the Holy land. However the founding of the modern state of Isreal was carried out in large part by Marxist Socialist Jews and survivors of the Holocaust whose last concern was observing the religious small print. A powerful block of revisionist observing Jews was also instrumental in the initial setting up of the state of Isreal and this group would grow and evolve into the Right Wing Likud party. And various revisionist Rabbis would endorse the Zionist project and give their blessing to the newly created Jewish state. It is another irony that large numbers of Ultra-Orthodox Jews came to settle in Isreal, holding onto their anti-Zionist beliefs but claiming the most per capita government welfare payments from the Isreali state. Anyway, of course the seasoned conspiracy theorist would say that this is all a deliberately contrived smoke screen to help to mask what’s really going on, that it’s all about Zionism and rebuilding the Temple.

So does there exist a comprehensive conspiracy to rebuild the Temple of Soloman happening right now in present times. The desire is certainly there and so too is oppurtunity, given the strength of the Isreali state both militarily and economically. Without a doubt there exist certain Fundamentalist Jewish Sects and organizations which have among their stated aims, the proactive bringing about of the rebuilding of the Temple. And not only is there a desire to merely rebuild the temple. In a Yeshiva, or Jewish Religious School, overlooking the Western Wall, ancients texts are studied with the aim of recreating the ancient rituals of the temple, including animal sacrifice. Also young boys have already been selected to act as the High Priests of the rebuilt temple, presumably with the role of enacting the ancient rituals and serving the Messiah when he comes. And in accordance with ancient custom, their feet are not allowed to touch the ground outside, so they are carried from building to building. So certainly there are groups who are openly planning and anticipating the rebuilding of the Temple. The question becomes how extensive and powerful is the manifestation of this desire to see a rebuilt Temple of Soloman. Does it reach the highest eschelons of the Isreali government and security apparatus. Does it also include a considerable international network of industrialists, bankers and politicians of various persuasions all over the World? And as some have speculated perhaps even a major input from World Freemasonry. Is the rebuilding of the Temple merely an obsession reserved for religious cranks and political extremists or is it something that is a major consideration for a wider spectrum of political actors and agents? It’s really an open question and different people will come up with a different perspectives depending on a variety of factors, including sadly how paranoid or anti-semitic they are. People should really decide for themselves. It is certainly a reality and the truth will perhaps lie somewhere in the middle between the two extremes. But we’ll not be further speculating on who may or not be involved in this supposed process of rebuilding the Temple of Soloman, and the whole idea of which may even be way off the mark or actually exist as a mere sideshow. The honest conspiracy theorist has to accept and be prepared for the possibility of being completely mistaken. Instead what we will go on to do is discuss some interesting matters and facts related to the Rebuilding of the Temple.

For instance, an important fact is that this process of rebuilding the temple is complicated by the fact that it would involve the destruction of the third holiest site in Islam, the Dome on the Rock and would certainly precipitate much bad feeling and unrest in the Muslim World. It may even provide the trigger and catalyst for World War III. In a provocative act, a Right Wing Fundamentalist Jewish group laid a foundation stone in 1998 as the first act in the process of rebuilding the temple. A rather more provocative act would have been a plot to blow up the Dome on the Rock, which was thwarted by Isreali’s domestic security force Shin Bet, in 1984. So given this fact alone, the rebuilding of the Temple would be no straightforward matter. The conspiracy theorist would reason that perhaps to offset just this sort of negative reaction then perhaps what would be needed would be exactly the full spectrum dominance and complete military superiority to deal with any backlash that may result from the process of reconstructing the Temple, i.e. the destruction of the Dome on the Rock and displacement of peoples etc. A powerful nuclear deterent would be particularly useful in this regard as well as the importance of preventing any hostile Muslim powers from themselves obtaining nuclear weapons. Also critical military back up in containing the ‘blow back’ that would ensue following the initiation of Temple rebuilding might be provided by the United States, a country whose foreign policy regarding the Middle East and Israel, is widely believed to be disproportionately influenced by a powerful pro-Isreali lobby. Though the Author has to state, in order to avoid potential blow back from the US powerful pro-Isreali lobby, that this statement is in no way meant to be anti-semitic. Furthermore this American support for Isreal is further augmented by a peculiarity of Christian Fundamentalist beliefs for the Second coming of Christ, which is widely supposed to be imminent. It is widely believed by many Evangelical Born Again Christians in the United States that Christ’s return is preceded by the rebuilding of the Temple and also the return of all of the Promised land to the Jewish People. The Christian Fundamentalists form a powerful political block in America and as a result of their religious beliefs, will always try to encourage American foreign policy that direct or indirectly aids both the settlement of the occupied territories and also in the setting up of the conditions for rebuilding the Temple.

So there may be an array of forces and players which may or may not be engaged in the process of trying to rebuild the Temple of Soloman. From those within Isreal itself, to others scattered around the Globe, particularly in the United States. We’ll now explore the possibility that there may exist another less well know, in the West, but nonetheless a majorly important conspiracy happening in the Muslim World. And also one which may find itself in direct conflict with the familiar Rebuilding the Temple conspiracy. It is something we actually mentioned a little earlier and relates to a recurring conspiracy theory in the Middle East of a Shiite take over of the Muslim World. More specifically we speculate that there may be a plan being hatched to try and create a powerful Shiite Superstate. And since the recent Iraq War and overthrow of the Sunni government of Saddam Hussein by the American led coalition in 2003 this has become much more of a distinct possibility.

The Emergence of a Shiite Superstate

It’s a well know fact that most of the World’s proven oil reserves can be found in the Middle East. The figure is about 70% and as the supply in the rest of the World dwindles over time, then this proportion is sure to increase. It is a less well known fact that even though Shiites make up only around 10 to 15% of all Muslims in the World, the proportion of Shiites compared to Sunnis in the Middle East is 36.5%. What’s more these Shiites just happen to be located exactly where most of the Oil in the Middle East is to be found, i.e. in Southern Iraq, Iran and Eastern Saudi Arabia.

The revered historical figure of Imam Ali from whom the Shiites derive their name and reason for existence, is said to have instructed that on his death his body should be tied to a camel which is should then be left to wander. Where the Camel eventually stopped then that’s where he wanted to be laid to rest. The Camel happened to stop roughly right in the middle of where most of the World’s Oil is and over the centuries Shiite communities formed and grew around this general geographical locale. Fast forward 13 hundred years and we have a current situation where Shiites are either the most numerous and/or dominant in those areas of the Middle East where the main Oil reserves are located.
The future possibility of a Shiite Superstate armed with Nuclear weapons and possessing the bulk of the World’s remaining oil reserves would definitely be a major headache for America and also of course Israel. Currently the most powerful Shiite nation, i.e. Iran, doesn’t possess nuclear weapons but could change in the not too distant future and at the time of writing, is a major current issue. And once nuclear weapons are obtained, something already in the works it would seem, then an invasion of Eastern Saudi Arabia by a united Shiite Iran and Iraq, coupled with a mass uprising of the Shiites who are the majority of people living there, becomes a distinct possibility sometime in the future.

Then we would have our Shiite Superstate encompassing Iran, most of Iraq, large chunks of Saudi Arabia and perhaps other strategic Oil rich areas too. Together with a load of proxy outposts of this unified Superstate in places where the Shia are found in significant numbers such as Pakistan, Yemen, some of the central Asian Republics and what has been problematic for Israel, places such as Syria and Southern Lebanon. We would have a unified Shiite political entity in control of most of the World’s oil, nuclear armed, heavily militarized in the service of the Mahdi and with a keen dislike of America and Israel. It could find itself coming head to head with our conspiracy to rebuild the Temple of Soloman. But not only would this situation worry certain Western powers. For as we have already mentioned in this chapter, the story of Islam can also be seen as the story of a war between two rival sects i.e. the Shias and the Sunnis. All through history the Shiites have been the underdogs, feeling themselves to be oppressed, suppressed, suffering injustice and patiently waiting for their time. This is reflected in some of their central doctrines; they seem to possess a theology of the marginalized and unjustly treated. Martyrdom is also a central part of Shia Theology. The creation of the Shiite Superstate would shift the balance of power in their favour, dramatically and potentially alter the course of History for Islam and perhaps even the World.

This idea of Shia insurrection and the undermining of Sunni Islam shouldn’t be considered Conspiracy Theory but rather should be seen as a rational interpretation of the consequences of core Shia doctrines. For at the heart of Shia Islam is the belief that it is Sunni Islam which is illiegitimate, mirroring sentiments held by Sunnis concerning Shiism. Also another key doctrine in Shiism revolves around the tragic death of Hussein, who was Muhammad’s Grandson. Hussein had sought to challenge what was perceived by Shia to be a corrupt Caliphate in order to restore the Islamic faith. Heavily outnumbered he was cut down in battle along with a small entourage of followers. The central Shiite festival of Ashura, traditionally involving self flagellation is meant to highlight the regret and sorrow felt by the Shia after Hussein’s death, that they didn’t come to his aid and joined in his rebellion. However also central to Shia belief is the strong conviction that past wrongs will be corrected in the future and that Shia should form themselves into Militia and wait patiently for the time when they will called to do what they failed to do in Hussein’s time, and join in a crusade to finally retify what they see as a grave injustice and subvert Sunni Islam which they see as an abberation from the true faith, that they subscribe to. Of course these sorts of ideas would be abhorrent to most Sunnis which is why there has always existed such disdain for their co-religionists. And as we mentioned earlier the conversion of Persia from a Sunni land to a Shiite one makes these sorts of sentiments more than just merely theoretical. Another major feature of Shia Islam is a heavy Messianic strain and a strong belief in the coming of the Imam Mahdi, the Imam at the end of time, who will lead the Shia into the completion of their long term historical aims. This blend of Apocalytism, Mahdism, nuclear weapons, Oil and a unifed Shiite Superstate is a heady mix with potentially far reaching consequences.

However there is a racial impediment to the unification of the Shia, which is that the Shias of Iran are Persian and those of the rest of the Middle East are mainly Arab. But someone may quite feasible take on the role of Mahdi and with sufficient charisma, intelligence and luck be able bridge racial and doctrinal divides, thereby bringing together a disunited Shia Islam. Or perhaps a Shiite multi-state conspiracy with sufficient momentum, cleverness and scope could perform something of a similar role.

In Iran it is believed by some Iranians, who might be labelled conspiracy theorists funnily enough, that there has been a silent coup where certain religious factions have taken over all the levers of power in the country, the Executive branch, the Judiciary, Army, the Militias and also the Parliament. A shadowy Messianic sect known as the Hojjiteah is believed by some to be behind this conspiracy and that the current President Ahmedinejad is actually a member and their front man. This organization, or elements within it, could be a possible candidate for the planning and execution of a conspiracy to create a Shiite Superstate that would naturally stand opposed to Israel and the United States. Though there are conflicting reports on the nature and doctrines of the Hojjiteah, and much speculation, we can be sure that it is influential in the higher eschelons of the Iranian power structure and also that Ahmedinajad was definitely involved in the organization as a student.

So we have this incredibly tangled political and religious mix up, involving Oil, Nuclear Weapons, the Palestinian problem, religious division, Messianic expectation and the Rebuilding of the Temple of Soloman. Throw on top of all this the involvement of China with its rapidly growing and insatiable thirst for oil; a country which already has strong ties with Iran and as its energy requirements increase will increasing be involved in the area. Also China is predicted in the future to have a military capability commensurate with its growing economic strength. Therefore the politics of this part of the World also have the potential to shape the future outcome of the fate of the rest of the planet. So the rebuilding of the Temple of the Soloman has implications that stretch far wider than the Middle East. We’ll move now to examine this more global perspective by discussing perhaps one of the most important and relevant themes in the conspiracy theory literature, the idea of an encroaching Tyrannical One World Order.

The Coming One World Order

Without a doubt the World is gradually becoming one place. It’s a commonly used cliche that the planet is getting smaller. Meaning that through the advent of modern communications and logistics systems, i.e. the Internet, Jumbo Jets, large passenger and cargo Ships, Road and Rail systems; the people of this planet have been brought closer to an extent like no other time in history. Added to this technological infrastructure are the Social, Political, Economic and Cultural ties that are binding together the people and entire countries of this World; then what we are seeing is the emergence of the so called Global Village. This process seems inexorable as well as rapid. This Coming One World Order seems to be becoming a reality at a dizzying pace. Along with the seeming benefits of this bringing together of humanity, i.e. cultural exchange, tourism, international trade and the collaborations, involving many disparate and geographically far apart nations, on projects such as the International Space Station and other such endeavours; there is also perceived by some to be a dark side and negative undercurrent to this Globalization process. For it is believed by some that there exists a massive conspiracy underlying the process of the Coming One World Order, and one that seeks to create a One World Tyranny. What some may see as a generally positive thing, others also see as something quite evil and insidious.
This Coming One World and supposed all encompassing Global Tyranny is presented as the big picture by many conspiracy theorists and the grand finale towards which the major conspiratorial agencies on this planet are endeavouring to surreptitiously bring about. There are many variations on this overall theme, many of them involving some sort of Illuminati Conspiracy usually with Freemasons being involved somehow. A recurring idea within this context is the manipulation of national banking systems and international currency flows as one means of control and gaining World domination. A persistent idea that was elaborated on in the infamous document mentioned earlier in this chapter, ‘The Protocols of the Elders of Zion’, is the notion of a Jewish conspiracy to take over the World, often linked in with the also persistent conspiracy theory theme of the rebuilding of the Temple of Soloman. A more outlandish and recent set of ideas relating to the Coming One World Order involves an extra-terrestrial dimension and a conspiracy by alien beings, for example ‘Shape Shifting Lizards’, to take over the planet and all humanity. Generally what is envisaged in all of these versions of the Coming One World Tyranny is a single all encompassing political entity with complete and total control of all humanity, often utilizing strategies such as micro-chipping people, various mind control technologies, ubiquitous and all pervasive surveillance technology and a vast police state apparatus covering the whole planet.

These sorts of conspiracy theories related to World domination and the take over of the planet, may seem far fetched. Earlier we suggested a handful of various speculative World domination scenarios involving Racist, Nationalist and Sectarian conspiracies. It should not be seen as implausible that there may exist people in this World, some of them perhaps in positions of considerable power, who might entertain the idea of taking over the World and even take steps to implementation. Also in recent World history we actually have an example of a conspiracy to take over the World and one that could well have succeeded and almost did.

Hitler and the Nazi plan for World Domination

The Nazi game plan we know now was to first conquer the Eurasian land mass, including Europe, Asia, Africa and the Indian Subcontinent; and from there to take the Americas as well. This plan derived in large part from the theories of Geo-Politics of a German Academic, Politician and former General named Karl Haushofer, who was also the one time mentor of Rudolf Hess who for a time was Hitler’s second in command. Haushofer is believed to have been influential on the formulation of Nazi doctrines and some historians even speculate that certain sections of Hilter’s biography and political testimony Mein Kampf were written by him or at least were derived from his own ideas without much modification. The basic idea was that the Anglo-Saxon nations i.e. Great Britain and the United States etc. enjoyed an insurmountable naval superiority over the Teutonic nations, including Germany and Austria. Therefore Germany needed to look initially Eastward for territorial expansion i.e. Russia, and onto the rest of the Eurasion landmass. From there the Germanic peoples would be in control of the natural resources, i.e. land, oil, minerals and other raw materials, needed as a spring board for future territorial expansion. The Kreigsmarine or German Navy actually had plans drawn up, at the behest of Nazi high command i.e. Hitler and company, for a fleet large and powerful enough to mount an invasion force on North America by 1965.

The Nazi plan of Lebensraum or expansion of ‘living space’ into the territories of the Former Soviet Union are well know and clearly stated in Hitler’s book Mein Kampf. What is less well known is that this process of Lebensraum in the imagination of the Nazi High Command actually extended to the entire World. It is also not widely well known that the Nazis could very well have succeeded in their master plan.

The most critical battle in this regard and also of World War II is arguably the Battle of Britain, fought by the British Airforce the RAF and the German Luftwaffe. Apparently at two stages of the protracted engagement, which lasted several months in the Summer and Autumn of 1940, the Luftwaffe had the heavily out numbered RAF on its knees and the verge of defeat by pursuing a strategy of bombing the airfields of the British Airforce. In both instances an inevitable Luftwaffe victory was stalled when Nazi High Command ordered instead the bombing of various British cities, allowing the RAF to repair the airfields and giving time for the exhausted air crews to recuperate. Had the RAF been defeated then a German invasion of the Great Britain would have followed immediately after. Which would have been something of a walk over as the British were both insufficiently prepared and too ill equiped to mount any sort of effective resistance against the battle hardened Germans. This would have meant the capture of Great Britain’s, at the time, considerable industrial base; it would have meant no distracting North Africa campaign for the Germans; no crippling allied bombing campaign of Germany’s manufacturing capability and undermining of its war effort; and no Western Front or any sort of threat of invasion from the West. This would have meant that the Germans would most probably have prevailed in the Eastern Front, an arena in which at least in the initial stages Germany completely had the upper hand and was a closely fought contest for much of the duration of the conflict. A German victory on the Eastern Front would have paved the way for the conquest of the World and the course of World history could have turned out very differently.

So we have in Hitler and the Nazi party a conspiracy that started, funnily enough, in Munich which is in Bavaria and the same part of Germany from which the Illuminati emerged. Adam Weishaupt was initiated into the Masonic Lodge of Munich and used this as the base from which to control the rest of the Illuminati. The conspiracy theorist would perhaps immediately suspect some sort of connection, maybe the Nazis were simply a continuation of the Illuminati. Or perhaps its merely coincidence. Maybe it’s something in the Bavarian water which inspires the formulation of such conspiracies and perhaps this is the result of another meta-conspiracy to produce in people conspiratorial mind sets. And maybe extra-terrestrials are also somehow involved. Anyway, it is interesting to note that the Nazi party was started initially by a Mystical Secret Society called Thule, so the idea that there may be some sort of connection between the historical Bavarian Illuminati and the Nazi party may not seem so far fetched after all.

What the example of the Nazi plan to take over the World demonstrates is the reality of these sorts of conspiracies geared towards absolute World domination. What we have in most of the popular conspiracy theories relating to the coming of a Tyrannical One World Order is a similar aim though achieved with a lot more stealth. What we have in these cases is World domination not through a straight forward and visible process involving large conquering armies but instead a more subtle and insidious one, involving infiltration, taking control of the organs of state, controlling the media, banking system, international institutions and corporations; and all the while constantly eroding civil liberties and personal freedoms to the point where you effectively have control of the World. In the conspiracy theory literature there is much speculation of all the details of such conspiracies taking place and the alleged actors involved. However, though sometimes making for stimulating reading, none of it is totally conclusive and a lot of it is not totally convincing. At the same time it should not be seen as implausible that there exist people who would like to take over the World and actually take steps to try and realize these sorts of aims. And as the real example of the Nazis show, conspiracies to take over the World can be extensively thought out, well planned and thoroughly executed.

It’s not inconceivable that there may be one or several active conspiracies happening on the planet right now, with the planned aim of producing a Tyrannical One World Order. But even if clandestine conspiracies to take over the World exist, what can we say about their scale and extent. It is common envisioned by conspiracy theory theorists that there exists some sort of Global Illuminati-like organization whose reach and influence literally covers the whole planet, every country, race and civilization. While it is easy to imagine some such organization being able to infiltrate the power structures of an entire country or a set of countries which share some historical background, ethnicity or common cultural points of reference such as religion; it is much harder to imagine a similar thing happening across widely different countries or cultures. So it possible to suppose a secret conspiracy that spans the entire Western World or large parts of it such as the whole of Europe, all the countries of the former British Empire or all the Muslim Countries of the World. However it less plausible, though not inconceivable, to suggest a similar secret conspiracy that is able to span and encompass such historically and culturally distinct societies or countries such as China and India along with the already mentioned European and Islamic Countries. This is especially relevant today given the recent economic and political rise of China and India. A world conspiracy would hardly be so if it didn’t include and encompass these two countries which between them contain a very significant proportion of the people on this planet, a fast increasing share of the World economy and the political power that inevitable follows from this. Still there is the possibility that this hypothetical world conspiracy may have been able to include India and China during Colonial times when both countries were either completely colonized or else heavily encroached upon by Western powers, including Japan. This scenario is faintly conceivable with respect to India where there has been a heavy Western influence on Indian culture and systems of administration, but in the case of China it would take a lot more imagination to suppose the same.

So therefore while we may have in their respective domains, i.e. Countries or Civilization Blocks, localized conpiracies which have the wider purpose of trying to take over the whole World, at the same time it is doubtful and hard to imagine an overall master conspiracy that binds together all these smaller conspiracies. There is certainly very little evidence in this regard. So in putting forth the idea of a hidden hand and global conspiracy controlling behind the scenes the political happenings of the entire world, conspiracy theorists are faced with something of an explanatory gap. How is this conspiracy being coordinated and by who? How is it possible? One well known conspiracy theorist’s explanation involves the existence of a huge multi-dimensional lizard with supernatural powers and the ability to transport instantaneously from place to place which has been influencing World history and masterminding the global conspiracy. This imaginative theory exposes the utter lack of evidence to support the existence of an overall global conspiracy spanning all countries and all cultures. Or else perhaps the global conspirators are far cleverer than the conspiracy theorists who would expose their game, along with the people who write about Conspiracy Theorists, and also are too efficient at covering their tracks. There is always room for speculation.

And speculate we will. It seems there may be a plausible way that we could have a conspiracy which spans all the Western World as well as the Muslim World and this derives from some of the ideas discussed earlier in this chapter. For we discussed the connections between Mystical Islam and Mystical Christianity and the links that were forged between the two during Crusader times and speculated how this link could well have been a strong influence on Freemasonry. Could it be that somehow these links were maintained and that there exist organizations and individuals who straddle both worlds, the Occident and the world of Islam, who act as go betweens and are somehow able to orchestrate coordinated actions and events happening both domains, and which serve some hidden agenda or clandestine higher purpose. Could it be that this sort of thing has been continually going on behind the scenes since Crusader times. There doesn’t exist a tremendous amount of evidence to support these sorts of claims. However we do know there are significant Masonic connections linking the Western and Muslim Worlds. Earlier we mentioned that the leader of the Esoteric Muslim Ismaili sect, the Aga Khan, is a Freemason as was his Father. We also know that Mustafa Kemel Ataturk, the founder of the modern state of Turkey and who led the revolution that preceded its founding, was a Freemason; as are many of the Political and Military establishment of Turkey in present times. Could it be that these sorts of connections are really the tip of the iceberg and that exists a more extensive web linking the West to the Muslim World. This would be especially relevant given the events of recent times, i.e. the Iraq and Afganistan Wars, the 9-11 terrorist atrocities, the ongoing debacle in the Middle East involving Isreal and also in relation to the rising power of the Shiites discussed earlier. Also even if these links between the West and the Muslim World didn’t exist, could they be systematically created with the benign intention of promoting understanding, reconciliation and the future peaceful integration of the West and Muslim World, including Isreal. A recent report by the US Rand Corporation, a Liberal think tank, highlighted Sufism in Pakistan and Afganistan as a more tolerant side to Islam and suggesting engagement with Sufis as a means of bridging Western and Muslim cultures. If there doesn’t already exist a Conspiracy involving a collaboration between the Esoteric strands of Islam and Christendom then perhaps one can be put in motion with the aim of promoting understanding and peace between the West and the Muslim World. This might seem an odd suggestion but what we are trying to do is offer free perspectives on Conspiracy Theory. /* Little more to write here 7-6-10 */

If it happened to be the case that there did not exist some clandestine conspiracy to unify the World and enslave it in a global tyranny then we are still left with the strong possibility of a host of other conspiracies perhaps geared not towards complete World domination but at least political, military and economic hegemony over large swathes of the Earth. We are then left with the very real and potentially ultra destructive Clash of Civilizations scenario where large power blocks end up fighting it out for World Supremacy and the acquisition of the Earth’s natural resources. A process which could lead to all out nuclear war and the destruction of the planet or else the emergence of a One World Tyranny by another less secret means, i.e. war and conquest, dominance and submission. But is there another possibility. Could it be possible that a fully intergrated One World Order could emerge through a more or less peaceful process, and also one that is Just, Equal, Fair and Free, ensuring the rights and well being of all the people on the planet? Also we mentioned the idea of the Rebuilding of the Temple of Soloman, earlier in this chapter, and described how this could be the trigger for much strife, conflict and enmity. Is there another outcome, that perhaps the Temple of Soloman could be rebuilt as the ultimate symbol of World peace and the unity of the peoples and religions of this planet. So that what is one of the greatest symbols for religious division in the World becomes then the ultimate gesture of reconciliation and coming together in harmony. These sorts of sentiments may be dismissed as mere day dreams and wildly unfounded hopes. But if we were to dwell on them and focus our thoughts and energies to seeing how this sort of positive outcome may become realized, then perhaps we may divise realistic paths, plans and conditions by which such dreams and hopes may become reality.

A later chapter entitled ‘The Problems of this World’ dealing with the political implications of the ideas of this book, that Everyone is God and the Prophecies are Now, will explore these sorts of possibilities.

Summary and Conclusion

One of the main aims of this chapter is to show just how relevant the idea that Everyone is God and also the Prophecies of World Religion are for gaining insight into what is behind some recurring themes in Conspiracy Theory. We proposed that the idea that Everyone is God is the central belief behind Secret Societies such as the Freemasons and Illuminati, as well as behind comparable Secret Societies in Islam. We suggested in all these cases that these Secret Societies often perceived as conspiratory and insidious in their respective domains, i.e. the Occident and Muslim World, are really the manifestations of a centuries old conflict between Exoteric and Esoteric Religion, where the forces of Exoteric Religion usually have the upper hand and the levers of power, whereas the forces championing Esoteric Religion are usually in the minority
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