ILLUMINATI, (tithe illumi natecP), a name taken by or given to various groups of individuals existing during the past 2,000 years, who believed in and taught a doc trine of illumination or inner light. The funda mental idea of their faith was that living a life of purity and service would open the inner senses, so that they would obtain spiritual sight or clairvoyance, becoming seers, etc., able to see and converse with the angels, discarnate intel ligences or beings of higher planes. Many have thought that these associations, which are hinted at as existing at various periods since the time of Christ, were survivals of the Eleu sinian mysteries (q.v.). They had many ideas in common with the Hermetic and other old philosophies, but were specially characterized by a conviction that it was possible to do the things later recorded of Joan D'Arc and of Emmanuel Swedenborg, both of whom be lieved that they were in regular communication with and directed by intelligences from the heaven world. In 1490 a reference is found of them under the title of Aluminados. In 1511
the Spanish Inquisition (consult 'Los Hetero doxes Espanoles,' Vol. V, 1881), considered a case of a woman of this order, who claimed to hold conversations with the Virgin Mary. She escaped, but at later dates the Inquisition se verely prosecuted many who held such doc trines. Among them were the Guerists, who flourished mainly in France in the 17th cen tury. The Illuminati were closely related to the Rosicrucians (q.v.), of which a modern organ ization exists. There are many Freemasons who believe that their own organization was founded on an earlier body, perhaps more or less identical with the Illuminati, as many of the teachings are similar. The Perfectibilists of Germany and the Martinists of France were also sometimes known as Illuminati, from their teachings. Adam Weishaupt has written several German works that discuss the progress and beliefs of the Illuminati. Compare Mys TICISM. Consult Tschackert,