> > I don't really have much to say about this, as I have no idea whether the Illuminati really exist, but if they do, why would they know the true origins of Halloween as one of their secrets?
> >
> > -Eric "And how is Nyperold affiliated with former Illuminati members?" Sleator
> > Thu 18 Oct A.D. 2001
>
> How we're "affiliated": It's a tape called America's Occult Holidays, which basically goes through the origins of many of the observances which are taken for granted by much of Western civilization. (The observances are taken for granted, not the origins.) It's really not that they keep it a secret, just that many people don't do the research, for one reason or another. People in the Illuminati(according to him) are brought up knowing this, so it stands to reason that they would know.
>
> Nyperold

To be honest, I'm trying to work out which of the many "illuminated" societies this person might belong to. Of course it's difficult to assign traits to these groups, or even confirm their existence in many cases, but assuming that the information I have managed to glean is correct:

If people are brought up as members, this would mean that membership is based on bloodline rather than on merit. That lets out the Argentum Astarum, the Ancient Illuminated Seers of Bavaria, the Invisible Hand, and the Golden Dawn.

That leaves the Atlantean Adepts, the Ordo Templari Orientalis and the Deus Rei. I don't think any of those are likely.

The Deus Rei definatly existed in the 12th Century, consisting of 24 noble families from England and France who claimed to be able to trace their bloodline back to Jesus: this makes it difficult to add in new families to the organisation and depending upon which source you refer to, those 24 families currently have either 0 or 1 surviving members between them. So they probably don't do much of anything anymore.

The OTO are directly descended from the families of French Templars executed by Phillipe IV. Maybe they still exist, but even if they do, they can't be considered authorities on non-Christian practices. They might know where the Ark of the Covenant is, but they wouldn't have spent too much time studying pagan festivals.

The AA believe that they are descended from the original Atlantean civilisation, and that pre-christian festivals were designed by Atlanteans, and that modern religions are all evil. So they would probably not put this slant onto Beltain.

In addition, you say he is a "former" member. So far as my woefully inadaquate research has been able to uncover, any group that recruits from birth recruits for life: you are illuminated because of who your ancestors are and you cannot choose to be unilluminated. Then, of course, I would be wary of anyone who claims to be a member (or a former member) of "the Illuminati" without specifing which group he means by that. Or making that statement on TV without worrying about the dire consequences that are rumoured to be meted out to people who break silence.

Then again, of course, as he says the facts are out there and you only need to look for them. Did you check these facts yourself, or just accept that he must be an authority, because he claimed to be?

winter"Allways on the lookout for information about Illuminated groups"mute