When you hear the word Illuminati, what comes to mind? Shadowy elites pulling strings behind world events? Celebrities flashing hand signs? Or a secret order that once truly existed — and whose legend refuses to die?

In this premiere episode of The Broken Truth, host Garrett takes you back to 1776 Bavaria, where law professor Adam Weishaupt founded the Order of the Illuminati. Built on Enlightenment ideals of reason and liberty, the society grew rapidly, recruiting nobles, intellectuals, and officials who communicated with ciphers, rituals, and secrecy.

Officially, the Illuminati were suppressed and banned by 1785. But in the years that followed, fear and speculation transformed them into something far greater than they ever were. Books like John Robison’s Proofs of a Conspiracy spread the idea that the Illuminati were behind the French Revolution, and from there the myth of a hidden hand shaping history was born.

This episode separates fact from fiction:

• Who the Illuminati really were and how they operated

• How myths and fears outlived the order itself

• Why secrecy breeds suspicion, making groups like the Illuminati immortal in the public imagination

• And why people still believe in hidden powers guiding our world

Because the truth isn’t whole. It’s broken.Disclaimer:

This podcast is for educational and entertainment purposes. Some topics involve speculation. Listeners are encouraged to think critically and consult multiple sources.

Citations:

• Robison, John. Proofs of a Conspiracy Against All the Religions and Governments of Europe. Dublin: P. Wogan, 1798.

• Van Dulmen, Richard. The Society of the Illuminati: Origins, Organization, and Influence. Stuttgart: Frommann-Holzboog, 1975.

• Roberts, J. M. The Mythology of the Secret Societies. London: Secker & Warburg, 1972.

• Bullock, Steven C. Revolutionary Brotherhood: Freemasonry and the Transformation of the American Social Order, 1730–1840. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1996.

• Melanson, Terry. Perfectibilists: The 18th Century Bavarian Order of the Illuminati. TrineDay, 2009.

• Library of Congress. “Illuminati and Secret Societies in the Enlightenment Era.” Accessed 2025.

• Roberts, David. The Enlightenment and the Illuminati: Fact, Fiction, and Myth. Oxford University Press, 2018.