How is Freemasonry related to Illuminati?
Freemasonry and the Illuminati share historical connections, particularly through their roots in esoteric traditions and secret societies. Albert Pike, in his work Morals and Dogma, discusses how the Illuminati and other secret associations, such as the Templars and Rosicrucians, were intertwined with the mystical and philosophical teachings that influenced Freemasonry. He notes that the 'celebrated Order of the Templars' became a foundation for many secret societies, including the Illuminati, which sought to connect their beliefs with ancient traditions and knowledge.
Pike states, 'It was the remembrance of this scientific and religious Absolute of this doctrine that is summed up in a word of this Word in fine alternately lost and found again that was transmitted to the Elect of all the Ancient Initiations: it was this same remembrance preserved or perhaps profaned in the celebrated Order of the Templars that became for all the secret associations of the Rose-Croix of the Illuminati and of the Hermetic Freemasons the reason of their strange rites' .
Moreover, the influence of Kabbalistic and Hermetic traditions on both Freemasonry and the Illuminati is significant, as both groups incorporated elements of these mystical teachings into their rituals and philosophies. Pike emphasizes that 'all truly dogmatic religions have issued from the Kabalah and return to it: everything scientific and grand in the religious dreams of all the illuminati... is borrowed from the Kabalah; all the Masonic associations owe to it their Secrets and their Symbols'.