The Pythagorean Degrees of the Illuminati

Standard degrees

1st: The Heaven of the Fixed Stars.

2nd: Kronos (Saturn). Kronos was the leader of the Titans. (He castrated his
father Uranus, thus taking his power from him. He ruled the world during the
mythological Golden Age. He was the father of the Olympian gods. He was
overthrown by his son Zeus, and he and the other Titans were bound in the
underworld.)

3rd: Zeus (Jupiter, Jove). The king of the Olympian gods.

4th: Ares (Mars). The god of war.

5th: Helios (Sol). The sun.

6th: Aphrodite (Venus). The goddess of love and beauty.

7th: Hermes (Mercury). The messenger of the gods.

Mystery Degrees

8th: Selene (Luna). The moon.

9th: Gaia (Terra Mater). The earth.

10th: Antichthon. The counter-earth.

Antichthon is the highest degree because it represents the opportunity for
humanity to transform itself beyond recognition. While this earth is corrupt, wicked
and fallen, the counter-earth offers the promise of the complete opposite:
paradise, free of the malignant influence of the Demiurge and the Old World
Order. Antichthon, the counter-earth, is what the earth can and should be.

The Mithraic Degrees of the Illuminati

In later times, the Greek Pythagorean degrees were restyled according to a
Roman system. The seven standard degrees became those of Mithraism, a
mystery religion closely related to Illumination:

Standard degrees

1st: Corax (the Raven), under the rule of Mercury.

2nd: Nymphus (the Bride), under the rule of Venus.

3rd: Miles (the Soldier), under the rule of Mars.

4th: Leo (the Lion), under the rule of Jupiter.

5th: Perses (the Persian), under the rule of the Moon.

6th: Heliodromus (the Sun Runner), under the rule of the Sun.

7th: Pater (the Father), under the rule of Saturn.

The Mystery Degrees

8th: Minerva (symbolised by an owl - the Owl of Minerva)

.
9th: Magus (symbolised by the phoenix, the sacred firebird that rises from the
ashes).

10th: Deus Absconditus (the Hidden God, Abraxas, symbolised by the Tetraktys).

(The last of the four major Illuminati symbols is the skull and crossbones in
honour of Simon Magus. The Greek Sphinx also has special significance.)
These remain the degrees of the Illuminati. The majority of members belong to
the standard degrees; the 10th degree is for the 12 members of the Ruling
Council only. The identities of the Ruling Council are completely unknown to the
basic membership, but at each initiation, one masked member of the Ruling
Council is always in attendance and conducts the final part of the ceremony.
There were ten degrees in total because, for Pythagoras, the number 10 was
divine. 1, 2, 3 and 4 were also revered because they add up to 10 and they form
the divine triangle - the Tetraktys - which symbolized the four elements (earth, air,
fire, and water) and, in its totality, also the mystical fifth essence, the
Quintessence.

The Tetraktys is:

It is an equilateral triangle composed of dots in four rows, a visual representation
of the equation: 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 = 10. The Tetraktys contains a hexagon and a
three-dimensional cube, as shown in the picture. It is a truly extraordinary figure.
It also symbolises key musical intervals: 4:3 (the fourth), 3:2 (the fifth) and 2:1
(the octave). If the Tetraktys is extended by adding new rows, up to a total of 36,
the 36th "triangular" number is 666: the Number of the Beast in the Christian
Book of Revelation. The number 36 has a crucial significance for the Illuminati, as
does the Tetraktys extended to order 36. As for the 666th triangular number, this
is equal to 222111. When two successive "triangular" numbers are added, the
result is a square number e.g. 1 + 3 = 4; 3 + 6 = 9; 6 + 10 = 16; 10 +15 = 25.