Seshanbeh: 11.

Aban 1395
11 October 2016 E.v.

GENERAL STATUTES OF THE ILLUSTRIOUS ORDER OF

BAVARIAN ILLUMINATI.

=Order

To reassure and assuage the doubts of prospective as well as actual members of this
society and to anticipate any unfounded suspicions and fears the declares first of all
that it harbours no harmful sentiments nor engages in any actions harmful to the
state, religion, or good morals, nor does it approve of such among its own members.
Its whole purpose and all its efforts are designed solely to make the improvement and
perfection of his moral character interesting to man, imbue him with humane and
social sentiments, thwart malicious intentions, come to the aid of an harassed and
suffering virtue against injustice, further the promotion of worthy persons, and make
useful knowledge which still remains largely hidden more generally available.

This is the unmasked purpose of the . It stands for nothing else. Should members
encounter something they do not expect from time to time, then this should help to
convince them that we, compared to the practice of other societies, make fewer
promises but fulfil more of those that we do make. A member who has been moved
to join the by the prospects of great power and riches will, however, not be the
most welcome.

1
I. Since mutual assistance, good concord, and unbreakable commitment are needed to
maintain such a purpose, the members should never lose sight of the ’s ultimate
goals. They should keep in mind that everything they seem to be doing for the
actually furthers their own welfare and that all members must unite their forces to
bring about their mutual felicity.

II. Therefore, they must look upon one another as their most faithful friends, set aside
all hatred and envy, guard their hearts from all harmful selfishness and conduct
themselves in such a manner that they win over not only the hearts of their Brethren
but also those of their enemies.

III. They must cultivate a dignified, cordial demeanour in dealing with others and
generally strive for the greatest inward and outward perfection.

IV. Philanthropy, virtue, and righteousness are expected of all members, as are
accomplishments in the arts and sciences by those who have been gifted with them by
nature or as a result of their own diligent efforts.

V. Therefore, every member must promote industriousness, sociability, and virtue;

those who are able to do so must also promote the arts, sciences, and good taste and
seek to remove all obstacles opposing them.

VI. In addition, the emphatically recommends the golden mean, domesticity,

satisfaction with one’s status, respect for elders, superiors, principals, and state
servants, friendship and love towards one’s Brethren and courtesy and compassion
towards all men. He who demands respect from others must also treat others with
reverence and respect.

VII. Manage your ofices in civil society with faithfulness, zeal, and steadfastness;
preside over your families as good fathers, husbands, and lords; or be obedient as
sons, servants, and subordinates. He who neglects the duties of his status or of his
ofice will also neglect his duties towards the .

VIII. Although all differences in status found in civil society disappear inside the
Order, it is still necessary to remain within the boundaries of proper decorum and
show due respect, especially in the presence of the uninitiated.

IX. Older members have acquired more knowledge and more honours and,
consequently, have received higher degrees. They may indeed be Superiors; therefore,

2
they are met with the kind of reverence that shows one’s true respect and esteem, but
without slavish cowering.

X. The more courtesy a brother shows you, the greater the respect you must
reciprocate. Never indulge in too ostentatious a familiarity; you must love one
another, and experience has taught that nothing severs the strongest and closest
friendship as easily as excessive intimacy (familiarity).15

XI. Superiors are our leaders, guiding us in darkness and in error, leading us away
from treacherous paths. Thus submission and obedience become duty and then
gratitude itself, for no one will refuse to follow him who labours for that which is best
for himself.

XII. The 1 thus requires of its members a sacrifice of personal freedom, not
necessarily immediately, but always when it is a means to the great end. One should
always assume that the Superiors’ commands serve this purpose, as the Superiors see
more clearly and have deeper insight into the system, and it is for this reason and no
other that they are Superiors.

XIII. They know human nature, know with whom they are dealing, and thus they will
never abuse their status; nor will they forget that they should be good fathers. Still, the
Order has taken the following measures to protect its members from all oppressors,
from conceited and tyrannical persons, etc. At the end of every month every
subordinate submits one or several sealed sheets to his Superior or Recipient with one
of the following titles, depending on the circumstances: quibus licet, Soli, or Primo. On
this sheet, he indicates:

1) How his Superior approaches and treats him.

2) What complaints he has against the 1.
3) What orders the Superior has given him this month.
4) What monies he has paid this month.

XIV. Everyone must submit such a slip each month irrespective of whether or not he
has anything to report or complain about. So that this can be done with a minimum
amount of effort, every member prepares one sheet at the beginning of each month,
recording every event he thinks should be noted there, and seals it at the end of the
month.

XV. This order concerning the sheet to be submitted is in force throughout all
degrees, and no one is exempt. If it is contravened, the subordinate as well as his
3
Superior who has failed to demand or submit it in a timely manner are subject to an
appropriate monetary fine. The subordinate must submit his sheet on the last day of
each month.

XVI. So that all members are ensouled by a single spirit and are of one will as much as
possible, they are to read certain books by which they must educate themselves.
Superiors and Brethren alike will have the opportunity to evaluate their presentation
as well as diligence and increase in their knowledge from their monthly reports, at
least a folio in length[, and from lectures during the meetings].

XVII. The books are made known to [each member by his Superior]. In general, no
book that educates the heart is excluded. To prospective members we recommend
authors of fables and other writings that are rich in images and moral maxims. We
especially approve of seeing the members draw nourishment from the spirit of the
ancients and, especially, when they come to reflect and observemore than they read.

XVIII. Each Candidate’s Recipient is his respective Superior; everyone who reveals
the ’s existence to another person and thus has stirred in him the desire to join it,
must await further instructions from him who has brought him into the , i.e. his
Recipient.

XIX. Everyone has permission to suggest and introduce new members; therefore all
members must maintain certain documents for [all persons] they would like to see
accepted into the as well as for those they desire to be excluded, in which they
record those speeches and actions that provide insights into their souls, especially the
smallest details which a man may believe are not observed[. Since all opinions uttered
and all actions give us away], there will never be a lack of material for such notes.

XX. These notes are the basis for all future proceedings. Therefore they must be
taken very precisely; they should be more narrative than speculative. These notes
provide the immediate Superiors with the Candidate’s character when a man is
considered for acceptance or exclusion.

XXI. Since every person has two sides – one good, one evil – the demands that the
members do not acquire the habit of only observing and describing one of them; our
humanity demands that we also seek goodness within our enemies; righteousness
demands that we credit even our enemies with it. One must seek to judge the whole
man from his character, not from a single action and not merelyfrom his relationship
with us.

4
XXII. To see whether the Candidates are following the directions above, whether they
wish to expand their knowledge, shed and dispute their prejudices, perfect their moral
character, in a word, if they wish to become worthy members, the demands proof
of loyalty, discretion, diligence, and obedience.

XXIII. Therefore, the has set a certain time for the Candidate to prove himself in:
three years for young persons, two years for others, and only one year for others still.
It is the Candidate’s industry, zeal, maturity, and dedication that can shorten this
probationary period.

XXIV. During this time the Candidate reads the prescribed books, researches his
fellow men, records everything diligently, sets it down according to his own method,
seeks to understand what he has read and to express it in his own words.

XXV. An abundance of notes, commentaries, character sketches, recorded

conversations with men who were speaking in the language of zeal, as well as
compliance with the ’s statutes and obedience towards the Superiors are the surest
way to promotion.

XXVI. Among these notes, physiognomic observations and any rules discovered for
evaluating the human character are of great merit; above all, however, we recommend
viewing these matters not from another person’s perspective but from one’s own.

XXVII. In addition to the whole range of practical philosophy, the occupies itself
with natural history, with administration and economics, and with the liberal arts,
humanities, and languages.

XXVIII. During his initiation, the Candidate declares which art and science he wishes
to study; he must acquaint himself with the books of this discipline, make succinct
excerpts from them, present them as proof of his diligence to his Recipient and send
them in on demand.

XXIX. Among the first proofs of his ability is the task everyone must complete and
submit at the end of his probationary period.

XXX. During his initiation, the Candidate also changes his name to a different name.
He must read, collect, and note everything about his namesake that heencounters.
XXXI. Since the Candidate is to acquire the habit of being especially cautious and
secretive he will not be told who belongs to the and will not get to know a single
member during the whole of his probationary period:

5
1) So that he cannot dissimulate himself and, therefore, is under constant observation.

2) If he were to gossip he would run the risk of gossiping about members of the
and thus violate the statutes in a way he could not deny.

XXXII. For this reason, and because one never knows whether he with whom one is
speaking is of a higher, a lesser or the same degree, it is not permitted to speak of
one’s date of initiation, of degrees and dispensations, not even with members of the
one has met in the Assemblies. But most of all, it is not permitted to say the least
thing of 1 matters to those one only surmises to be fellow-members.

XXXIII. Absent members must write to their Superior every fortnight, postage paid.
Present members must visit their Superior at least once a week. If the Superior has the
time, he divides the number of days between his people. He reads, takes notes, and
has instructive conversations with them.

XXXIV. The Candidate copies those materials he receives from his Superior as
necessary and in a manner intelligible only to himself, always returning all originals,
personally or by mail, immediately. In general, the Order seeks to remain secret as
much as possible. Everything secret is more enticing and commands more loyalty.
Thus, Superiors have more opportunities to make observations. Furthermore, the
is thereby safe from intrusions by incompetent yet powerful persons and from the
speculations of curious meddlers. The noble intentions are less likely to be thwarted,
and any outbursts of power-hungry and divisive persons can be suppressed more
easily.

XXXV. To cover various expenses and support destitute Brethren, the demands of
every member who has signed the Obligation a small contribution,commensurate with
his ability to pay; this provision, however, is not yet in placeeverywhere.

XXXVI. Other than that, the Candidate does not have to pay any dues during his
probationary period, and even this small amount is reimbursed if he wishes to resign,
as he may at any time, prior to his initiation. In any case, he will very quickly convince
himself how little we are intent on monetary profit.

XXXVII. Truly destitute members not only have their membership dues waived; to
the contrary, they receive aid from the . With others, the small dues are deferred
until their situation improves.

6
XXXVIII. However, since these are only nominal, whereas the entry alone to other
associations costs 100 guilders or thalers16, or more; we would hope that since it is
easy to understand that such a large enterprise requires tremendous sums of money
for travel, correspondence, etc., most of which are contributed by the generosity of
some of the Superiors, one will not complain about having to pay a trifling amount
for the upkeep of the whole edifice. No money is ever sent to the Superiors.

Frater M.:. D.:. Jovan Pilickov H. R. Macedonia and Balkan

Frater A.:. Ilir Pushka H.R. Kosovo

Frater L.:.S.:. Enea Gjonaj H.R. Albania.