The Illuminati is the name used for several groups, real and fictitious. Most commonly it refers specifically to the Bavarian Illuminati, an Enlightenment secret society founded in the late eighteenth century. However, nowadays it refers to a purported shadowy conspiratorial organization which is reputed to secretly control world affairs, usually a modern incarnation or continuation of the Bavarian Illuminati. In this context, Illuminati is often used in reference to a New World Order (NWO). Many Conspiracy theorists believe the Illuminati (The People of The Light), or illuminated ones, are the masterminds behind events that will attempt to bring about a “New World Order”, a facist pro-white world, whereby the third world are permement debt slaves to the Western world, and even in the Western world, society is brutally stratified in order to serve the ruling elites. The context of the “War on Terror” (by its wars, and erosion of civil liberties) is usually seen as the engine which is used to drive this change.
In rarer cases, the Illuminati refers to a purported elite set of enlightened individuals who may not cooperate but are uniquely empowered by their enlightenment, much like the intelligentsia are empowered by their education and intelligence. These are people who have become illuminated and have achieved a higher mystical understanding of the universe. Many secret societies and mystical traditions promise illumination or enlightenment, such as the original Bavarian Illuminati.
