What Are the Illuminati Hand Signs?

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Plus, find out if the original Illuminati ever used these gestures

Co-authored by Paige Ferris and Eric McClure

Last Updated: September 9, 2025 Fact Checked

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Illuminati Hand Signs

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Other Symbols

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Did they really use hand signs?

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Does the Illuminati still exist?

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Connection to Freemasonry

Is Jay-Z signaling that he’s in a secret society when he “throws up the Roc?” The Illuminati is the subject of all kinds of theories, many of them involving secret symbols and hand gestures. Here, we’ll break down all of the popular Illuminati hand signs, cover where they came from and what they supposedly mean, and break down why these gestures aren’t necessarily real in the way you think.

Hand Signs Associated With the Illuminati

Illuminati Hand Signs Compilation Diagram

Common hand signs associated with the Illuminati are the pyramid, the OK sign, the “As Above, So Below” sign, Devil’s horns, and putting your palm on your chest.

Section 1 of 5:

Hand Gestures Associated with the Illuminati

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The pyramid This hand sign is supposed to represent a pyramid with an all-seeing eye up top. Supposedly, it represents the Illuminati’s belief that God is watching over them. Since it’s popular with Jay-Z, Roc-a-Fella Records, and other hip hop artists, this is also known as the “Roc sign.”
- Where does the symbol come from? This is called the Eye of Providence. It dates back to the 16th century, roughly 150 years before the Illuminati was founded.
- How to do it: Raise both hands to your chest, with your palms facing out away from you. Put your two thumbs together and then put your two index fingers together to make a triangle. Keep your remaining fingers together.^{[1]
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The OK sign Supposedly, the symbol represents 666—the Mark of the Beast in Christian theology. The circle looks like the base of the 6 and the three fanned out fingers represent three copies of the number. This is also known as the “triple 6” sign.
- Where does the symbol come from? This gesture goes all the way back to Ancient Greece. It represented love, grace, and connection. This is why you can see paintings of Jesus and Buddha where they’re making this gesture.
- How to do it: Raise one hand with your palm facing away from you. Pinch the tip of your index finger and thumb together to form a circle. Keep your remaining 3 fingers raised next to the circle in a fanned-out fashion.
  - Just FYI, this symbol is now used as a common white supremacist symbol, so you may want to avoid using it altogether.^{[2]
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The “As Above, So Below” sign This is the “as above, so below” gesture, or the Baphomet hand sign. It means that anything that happens in the heavens happens on Earth, and vice versa. It’s a common symbol among Satanists, Magick enthusiasts, and spiritualists.
- Where does the symbol come from? It’s based on the work of Hermes Trismegistus, a mystic author who was popular during the Renaissance and the Reformation.^{[3]
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- How to do it: With your right hand, point your index and middle finger in the air and raise your hand to your shoulder. Tuck the other fingers into your palm. With your left hand, make the exact same gesture but point the fingers down, around your waist.
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The palm on the chest This is also known as the “Devil’s claw,” the “Lion’s paw,” or “Hand on Heart” sign. There are a few theories, but as it pertains to the Illuminati, it’s supposed to represent membership. Per this theory, members would use the chest sign to secretly and subtly check if other people were in the club.^{[4]
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- Where does the symbol come from? We don’t know, actually. It’s likely that this gesture just commonly appeared in art from the 18th century for artistic purposes.
- How to do it: Take your dominant hand and hold it over the middle of your chest, a little bit below your heart. Keep your hand relaxed and your fingers slightly spread out.
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The Devil’s horns This sign is also known as the heavy metal sign and the longhorn salute. It’s believed that the Illuminati would use this gesture because they were associated with Satanists. In reality, the two organizations have nothing to do with one another.
- Where does the symbol come from? It’s an old Italian gesture that was originally intended to ward off the “evil eye.”^{[5]
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- How to do it: You can make the Devil’s horns by making a fist. Then, stick your index and pinkie fingers straight up in the air without moving your other fingers.

Section 2 of 5:

Other Symbols Associated with the Illuminati

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The Eye of Providence The eye of providence is a triangle with a large eye either inside of it or just on top of it. Rays of light are often depicted coming out of the eye in all directions.^{[6]
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- What does it mean? For the Illuminati, the Eye of Providence represented the pursuit of knowledge, the respect of wisdom, and the commitment to God.
- Where does the symbol come from? Dating back to the 1500s, it’s supposed to represent God’s watchful eye. The three points in the triangle are meant to represent the Holy Trinity.^{[7]
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The Owl of Minerva The Owl of Minerva (sometimes called “the Owl of Athena”) is typically depicted as a simple owl with its chest facing the right and its eyes facing the viewer. The eyes are represented as abnormally large and open, creating a kind of ominous vibe.^{[8]
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- What does it mean? The Illuminati originally chose the Owl of Minerva as its original mascot, of sorts. It expressed the Illuminati’s love of knowledge, education, and curiosity.
- Where does the symbol come from? It’s not clear where the owl was first used or what it originally meant, but it does show up repeatedly in Ancient Athenian art.
- The Illuminati actually had three levels of membership based on education and commitment. The introductory group was known as “minervals.”^{[9]
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The sun Illuminati art and symbology often included suns of various designs. Sometimes, the sun was incorporated with the Owl of Minerva or the Eye of Providence.
- What does it mean? The word “Illuminati” is Latin. It’s the plural of illuminatus, which means “enlightened.” Get it? Enlightened? The sun is the world’s source of light, and the members of the Illuminati were enlightened, so the connection was pretty obvious.^{[10]
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- Where does the symbol come from? Suns have been depicted in art as long as human culture has existed.

Section 3 of 5:

Did the Illuminati use hand signals and gestures?

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No, there’s no evidence the Illuminati had secret signals. The actual Illuminati operated as a secret society because secret societies were sort of en vogue in the late 1700s—it was a popular way to network, meet other “elites,” and share ideas in a social setting. The Illuminati never had any use, need, or interest in secret symbols. In fact, their group never got big enough to even justify the need for them; at their absolute highest point of influence, they may have only had 2,000 members (and that’s a very high estimation). It’s likely all members would have been familiar with one another.^{[11]
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- The closest the Illuminati ever came to secret signals was giving themselves “secret” nicknames. Each member would choose a classical nickname (like “Spartacus” or “Philo”) that only the other members knew.^{[12]
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The Illuminati was much more interested in ideas than symbols. The Illuminati were deeply interested in Enlightenment ideas of logic, skepticism, individualism, and freedom. They mainly sat around discussing social issues and complaining about the Catholic Church. As a result, there wasn’t really a big emphasis on ritual or symbology. This was a group of men who much preferred debate and discussion over secret, robe-strewn ceremonies.^{[13]
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- The Illuminati’s original “goal” was to replace Christianity with reason. They wanted the world to be more secular, scientific, and logical, which is why they were eventually outlawed and suppressed.

Section 4 of 5:

Does the Illuminati still exist?

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No, modern conspiracy theories about the Illuminati aren’t real. The actual Illuminati was founded in 1776 and was ultimately banned by the government in 1785. The group tried to persist, but it basically ended there. Modern belief surrounding “the Illuminati” isn’t founded on anything other than conspiracy theory. There is no secret cabal of celebrities and wealthy people that run the world.^{[14]
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- There were a few very tiny attempts at bringing the group back in the years that followed, but none of them had any sticking power.

Section 5 of 5:

Why are Illuminati symbols so similar to Freemasonry?

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Some Illuminati members were also Freemasons. Freemasonry is a spiritual organization that dates back to the 14th century. The Freemason organization's goal is to improve the ethical, spiritual, and intellectual lives of its members. Illuminati founder Adam Weishaupt joined the Freemasons in 1777 so he could learn about their rituals and look for recruits.^{[15]
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Research source} This may be why there's some crossover in their symbology, beliefs, and membership. ^{[16]
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- Why are the Freemasons always brought up in conspiracies? Freemason Christopher Earnshaw explains, “One of the weaknesses of Freemasonry is that we don't really talk about ourselves or explain what we do, and so people just guess and they guess the wrong things.”^{[17]
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