As far as
symbolism goes, The All-Seeing Eye has been around for a
long time. Many
cultures throughout history have regarded the
eye as a
divine symbol. Representative of constant
vigilance, an unblinking, untiring eye, like those of the judging
Gods, would witness the
ultimate truths missed by fallible men. It is also commonly associated with the
sun,
heavenly observation and the
protection of God. It is usually depicted as a single
human eye surrounded by radiating
beams of light. It is also often used in
conjunction with other religious or superstitious symbols, like the
pyramid and the
circle.
Where can I see the Eye?
It appears on
the Great Seal of the United States, which is printed on the American
one dollar bill. Created by
Benjamin Franklin, an
American Founding Father and
Freemason, the Great Seal took several years to create. The
First Continental Congress requested a seal of state be created to show the birth of a
new nation under god. Franklin and a group of men took
four years to draft the seal and another two years to get it approved. The Seal depicts an unfinished
Pyramid, lit from the east side and dark on the west. Representative of the state of the United States in
1776, and the east to west
colonization of the
New World, the Pyramid features an all-seeing eye in the
capstone. Used to represent God, it was Franklin's commentary on the
divine help he felt allowed the
United States, as a country, to accomplish anything.
The use of a noted
symbol of
Freemasonry, where it represents the
Great Architect of the Universe, the Great Seal is at the
heart of many
conspiracy theories. Franklin freely
admitted borrowing the symbolism from the
Masonic tradition. Fears of
Illuminatic control of the government of the United States based on this
use of the eye symbol continue today. Known as The
Cryptic Eye of Chaos, the Masonic deity of
entropy and
dissolution, the eye symbol used by the Freemasons was said to have been discovered on the
crypt of
most excellent Grand Master Hiram Abiff,
grand architect of
King Solomon's temple. It is often combined with the
square and compass in Masonic symbolism.
The
Eye of Horus, an ancient
Egyptian god, is believed to be the source of many of the
modern uses of the eye symbol. Believed to be inspired by the "
Eye of God" that appeared in the sky during
total eclipses of the
sun, the eye was a powerful
symbol to the star watching Egyptians.
To see an eclipse was to see your God. The ancient Egyptian myth that explains eclipses tells of a
cosmic battle between the solar falcon god
Horus and the sun eating serpent god
Set. The sun's
corona, visibly concentrated into the star's
equatorial regions, appear around
occulting disk of the moon during an
eclipse. Appearing like a
bird's wings spreading out on either side of the "
black sun", the eye represented proof of the existence of their gods to the ancient Egyptians.
Many
superstitions believe that one can give an
evil eye to
curse somebody to
bad luck and
illness. The All-Seeing Eye is one of many forms of
reflective eye-charm used as a
talisman against this
danger. In its specifically
protective role, the All-Seeing Eye is always
on guard to protect the bearer from
evil glances. A similar
talismanic function was assigned to the protective
Wadjet Eye of
Ancient Egypt and the
Third Eye of Buddha.
The common eye sees only the outside of things,
and judges by that, but the 'all seeing eye' pierces
through, and reads the heart and the soul, finding
there capacities which the outside didn't indicate or
promise, and which the other kind couldn't detect.
~ Mark Twain ~