EYE OF PROVIDENCE

The 'Eye of Providence' or the 'all-seeing eye' is a symbol showing an eye surrounded by rays of light or a glory, and usually enclosed by a triangle. It is sometimes interpreted as representing the eye of God keeping watch on humankind (see Divine Providence).

Contents

Origin

United States

Freemasonry

Current and recent usage

See also

External links

References

Origin

In its current form, the symbol first appeared in the west during the 17th & 18th centuries, but representations of an all-seeing eye can be traced back to Egyptian mythology and the Eye of Horus. 17th-century depictions of the Eye of Providence sometimes show it surrounded by clouds. The later addition of an enclosing triangle is usually seen as a more explicit trinitarian reference to the God of Christianity.

United States

In 1782 the Eye of Providence was adopted as part of the symbolism on the reverse side of the Great Seal of the United States. The Eye, however, was first suggested as an element of the Great Seal by the first of three design committees in 1776, and is thought to be the suggestion of the artistic consultant, Pierre Eugene du Simitiere.
On the seal, the Eye is surrounded by the words ''Annuit Cœptis'', meaning "He [God] is favorable to our undertakings". The Eye is positioned above an unfinished pyramid with thirteen steps, representing the original thirteen states and the future growth of the country. The combined implication is that the Eye, or God, favors the prosperity of the United States.

Freemasonry

The Eye of Providence also appears as part of the iconography of the Freemasons. Here it represents the all-seeing eye of God, and is then a reminder that a Mason's deeds are always observed by God (who is referred to in Masonry as the Grand Architect of the Universe). Typically the Masonic Eye of Providence has a semi-circular glory below the eye — often the lowest rays extend further down. Sometimes the Eye is enclosed by a triangle. Other variations of the symbol can also be found, with the eye itself being replaced by the letter ‘G’, representing both the art of geometry and God.
It is a popular conspiracy theory that the Eye of Providence (often shown with an unfinished pyramid, as represented on the reverse of the Great Seal of the United States) shows the influence of Freemasonry in the founding of the United States. This was dramatised in the 2004 Disney film ''National Treasure''. The Masonic use of the Eye does not incorporate a pyramid, although the enclosing triangle is often interpreted as one.
Among the original design committee for the Great Seal of the United States, only Benjamin Franklin was a Mason, but his ideas were not adopted by the committee and he may not even have been aware of it. Many Masonic organizations have denied any special connection to the original creation of the Seal.
Arguably the most famous use of the Eye is on the of the United States one-dollar bill. The design was approved by Franklin D. Roosevelt, a 32° Scottish Rite Mason.^[1] It is notable that the reverse (back) of the Great Seal of the United States counter-intuitively appears first, so the the words ''The Great Seal'' appear beneath ''it'' rather than the more familiar eagle design of the seal's obverse (front).

Current and recent usage

★ Great Seal of the United States

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★ Several American organizations also incorporate the Eye of Providence in their logos, through association with its use on the Great Seal

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★ United States Dollar bill

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★ Former logo of the Information Awareness Office

★ Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen, which the official depiction also borrows iconography of the Ten Commandments

★ The Ukrainian 500 hryvnia bill includes a depiction of the Eye of Providence enclosed in a triangle inscribed within a circle.

★ The Estonian 50 krooni bill includes an element of the All-seeing Eye. See more on Estonian Kroon.

★ The Steve Jackson Games logo

★ The logo of The All-Seeing Eye. A computer software application designed to help Internet gamers find game servers.

★ The pyramid and all-seeing eye are depicted on the covers of various albums by the 1960's psychedelic band the 13th Floor Elevators. It is also seen on the cover of The Prize Fighter Inferno's album, My Brother's Blood Machine and on the cover of Klaxons' album Myths of the near future.

★ The Eye of Providence is a proposed symbol for the recently classified dwarf planet, Eris, along with the Hand of Eris.

★ The Eye of Providence is used in the cover art for The Illuminatus! Trilogy

★ In Yu-Gi-Oh!, the Eye of the Providence is part from the Millennium Puzzle, one of the Millennium Items.

★ In The Lord of the Rings, Sauron is described as having an all-seeing eye. In the Peter Jackson trilogy, Sauron himself is physically manifested as an eye.

★ In The Pick of Destiny, the character KG, portrayed by Kyle Gass is seen wearing a headband with the Eye of Providence drawn on it with a sharpie in the scene where he and the character JB are trying to record a 'masterpiece'.

★ Madonna wears this symbol on the back of her jean jacket in the movie Desperately Seeking Susan.

See also

★ Eye of Ra - also known as the Eye of Horus - is an Ancient Egyptian symbol of protection and power.

★ The Third eye common to Buddhism, Hinduism, Surat Shabda Yoga and Rosicrucianism.

★ Hourglass Nebula

★ The singer, Michael Jackson, uses this image to show his self-deification as a pop icon in some of his videos.

External links

★ Rosslyn Templars a modern Freemason's debunking of the myth of a connection between Freemasonry and the Great Seal of the United States.

★ grand lodge of British columbia and yukon - response to claims of masonic origins of symbol

★ grand lodge of British Columbia and Yukon - graphics from the kneph

References

1. Time Magazine, Letters, Monday, Aug. 21, 1939