Eye Of Providence

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.

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.

However, it is first in Buddhism that the eye is associated with a triplicity. Buddha is also regularly referred to as the "Eye of the World" throughout Buddhist scriptures and is represented as a trinity in the shape of a triangle known as the Tiratna or Triple Gem.

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 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.

It is a popular conspiracy theory that the Eye of Providence shown atop an unfinished pyramid on the Great Seal of the United States indicates the influence of Freemasonry in the founding of the United States.

Among the three members of the original design committee for the Great Seal, only Benjamin Franklin was a confirmed Mason.

Possibly the most famous use of the eye is on the back of the United States one-dollar bill.

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