The All-Seeing Eye. 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 which itself represents âprimordial intellectâ or the unity of all consciousness, 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. 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 Solomonâs temple. 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 âEye of Godâ 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 sunâs corona, visibly concentrated into the starâs equatorial regions, appear around occulting disk of the moon during an eclipse. Appearing like a birdâs wings spreading out on either side of the âblack sunâ, 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 âall seeing eyeâ pierces through, and reads the heart and the soul, finding there capacities which the outside didnât indicate or promise, and which the other kind couldnât detect.
