The All-Seeing Eye
An eye, often in a triangle or a glory of rays, read in the monitors as the watchfulness of the Supreme Being over human thought and conduct.
Also called: Eye of Providence
What it means
Webb's monitor lists it among the emblems of the Master Mason degree: the eye of the One whom the sun, moon and stars obey, which pervades the inmost recesses of the human heart and rewards each according to his merits. It is a reminder of accountability rather than a mystery.
The eye is not a Masonic invention. The Eye of Providence was common in Christian art well before organized Freemasonry, and Masonic use of it is documented from the late 18th century onward.
It is also not where the one on the U.S. dollar came from. The eye over the pyramid on the reverse of the Great Seal was part of the design Congress adopted in 1782, and the claim that it is a Masonic signature is a myth the myths guide takes apart.
In context: Masonic Myths, Answered Honestly
Frequently asked questions
What does the All-Seeing Eye mean in Freemasonry?
An eye, often in a triangle or a glory of rays, read in the monitors as the watchfulness of the Supreme Being over human thought and conduct.
Who can wear the All-Seeing Eye?
The eye on its own is a general religious symbol, not a badge of membership. Combined with the square and compasses it reads as Masonic, and the usual courtesy applies: that pairing is customarily worn by Masons.
Sources
Drawn from the published monitors and from what the bodies concerned publish about themselves. Nothing here comes from, or goes beyond, any obligated material.
- Thomas Smith Webb, The Freemason's Monitor; or, Illustrations of Masonry (1797)
- Albert G. Mackey, An Encyclopædia of Freemasonry (1873)