Eye of God Symbol

The Eye of God is a symbol that is representative of divine watchfulness, of the Supreme Being taking care of the entire universe. It is shown as a single human eye enclosed in a triangle and often surrounded by clouds or burst of light. Also known as the ‘All-Seeing Eye‘ and ‘Eye of Providence‘, the symbol has been used since the ancient times to signify the omniscience and omnipresence of God and His power, preserving and guarding character.

Throughout history, eye iconography has been used in different cultures and religions. The Hebrew literature talks of the watchful eyes of the Lord looking over all creation. The Egyptians have the Eye of Horus that symbolizes protection, good health, and royal power. In Hinduism, there are references to Lord Shiva’s ‘third eye’ and in Buddhism, the Buddha is known as ‘Eye of the world’. In Christianity, the triangle enclosing the eye is symbolic of the Holy Trinity, while the clouds of rays of light around it represent divinity and spiritual illumination.

The Eye of God symbol has a significant Masonic connection too. It appeared as a part of Freemasonry iconography in 1797. The Freemasons view God as the Great Architect of the Universe and the symbol of His vigilant eye serves as a reminder to all Masons that He is always watching their thoughts and actions.

The symbol has been used on the currency of some countries such as the U.S. one dollar bill, Ukrainian 500 hryvnia note and Estonian 50 krooni bill. It also appears on several official seals and coats of arms, including the Coat of Arms of Belarus, the University of Mississippi seal, the University of Chile seal, etc. The Eye of God has even been depicted on many buildings, business logos, etc., which reflects the impact the symbol has had on the common man’s consciousness.