THE ALL-SEEING EYE The Eye encompassed by rays of light occupies a solemn place among the emblems of sacred symbolism. Its unclouded gaze signifies the watchfulness of Divine Providence, whose knowledge extends to every action of man and penetrates the most secret chambers of the human heart. Long familiar to Christian art and the wider religious iconography of the West, the radiant Eye has likewise received a place within Masonic symbolism, where various authors and traditions have employed it to express the omniscience of the Supreme Being, the vigilance of conscience and the moral government of the universe. To the thoughtful Mason, this emblem presents a grave and enduring lesson. Every deed is performed beneath a law whose authority exceeds the judgments of society. The uprightness of conduct must therefore proceed from an inward fidelity to duty, sustained by reverence for that Divine Wisdom before which every intention stands revealed. The surrounding rays suggest the illumination of conscience by a higher intelligence. As light discloses the form and measure of material things, so the moral law reveals the quality of human conduct. He who contemplates this emblem with understanding learns to govern his actions with circumspection, to examine his motives with sincerity and to preserve integrity even in the deepest solitude. For the eye of conscience remains wakeful where human witnesses are absent.