The All-Seeing Eye: A Sign of Protection Turned Into a Symbol of Hidden Power

Look at the back of a United States one-dollar note. An unfinished pyramid stands on the left, an eye inside a triangle floats above it, and rays spread around the eye. Roman numerals for 1776 sit below the pyramid. Underneath is the Latin phrase “Novus Ordo Seclorum,” commonly translated as “a new order of the ages.” The design appears on billions of notes, yet most people who use the money do not know that it is the reverse of the Great Seal of the United States.

The eye is called the Eye of Providence. The U.S. government explains it as God’s eye watching over and protecting the nation. People who believe in hidden power networks read it differently: an eye placed over a pyramid, looking down through its levels, looks like a sign of a small group above society observing everyone below.