The All-Seeing Eye is a Watchin' You

What does it mean? Does it really prove the existence of the Illuminati and that they're always watching us? Or is it really a Masonic symbol? Or is it something to do with SATAN? ALIENS? BIGFOOT? STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE?

Nah.

The only thing that's accurate about the popular legends is that it is indeed a variant of an important Mason symbol, but it need not be a Mason who incorporated into the dollar's design. Variants of the Eye of Providence are used by several esoteric schools and in another form is common in naive Christianity and incorporated into the practices of Buddhism.

The overall misunderstanding arises from an approach that's not valid: the symbol doesn't have a meaning, so any speculation regarding any supposed meaning connected with it is doomed from the get go. Instead of meaning, it's intended to have a DIRECT MAGICAL EFFECT on whoever gazes upon it. I totally shit you not, but I'll get to that later.

Let's start with some classic geekery!
“I must not fear.
Fear is the mind killer.
Fear is the little death that brings total obliteration.
I will face my fear.
I will permit it to pass over me and through me.
And when it is gone past I will turn the inner eye to see it's path.”

What you've just read is known as The Litany Against Fear and originates from the DUNE novels (later film, miniseries.) What it describes is a process of detaching from and being aware of one's emotions so that one doesn't get all caught up in them. [1]

The key here is self-awareness and that's the cornerstone of all esoteric philosophy. But what is self-awareness and why would someone want to be more self-aware than they presently are? Have you ever known someone who was always complaining about that all their relationships followed the unfortunate and tragic pattern, and then claim that it was the fault of “men” or “women”, but never them? It's because their version of events is accurate to their perception. They're invisible to themselves (and more than likely, avoid becoming self-aware at all costs.) Essentially, the downside of not being self-aware is not having the information you need to fix whatever problems in your life that you're causing yourself.

As I said, the Eye of Providence is a common symbol used by the Masons, and when not a symbol, is incorporated into both naive Christianity and Buddhism. But, before getting into that, a little bit about something we humans naturally do: we tend to unconsciously glance where other people are looking to see what they're looking at. And, when we notice that someone's looking at us unexpectedly, or are put in the spotlight in public for some reason, we focus our attention on what everyone's looking at: ourselves. In doing so, we instantly become self-conscious. If someone is cruising on auto-pilot at the time, discovering that they're being watched will jolt them right out of it.

In Buddhism, developing self-awareness begins as the practice of “mindfulness.” Mindfulness mediation is where you sit around and listen to your thoughts almost as a passive observer. If you ever do this, you'll be surprised to discover all the dumb things you think about things and tell yourself. [1] Ultimately, the purpose of mindfulness mediation is serves the same purpose of keeping a journal: to find out what's going on inside you.

Naive Christians are often told that God is omniscient, and since he knows everything, he knows what you're thinking. This is particularly effective in the naive sense. All you have to do is believe it, and suddenly you become VERY aware of your own thoughts because God's listening in, and you wouldn't want him to catch you thinking something naughty, would you?

Now I can get to what the Eye of Providence is all about. As a Masonic symbol, it doesn't have meaning. Instead, it's there to trigger the effect that happens when we suddenly discover we're being watched, and that leads to being self-aware. [2]

I understand if you're skeptical that a mere picture of an eye is enough to cause a reflex that ordinary takes the presence of a live observer to trigger. But in fact, that's all it takes. Several psychological studies have been conducted to see what, if any, effect the presence of an image has on the behavior of those who notice it, and the general consensus is: in the presence of the image of an eye, participants change their behavior in ways which correspond to ways they would behave as if being watched, even if there is no other person around.

So in conclusion, the symbol isn't so much a symbol as a tool of self-awareness. If it were a short phrase it would be an esoteric command you're already familiar with: “Know Thyself.” The reason the All-Seeing Eye is a watchin' you is so that you'll watch yourself.

[1] There's much more to it than that, but I don't want this note to get too long.
[2] Sure, there's a bit of song and dance that goes along with it that speaks about the almighty watching you because he's something of a life coach, but that's beyond the primary effect. That song and dance instructs a Mason what to do with his own self-awareness once he has it.