Good day Worthy Knights,
In this part 16, you view the symbolism of the Equilateral Triangle 2 of 2 (Wikipedia).
This symbol was received by Pythagoras from the Egyptians during his long sojourn in that country, and with it he also learned the peculiar property it possessed, namely, that the sum of the squares of the two shorter sides is equal to the square of the longest side. This figure has been adopted in the Third Degree of Freemasonry, and will be there recognized as the Forty-seventh Problem of Euclid.
While the Triangle is seldom directly called to the Mason’s attention there are but few of the
symbols used in Masonry which are so frequently placed before the Craftsman for him to recognize and to contemplate if he but will.
The presentations of this symbol are, however, generally un-emphasized and more or less veiled because that is the way of Masonry with respect to its first-rate symbols, i.e., the Cube, Point within the Circle, Square, Apron, etc., as distinguished from its second-rate symbols, the Beehive, Ark and Anchor, etc.
And these repeated and partially concealed presentations are made with the design that the Mason will have aroused in him a Spirit of Inquiry and, so, will turn his attention to the symbol and, by his Masonic Craftsmanship, bring himself to a knowledge of its history and to an understanding of its symbolic significance.
Thus, plainly, the Right Triangle presents to the Mason, God’s Great Handiwork Universal Nature and moreover, as to the ancient Egyptians, by the rising, sinking, and re-rising Sun and by the Procession of the Seasons.
This symbol, while perhaps more emphatically presented to the Royal Arch Mason
than to the Master Mason is, nevertheless, a possession of the Master Mason and is by no means absent from the Master’s Lodge.
The Right Triangle is presented by the angle of the Square. The Compass, when opened to the extent of sixty degrees and a third, and connecting the ends of the legs, is supplied, we have presented the Equilateral Triangle.
Again, when the Three Lesser Lights are placed about the Altar they define the Equilateral Triangle.
For the Triangle is the primary figure from which all others are built up and the Equilateral Triangle, being wholly symmetrical, is the one perfect Triangle
and thus clearly becomes the symbol for that Perfect Being in which all things find
their beginning.
In conclusion, then, the Triangle, in the two forms here discussed, teaches the Mason that far more lies in Masonic symbolism and in Masonic instruction than appears
upon the surface; should causes him to contemplate Universal Nature; points out the probable source of an important symbolic Legend; draws his attention to what is
probably, the world’s oldest symbol, and fixes his attention upon Deity and Perfection. (Mackey’s Encyclopedia).
The Eye of Providence (or the all-seeing eye of God) is a symbol, having its origin in Christian iconography, showing an eye often surrounded by rays of light or a glory and usually enclosed by a triangle.
It represents the eye of God watching over humanity (the concept of divine providence). In the modern era, a notable depiction of the eye is the reverse of the Great Seal of the United States, which appears on the United States one-dollar bill.
Today the Eye of Providence is often associated with Freemasonry, although it is originally a Christian symbol. The Eye first appeared as part of the standard iconography of the Freemasons in 1797, with the publication of Thomas Smith Webb‘s Freemasons Monitor.
Here, it represents the all-seeing eye of God and is a reminder that humanity’s thoughts and deeds are always observed by God (who is referred to in Masonry as the Great Architect of the Universe). Typically, the Masonic Eye of Providence has a semi-circular glory below it. Sometimes this Masonic Eye is enclosed by a triangle.
Popular among conspiracy theorists is the claim that the Eye of Providence shown atop an unfinished pyramid on the Great Seal of the United States indicates the influence of Freemasonry in the founding of the United States.
However, common Masonic use of the Eye dates to 14 years after the creation of the Great Seal. Furthermore, among the members of the various design committees for the Great Seal, only Benjamin Franklin was a Mason (and his ideas for the seal were not adopted).