Today, Uncle Sam will be collecting a lot of your hard-earned dollars. But do you know much about the ones left in your pocket? Did you know that the dollar's complex graphic design, which dates back to the Founding Fathers, is filled with biblical, Masonic and religious and magic symbols not to mention hidden references to numerology?
David Ovason, who teaches astrology and has studied the writings of Nostradamus for more than 40 years, explores the dollar and its mysterious symbols in The Secret Symbols of the Dollar Bill (HarperCollins, $18.95). The design of the dollar was based on the symbols of the Great Seal of the United States whose design "was put in the capable hands of Thomas Jefferson, John Adam and Benjamin Franklin," Ovason explains, unfortunately misspelling the name of the second president of the United States (it should be John Adams). The author does seem to know his greenbacks, though. Dividing his book into 100 facts about the dollar (a number that in itself seems to be highly symbolic), he provides explanations for every symbol that appears on the bill, including that strange pyramid and floating eye. He also provides - in No. 2 and No. 7 - two possible origins for something that never appears on the bill: the dollar sign. - Margo Hammond, Times book editor
It is possible that the dollar symbol, $, was derived from astrology.
The medieval astrologers sometimes used the symbol $ to denote the planet Mercury - the planet that ruled over such things as commerce. The form of this symbol is said to have been derived from the image of a snake curling along a rod or staff. . . . The wand, or caduceus, carried by the god Mercury consisted of a rod with two serpents curled around it.
According to the astrological tradition, Mercury ruled finance, banking, and so on, so it is not at all unreasonable that the symbol should be used to denote currency. . .
It is traditional for banks to have sculpted models of either Mercury or the caduceus on their facades or doors. The Bank of England, in London, has a caduceus on either of the main doors. Above the main portal of the Federal Reserve Building, in Washington, D.C., is a sculpture of a female personification of America, holding a caduceus. This was sculpted in 1937, two years after the modern dollar bill was designed and printed.
The two roundels on the dollar bill are based on the designs for the Great Seal of the United States.
In 1935, Franklin D. Roosevelt ordered that a new dollar bill should be designed. He requested that this design should be based on the symbolism of the Great Seal of America.
This design was executed by Edward M. Weeks, of the Bureau of Engraving and Printing.
The obverse of this was the famous American eagle, with the shield at its breast. The reverse was the equally famous pyramid design. Both of these designs contained magical and Masonic symbols, and Roosevelt was aware of this. . . .
The dollar bill of 1935 was designed by Freemasons.
The most influential men involved in the design of the dollar bill of 1935 were Freemasons. Among these were the President of the United States, Franklin D. Roosevelt; the Secretary of Agriculture, Henry A. Wallace; and the Secretary of the Treasury, Henry Morgenthau. All three were Masons.
The Masonic interest in symbols may explain why the dollar bill was carefully designed to convey a wide range of secret symbolism. As we shall discover, among these Masonic symbols are the radiant eye (above the truncated pyramid) and the five-pointed star.
The portrait of George Washington, at the center of the dollar bill, is highly symbolic.
It is entirely fitting that a portrait of Washington should appear on the front of the dollar bill. Although the great man seems to frown dourly at the world, it is a famous picture and one steeped in history.
The engraved portrait of George Washington on the face of the dollar bill is based on one of the several versions of the portrait painted by the American artist Gilbert Stuart in 1796. The original portrait was commissioned by Martha Washington, but Stuart never finished it, leaving the bottom part (Washington's clothing) untouched. . . . The strange tension and swelling around the mouth is due to the fact that Washington had recently been fitted with a new set of false teeth. It is this, rather than any dour nature, which gives Washington's face such a tight-lipped expression.
