Many ancient civilizations have thought the pineal gland to be where telepathic thought transmissions and visual images are received. This tiny pinecone-shaped gland is about the size of a pea. The word "pineal" comes from the Latin pinea, which means "pinecone". The fascination with the pinecone is consistent throughout history in the highest forms of spiritual artwork. Descartes (named it the seat of the soul), Pythagorus, Plato, Iamblichus and many others wrote of this gland with great reverence. The Catholic church (see the Pope's staff below), Greek gods, Mexican gods, Egyptian gods, Assyrian/Babylonian gods, Roman gods, Hindu gods, the Buddha's hair, King Tut's burial and many more all depict the shape of the pinecone on their staffs, statues, sculptures, sacred stones, etc.
Annuit Coeptis means "announcing conception". The pineal gland is responsible for producing melanin in the body. Melanin is present at the conception of LIFE. It is present in the seed of plants and is the chlorophyll that gives the plant and fruit it's pigment. It is also present as a coating on the egg and sperm of humans. Huge significance here.
It is claimed that the biggest secret of Freemasonry is the regeneration of the human being into a Divine state through the awakening of the pineal gland. Each of the thirty-three degrees of Masonry correspond to one of the vertebrae in the human spine as the kundalini fire rises up to merge with the pineal gland.