The removal of physical sight during initiation carries a symbolic meaning rather than a practical function. The United Grand Lodge of England notes that the hoodwink is not employed to conceal the layout or symbols of the lodge room, but to emphasize a candidate's present state of ignorance prior to receiving symbolic enlightenment.
Mackey explains that Freemasonry uses darkness to represent a state of preparation, symbolizing the antemundane chaos prior to creation and the intellectual darkness of the uninitiated before light is received 1. He connects this to ancient mystery systems in which an aspirant was kept in darkness before being admitted to full knowledge, making the subsequent reception of light a representation of new birth and intellectual awakening 1.
Wilmshurst takes the hoodwinked condition to typify the candidate's life prior to initiation, in which his steps and choices were made haphazardly 2. In his view, the temporary blindness underscores the candidate's need to lay aside past preconceptions and submit to a disciplined process of gaining self-knowledge 2.
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