Moon Owl Observations
Jazz June, 2011
The Pentagram and Pentacle
There are many different opinions and stereotypes when looking at a symbol like the pentagram or pentacle. Many people have misconceptions when it comes to them and here’s hoping for a little bit of clarification.
Both the pentagram and pentacle are both very significant and share many similarities, but let’s first look at the differences. The pentacle is a five pointed star encased within a circle. The circle is known to represent infinity and protection, also the cycles of life and nature. The circle touches all the points of the star to show that the elements are all connected and balanced. Usually for clothing, jewelry, books, etc. It is the pentagram that is used. The pentagram is also a five pointed star, but is not encased in a circle. Some believers use this symbol to represent that they are open about their choices and have nothing to hide. Other than the circle the two look exactly the same. It is up to one’s own personal beliefs on which symbol they choose to use, especially when it comes to calling the elements. Most find that adding the circle helps strengthen the casting and protects those inside from harm.
Now that you know the differences between them, let’s look at the pentagram and pentacle in general. Generally they are drawn with one point up and two down. With this kept in mind it is often thought that the uppermost point represents the Spirit, the top right Earth, top left Air, bottom right Fire and bottom left Water. It should always be drawn with one continuous line, which is often called the ‘endless knot’. Also, the direction in which you draw the star also plays a role; to invoke one must draw it in a clockwise direction, and to banish one must draw it in a counter clockwise way.
The five points have so much meaning it’s ridiculous. To touch the base of it the number five represents Mars, severity, the five wounds of christ, the star of Bethlehem, the five knightly virtues (under king hurs rule) and of course the Wiccan kiss. The pentagram was first seen around 3000BCE with the five points representing Mercury, Mars, Saturn, Jupiter and Venus. It was also the symbol for the Goddess Kher (aka. Kore, Cara, Ceres, Kerma, Q’re, etc.)
The symbol was used widely by Christians, Israelites, Magicians, Pagans and more, but during the witch hunts the pentagram and pentacle became associated with evil. The Celts also used the pentacle as a sign for the ‘Goddess of the Underground‘, also known as Morrigan. In todays and past times, to wear either symbol is to say that you feel a connection with the elements and that you respect the earth and all its beauty. It is a symbol of unity, wholeness, infinity and protection. It is also strongly associated with the apple because when you slice an apple right in half you can see a five pointed star with a seed at each end.
One of the most controversial aspects of either symbol is when it is inverted. ( 2 points up, 1 down). It is seen as evil by not only Pagans, but Satanists, Christians and just the general public. It is often seen with a goats head drawn inside it. In my personal belief an inverted symbol is not evil at all, in fact even in Chinese Feng Shui and inverted pentagram can be used to banish. An inverted Pentacle is even used in the Gardnarian 2nd degree initiation. It shows that you need to deal with the darkness within yourself before it can rise up. Most modern day people avoid it since it is widely associated with Satanism but in historical times it wasn’t nearly as taboo and was in fact often used in banishing spells.
