The pentagram has meant many things to many different people/groups thoughout
history, including strangely enough within the Catholic church itself,
during various parts of the middle ages it was seen as a symbol of truth,
you can find indications of this in some Arthurian legends (i don't recall
the details, however one of the knights in one of the accounts was supposed
to have a shield with the symbol).
ranger@twain.ucs.umass.edu (ranger)
-----------------------------------
Gawain, in the medieval verse-tale SIR GAWAIN AND THE GREEN KNIGHT.
I strongly recommend J.R.R. Tolkien's wonderful translation,
which retains much of the Old English alliterative form.
Stanzas 27-28:
Then they brought him his blazon that was of brilliant gules
with the pentangle depicted in pure hue of gold.
By the baldric he caught it and about his neck cast it:
right well and worthily it went with that knight.
And why the pentangle is proper to that prince so noble
I intend now to tell you, though it may tarry my story.
It is a sign that Solomon once set on a time
to betoken Troth, as it is entitled to do;
for it is a figure that in it five points holdeth,
and each line overlaps and is linked with another,
and every way it is endless; and the English, I hear,
everywhere name it the Endless Knot.
So it suits well this knight and his unsullied arms;
for ever faithful in five points, and five times under each,
Gawain as good was acknowledged and as gold refine'd,
devoid of every vice and with virtues adorned.
So there
the pentangle painted new
he on shield and coat did wear
as one of word most true
and knight of bearing fair.
First faultless was he found in his five senses,
and next in his five fingers he failed at no time,
and firmly on the Five Wounds all his faith was set
that Christ received on the cross, as the Creed tells us;
and wherever the brave man into battle was come,
on this beyond all things was his earnest thought:
that ever from the Five Joys all his valour he gained
that to Heaven's courteous Queen once came from her Child.
For which cause the knight had in comely wise
on the inner side of his shield her image depainted,
that when he cast his eyes thither his courage never failed.
The fifth five that was used, as I find, by this knight
was free-giving and friendliness first before all,
and chastity and chivalry ever changeless and straight,
and piety surpassing all points: these perfect five
were hasped upon him harder than on any man else.
Now these five series, in sooth, were fastened on this knight,
and each was knit with another and had no ending,
but were fixed at five points that failed not at all,
coincided in no line nor sundered either,
not ending in any angle anywhere, as I discover,
wherever the process was put in play or passed to an end.
Therefore on his shining shield was shaped now this knot,
royally with red gules upon red gold set:
this is the pure pentangle as people of learning
have taught.
Now Gawain in brave array
his lance at last hath caught.
He gave them all good day
for evermore as he thought.
-- Raven (JSingle@Music.Lib.MATC.Edu). [All standard disclaimers apply]
-------------------------------------
...in Great Britain, the inverted pentagram is the sign of a second level
Wiccan Student in the Gardnerian Tradition. Because of the fear frenzy of
the Fundamentalists, in this country another symbol is used. And the
symbols may be very different in different parts of the world as to how
to identify either a Satanist or a second level Gardnerian Student.
...the symbol is a reminder to face the evil/dark and nastiness within or
it will rise up and control you.
tinne@eskimo.com (Susan Profit)
--------------------------------
Well, according to my tradition, four of the points represent the
elements of Earth, Air, Fire & Water. The fifth point represents the
spiritual. Now, reference to up or down...Up is representative of the
higher spiritual plane, down is representative of inner spirituality.
...the pentagram as a symbol for Satanism was a figment of some
fundies' collective imaginations then adopted by Satanists. To lend
further credence, it was pointed out that a point-down pentagram looked
a little like a goat's head, said to be a Satanic creature. Actually,
this reference first showed up centuries ago when the Roman Catholic
Church attempted to slander Pan and His followers.
dream_weaver@cybercircl.win.net (DREAM WEAVER)
----------------------------------------------
Joseph of Aramathia came to the Isle of angels after the crucifixion of
Christ. There are those who believe that Jesus himself came to Britain and
was taught by the Druids during his early adulthood.
Regardless the people of Britain saw remarkable religious similarities
between their own beliefs and those of the EARLY Christians. There is proof
that the British practiced both religions side by side.
Later when the Roman church was in ascendancy they started to subvert other
religious practices. For some reason, whether to show displeasure of Rome,
or whether the Church itself initiated the practice, those who where against
the church inverted their crosses and since the Pentagram was worn with it it
also was inverted.
906205re@cent.gla.ac.uk (Allan M Rennie)
----------------------------------------
There are a lot of pagans out here that use an inverted pentagram as a
banishing/grounding pentagram that aren't involved in Satanism at all.
Both the upright and inverted pentagram are tools and nothing more. They
are symbols of a way that ritual and magick and energy are moved. How
each person or group of people chooses to *use* such symbols is the key
issue. If you use an inverted pentagram for "Black Magic" (Ghod how I
hate that term. Especially since Black Magick for me designates only
those workings done in the dark phase of the moon.) then it is the energy
that you focus and the direction that *you* choose that makes them "evil"
in symbology.
Hawke
windstrm@elf.com (NightStalker)
-------------------------------
The pentagram itself is an extremely ancient symbol, with various forms
and significances in different cultures -- much like the cross.
The magical pentagram as used in a ritual which projects it to the four
quarters is a relatively recent innovation, apparently no older than
the Golden Dawn (or possibly Eliphas Levi.) The ritual authors derived
the symbol from older sources, probably including the Pythagoreans, and
built the ritual from it and other materials, such as a Jewish night
prayer. This is the form in which the pentagram is used by modern
paganism, which employs numerous variations on the Golden Dawn
pentagram ritual as the basic framework for circle work.
tyagi@houseofkaos.abyss.com
nagasiva
--------
I heard this symbol is used in a "spiritual communications" in certain
forms of Satan worship. The person sits in the middle of the circle
while "praying" to the spirits who can then "sit" on each of the five
points of the "star".
Todd Strickland (sysop@pschools.st-albert.ab.ca)
------------------------------------------------
...The inverted pentagram has always represented a variety of things,
as do the upright and skew pentagrams. Aside from prudery in symbolism
apparently originating in the 19th century, the abuse of this symbol
by associating it with evil or "Devil Worship", in the Christian sense,
is an act of religious intolerance on a level with racism in Nazi
Germany. Use of the inverted pentagram by non-Christian Satanists is
harmless, no different from use of the swastika by the Theosophical
Society. Hate groups have attempted to use the inverted and other
orientations of the pentagram to engage authorities in the suppression
of non-Christian religious organizations, much as the Proctor and Gamble
logo has been associated with irrelevant interpretations by certain
Christian groups selling competitive products door-to door.
Accordingly, the pentagram in its various orientations is an appropriate
symbol of solidarity with victims of bigotry. Wear it proudly and
display it in your windows. If that had been done with the Hexagram
in 1930's Germany, 9 million Jews, Gypsies and Masons might have been
saved from untimely and horrible death. Avoidance of this symbol may
result in: A. tacit endorsement of abuse of minorities for financial and
other gain. B. encouragement of children to adopt this symbol as a
justification for destructive behavior.
93 93/93
heidrick@well.com (Bill Heidrick)
---------------------------------
1) Many Satanists don't wear an inverted cross. They have no use for
that symbol, which has nothing whatsoever to do with our religion or
philosophy.
2) The Pentagram has no "right side up" or down orientation. It's an
almost circular symbol, which can be used one-point-up, one-point-
down, one-point-right, one-point-left, or askew. There are some Pagan
and Wiccan folk who use what you call the "inverted" pentagram as a
symbol of their initiation. There are some Satanists who use the
pentagram in other ways than what you call "inverted."
My personal use is one-point-down, for reasons based in the discussion
of symbolism in the Temple of Set's _Crystal Tablet. It has nothing to
do with any Pagan, Wicca, or Christian use of a similar symbol.
Balanone@tefnut.gigo.com (Balanone)
-----------------------------------
Supposedly, a "good" pentagram has only one point up, and the "inverted"
pentagram, which is associated with "evil" devils and demons (!) is
hated. "White" witches are quick to point out that the pentagrams they
wear around their necks are not "evil" etc, and even Anton LaVey
(founder, Church of Satan) says that he uses the two point up pentagram
to represent man's carnal (vs "spiritual" nature), which is basically
correct. What he does not mention is that the two point up pentagram is
older and much more common. The one point up pentagram was basically
something that came along with the "Wicca" movement via Gerald Gardner et
al; in other words, it is recent and invented by people born and raised
Christian. Fact. Well, looking back through historical stuff, the theme
of 5 things is extremely common and is associated with the Goddess (ref.
_The White Goddess_ by Robert Graves: well known book). Looking through
certain art, you can also find a pentagram, which is always 2 points up.
You can go to your library and get any book of Tantrik art to see this.
Freemasons use it to mean "man", which is also easily verifiable. The
point is, the pentagram goes way back and is common, perhaps because the
image and general shape is common in nature: many animal faces have
this shape and plants do as well, but only if it has 2 points up. Both of
the referenced mystical groups are older than the "white witches" and the
movement in general. This is something you should be able to research and
see for yourself pretty easily.
...as I said, the two easiest groups that use this and are known to
be old, etc, are the Freemasons and Tantriks, which are groups not
historically related and have different origins and traditions, but both
use a two-point up pentagram. The Freemasons call it the Eastern Star,
and you can probably get a graphic file of this off of the internet (so
you don't even have to go to the library). Check "Alt.Freemasonry" (I
think it is) and maybe someone can give you pointers; you can also see on
that group Freemasons being accused of using the "devil's sign", which
is funny, since Freemasons have been along much longer than the Church of
Satan! For the Tantrik stuff, most any art history book about it will
have at least one pentagram in there: I have seen them either in "symbols
relating cosmos" pictures or chakra diagrams. Since most books draw on
basically the same materials, I cannot recommend a specific one. Just
look in the computer under "Tantrik art" or "art Tantrik".
Brendan
------------------------------------
The Pentagram business is a *convention*, not an absolute. But it's been
intentionally built up and reinforced over the last 20-30 years as the
American Wiccan/NeoPagan movement has evolved. Most people are taught that
the upright star represents the human "Spirit": an individual person in
charge of their own destiny, and unifying the other Four Elements within
him/herself. So far, so good, right?
In the late 1960's, a whole bunch of books on Witchcraft, Magick, and
Occultism came out. There was a big "fad" thing happening there for
awhile, probably due to the influence of the Counterculture. Enquiring
minds wanted to know: Is there magic(k)? Does it work? How can I do it?
Will I go to Hell for doing it? And suddenly there were all these books.
In this era, Anton LaVey started the Church of Satan and published "The
Satanic Bible". Obviously his Church needed a logo, and so he turned to
the works of Eliphas Levi, the 19th-century French Occultist. Levi lived
in a repressive time and place (he was actually a Catholic priest) and got
his writings past the censors by making a big, bold distinction between
Good and Evil. It is Levi's famous engraving of "Baphomet" which became
the Official Satanist Logo: modified and somewhat updated to include the
Inverted Pentagram emphasizing the Horns of Satan.
But in Wica, as founded by Gerald Gardner, the Inverted Pentagram was used
as a symbol of the Second Degree, which treats of the Horned One and his
powers of Transformation: Death, Love, and Rebirth. So to Witches (at
least from 1949 on) it had a different, more "neutral" meaning. In English
practice it is still used as the Second-Degree symbol. (Perhaps in certain
ways the Brits tend to be more sensible and less superstitious than we,
yes?)
But not here in the USA, oh no! As soon as the inverted-Pentagram Satanic
Logo got identified in the public mind with Evil Black Magic(k), those
anxious to distinguish Wicca from Satanism made it quite plain that "we"
only use the Upright Star. I can't blame the American Craft for this: it
was an expedient demanded by the time. (If you think we got "clueless
newbies" now, you should have seen what was out there then!)
And so the Upright Pentagram has gone down, over time (but not that much
time, really) as the symbol for those whose magic(k) is "Positive" (Good)
not "Negative" (Baaaad). As for the Inverse Pentagram -- just try wearing
one to a party, especially if you're fifteen years old -- and see how much
attention you get! "Eeevil" still equals "Sexy and Dangerous" in our
culture; add the "I *am* a Master Warlock" spin and you may *actually get
laid*! So you can understand why the Inverse Pentagram is a big boon to
lonely, horny people still in the "Workin' the Bar 101" phase of
development. (Anton LaVey certainly did!)
Witches are supposed to be, IMHO, more subtle than that. If you appreciate
the distinction between raw fish and sushi you probably giggle at people
who wear Inverse Pentagrams. But don't get in their face with it -- for
most of them it's legitimate self-assertion, given a culture in which they
must wrestle with the Xtian notion that it's "evil" to Just Be Themselves.
Sooner or later they may discover more subtle aspects of Magic(k) -- or
maybe not, if it really works for them. Meanwhile a strongly-projected (if
unspoken) "that's *tacky!*" will usually take care of the "problem".
B*B,
netwitch@panix.com (Balachandra)
--------------------------------
...You're confused. It's the *upright*
Pentacle that is the "Sign of Man", and it's alchemical symbology, not
Masonic. Leonardo de Vinci uses it in his very famous drawing of a Man
with his arms and legs outstretched, with the upright Pentacle behind him
& framing him. Just my $.02.
walter5@brewich.com (Walter Five)
---------------------------------
Leonardo's famous sketch does *not* contain a pentagram of any description.
Check an art history book, or if you have Web access, the upper half of
the picture may be found at
http://leonardo.net/ as an inline gif.
The figure is drawn on a superimposed square and circle, *not* a pentagram.
"A beautiful theory, callously murdered by cold, unfeeling facts."
ptrei@acm.org (Peter Trei)
--------------------------
Be it one or two points up, the position is really irrelevant. In both
Pagan/Wiccan and Satanist traditions it depends on which way that the
Pentagram is drawn. If being used for the positive or "gathering" means,
it is traditionally drawn clockwise. If being used to negate or
"diminish", it is drawn counterclockwise. However, the fact that one
way is "evil" while the other is not is up to one's own perception.
Throughout the ages, many religious symbols have been used to serve
one's own means and by that they tend to have been corrupted.
Blessed Be!!
relo@cybernetics.net (Melusine)
-------------------------------
More Star Stuff &c. (Long Post):
1. Freemasonry
In Masonic tradition, the upright interlaced Pentagram is sometimes used
to symbolize the sitting Master of the Lodge. This is an old tradition,
very popular in the 18th and 19th centuries, especially in English Lodges.
It has fallen into disuse here here in the US, possibly because of the
association of the Pentagram with Occultism. (Masons have enough trouble
with gratuitous prejudice without using a symbol popularly thought to be
a "negative" one.)
However, I have seen several antique Past Master's Jewels (presented by
the Lodge to the outgoing Master on his retirement from the East) in which
the Interlaced Pentagram is superimposed upon the Compasses, with the
traditional carved moonstone at its center. It may also be noted that a
"hidden" aspect of the symbolic Pentagram exists in the 72o angle of the
open Compasses as seen in Freemasonry's standard logo. This is intentional.
As for "Eastern Star": I am a member of the Order of Eastern Star, a
Masonic Women's Organization, (founded in the 1860's) whose symbol is the
five-pointed Star (*not* the Interlaced Pentagram). Each Star Point
represents a heroine of Biblical lore (three from the Old Testament and
two from the New) who exemplifies a Feminine Mystery. For example, I sit
at the Point of Esther (aka Ishtar, Isis, Astarte) and represent Her
-- quite a treat for a Goddess-worshipper like me.
In most State Jurisdictions, the "Eastern Star" is seen with two points
up, something the National organization refuses to change despite what I
imagine can be rather nasty pressure from local Fundamentalist groups. In
New York State (where the O.E.S. was founded) however, our Star has
*always* been seen with one point upright. I don't know why the others
originally chose the reversed Star, but I'll ask someone from out-of-state
sometime and perhaps then be able to report on it.
netwitch@panix.com (Balachandra)
--------------------------------
The version I know of the logic behind this goes:
Pentagram points= Head(Spirit)
L.ARM (Air) R.ARM (Fire)
L.Leg (Earth) R.Leg (Water)
And is symbolic of the triumph of Mind over man/the elements. (good)
The Inverse pentagram being symbolic of the domination of the
spirit/will/mind by the earthly forces, Lust,Greed,etc. (bad)
Therefore 'Whites' seeking to control their bodily urges wear the 'good'
type. 'Blacks' glorifying and magnifying their bodily urges wear the 'bad'
type.
Crowley's view was that neither version was intrinsically good or bad but was
merely a classic magical instance of an Aspect. Each should be used
according to the object of the ritual/talisman or the forces being invoked.
Example: When invoking Elementals to actually DO work a base up point down
should be used and when invoking Intelligences to answer questions, offer
guidance etc. then a point up pentagram should be used.
Malcolm@celtic.demon.co.uk (Malcolm Grandis)
--------------------------------------------
The single-point-up pentagram in fact appears in the ancient verse about
Sir Gawaine and the Green Knight. Sir Gawaine carries a shield with a
pentagram emblazoned on it like a coat of arms. The poem states that
the pentagram symbolizes, among other things, the five senses, the five
fingers, and the five Knightly Virtues (Courtesy, Chastity, Generosity,
Brotherly Love, and Pity -- interestingly, courage is not included).
rosanna@ibm.net (Rosanna E. Tufts)
----------------------------------
A weird thing about the five-pointed star: every ten years (I think? Uh
oh, maybe that's wrong... anyway, every [insert time period here]) the
planet Venus traces a perfect pentagram across the sky when viewed from
earth.
The Pythagoreans used to wear it on their robes--none of them every really
told my *why*.
cc158019@mail.idt.net (little o)
--------------------------------
In article ,
jacrutu@mv.mv.com (Captain Horatio Pugwash) wrote:
> To the best of my knowledge, the pentagram was a shape
>discovered by Greek mathematicians. It was significant
>because if a pentagram is drawn in a perfectly equiangular
>pentagon, two of the line segments it describes are in
>the exact proportion of the Golden Rectangle, the Greek
>shape of perfect aesthetic harmony. It was revered by the
>Platonist cults that believed in the power of certain
>shapes and numbers. I would presume that superstitions
>about it were disseminated by pagan Rome and became part
>of European folk tradition...
The Greeks may have (and probably did) derive the mathematical
formulae for inscribing a perfect pentagram, but the symbol itself
probably predates them. I believe I've seen pictures of pentagrams
in African petroglyphs, for instance.
It seems more likely to me that the Pythagorean rather than the
Platonic schools revered the symbol. I recall no discussion of
mathematical formulae in Platonic literature - which doesn't mean it
doesn't exist, merely that it is overwhelmed in my memory by other,
mostly political philosophies. I believe that the Pythagoreans were
more apt to be regarded by other Greeks as cultists than were
students of Plato, but I'll admit that the impression is gleaned
more from Mary Renault than from contemporary sources.
And, for what it is worth, the early fathers of the Xian church
selected the pentagram to represent the Star of Bethlehem for a
reason: it symbolizes the Pentagrammaton, YHVShH, Yehoveshah, which
was translated into Greek as Jesus. Both the Tetragrammaton and the
Pentagrammaton appear to predate Kabalah, the earliest sources for
which are found, I believe, in twelfth or thirteenth century France
and Germany - but they do not predate the sources from which the
Kabalah was drawn. That symbolizm *may* have been the reason
medieval Satanists are presumed to have inverted the pentagram,
though my reading suggests they preferred to invert the cross.
I always find it odd that xians sometimes claim that a symbol which
from the earliest years of their religion has represented their God
is really the symbol of His enemy.
baird@gate.net (Baird Stafford)
-------------------------------------------------
The points of the pentagram are viewed by many as follows:
top: Spirit, right top: Water, right bottom: Fire, left top: Air,
Left bottom: Earth.
Most wear them to remind them to always have Spirit over the elements in
life. Also Life, health, protection (especially against hostile
spirits.)
Also a human being as a microcosm of the universe.
The points can represent the five senses, stages of life or states of
consciousness..
Hope this is of some help! There is a lot of symbolism in a pentagram it
has had many names through the ages: Pentalpha, the Endless Knot, the
Pentacle of the Virgin, The Seal of the Microcosm, the Star of Knowledge,
the Pentacle of the Templars, and according to some, the Seal Of Solomon,
Medieval churchman however, called it witch's funk or wizard's star. It
has been used by Sumerians, Kabbalists, Celts, Egyptians, Christians and
Gypsies.
dalexan466@aol.com (DAlexan466)
---------------------------------------
"Izabela Wysoka" :
> What is the EXACT meaning of the inverse pentagram? I know it is to
> symbolize a goat's head, but I guess, this is not all.
The so-called "inverse" pentagram (which can also be derived by rotating
it eighteen degrees) may have gotten its nasty reputation from its
Islamic application as a simple decoration. One can find an example of
this on the cover of S.H. Nasr's _Islamic Ideals and Realities_, which
features a very ornate "inverse" pentagram with the Arabic script for
"Allah" in the center pentagon. There was a time when Christians thought
Muhammad was the Antichrist, and anything with any Islamic connection was
considered "evil."
zentao93@juno.com (Kevin Bold/Fra:. Baraka)
===========================================================================
This document is Copyright (c) 1998, authors cited.
All rights reserved. Permission to distribute the collection is
hereby granted providing that distribution is electronic, no money
is involved, reasonable attempts are made to use the latest version
and all credits and this copyright notice are maintained.
Other requests for distribution should be directed to the individual
authors of the particular articles.
nagasiva, tyagi
tyagI@houseofkaos.Abyss.coM (I@AM)
Reply
