Of course, the pentagram as a symbol far predates Wicca, and has never been limited to use only in traditions arising from northwestern Europe. Likewise, the pentacle is not explicitly Wiccan (or even Pagan) either, having a history of uses both similar to and different from its modern applications.
“But wait, ” many of us say at this point. “Pentacle and pentagram are just two terms for the same thing.” In contemporary usage, this is often true, the two words being used interchangeably. For example, I am sure we are all familiar with Pentacle Quest, the petition that eventually established the right of fallen Pagan servicemen of the US military to have pentagrams on their headstones. The fact that this movement was called Pentacle Quest and not Pentagram Quest gives us some idea of the way the two terms are equated.
Still, some Pagan writers insist that there is a difference in meaning. Mike Nichols (if you haven’t read his essays, you should) states that while the pentagram is a symbol, a pentacle is a small dish or plate used in ritual, much like the paten used in traditional Christianity.
My point here is not to argue that one set of definitions is wrong and the other right. After all, the meanings of words change over time. What I would like to do is elucidate the history of both pentacle and pentagram, because while there are many writings by many authors on other ritual items like the athame, there are precious few about the pentacle.
In 15th century Italian, we first see the word pentacolo, presumably formed from the Greek penta- (five) and a Latin diminutive ending. Hence it would appear to mean “small object with five points or sides, ” in which case it could well be something with a five-pointed star on it.
However, it is in the next few centuries after this usage that “pentacle” becomes a more widely used term, often incorporated into the grimoires of ceremonial magick. Interestingly, in these systems the term pentacle apparently has nothing at all to do with the number five or the symbol of the five-pointed star. But it should be noted that the pentacle is also not a dish in these systems. Instead, a pentacle is a complex symbol (often incorporating a six-pointed Star of David) that is inscribed on a piece of parchment and worn around the neck of the magician as a talisman.
It has also been suggested that “pentacle” comes not from the Greek word for five, but from the Latin pend- meaning, “to hang, ” as a pentacle was suspended from the neck. In this case, it makes perfect sense to call a pentagram necklace a pentacle. Although these ceremonial pentacles do not usually incorporate the pentagram symbol, there is nevertheless a connection. The five-pointed star has long been seen as a protective symbol--a talisman against harm or evil. For example, Middle English texts describe Sir Gawain’s shield as bearing a pentagram, presumably for protective reasons.
Following its appearance in medieval and Renaissance grimoires, the pentacle became incorporated into the tarot as one of the four suits by groups like the Order of the Golden Dawn and Ordo Templi Orientis. Prior to this, the tarot suits had been Swords, Staves, Cups, and Coins. Now most of us know them as Swords, Wands, Cups, and Pentacles.
Knowing all of this, let’s look at the symbolism of the pentagram--the five-pointed star.
I have studied and practiced Witchcraft and Neo-Paganism for quite some time. By far the most common explanation I’ve encountered of the symbolism of the pentagram is that it is a symbol of the elements. In this system, the points of the pentagram represent Earth, Air, Fire, Water, and Spirit. Personally, I’ve never interpreted it this way. As Deborah Lipp points out in her excellent book The Elements of Ritual, there is no reason for a nature religion to consider Spirit to be an element separate from matter. Rather, Spirit is what arises from the confluence of the elements.
Lipp recommends using a squared circle (basically an equilateral cross within a circle) to symbolize the elements, with the center representing Spirit. Since the early days of my time as a Pagan I’ve been using a very similar symbolism in my practice, so I found myself in full agreement with Lipp when I encountered her book. But as they say, to each his (or her) own. Who’s to say that my way is the “right” way? In fact, in some Asian philosophies there are five elements not counting Spirit.
The pentagram is rather like the cross--it has a long history of use and many possible meanings and uses beyond the most common one. One of these is protection. It is fairly easy to understand this. Most people have noticed the similarity between a five-pointed star and a human being with arms and legs spread (just picture Da Vinci’sVitruvian Man) . Especially when you put this inside a circle the symbolism is obvious: a person protected by a barrier. In the system I follow, even an inverted pentagram (with two points up) can be a protective symbol.
And now some readers are probably growing uncomfortable. Upright pentagrams are all well and good, they’re thinking, but inverted pentagrams are Satanic. We don’t need any more people thinking we’re Satanists! I understand your uneasiness. However, the association of the inverted pentagram with evil or the devil is a fairly recent one, and it’s a Christian one.
Basically, 18th -century and 19th-century Christian writers interpreted it as an arrow pointing down, which they took to signify Spirit descending into matter/flesh. To them, this was undeniably evil. In fact, a writer named Eliphas Levi even created a demonic character to represent this--an androgynous human with the head and legs of a goat whom Levi named Baphomet. (Interestingly, Levi’s images of Baphomet show him with an upright pentagram, not an inverted one) . The name Baphomet may have been a corruption of Mohammed, displaying Levi‘s cultural biases. In any case, it was only following this that the inverted pentagram was seen as a symbol of evil, later being adopted by the Church of Satan as a depiction of a goat’s head.
In any case, we Pagans generally don’t believe in the devil, nor do we think that matter or the human body (or goats!) are evil. For us nature is beautiful, so I see no reason we shouldn’t reclaim the inverted pentagram. Some authors who agree with this interpret the inverted pentagram as a symbol of the Horned God, or as a banishing symbol for spellwork.
Historically, however, the pentagram may have strong feminine connotations. Take the Greek goddess Aphrodite. She appears to be related to the Sumerian Inanna. One connection between the two is that both are associated with the planet Venus (hence Aphrodite’s Roman name) .
How does this relate to the pentagram? It all has to do with astronomy. Venus orbits the sun thirteen times for every five times the earth orbits. What this means is that, observed from Earth, Venus traces a pentagrammic path through the night sky as it orbits. And there is one more connection. The Greeks considered the apple sacred to Aphrodite. And if you cut an apple in half across the middle (as I just did) , the cross-section of the core is a pentagram.
So what does all this mean for contemporary Neo-Paganism? Well, I suppose that’s for you to decide. In this essay, I’ve deliberately avoided including too much detail about my practice, partly because much of it is secret, but even more because I want to demonstrate that there isn’t a single “right” way to use pentacles and/or pentagrams. It’s the nature of the world that words and symbols evolve over time, acquiring new meanings. But I think we should all be informed about the meanings they have held in the past so we can decide how we should use them in the present and the future.
Bright Blessings,
Fiona
(Copyright 2010 by Fiona Morgan. Originally published on Witchvox.com.)
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