The
pentagram or five pointed star is an ancient Pagan symbol.
(As is the pentacle--which is a pentagram inscribed in a circle.)
Its history is probably one of the oldest in the Craft, as historians
suspect that the Sumerians used the Pentagram in their rituals, and
held it as a sacred object. It is for this reason that the pentagram
has survived into Wicca as an object to encompass our belief system.
The pentagram however is not simply a pretty symbol. It has very deep
meanings, though it means different things to different witches.
I wear a pentacle daily, and when people ask me what it means, I often
have a hard time choosing the definition. The pentagram is a very
powerful symbol, and understanding it can offer the student great
insight into her religion.
The top point of the pentagram represent the element of Spirit--it
represent the ethereal, the everlasting, and the immanence of the
Goddess. It represents our souls; it represents the parts of us
that are dedicated to Witchcraft, and dedicated to a spiritual connection
to the Earth and to each other. It symbolizes spiritual love.
All of the remaining points of the pentagram relate to the human
experience--our lives as being purely profane creatures, made of
body and material. The entire pentagram has been said to represent
the human--the top point the head and the bottom four the body.
In a sense, this is true. The bottom four points will be described
below.
The top left point of the pentagram represents Earth.
Earth is the Mother element. It is that element that represent rootedness.
It symbolizes security, growth, nourishment--all of the things that
the Earth Mother provides for us. The elements Earth is what offers
us the ability to explore the spirit, because it gives us grounding.
Without Earth we would always have our head in the clouds. Earth
is represented by Coins/Pentacles in the tarot deck.
The top right point of the pentagram represents Air.
Air is the element of the mind. It represents thought, intelligence,
rationale. It is the element that allows us to examine the spirit
and discover where it fits in our lives. Without air, the element
of Earth would have little use, for though we are grounded in Earth,
we are allowed to reason out our spirits with Air. Air is represented
by Wands/Staves in the Tarot deck.
The bottom left point in the pentagram represents Fire.
Fire is the element of the loins. Fire represents passion. It represents
that part of us that wants to overthrow reason, to lead by the horns,
to plunge on without thinking about our actions. Fire is symbolic
of adrenaline, of testosterone, of brashness. Once we have progress
past air and have analyzed our spirits and our paths in life, fire
allows us determine whether that analysis is right for our lives.
Fire is what allows us to say, "I Don't care if it makes sense,
this is what I believe." Without fire, we could not perform Magick,
we could not link ourselves to each other. Fire overrides the intellect.
Fire is represented by Swords in the tarot deck.
The last point, the bottom right, is the element Water.
Water represents the cycle of life: we came from the watery dark
of the womb, and we return to watery tears of death. Water is the
element of emotion. Water is the element that validates our existence
as sentient beings, because it allows us to have feelings, but not
the brash, unwarranted feelings of fire. Water is the emotion that
comes along with understanding ourselves and each other after all
else has been discovered. Water is pure love, pure joy, pure sadness,
pure anger. Water is not childish--it knows why we feel the way
we do. Water is the element that calms fire--it emotion with reason.
Water is represented by Cups in the tarot deck.
When the pentagram is inscribed in a circle--a pentacle--it unites
all of the aspects of man. It unites the body with the mind, the
spiritual with the profane. It reminds us that we need all of our
aspects to fulfill our lives as human beings. It reminds us also
everything is a cycle--that we will not experience joy without pain,
but pain will again give way to joy. When the pentacle is worn right
side up, it represent "spirit over the body". This means that as
witches, we recognize the importance of all things, but when we
get right down to it, we strive to serve the spirit and not solely
our bodies. "An it harm none" means that serving the spirit may
mean sacrificing bodily pleasures, but if we are serving the spirit,
we can never harm.
When the pentacle is worn upside down in Satanism, it means "flesh
over the spirit", meaning, if it feels good, do it, regardless of
who you hurt.
This symbol NEVER HAS THIS MEANING IN WITCHCRAFT!! If a witch wears
the pentacle inverted, it means that she is undergoing a period
of introspection and self discovery, and that she is going through
the underworld to confront her fears and demons and conquer them.
Authors Details:
Amber Simmons
http://www.mothersmagic.net
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