What Does Pentagram Mean

A pentagram is a five pointed star made by using one continuous line. In the Greek language, pente means five and gramme means line, so pentegramme literally means a shape with 5 intersecting lines. For the pentacle, pente means five and the ending -cle has a definition of “a place appropriate to the actions of the verb or a means by which the action is performed”. For Wiccans, most actions are performed in a sacred circle and so pentacle means five within an appropriate place. That something could be a circle, a triangle, a square, or rectangle. Most often it is a circle. The pentagram (star with 5 points) has been used symbolically for thousands of years. While we really do not know what Prehistoric Man meant by the symbol, we do …show more content…
What this means is that a pentagram is completely enclosed by a circle. Most definitions of a pentacle simply state that it is a talisman whether it has a pentagram or other symbols inscribed on it. For example, Raymond Buckland defines a pentacle as “in ceremonial magic, a pentacle is frequently a protective talisman incorporating a design of a pentagram together with various words and names of power.” Another definition was “Pentacles, despite the sound of the word often have no connotation of five in the old magical texts, but were, rather magical talismans inscribed with any symbol or character.” For the remainder of this paper, pentacle will mean a pentagram encircled. The circle represents the circles cast when performing magic and are for protection. So the pentacle is a symbol of protection. Sharynne NicMacha states that “For modern-day Pagans, the Pentacle contains many wonderful layers of symbolism. The five points symbolize the four directions with the fifth point as the sanctity of spirit, within and without. The circle around the star symbolizes unity and wholeness. It represents the quest for Divine Knowledge...” Wearing pentacles lets others who are of a like mind know we are on the same quest, but it also gives those who are not of the same mindset a chance to belittle or scorn. (or pray for our immortal souls.) This leads us to the inverted …show more content…
For many years a pentagram could be drawn either point up or point down and mean the same thing. In 1891, Eliphas Zahed Levi, a French occultist, who was born Alphonse Louis Constant, and who taught various occultist arts, published his book Transcendental Magic. In this book he gave the definition of a pentacle as “the dominion of the mind over the elements” and went on to state that the single point upwards was for “good” magick while the inverted image was for “evil” magick. At that time the words pentacle and pentagram were used interchangeably. This misrepresentation has stood. The misrepresentation of the inverted pentagram has been fed by mainstream Hollywood, media and the Christian fear of Satanism. Donald Michael Kraig states, “The truth is that a graphic image, such as a pentagram, is nothing more than lines. It's what we put into it that matters.” That is a powerful statement. I find the inverted pentagram, especially the one with the image of the goat head overlayed, disturbing to this day. I was raised in a Christian household and indoctrinated to believe that this was the most evil symbol out there and that it was the symbol of all who worshiped Satan. I've learned that the upright pentagram denotes the female aspect of the Divine and the inverted pentagram (even the one with the goats head) denotes the male aspect of the Divine, but I still