Pentagram History and Meaning

Pentagram History and Meaning

The terms pentagram and pentacle are sometimes used interchangeably.

However, we believe that the most common precise meanings are:

The word pentagram comes from the Greek: "pente means 5 (as in

Pentagon). "Gram" comes from the Greek verb graphein, "to write". The

same ending is found in such words as telegram. Thus, pentagram refers

to a five pointed star, or "any figure of five lines." 8 It is most

often used to refer to a symmetrical, five pointed star, with equal

sides, drawn either with a single line or with two closely spaced

parallel lines. Their overall shape is like the decoration on the top

of many Christmas trees, and the stars on the American flag.

An upright pentagram is a 5 pointed star with one point aligned upwards.

An inverted pentagram is a 5 pointed star with two points aligned upwards.

An upright pentacle is generally defined as an upright pentagram

surrounded by a circle, as is shown in the following icon. It often

takes the form of a pentagram printed on (or cut into) a flat disk.

Upright Pentacle/Pentagram

Upright pentacles and pentagrams are among the most widely used

religious symbols. They have been used in many eras and by many

cultures and religions of the world: by ancient Pagans, ancient

Israelites, Christians, magicians, Wiccans and others. The following

pentagram-using groups are listed in chronological order:

This symbol apparently originated as the symbol of a Goddess who was

worshiped over an area which extends from present-day England to Egypt

and beyond. Her name was Kore (a.k.a. Car, Cara, Carnac, Ceres, Core,

Kar, Karnak, Kaur, Kauri, Ker, Kerma, Kher, Kore, Q're, etc.). As

Carmenta she was said to have invented the Roman alphabet. From her

alternate Roman name Ceres have evolved many English words: cardiac,

carnal, cereal, core, corn, and kernel. The port of Caraalis, (now

Cagliari, the capital of Sardinia), was named after her.

Kore's sacred fruit is the apple. When an apple is cut through its

equator, both halves will reveal a near-perfect pentagram shape at the

core, with each point on the star containing a seed. Many Wiccans,

other Neopagans and Roma (Gypsies) continue to cut apples in this way.

The Roma refer to the core as the Star of Knowledge.

In ancient Greece, Pythagoras (586 - 506 BCE) established a school

which pursued knowledge in mathematics, music, religion, and other

specialties. Driven underground, his followers used the pentagram as a

secret sign to identify themselves to each other. The Masonic Order

has traditionally traced its origins back 2,500 years to the Pythagoreans.

Kore was worshiped within the Coptic Gnostic Christian religion in

Alexandria, Egypt, during the 4th century CE. Her festival, the

Koreion, was held yearly on JAN-6. This was adopted by the Christian

church as Feast of Epiphany (a.k.a. Twelfth Night). 4 This date is

still celebrated as Jesus' birthday in Armenian churches, and is

observed with more pomp than is Christmas by the Greek Orthodox

church. 5

In England, the Koreion became the Kirn - the Feast of Ingathering.

The Christian church later adopted it to the Feast of Our Lady of Mercy. 4

During the times of the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament), the

pentacle was the first and most important of the Seven Seals - an

amulet whose seals represented the seven secret names of God. It was

inscribed on King Solomon's ring, which is often called Solomon's Seal

in error. 6 Each point of the pentagram was also interpreted as

referring to the five books of the Pentateuch - the first five books

in the Hebrew Scriptures; the Torah.

The Celts believed that the pentacle was the sign of the Goddess of

the Underground, who they called Morgan (a.k.a. Morrigan). The concept

of five points seems to have permeated at least one of the Celtic

lands. "Ireland had five great roads, five provinces and five paths of

the law. The fairy folk counted by fives, and the mythological figures

wore five fold cloaks." 9

In Christian times:

The five points of the pentagram have been interpreted as representing

the five wounds of Christ (2 wrist, 2 ankle and 1 side).

The Roman Emperor Constantine used the pentagram in his seal and amulet.

It has been referred to as the Star of Bethlehem

It was used to symbolize the star which allegedly led three

Zoroastrian astrologers to the baby Jesus; it was called the Three

Kings' star.

The English warrior Sir Gawain, a nephew of King Arthur, adopted the

pentagram as his personal symbol and placed it on his shield. 7 It

appeared in gold on a red background. The five points symbolized "the

five knightly virtues - generosity, courtesy, chastity, chivalry and

piety." 14

Tarot cards originally had a suit of coins or discs. These were

changed in the 19th century to pentacles when the Tarot became

associated with the Kabbalah. They eventually became the suit of

diamonds in modern playing cards.

It has been widely used by past Christians as a protective amulet.

During the burning times when the Christian church burned alive or

hung hundreds of thousands of innocent people, the meaning of the

pentagram changed. It began to symbolize a goat's head or the devil in

the form of Baphomet. "The folk-symbol of security - for the first

time in history - was equated with evil and was called the Witch's

Foot." 14

The religion of Wicca is based in part on ancient Celtic deities,

symbols, days of celebration, etc. The pentacle and pentagram are

their main symbols.

Many religious and spiritual groups use the pentacle or pentagram today.

Inverted Pentacle/Pentagram

Some religious and spiritual groups have used the inverted pentacle.

During the 20th century, Satanists inverted the upright pentacle and

adopted it as their own symbol. However, the symbol is most commonly

shown with the head of a goat within the pentagram as shown below.

Sign of Baphomet

The inverted pentacle with a goat's head is called the sign of

Baphomet. The term may have come from two Greek words, baphe and

metis, meaning "absorption of knowledge." It has also been called the

Black Goat, Devil's Goat, Goat Head, Goat of Mendes, and Judas Goat.

Its first appearance appears to have been during the vicious

interrogation of members of the Knights Templar by the Christian

Inquisition. There was little consensus among different victims'

descriptions of the Baphomet. It can probably be safely assumed that

their description of the Baphomet is more a product of the

Inquisition' s torture methods than of any actual statue that was in

use by the Knights.

"In the 20th. century Karl Kellner and other German occultists formed

the secret order of the O.T.O. (Ordo Templi Orientis or Order of

Templars in the East). They installed the English occultist Aleister

Crowley to head their British section. Crowley took Baphomet as his

magical name." 15

Today, the Baphomet is widely used by religious Satanists. The Church

of Satan also uses a second symbol which is an infinity sign (a figure

8 on its side). A Roman cross is placed on top with a second, longer

cross piece added beneath the top cross piece.

The meaning of Pentacles/Pentagram s to their users

There is no single consensus on the significance of these symbols.

Various groups use and define them quite differently:

Wiccans have attempted to reconstruct a Pagan religion similar to that

of the ancient Celts. They have adopted the upright

pentacle/pentagram, since it was the symbol of Morgan, an ancient

Celtic goddess. Many wear it as jewelry and use it on their altars.

The symbol is frequently traced by hand using an athame (a ritual

knife) during Wiccan rituals. It is used to cast and banish their

healing circles. Some Wiccans interpret the five points as

representing earth, air, fire, water, and spirit -- the five factors

needed to sustain life. Others relate the points to the four

directions and spirit. Some Wiccans and other Neopagans bless

themselves and others with the sign of the pentagram. Their hand

passes from their forehead to one hip, up to the opposite shoulder,

across to the other shoulder, down to the opposite hip and back to the

forehead. Some of the more highly structured Wiccan traditions have

used an inverted pentagram to represent a second or third degree

status. "Many of these groups have since substituted a triangle form

for the same degrees because of the association of the inverted form

of the pentacle with Satanism and black magic."

Ceremonial magicians also use the pentagram. Its points can "represent

various elemental energies, spirits or deities."

The Order of the Eastern Star is a international humanitarian

organization composed of women who are wives of advanced Masons. They

use an inverted pentacle as their symbol. Essentially all Eastern Star

members in North America are Christians.

The Rosicrucian movement consists of groups of Christian mystics. They

frequently use a wand, sword, cup and pentagram as tools during their

rituals. The pentagram represents "earth, matter and stability." 13

The Masonic Order associate the five points of the pentagram with

"Five Points of Fellowship." However, its "use in Masonry is vestigial

and peripheral." 11 Again, almost all Masons in North America are

Christians.

Some heavy metal rock bands occasionally use a pentacle or pentagram

as a band symbol. It is often neither an upright nor an inverted

symbol. Often, it is aligned to have a top point which is slightly off

vertical. We are unaware of any band that is actually composed of

religious Satanists. All the groups which we have studied simply use

the symbolism and stage theatrics to generate notoriety, popularity

and record sales.

Satanism is composed of many diverse groups with no central overall

organization. They number perhaps 20,000 in North America. Some

Satanic grottos and temples use the Baphomet.

The meaning of Pentacles/Pentagram s to Christians

Because liberal and conservative Christians interpret the Bible in

different ways, they have developed very different belief systems over

time, and agree on very few points. This disagreemnt carries over into

their understanding of pentacles and pentagrams.

Liberal Christians generally view Satan as a principle of evil rather

than as a living entity. Those who are familiar with Wicca and

Satanism are aware of the lack of similarity of the two religions:

Wiccans do not recognize the existence of the Christian quasi-deity,

Satan. They have no all-evil deity in their pantheon of gods and

goddesses. Satanists recognize Satan (or one of his precursors) as

either a living deity or a principle.

Wiccans are prohibited by their Wiccan Rede from harming, manipulating

or controlling others. Satanists, on the other hand, are free to use

magic to harm their enemies.

Wiccans follow an gentle, nature-based, aboriginal religion that is

similar to that of Native American spirituality. Satanists practice

indulgence, gratification and vengeance, rather than concern for all

humans and for the environment.

Many religious liberals view the Wiccan upright pentacle or pentagram

as an elegant, spiritual symbol that represents life. They see the

Satanic inverted pentacle or Bahomet as primarily representing a

self-centered religion.

Fundamentalist and other Evangelical Christians generally have an

entirely different view of Wicca, Satanism and other religions. This

is influenced by some of their beliefs. In many, but not all cases:

Since they believe in the inerrancy of the Bible, they regard as true

those passages which state that the gods and goddesses worshiped by

other religions are, in reality, Satan or his demons.

They regard Satan as a living entity, a living, quasi deity who is

totally dedicated to destroying people's lives and ruining their

faith. They regard themselves as being in continuous "spiritual

warfare" -- a personal battle with Satan and his demons.

They regard Satanism as having existed as an organized movement,

murdering and performing "black masses" for may centuries. This

contrasts with a consensus of modern historians that: "no reliable

historical sources indicate that such organizations existed; the black

mass appears only once in the sources before the late nineteenth century."

They do not differentiate between Wicca and Satanism. Because they

consider the Wiccan gods and goddesses to be Satanic or demonic, they

regard the two religions as very similar

They commonly believe that Satanists, (and by extension, Wiccans)

engage in Satanic Ritual Abuse and murder. Belief in SRA is gradually

diminishing, but remains still at a high level.

Books by conservative Christian authors about Wicca and Satanism are

based primarily on books by other Christian authors, rather than on

primary religious sources. Some of the ideas put forth in these books

as truth can be traced back to 15th century Christian propaganda

during the Burning Times.

Many conservative Christians do not differentiate between Wicca and

Satanism, or between upright and inverted pentacles/pentagram s. All

are viewed as symbols representing evil, violence and lawlessness.

Dispute over pentagrams in Roswell NM public schools

In 1999-SEP-7, The Roswell Independent School District in New Mexico

had a dress code that stated (in part): "...Any attire associated with

gothic, satanic, or occult-type activities such as trench coats, knee

high boots, all-black clothing, spiked jewelry, upside-down crosses,

swastika, tattoos, pentagrams, etc...are prohibited.. " The son of

Katherine King, owner of a local Pagan book store in Roswell,

discovered the ban during a school assignment. He asked why such a

prohibition was in place, because it was such an obvious violation of

the 1st Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. This triggered a study

which resulted in a recommendation by the school staff that the ban

on religious symbols be removed - specifically the prohibition on

pentagrams. Legal staff from the city advised that the ban was

unconstitutional, as written. At a school district meeting, over 200

people attended. Many were from the conservative Christian Church On

The Move; some were from other conservative Christian groups. After an

emotional 3 hour discussion, the board voted whether to change the

dress code. It was a 2 - 2 tie. This meant that the existing

prohibition continued. Kathyrn King, described by the Roswell Daily

Record as a "Pagan activist," is reported as saying that she will ask

the American Civil Liberties Union to mount a lawsuit against the

school board. 1,2

On SEP-12, the Roswell Daily Record News published an interview with

Steve Smothermon, pastor of the Church on the Move. He indicated that

their goal was not to deny any students the right to wear their

religious symbol. "Our whole point was, nobody has the right to

promote violence in our school system." Referring to Kathryn King, he

continued: "If [the dispute is]...all about a symbol, change her

symbol...But she shouldnt be allowed to promote anything which

promotes violence."

Mary Reeves, a member of Smothermon's congregation, said that the

pentagram has been viewed as a Satanic symbol for centuries. "Why

would they [the Neopagans] pick a violent symbol to promote their

love? Its been known as being violent from the medieval age on."

State Senator Rod Adair, (R-Roswell) expressed support for the

pentagram ban. He said: "In an era when the term zero tolerance for

drugs, guns, knives and violence is the watchword of the day, it is

inconceivable that we would allow symbols which directly promote

Satanic worship and the violence and bloodshed which are part of it."

His mention of violence and bloodshed apparently refers to the Satanic

Ritual Abuse hoax. During the 1990's and early 1990's, many North

Americans believed that Satanists ritually abused and killed tens of

thousands of children annually. The belief has largely dissipated due

to the complete lack of hard evidence. However, many conservative

Christians are still convinced that it happens; Senator Adair is

apparently one.

Smothermon doubts that the wearing of a pentagram is protected by law.

"What ruling allows for violence to be promoted in our school system?

I want to know what law that is. If theyre talking about the equal

access law, that has no bearing on this issue." (The equal access law

is a federal statute which assures that religious clubs and religious

expression are guaranteed the same rights as secular clubs and secular

speech). He continued: "They have the right to worship what they want

to worship; that is not in question here."

On 1999-SEP-21, the school board again met to discuss the issue. The

meeting was attended by about 400 Christians and just over 20 Pagans.

The police had an obvious presence. Prayer meetings inside and outside

the meeting area were held throughout the evening. The discussion

period involving extensive public input. Speakers threatened to remove

students from the school system if pentagrams were allowed; some

called for a religious battle in the courts and offered to help with

legal costs; some opposed the wearing of pentagrams anywhere, not just

by students in school. The general consensus of the Christians at the

meeting was that the pentagram is, and always will be, a Satanic

symbol to them. One Native American spoke of Christians stripping his

culture of their talking stick and other symbols of his faith. He said

that he found the Christian cross offensive because, to him, it stood

for the destruction of his culture. Many Wiccans and other Neopagans

spoke, asking for tolerance, understanding and human rights. The board

finally voted to cancel the previous dress code and substitute: "No

student on school property or at any school activity shall wear,

possess, use, distribute, display or sell any clothing, jewelry,

emblem, badge, symbol, sign or other item that currently evidences or

reflects membership in, or affiliation with, any gang." The vote was 4

to 1. The board decided to allow the wearing of Neopagan religious

symbols. Those supporting the change indicated that they based their

decision on constitutional considerations; the one person who was

opposed based their decision on the massive outpouring of public

concern. The Church on the Move threatened legal action to reinstate the ban