Pentagram vs. Pentacle

Pentagram and Pentacle are two terms that are often used interchangeably by those in the neo-pagan and New Age movements. You even sometimes see this confusion of terms in hundred year old grimoires or books of magic. The word Pentagram specifically refers to the simple five pointed star drawn with five intersecting lines. You don't need to lift the pen from the paper in order to draw this figure and there is no circle surrounding the star. A Pentagram is just the five pointed star alone.

A Pentacle on the other hand can be any number of symbolic images, not necessarily containing the presence of a pentagram or any five-pointed forms despite the "penta" prefix. The most common and simple pentacle would be the five pointed star (pentagram) enclosed within a circle. Some of the more elaborate pentacles can be found within the Greater Key of Solomon, a magical grimoire dating back as early as the 14th century.

Five Points of the Pentagram

The Pentagram is commonly used as a symbol of the interaction between the five elements of the Western Mystery Tradition. Each point on the pentagram is associated with a single element. In the most common system the lower left point is Earth and the upper left point is Air. The lower right point is Fire and the upper right point is Water. The uppermost point signifies Spirit or Quintessence. Visualizing or drawing the pentagram in a specific manner can focus the mind upon a specific point and create a resonance with the particular qualities of the associated element. This is often done by individuals performing either occult activities or religious celebration.

The Golden Ratio and the Pentagram

This video is something I found on YouTube. It is an old Disney cartoon explaining some of the interesting and "magical" math involved in the Pentagram. Specifically, it describes the ratio between the lengths of the line segments that the Pentagram is composed of. This Golden Ratio has some unique mathematical properties and is found all through Nature.

The Obverse and Inverse Pentagrams

You may have noticed that sometimes the pentagram is shown with one point upward and other times it is shown with one point down. There are many different ways to interpret the difference in symbolism between the upward pointing (or "Obverse") pentagram and the downward pointing (or "Inverse") pentagram. The interpretation that I have encountered most often in my studies is based on the association of each point of the star to an esoteric element. In the obverse pentagram you have the four material elements below the element of Spirit. In many systems this is considered to be symbolic of God's dominion over the physical universe. This is seen as the natural way of things and therefore "good." In this same scheme, the inverse pentagram depicts the dominance of material things over those relating to the divine. This is seen as a perversion of the natural order and therefore "evil." Adding to this symbolism is the idea that the pentagram can be related to the human figure. The five points are taken as indicating the four limbs and the head. A human upright with two feet on the ground, indicated by the obverse pentagram is the natural order and "good." A person placed head downwards and feet up is unnatural and therefore "evil."

How To Use A Pentagram To Work With The Elements

One of the most common uses of the pentagram in magic, the occult and paganism is to invoke and banish the elements. Each of the five points is associated with one of the elements in a traditional arrangement, shown on some of the images displayed on this page. It is very common for those who express their spirituality through ceremony to trace a pentagram in the air. The point you start with, the direction you move from there and especially your intent while drawing the star will determine the meaning. To confuse matters, there is a traditional system and a modern system for determining how to draw the pentagram for invoking and banishing the various elements. In my experience the modern method is much more logical and elegant. The traditional system is cumbersome and unnecessarily complicated. The modern system can be explained in a few simple steps:

1. Start with the point associated with the element you are working with.
2. Draw the complete pentagram, returning to your point of origin. The movement should be clockwise if you are invoking the element and counter-clockwise if you are banishing it.
3. That's it! There is no step 3! Isn't that easy?

To give an example, to invoke or call up the Earth element using an upright pentagram you would start at the lower left point. You would then move to the following points in order: upper-middle, lower-right, upper-left, upper-right and return to the lower left. It is traditional to imagine that you are drawing the pentagram with a trail of glowing light that you project from the tips of your fingers, your wand, a stick of incense, dildo, a rose or whatever else you choose to use for the purpose. The colour of light you choose to visualize should either be a generic pure white light or something specific to the intent.

I am going to share a simple technique that you can use in order to familiarize yourself with the use of the pentagram. Specifically, you will be using the pentagram in order to bring more of a specific type of energy into your life. Using the associations to each of the elements described elsewhere on this page, you will first determine which element you would like to be more present in your life. Let's say you find yourself lacking in energy and motivation. You will probably want to choose to invoke the element of Fire. Each situation is different, so if your schedule is too intense and the stress is wearing you out, you may want to invoke Water or Earth to stabilize things. Once you have chosen the element you desire, perform the following:

1. Sit or stand with your back straight and relax with a few slow, deep breaths
2. When you are ready, in the air in front of you draw the appropriate pentagram
3. Visualize the pentagram radiating the influence which you desire
4. Imagine the pentagram dissolving into a cloud of light
5. Breathe in that cloud of light and spend a few minutes intensely visualizing yourself experiencing the result you desire
6. Set your determination to achieve this goal and work out the action steps you need to take in order to succeed
7. Write down the steps
8. Determine what you can do today that will get you closer to your goal and make sure you do it
9. Each morning repeat the exercise (omitting unnecessary parts of steps 6 and 7) until you achieve your goal.

Once you have achieved success in one endeavour you can do this exercise again for another goal. As a tip, focus on one goal at a time. If you have a really big goal, break it down into smaller steps and focus on each step until you succeed with it before moving onto the next.

If you are already familiar with this type of working and are looking for something a little more complex, please check out my Enochian Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram.

Can A Downward Pointing Pentagram Be Good?

There are some who feel that the pentagram is a more potent symbol of magic when it is oriented with one point downwards because this indicates a dynamic state of balance. Some of my own contemplations on the subject explored the inverse pentagram through a Gnostic Luciferian paradigm. In this system, the first and greatest Angelic entity to come out of the ultimate Unity was Lucifer. Lucifer chose to go down into the physical universe [which was created improperly by a blind god impersonating the ultimate Unity] in order to repair the flawed universe from within. Angels are supposed to be in the same basic form as humans, so a pentagram can also represent an angelic being. The point downward indicates a decent or entering into matter in order to heal it. This is also compatible with the elemental attributions, with the spirit point being below (or within) the material elements. The elemental attributions would then be as if a mirror were to be placed at the base of an obverse pentagram and you looked at the reflected image. Upper left is related to Earth, lower left is Air, upper right is Fire, lower right is Water and the single point downward is Spirit or Quintessence. The obverse pentagram, on the other hand, seems to create the feeling that the spirit is higher and the physical body is lower or less valuable. This smacks of religious propaganda that demonizes the body and the pleasures of life in the here and now. It also seems to create a sense of separation and distance between humans here on Earth and an external God above. This is consistent with the beliefs and philosophy of some who are interested in making symbolic use of the pentagram. They will want to use the obverse or upright pentagram to represent their ideals. Others, like me, will use the pentagram with the single point down for their own personal inspiration. But ultimately, why choose one over the other? Depending on the circumstances either one could feel more appropriate.

How Venus Creates A Cosmic Pentagram

Here is another cool video I found on YouTube. It shows how the path traced by the planet Venus in the sky as viewed from Earth will trace out a five pointed star every eight years.

 

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