PENTAGRAM MAGICK 101 UNDERSTANDNG THE FIVE ELEMENTS

instant magick Nowadays, when people think about magick (or satanism, but more on that later), the first symbol that pop out into their head is the pentagram. The pentagram hasn’t always been associated with these things, but it has always been a symbol of deep spiritual meaning. This is what this article will be all about: the spiritual meaning of the pentagram and why this symbol is just as strong as the cross is for Christians. Keep in mind that throughout this article, I’ll be using the term “pentagram” but I’m also talking about pentacles, which is the same word but in Latin instead of Greek. The distinction between the two is unclear and also, very recent, so I don’t give it much credit as far as I’m concerned. First of all, I’ll talk about the history of that symbol, and then its role in early Christianity (yes, it’s true!), its role in 19th century occultism and finally, I’ll talk about the modern signification of the symbol. So, here it goes! Early History of the Pentagram The first appearance of the pentagram can be traced back to ancient Sumerian script, where the symbol (for “Ur”) meant “corner, angle, nook; a small room, cavity, hole; pitfall” [1]. The symbol for this concept gradually changed and the pentagram started reappearing once more millennia after, in ancient Greece. Pythagoras popularized the symbol as representing both the five elements of ancient Greece (which are also the five elements of Wicca), mankind, since we have a fivefold geometry (2 legs, 2 arms and a head) and health, because in Greek, the letters for the five elements () make an anagram for the name of the goddess Hygeia, the goddess of health. It was basically Her symbol, therefore its role as a symbol for protection can probably be traced back to that period, as people would use the pentagram to protect themselves by invocating the goddess of health. Here’s what it looked like [2]: You can see the five elements (fire, water, earth, air and aether) represented at each corner of the pentagram. Once again, when Wiccans invocate the spirits of the four elements at the four cardinal points, what they are doing is very much based on Pythagoras’ view of the world. Pythagoras was into mathematics, alchemy, philosophy and spirituality at the same time and many of his ideas in all four fields are still relevant today. I think that the man deserves more credit than we usually give him.

Also, in my opinion, it’s always interesting to see how rituals change through time in a linear manner, similarly throughout the world, and how spiritual and religious practices can always be traced back to ancient practices, as if mankind never really had invented anything, or as if we had always known how to practice spirituality and religion and only the form changed. Spirituality is probably ingrained in human nature, it doesn’t seem to be something that we learn. Food for thoughts. The Pentagram in Christianity Many modern Christians see the spiritual meaning of the pentagram as having everything to do with Satan and devil-worshipping, but it couldn’t be further from the truth. As a matter of fact, early Christians saw the symbol as holy, and there are good reasons for it [3]. Not only did it always represent this idea of purity and protection, but it also represented the wounds of Christ: the nails in His feet and hands and the holy lance piercing through His side up to His heart. The number 5 is a holy one in Christianity, as the Ten Commandments are 2 sets of 5, Christ had 5 wounds and the tabernacle has a fivefold symmetry [4]. So basically, the pentagram is the exact opposite of what many ignorant Christians see in it today. I’ll come back to it. The Pentagram in 19th Century Occultism and Magick The pentagram regained popularity in the 19th century, A new fascination for occultism grew during that time period, and the term “esoterism” was popularized [5] to remove the negative connotations that “occultism” had, which was associated with black magick and sorcery and was deeply condemned by the Church. The end of the 19th century was a period of secret societies and cults such as the Freemasons and of discovery of spiritism and magick. The very well-known Aleister Crowley popularized the pentagram in magick with his “rituals of the pentagram” [6], the purpose of which being to “assert the dominion of the magician over the chaos of the elemental realm or phenomenal world”. He was, basically, using it as witches use circles: to contain the spirits or the energy that the magician works with. He had a deep interest in ancient Greece and Egypt, so it’s no wonder that he chose this powerful symbol to represent what he was doing. The Pentagram and Satanism Now, most people see the pentagram as a Satanist symbol because it was adopted by the Church of Satan as their symbol in the 1960s [7]. There are two reasons that justify this choice the two having everything to do with the fact that you can, with a lot of effort, see a goat head if the pentagram is downward, and it is supported by a depiction of Baphomet in a pentagram [8], but once again, I’ll come back to it. The first one is this passage of the bible: “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left [. . .] Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels [. . .]” (Matthew 25:31–33, 41). This passage seems to imply a relationship between the goat and the devil. The second one is the fact that medieval depiction of witches often featured them riding on goats, symbolizing unrestrained sexuality, which was a concept that the Church of Satan was very much into in the aids-less 60s. One should know that the Church of Satan is pretty much like the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, the both of much have no other purpose than to mock religion and more specifically, Christianity. The first actual depiction of the goat Pentagram appeared only in 1897 in “La Clef de la Magie Noire” (the key of black magic), a book from French occultist Stanislas de Guaita [9], and was based on the aforementioned symbol of Baphomet, an idol that the Knights Templar were accused of worshipping during their inquisition and dissolution. By the way, it’s this event which led to the vary famous Jacques de Moley yelling, while being burned alive: “Pape Clément ! Roi Philippe ! Avant un an, je vous cite à paraître au tribunal de Dieu pour y recevoir votre juste châtiment ! Maudits ! Maudits ! Tous maudits jusqu’à la treizième génération de vos races !” (Pope Clement! King Phillip! Before a year, you’ll meet me in God’s tribunal to be punished! Cursed! Cursed! Be cursed until the 13th generation!) And it turned out to be prophetic… The Church of Satan then adopted the symbol, thus giving it the spiritual meaning that most people see in it nowadays. The Pentagram and Wicca / Witchcraft / Neopaganism

Nowadays, people are starting to associate more and more the pentagram with Wicca and Neopaganism as these religions grow and become more important. The link with witchcraft is easier to see though. As mentioned earlier, Wicca is very much inspired by many cultural elements of ancient European people such the Celts and the Greeks, and it mixes it up together to create something new. The link between the pentagram and magick was established in the 19th century, but now, the symbol pretty much speaks for himself. Both Wiccans and witches work with the 4 elements but, most of the time, believe that there are 5, the fifth one, aether, being within us and everywhere in the universe, just like Qi for many East Asian peoples or Brahman for the Indians. A different model for the same concept. And the five elements are featured in the pentagram, justifying its choice. Furthermore, the pentagram is within a circle, which is akin to the circle that witches close when doing magick rituals (at least, when the spirits are invocated or when the ritual is for a Sabbat of the year). It also represents mankind, and both Wicca and witchcraft are interested in the actual, the real and everything related to human life. Wiccans do not wait for the afterlife, compared to many religions where the main goal is to prepare for it, such as Christianity and Islam. The pentagram is thus a perfect representation for witchcraft AND Wicca, since Wiccans are all about witchcraft (although you can be a witch without being a Wiccan, as Wicca is the theological side of the practice). It’s also still associated with protection, which, as mentioned earlier, might have everything to do with its original Greek meaning. The Bottom Line The spiritual meaning of the pentagram has evolved through time, but the symbol keeps being a strong and important one. It’s becoming less and less associated with Satan and more and more associated with witchcraft and Wicca, but no matter what you believe in, understanding the true spiritual meaning of the pentagram will make you see that its spiritual meaning is always a positive one. So, don’t be afraid to wear one! I hope that you will have liked this article. Feel free to comment! 8BLOGSHOP

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