Let’s clear up some misconceptions shall we?
Pentacles and pentagrams, though often used interchangeably, are not one and the same. Both are used in similar contexts today but there are clear distinctions between the two. Here’s a look at the pentacle and the pentagram and what’s the difference between them.
For ancient Pagans, the pentacle represented the harmony of all five elements. The five points of the star are said to signify the elements of air, water, fire, earth, and spirit. These points are joined together by an outer circle, which thus represent the harmony and balance created when these elements work in unity together.
Evil Connotations of the Pentacle
Records reveal that it was Eliphas Levi, a French poet, writer and sage, who first cast a dark light on the pentacle, by saying that an inverted pentacle signifies the devil himself. According to Levi, when two points of the pentacle are pointed upwards, the image of Satan, with his horns, is conjured.
However, that is a Christian thing and I’m calling bullshit on it. A quarter turn or flipped upside down whichever you decide to choose is a Baphomet that is often used as a Satanist symbolic for their own protection. As we use the pentacle for our protection, Satanist uses the same principle, and it doesn’t mean evil.
Since then, the pentacle has been used in popular media as an omen of evil and demonic possession. It didn’t help that the Church of Satan (which, despite the name, is mainly atheistic and in no way worships Satan) used the inverted pentacle with a goat head drawn in as their main symbol. This is known as the Sigil of Baphomet.
Therefore, a reversed pentagram is said to overturn the proper order of things, in such a way that the spirit descends to the will of physical matter, resulting in perversion and evil.
Pentacle vs. Pentagram
It is only important to distinguish the pentacle and the pentagram as far as their ancient connotations go. After all, their only difference in terms of physical attributes is the fact that the pentacle has a perfect circle encapsulating the five-pointed star.
Back in the day, this meant the pentacle provided a higher form of protection than the pentagram, because aside from the presence of all five elements, it signified the harmony and balance between the five.
Meanwhile, there is scant consideration for the difference between these two symbols in modern-day occultism, since they are both closely related with the occult, especially when drawn upside down or with two points facing upwards.
Wrapping Up
The history of the pentacle and the pentagram in their symbolic sense speak of the nature of signs and symbols, in which their definitions typically change over time, depending on the prevailing perspective at any given time.
It is safe to assume that a few years or decades down the road, pentacles and pentagrams might have a widely different connotation than what we know today. Whether they would regain their noble origins as protectors of the spirit or if they will acquire brand new meanings in the future remains to be seen.
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Comments
The pentagram was drawn on the left as a symbol of membership in the cult of Pythagoras also. It's so hard to explain pentacles and pentagrams to people. It's really quite innocuous, but there is so much made up bs about them that Christians do. Sometimes I can't stop myself from thinking "you really have to be a Christian to go to hell."