Meanings of the Pentagram

Can you see the similarity between those twirling pentacles and Leonardo Davinci's Vitruvian Man? If you can, then you can understand one of the symbolizations of the pentacle. The pentacle is actually not what most people think it is: a pentagram (five pointed star) with a circle around it. A pentacle is actually an altar tool which can (but doesn't have to) have a pentagram inscribed on it. However, a pentagram with the circle around it does symbolize unity and protection. It also represents the cycle of life and nature, eternity, infinity, and spritual containment. For those of you who think it's just an identification tag, think again. The pentagram has had a long history, from ancient times all the way to this very second. Since practically the first appearance of mankind, we have been fascinated with this symbol.

The first known appearance of the pentagram and the pentacle was circa 3500 B.C.E. in ancient Mesopotamia. It was found on pottery, and in early characters of writing. After that, it showed up in ancient Greece as the pentalpha (it looks like five "A" s put together), ancient Egypt, and in the Middle East among the Hebrews. Druids and Gnostics also used the symbol. Even the Christians used this symbol in the early times of the religion.

"Whoa, hold on a minute. The Christians used the pentagram?!"

Yep. It was a lesser used symbol in Christianity and symbolized the Five Wounds of Christ. Not until the times of the Inquisition was the pentagram considered evil (it was called the Witches' Foot). No one really knows why this occurred; the most probable reason was to cause pagans to stray from their religion. But anyway, that's not important. What is important is that the symbol and its rich history did not completely die.

The fact that the pentagram has five points is important, because the number five is associated with humans (five fingers and toes, five stages of life, etc.). That's not the only reason it's important. Many cultures have found this number to be important, which is most likely why the pentagram has held our attention for so long. Muslims pray five times a day and have five pillars of faith. Christ had five wounds. Medieval knights had five virtues-generousity, courtesy, chastity, chivalry, and piety. The Wiccan Kiss is fivefold. The pentagram also symbolizes the five elements. The fact that people have revered the number five for thousands of years is not a coincidence (but it would be pretty weird if it was!)

The pentagram is a symbol of protection. It has five "spikes" and a pentagon-shaped "womb" in the center. The circle around the pentagram which makes it a pentacle can also be attributed to protection, because it resembles a magick circle around a person.
Speaking of people, the pentagram has often represented man (or woman) himself. Each point also represents an element and a direction.
Here's a picture:

The top point is the head, and there are also two arms and two legs. Each point represents one of the elements, and its respective direction. The top point is the fifth element, Spirit, with its direction usually interpreted as "up". The right "arm" is Water, and its direction is West. The right "leg" is Fire, with its direction South. The left "leg" is Earth, in the North, and finally, there's Air, with its direction of East.

But the pentagram can have two aspects; upright, and inverted.

Upright

Inverted

Although both aspects were originally used by pagans, the unfortunate attribution of the inverted pentagram as "evil" caused it to be lesser used. But what do they mean?
An upright pentagram represents sprit over matter, because the top point (Spirit) is above the four elemental points. It can also represent man's journey through evolution; starting from Spirit, going through the elements, and returning to Spirit. Ancient Celts saw the upright pentagram at having three points up (because they loved triads). These points represented thesis, antithesis, and synthesis (or you can think of it as black, white, and gray, for example). An upright pentagram can symbolize the awakening of Cosmic consciousness.
An inverted pentagram, however, means the opposite. Because Spirit is on the bottom, it represents man submitting to his carnal nature, matter over spirit. Some even say it can mean to do what feels good and not to be concerned with the spiritual side (which might be one reason that Satanists may use it). It was representative of the Horned God and equated to the Triple Moon symbol of the Goddess: the two points represent his two aspects as God of Light and God of Darkness. The inverted pentagram has also been used as a positive symbol of advanced degree in witchcraft. Due to the "backlash" of sorts against this aspect of the pentagram, a triangle is used instead. It can also mean that a witch is going through a period of introspection, possibly that she has to put her own needs first for awhile. As I said before, the inverted pentagram is used very seldom nowadays. The inverted pentagram and the Satanic version are very different, but it's always better to be safe than sorry.
Today's usage of the pentagram is very similar to that of olden times. It is carved on altar pentacles, and used in banishing and invoking.
For example:

This usage involves tracing the pentagram in the air. Start at the appropriate starting point and trace around the pentagram. The invoking pentagram begins at the top point, and the banishing begins at the lower left point. In each, it is optional to retrace the first line after tracing the pentagram itself.
Well, that's the gist of it. And you thought it was just a piece of jewelry!

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