The Pentacle
The Pentacle, or Pentagram, today's fashion accessory. I have noticed a correlation in the amount of people buying pentacles (and the Tarot of the Witches) from me and Willow's further descent into 'Witchdom'. I don't want to discourage people from buying one, I just think that people should know about what they are buying.
Right then, here's our Pentacle. It's from the front cover of one of my recommended books, Witchcraft A Beginner's Guide (first edition, the new cover has a woman on it and it's cream and gold) by Teresa Moorey. It's a very beautiful pentacle, but it's not mine so as soon as I draw my own, it will do.
What is the difference between a pentacle and a pentagram?
A Pentacle has a circle around it, a Pentagram doesn't, so the above picture is of a pentacle.A pentacle is often drawn onto a piece of wood or stone (I drew mine on a large round pebble with the charcoal from a burnt match). It can be placed on your altar as a symbol and for protection.
A pentagram is what we draw in the air (with a wand, athame, finger or mentally) at the beginning and end of a ritual to invoke the elements. I will draw pictures of these soon and put them up.
But what does it all mean Basil?
Far from denoting Satanism (be warned, people are going to accuse you of this because the pentacle has had too much bad press) it is a symbol of religion, love, the Universe, etc. Some people are scared of this star, when I was first starting out (and trying to overcome a Catholic background) I too was afraid of what I thought it symbolised. In what will become a long running series of Austin Powers quotes, I thought wrong.Each of the points symbolises a different thing, as does the surrounding circle (for a pentacle).
What the points mean...
* The bottom left point is for Earth.
* The bottom right point is for Fire.
* The top left point is for Air.
* The top right point is for Water.
* The top centre point is for Aether or the Spirit.
The surrounding circle on a pentacle denotes the universal nature of life, the connection between all the elements and the Divine, and the fact that life keeps on going!
Like all the other pages in this section, this page is still under construction, in fact, the whole site is going to have a much needed overhall pretty soon. So keep checking back for further developments :)