Well, I believed the Pentacle to be a Pentagram with a circle drawn connecting the five points. However, turns out, there are a lot of sources and well respected people who disagree completely.

This site, presents the confusion in a most excellent way. http://www.geocities.com/k_garber/pentacle.html

You can also look here for what people say: http://www.faqs.org/qa/qa-8971.html


It seems that one of the more common views is the view that I have above. It is also the simplest view that makes the most sense to me. So I suppose I will continue believe how I believe unless someone can provide solid evidence behind what each is, and not just "Well, it is this because this man said so."

So, what do you think?
~Legitimize

Edit: This site: http://www.apologeticsindex.org/282-pentagram-pentacle also has a few of the points of view listed. Perhaps if other people here believe other things. We can put them together and sort through it all and figure out what the most rational of them is.

"The further the spiritual evolution of mankind advances, the more certain it seems to me that the path to genuine religiosity does not lie through the fear of life, and the fear of death, and blind faith, but through striving after rational knowledge." ~Albert Einstein


~Legitimize

well I have to say that those sites make it as clear as mud.

I have always called the one you use on an altar a pentacle and what you wear a pentagram.

So the pentacle is a talisman and the pentagram is an amulet.
if it has a circle round it enclosing the points in a protective manner it is called a circumscribed pentagram Or pentacle depending on where you use it.

In most pagan practices the points represent Earth, Air, Fire, Water and Akasha (spirit)

The pentagon in the middle has always represented self for me so that each point surrounds the wearer in perfect balance protecting the self.

And in Satanism or devil worship they are said to resemble the shape of a goats head but further than that I don't know. I have always presumed they had the same meaning but the but the symbol was reversed to make the goat similarity.

Zygo

Pentagram is described as a five pointed star used by wiccans to represent the five basic magical elements, one for each point.

Pentacle as a disc usually of wood or ceramic, inscribed with a picture of a pentagram and used on the altar to hold the offering used to represent 'earth'.

Pentagram with a circle round it is known as circumscribed. (Checks quickly for spelling, and finding it acceptable says goodnight. lol)

In the Satanic perspective, the pentagram is inverted sot hat the lower tips that Pagans use, become the horns, and the top tip becomes the goats chin, and the side points it's ears. In it's perspective it becomes a representation of Body over mind, rather as in Paganism it's Mind over Body. Satanists believe that through themselves they achieve godhood in a way, or that they are god. And in turn, worship themselves rather than an actual deity as other religions do.

~DA~

Thanks DA I have wondered about that for a while now.

Zygo

Yes, that explains much. Thank you,
~Legitimize

-chuckles- it helps knowing a couple Satanists, as well as studying it myself. It was something that interested me at the time, and i seem to always find something new that interest me that I will read up on from time to time.

~DA~

Yep, our mixture of people here at the castle definately makes us interesting. I love it because there are people who know what they are talking about on so many different subjects. It's hard to find questions that can't be answered.

Here's to our weird bunch xD.
~Legitimize

I know this is an old topic but since one already existed on the subject of Pentacles/Pentagrams. I figured why make another.

Here is my question: As DA said above, Satanists invert the pentagram. Why then, do most Christians believe that a regular pentagram or pentacle itself is a sign of Satan.

I don't understand it, I made the mistake of drawing one on the inside of my hand one day to illustrate to a friend what I thought a pentagram was and I spent the rest of the day assuring people that I am not a Satanist. So could someone perhaps explain that to me?

Thanks in advance,
~Farshief

I would make an educated guess at ignorance to the truth Farshief.
It is not well known among mainstream Christianity that the pentagram has two meanings. If you add to that the, shall we say lack of specialist knowledge in teenagers (who I presume you spent your time explaining things to) then you have a volatile situation whichever way up you put your pentagram.
To be honest I am not too sure that you could really say satanists were particularly dangerous. It is I think more of a free way of thinking than a black art.

Incidentally the inverted cross is also falsely associated with satanism and Devil worship.
The Reversed cross is a symbol of Humility and actually called the Cross of St Peter, who refused to be crucified in the same manner as Jesus, so was hung upside down.

Zygo

Hm, thanks for the explanation. You are correct in that I was explaining it to teenagers. Also, I agree with you. I don't think of it as a black art, don't let anyone hear me say that though o.o

Thanks for the speedy response,
~Farshief

Most traditions I've encountered call that a panticle

From GoL Temple Definitions

"Pentagram," by definition, is a 5-lined shape. So the star with the circle would not apply. That would seem to imply the following:

Star = Pentagram
Star in circle = Pentacle
Altar Tool - Pantacle

Oooh thats one of Aleister Crowleys.
My info comes from Wicca were Crowley was into Satanism. Perhaps that is the difference:
Perhaps the inverted star is the pantacle and the Wiccan point up version is the Pentacle.
I believe Gardner was the one who invented Wicca. So I would guess that he named the version he used a Pentacle in order to be similar but not so far out that others didn't understand.

A quote of Crowleys that I rather like.

Zygo

I suspect that this is yet another case of different people using words and symbols differently as each person follows their own Wiccan path, however I thought I would place my defintitions of these words as I use them, just for anyone who is interested.

A Pentagram is a five pointed star, and is usually something that is drawn either physically with a pen on paper or symbolically with a wand/athame in the air or on the ground. This symbol is used to invoke protection for a person, place or thing.
Just to mention here that a Pentagram within a circle is called a circumscribed (surrounded by a circle) Pentagram. The circle shape is used symbolically to contain the energy of protection raised by the casting of the Pentagram.

A Panticle (word first coined by Aleister Crowley) is a disc made from a natural material, (wood, clay, stone or metal) engraved with a five pointed star which is specifically used in ceremonial magic as an instrument of protection or a tool to envoke spirits. There are different designs for each of the planets, and many of the different uses they have also have slightly varying versions. They can be hung over doors, and windows to protect your dwelling, or because their energy is naturally passive, they are excellent when used to focus and ground yourself before performing spells for personal improvement or spells to draw money.

A Pentacle is a platter or large disc/plate on which is carved a pentagram. This is almost exclusively used to hold the altar offering of the earth element, be it salt/earth/grain etc.

Three seperate words, for three seperate objects used for three distinctly seperate purposes.

The the that makes it difficult for me is that each usage makes at least some sort of sense when explained to me so I'm not sure which ones to use.

~Farshief