Guest Article Number 5
An Article by David Colman

A discussion on the esoteric power & symbolism of

The Pentacle

Introduction

Before I begin this article I would like to quickly mention my credentials. For over 30 years I have held a fascination for the multifarious aspects of what is often termed the esoteric arts. My continuing studies have led me to explore fields as diverse as ritual magic, alchemy, Cabbala and the weird and wonderful world of UFOlogy.

Through long standing experience I have come to believe that I am able to offer educated opinions in support of my personal conclusions and whilst I remain a student in every field I have learned that the dogma and formalised beliefs of so called experts must be questioned at length.

I make it my business to ask questions of systems of belief and the often unnecessary ritual that accompanies it. My approach may appear, to some, confrontational and the orthodox thinkers and ner-do-wells that one so often finds attached to the supernatural subject, may find it irritating, however the vast majority of my questions are posed towards myself. This is an exercise that each and everyone of you sitting here tonight would be well advised to try at some point in your journey. 

I find that with each question I ask of my self I Invariably receive a series of further questions in return. Tonight I'll ask a few questions of you and I hope that you will question me, in-fact, I insist upon it. If I am able to provide answers to your questions I hope that it will lead you to ask further questions…not of me…but of yourself.

Tonight I intend to focus the discuss primarily on the symbology and meaning behind a logo which is literally close to many of the audiences' heart, the Pentacle. However, to fully discuss the esoteric values of the pentacle would take more time than I have tonight therefore our discussion must be precise. Nevertheless I hope to guide you along a journey through the multi-layered realms of esoteric symbology and a few other equally mysterious matters relating to the pentacle which might raise an eyebrow or two.

Evidence of the importance of the pentagram as a religious or spiritual symbol has been found scratched on the walls of caves in ancient Mesopotamia. The Babylonians believed that the five pointed star represented the orbital pattern of the planet Venus, a point I will return to, as well as the secret symbol of the Goddess Ishtar. The pentagram symbol has also been discovered in such far way places as South America (with the Mayan civilisation), India, China, and Egypt. The ancient Greeks called the pentagram the pent-alpha and believed it had magical properties. Today esoteric fraternities such as the freemasons regard the five pointed star as the star of the East (Eastern Star) or the morning star. The ancient Jews used the pentagram symbol to designate the Pentateuch, or the five books of Moses and for a time it was the official seal of the city of Jerusalem. In Christian church architecture the Pentagram represents the five wounds of Christ whilst in the Middle Ages magicians considered the Pentagram more powerful than the cross. 

As an interlaced single line the pentagram is considered to be a "gateless" symbol considered spiritually protective, allowing no evil or undesired energy to enter into the circle of the pattern. Today the Pentagram is mainly evoked or worn by the Wiccan or pagan fraternity or those with pagan leanings in their heart.

The components of the Pentacle 

The great magician Eliphas Levi said

'The pentagram is the figure of the microcosm--the magical formula of man. It is the one rising out of the four--the human soul rising from the bondage of the animal nature. It is the true light--the star of the morning, It marks the location of the five mysterious centres of force, the awakening of which is the supreme secret of white magic'

In a physical sense the five points of the Pentagram can be seen to represent the proportions of the human body, the five extremities, two legs-two arms and the head) Also it represents the five senses, sight, smell, taste, touch and hearing. In its Spiritual aspects the Pentagram symbolises the ruling of the higher mind over the lower elements of our being. It represents the quintessence or a combination of Gold and light. It represents the awakening of Cosmic consciousness and the beginnings of human psyche which can transmute beyond the realms of physical form and perceptions limited by the human five sense.

Through the Spirit ruling over the five elements it allows infinite possibilities that exist within the Universe and frees us to explore and grow. Thus the pentagram can be regarded as a multi facetted symbol of re-emerging enlightenment and the unity between Spirit and Earth (or man) As I have previously stated the pentagram also represents the morning star…..commonly known as VENUS which is also the sphere of the fallen Archangel Lucifer, the light bringer. In astrological and alchemical terms the forces of the planet Venus hold sway over emotional aspirations and also rules nature both beautiful and terrible. It is worth emphasising that the Babylonians were correct when the believed that the planet Venus has an orbit which draws a perfect pentagram. 

What is symbology? 

We have briefly discussed some of the history and esoteric values of the planet Venus and the pentagram but to understand why the pentacle is such a potent symbol we must explore the world of symbolism. For the sake of expediency I will read you a few quotes which define the pentagram with greater eloquence than I could ever hope. 

' Truth did not come into the world naked, but it came in types and images. One will not receive the truth in any other way. The bridegroom must enter through the image into the truth'….The Gospel of Philip (the apocrypha) '

The bridegroom must enter through the image into the truth', such a fascinating and emotive statement which may lend support to the psychological concepts of symbolism as recognised as the language of the unconscious mind. 

Therapeutic Definition; A symbol is usually an image, which recurs often enough in literature to be recognizable as an element of one's literary experience as a whole. Carl Jung used the term "archetype" to refer to the generalized patterns of images that form the world of human representations in recurrent motifs, passing through the history of all culture. Since archetypes are rooted in the collective unconscious, they may be conceived through the psychic activity of any individual, be it in the form of dreams, art works, the ancient monuments of religious activity, or the contemporary images of commercial advertising. 

Without getting too technical, a symbol is based on the subconscious understanding of archetypes. Hmm, another strange word eh? What the hell is an Archetype I hear you say. 

Definition of archetype; The word archetype is commonly used to describe an original pattern or model from which all other things of the same kind are made. This term was introduced to literary criticism from the psychology of Carl Jung. It expresses Jung's theory that behind every person's "unconscious," or repressed memories of the past, lies the "collective unconscious" of the human race: memories of the countless typical experiences of our ancestors. These memories are said to prompt illogical associations that trigger powerful emotions in the reader. Often, the emotional process is primitive, even primordial. Archetypes are the literary images that grow.

Ok, here is a quick example of how an archetype works. Ladies, let your minds wander to back to the sunny days of ancient Greece and imagine, if you will, that standing before you is a perfect Adonis. Guys, put yourself in the same setting, Ancient Greece, sun, wine and as you feed grapes to the gorgeous woman prostrate before you, you realise that she is Aphrodite, Goddess of love. Ok, that's enough. Now remember that image in you mind, how did you feel? Now consider the fact that none of you smiling women have actually ever seen Adonis or in the case of the men, Aphrodite, yet the fantasy was based on fixed ideas how these Greek Gods look and act. Moving quickly on I believe we now have a have a cursory understanding of what a symbol is and what an archetype is. Almost everyone knows what the pentagram looks like but how many have actually come to understand the difference between the pentagram and the pentacle?

Begin at the beginning……

The United Kingdom is a Christian country and most of us are taught from an early age all about the garden of Eden and the corruption of mankind by the serpent. 'Eve' was initially corrupted by the serpent who told her that, despite the implicit and warnings of God himself, that she would 'most definitely not die' if she ate fruit from 'Gods' forbidden tree of knowledge which grew in the middle of the garden'. Eve believed the tempter, went on to corrupt Adam and the rest is history as they say. Let me tell you, I am not one who readily believes everything he reads, especially if it comes from a history book. As I say, question everything. 

It is said that there are at least seven ways to look at a single 'thing' ( the dance of the 7 veils, 7 astral planes etc) Therefore the old genesis story may have more to tell us than the superficial tale of trees and snakes which has been postulated as a real event. The book of Genesis and the story of the fall of Adam is in fact a myriad of esoteric symbolism and was written by authors who knew the true essence of esoteric symbolism and allegory. 

Now this is the part I have been looking forward to. I have a few questions for you. 

Answer; there were 2 trees. One tree was the knowledge of everlasting life …The tree of life and if Eve had eaten of that fruit we would all have everlasting life……'Ye shall be as Gods' GEN 3;5 The other was the tree of knowledge of good and evil. 'A tree to be desired to make one wise' Gen 3;6 Eve picked a fruit from the tree and took a bite. 

Did I hear the word Apple? 

There is no mention of an apple in the book of Genesis…… only 'fruit'!! 

As an effective example of ancient spin, people continue to believe that the great Pyramids of Egypt were the burial tombs of the Pharaohs simply because they have been told so 

So, if they lie about the pyramids they can also lie about the apple being the forbidden fruit….right? So the forbidden fruit has become an allegory…a psychological symbol ….an archetype…. for something delicious that we should avoid for our own sake. 

The mysterious fruit of EVE has become fixed in the subconscious mind as an apple and it is the allegory of the story, the psychological vibration manifested in picture form as a red rosy apple which is important to us tonight because that is what the book of Genesis is, an allegory of something much more profound!! But what has that to do with the Pentacle? 

The Apple

As I have said Symbolism is the language of the unconscious and it is no mere coincidence that this particular tree was designated as an apple tree and that the tempter came in the guise of a serpent. The Old Testament Jews regarded all snakes as poisonous and the deadly enemy of man therefore the snake was chosen as the obvious messenger of doom for mankind and the architect of his fall from grace. We are taught that acting on instruction from the Devil in serpent form, Eve ate an apple from the tree of knowledge. Note that the serpent is also considered an ancient symbol of wisdom.

From its outer aspects the apple appears to have no physical connection to the pentagram, however cut cross-wise the inner apple displays a pentagram. As we have discovered the five points of the Pentagram represent many things such as ideas, sustenance, life, secret knowledge and hidden mysteries within the earth. 

The apple is linked to the pentagram and as such to the creation story of man and his acquisition of wisdom. Certain religions designated sacred knowledge as the right of only One Deity, and the apple came to symbolize things that we should not know, or forbidden knowledge. In Celtic lore the apple was regarded as the symbol of knowledge handed down by the ancestors. The apple is considered a sign that the universe and ourselves are as one and a symbol of sacred symbol of knowledge and eternal life by many learned cultures.

I believe that each and every one of us in this room tonight has in some measure accepted the principles of cosmic laws and by that acknowledgement we begin to tap into the Universal energy in varying degrees which in turn offers us harmony and wholeness of being. 

Whilst the Genesis story is allegorical it is considered to have been written by men inspired by God. Is it such a leap of faith to believe that the learned authors of Genesis and the bible were inspired by their knowledge and faith in universal principles inspired by whatever God they or you have chosen to follow? 

The ancient authors of the bible wrote their morality tale in such a way as to give us an understanding of our origins on a level where those with eyes open may come to understand the deeper message on a subconscious level, allowing us the opportunity to move closer to our God in our minds by assimilating archetype. Genesis is a simple story to explain the birth of our species insatiable thirst for knowledge. Whether that be scientific or spiritual. What exactly could it have been that the authors of the book of Genesis were trying to tell us? Through the use of metaphor and archetypes I believe the ancients were telling us that in some way we are indeed Gods children and that Man, descended directly from God ( Let us make man in our image ) simply grew up too fast. This concept may be better understood by asking how would you feel if you saw your young child driving off in the family car?

Enoch

Lucifer the light bringer

I will now return to our old friend Lucifer and his truly fascinating story. Lucifer or to give him his true Enochian name, Shemyaza, comes to prominence firstly in the book of Enoch, a major book of the apocrypha and much older than the book of Genesis. The Book of Enoch highlights the story of the fall of the 200 angels from Heaven who were led by Shemyaza, or Lucifer, the light bringer.

Quote; B Of Enoch Ch VII.V 1 

'And all the others together with them took unto themselves wives, and each chose for himself one, and they began to go into them and to defile themselves with them, and they taught them charms and enchantments and the cutting of roots and made them acquainted with plants'

It would appear that Shemyazza/Lucifer and his cohorts came down from Heaven and began to cohabitate with human women who in turn gave birth to giant offspring which became known as Nephalim. Shemyazza apparently taught the humans the arts of witchcraft or how to manipulate natures force. Therefore we see that Lucifer, the bringer of light or knowledge, began to educate the humans. The connection between Lucifer and Venus allows me to easily link this story to the pentagram in its aspect of acquiring higher knowledge.

This is a story which pulls no punches and spares no sensibilities and states that a higher species visited earth and created hybrid Archangel/human beings. God obviously had forbidden the union of Man and Angel and at that stage was perfectly happy to leave us ignorant and happy. Whether it suits you to believe in Archangels, fallen angels or extraterrestrials, it is feasible that early man, after being involved in hybrid creation experiments, began to inherit traits and have unexpected side-effects that were unforeseen by their masters. One might ask, as rebels, did the fallen angels really care about the consequences of their actions? Could it be that they perhaps knew that by our new search for ever expanding knowledge we would one day have amassed enough power to herald our own doom. Allied to these theories is a belief that man was initially developed as an unquestioning slave race ostensibly to mine Gold in South Africa. This is a subject which is a veritable quagmire of opinions and theories which would require much discussion, therefore for now I will simply advise you to avoid dismissing that idea out of hand and seek your own clarification. You may be surprised at what you find. Whatever actually happened way back in the early days of mankind we should ask ourselves why we do have innate senses and a curiosity that will not abate. Since those early days our constant quest for oneness with the universe has continued and that our reaching for the stars may have originated due to a botch up in genetics experiments may not be such a way out idea. 

Whatever the answer may be since the day that humans, the same inquisitive people who sit here tonight, began searching for knowledge, we have questioned and sought answers outwith the five normal senses in an effort to reach something. However such concepts run eternally deep and so we must avoid being led down such a convoluted path. So I'll leave the amorous antics of Shemyazza and his followers for you to ponder or reject as you will, but before you dismiss this out of hand ask yourself why this major book was rejected from the bible along with others which cry out TRUTH? The answer ….they did not fit in with the contrived story of the book and would most certainly have encouraged questions that could not be answered lightly by the religious powers, then or now.

Returning to a more recognisable path the pentagram In Wicca symbolizes the five elements of earth, air, water, fire, and spirit. The Wiccan pentagram faces point upward, once again symbolising the triumph of spirit over matter. The five points also signify the four directions, with the fifth representing the sanctity of Spirit within and without alluding to our universal laws which are governed by duality, by polar opposites as previously mentioned.

As the universe is dual in nature we must consider briefly that there are also negative associations connected with the pentagram. Remember that Venus controls natures forces which as we know can be majestic or wreak terrible havoc and death.

We have discussed the positive aspects of the Pentagram as representing the redemption of the Spirit from matter by ruling over it. The Satanic pentagram is, as one would expect, transposed with the point downwards. An inverted Pentagram infers negativity and the Spirit submerged and bonded into the material elements. This symbolises earthly gratification and the triumph of the individual over the universal collective consciousness. Some groups used an inverted Pentagram to denote a specific status. However, due to negative associations, many have since changed to triangle symbols. 

The Pentacle

So far I have spoken mainly about the pentagram.

Question; What is the difference between a pentagram and a pentacle?

Simple really……A Pentagram is a five pointed star and a pentacle is a five pointed star contained within a circle.

This may appear to some as a trivial difference however the symbolism is immense. We have discussed the meaning of the pentagram and its universal vibration. However the universe is a vibrating seething mass of energy and bi-polar duality vibration. It is yin and Yang, black and white, a conjunction of opposites if you will. Think now if you will of the myriad of shapes that exist within the universe.

Question; Can anyone tell me the amount of shapes in the universe? There are only two shapes within the universe;

A straight line and curved line

A straight line is considered masculine and a curved line is considered feminine, symbolising once again the dual nature of the universe. The curve is simply a straight line which bends. However a straight line is simply a dot or a 'Monad' which is stretched. The symbol for God is

Therefore we can recognise that a Pentagram is simply a Monad with the dot stretched to make five lines which form a star. As the lines of the pentagram are straight and masculine, it is encased within a curved line, a circle which is feminine. These two aspects combine and enhance the harmony and power of both male and female, positive and negative, symbolising the universal unity of the cosmos.

Within the pentacle there are 4 elements;

1. The circle which represents the feminine aspects of the universe such as unity and wholeness, and the Quest for Divine Knowledge. It also refracts and reflects all light, bringing to the wearer total intelligence, universal wisdom, and protection. Feminine energy may be used to bind elemental spirits of the earth.

2. The five pointed star within the circle is masculine and a power contained and controlled by the divine wisdom of the feminine aspect. Remember it was Eve who illuminated Adam

3 + 4. The space inside and outside of the pentacle. Space is never empty it is a myriad of vibration and energy.

When made from silver, the Pentacle represents the feminine aspects of the moon, energy and psychic forces. When crafted from gold, it signifies the masculine sun energies of power and strength.

Ladies and gentlemen I'll conclude at this point and hope that I have demonstrated in some small way the esoteric power of symbolism and the perfection of the pentacle. I hope that you will be encouraged by this all too brief discussion to open your mind to the infinite possibilities offered by the universal study of which I have merely scratched the surface here tonight.

I do not view knowledge as evil but more akin to electricity as it can nourish and excite us or it can destroy us. Ask questions of the universe, ask questions of others but more importantly ask questions of yourselves and eventually you will reach an understanding of many strange things. Ask your God for guidance and may He or She go with you.