The pentagram

Pythagoreanism originated in the 6th century BCE and used the pentagram as a symbol of mutual recognition, of wellbeing, and to recognize good deeds and charity. From around 300–150 BCE the pentagram stood as the symbol of Jerusalem, marked by the 5 Hebrew letters ירשלם spelling its name. Today, the pentacle, commonly mistaken as a pentagram, is the most commonly used symbol of Wicca. Some post-Gardnerian wiccans, imitating Taoism, associate the five points of the pentagram with the four…

A pentacle is a five-pointed upright star with a circle around it, whereas the pentagram is a five-pointed upright star without the circle. From an occult perspective, pentacles are representative of "white" magic and "good." It also represents man's intellect and reason. Often times pentacles are used as talisman-inanimate objects laced with psychic powers. Pentacles also represent the "feminine element Earth." Following this "Earth" line of thinking, one particular advocate of witchcraft…

Pentacles and pentagrams, though often used interchangeably, are not one! Both are used in similar contexts but there are differences.

The difference between the pentagram and the pentacle (although very often the term is used interchangeably today) is that the pentagram is only the five-pointed star, whereas the pentacle is a five-pointed star within a circle. The modern pentacle is widely used in many nature-based religions, including Neopaganism, Wicca, Hermeticism, and even as a Tarot suit. One interpretation is that the five points on the star represent the five Elements: Air, Water, Fire, Earth, and Spirit.

Visit the post for more.

When one door closes, another opens. When one chapter ends, another begins. Winter Solstice (Yule) is the last celebration of the calendar year. It marks the beginning of winter's end, where days become longer and nights become shorter again. It is, quite frankly, the beginning of the end; the last chapter in winter's book. Although, here, winter seems to only have just begun. We received our first snowfall (that stuck to the ground), freezing temperatures, and school closings within the…

The Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn by Mazohir The Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram (LBRP) is a common ritual amongst practitioners of magickal systems including Golden Dawn and Thelema. This ritual is a powerful two-part ceremony that grounds the mind and ignites ou