When you cut an apple horizontally, through its "equator", you'll find a nearly perfect, five-pointed star created by the spaces containing the seeds. As a symbol of the goddess KoreĪ goddess named Kore was worshipped in many countries thousands of years ago in an area that ranged from modern-day England to Egypt. In texts from Sumeria (one of the first civilizations in the world, from around 3000 BC to 2600 BC), the pentagram symbolized the four directions and a fifth direction, "above", and the five visible planets. It's not known what the pentagram meant to these primitive people. The very earliest pentagrams were crude diagrams scratched into the walls of Neolithic Stone Age caves. When there is a star with a circle around it, it is often called a pentacle, with the circle symbolizing the idea of infinity, the cycles of life and a connection between all five elements. Adding the circle symbol is the main difference between the pentacle and pentagram.Īnd now, let's take a bit of a deeper look at the pentagram's history so that we can better understand what it means and how it came to be. The pentagram is also a symbol of protection against evil because it is made of 5 outward-pointing spikes that protect a womb-like center.Īnd finally, wearing a pentagram means that you feel a connection with the elements and respect for the earth. This pattern of five exists down to the level of molecules and therefore represents not just the natural life forms we see, but also the very foundations of their being. In this way, the number five is the essence of life. The five-way symmetry of the pentagram can be found in starfish, flowers, the human hand and body and many other living things. It is also a symbol of the number 5 as a mystical and sacred number that is inherently natural and human, since it is found in many life forms. It symbolizes the four elements of earth, air, fire and water, along with the element of spirit on top, meaning that the four elements are ruled by the spirit, or the idea of "mind over matter". Today, the pentagram is generally known to be a symbol of the earth-based faiths of Wiccans and Neopagans. So, the word "pentagram" means a 5-pointed star or any figure made of five lines. The word "pentagram" comes from the Greek word "pente" (meaning "five") and "graphein" (meaning "to write"). (Don't worry, I'll try not to sound like a history book.)īut before I dive into the history of the pentagram, let me give you a bird's eye view of its modern meaning. In light of that, let me take you on a journey back to the beginning, because the pentagram is an important and widely used symbol and we can't really understand what it means without knowing a little bit about its origins. Let's try to understand it a little bit more. Of course, any symbol is meaningless in and of itself - it only has the meanings that we give it, both as individuals and as a group. Its association with evil is only a recent development and began mostly with one man's opinion, and later, its use by Hollywood to create shock value in their horror movies. So you see, for most of history, all the way from the Stone Age, the pentagram has been a symbol of good things. To this day, Gypsies still cut an apple horizontally to reveal a pentagram inside, which they call the "Star of Knowledge". To the Egyptians, it represented the underground womb from which all living things are reborn.Pythagoras, the famous Greek mathematician and philosopher, thought of it as a symbol of the perfection of man.It represented the five virtues of knighthood, "generosity, courtesy, chastity, chivalry, and piety".It has been a symbol of protection against evil and has been worn by people and placed over the doorways and windows of their homes.It has been a sign of royalty, meaning that the power of those in rule will spread to the four corners of the world.But, did you know that the pentagram was once one of the main symbols of Christianity and was more widely used by Christians than the cross? There is more to the Pentagram than you think.īefore you think to yourself that the pentagram must surely be a symbol of evil, consider these other ways which it has been used throughout history it just might change the way you see it: Today, when we see a pentagram, we immediately have images come to mind involving such things as Satanic rituals and sacrifices, evil spells or the invocation of demons or evil spirits from other realms. It is also one of the most misunderstood symbols. The pentagram is an ancient symbol used by many cultures and has been around since the Stone Age (the time before humans started using metal to make tools).
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