Pentacle / Pentagram Information

Based on the symbol of the Goddess Kore in the apple core, the pentacle or pentagram was worshipped by Pythagorean mystics who called it Pentalpha: the birth letter interlaced 5 times.  Its meaning was gives as "life" or "health".  Some called it the star of Ishtar or of Isis, or of Isis' underworld twin Nephthys.  In Egypt the five pointed star represented the underground womb. Use of the Pentacle as an amulet of protection or healing was common in Babylon, where it was often drawn on pots to preserve their contents.  The amulet known as the Seven Seals shows a pentacle as the first of the holy signs.  According to Judeo-Christian tradition, the Seals were supposed to represent the secret names of God, and the pentacle was the chief of them, inscribed on King Solomon's magic ring.  Thus it was sometimes erroneously called Solomon's Seal.  However, it was more closely associated with pagan deities than the Jewish one.

A pentacle with one point straight down represented the Horned God, whom Neoplatonic philosophers called Pentamorph, "He of the Five Shapes."  He appeared in human form as well as the four horned animals - bull, ram, goat, and stag. Pagan Celts like the Egyptians revered the pentacle as a sign of the underground Goddess, whom they called Morgan.  In her honor, the solar hero Gawain carried a pentacle on his blood-red shield.  Hermetic magicians used the pentacle for their model of Man the Microcosm.  A male figure was placed inside the circle representing the cosmos: his feet, hands, and head touched the circle at the points designated by the inscribed pentacle, his  genitals being located at the exact center.  This image was related to Firmicus Maternus' remark that man is a microcosm ruled by "the five stars".

Like other figures constructed of a single unbroken line, the pentacle was believed to afford protection from spirits who needed the "gates" formed by a broken line.  Therefore the pentacle was often used to mark off magical enclosures, especially for invocation.  Medieval churchmen consequently took to calling it by such names as Devil's Sign, Witch's Cross, Wizard's Star, Goblin's Cross, or Witch's Foot.  It was thought that a vampire or werewolf would show a pentacle on the foot sole or palm of the hand.  This notion may be compared to the five-petaled Lotus that appeared on the hands of Buddha.

Continuous appearances of the pentacle in magic books probably influenced Slavic witches who tried to cure diseases by "measuring the pentacle" on the patient. A string was attached from feet to chin, from the middle finger of each hand to the other, from each hand to the opposite foot, while the sufferer stood in the position of Microcosmic Man. "Differences in measurement give the diagnosis and prognosis, and cutting the twine with a knife after each measurement cuts away the sickness.  The bits of twine are burned so that the patient may inhale the fumes, and the ashes are placed in fresh water, of which the patient drinks a potion."

Magic charms using the pentacle are still extant.  Gypsies still cut the apple to reveal the Kore, the Pentacle of the Virgin, which they call the Star of Knowledge.