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Archive-name: magick/kreeeping-ooze/part05
Posting-Frequency: to alt.magick -- by inquiry and desire; to news.answers -- once every three months See reader questions & answers on this topic! - Help others by sharing your knowledge Revised 9503 KreeeePing oooozE FAQ #5: "What is a pentagram? What is its history? (etc.)" ---------------- - The earliest recorded use of the pentagram as a mystical symbol was by the Gnostics, who called it the Blazing Star. It was also considered by Christians during the middle ages to be a symbol of the Five Wounds of Christ, and used as a protective glyph, generally as a variation on the Seal of Solomon (a Star of David within a circle). - The association of the pentagram with non-Christian belief, and its modern "elemental" analysis, were evidently introduced during the revival of occultism in the 17th and 18th centuries. The Masons and similar groups such as the OTO took it up--for example, A.E. Waite is the person who introduced the symbol into the Tarot deck, replacing the traditional suit of Coins. - The use of the "inverted" pentagram to denote evil is a quite recent usage, and first appears in the works of Eliphas Levi. He is also the source of the "goat's head" glyph. Before this, neither orientation had evil connotations per se. - The modern pagan movement picked up the pentagram as part of a general borrowing from earlier "occult" usage, and Wicca in particular has taken it up as an explicit denotational symbol, similar to the cross, the Thor's hammer, and so on. Amanda Walker ------------- According to my own research so far: The categorization of the "inverted" (one-point-down) pentagram as "evil" vs. the "upright" (one-point-up) pentagram as "good" originates in the writings of Eliphas Levi in the 19th Century, most notably the works "The History of Magic" and "Doctrine and Ritual of Transcendental Magic." He is also the originator of the now-infamous goat's head glyph. Eliphas Levi (actually the pen name of Alphonse Louis Constant, a French Catholic deacon) was one of a number of writers who constituted a reaction against 18th century rationalism. His works have had a lasting effect on French magical traditions, and were instrumental in the development of the Tarot as a serious tool of Hermetic magic, despite its humble beginnings in Gypsy fortune-telling. Levi was the first Hermetic writer to assign an elemental (or perhaps more accurately, alchemical) meaning to the pentagram, which before him had been used principally as a protective glyph denoting the five wounds of Christ (and as such, occurs in both orientations in Gothic cathedrals and cloisters all across Europe)). Now, I would be more than interested to hear about evidence that contradicts the derivation I give above; however, I have yet to come across any "evil" connotations of the pentagram, or the orientation thereof, that predate Eliphas Levi (who lived from 1810-1875). This is not to say that his analysis is nonsense--far otherwise, in fact. If you apply his elemental attributions to the points of the figure, the orientation does indeed profoundly affect the resulting connotations. However, it is a mistake to believe that this interpretation is any more "traditional" than 150 or so years, or for that matter particularly pagan. It has, however, been picked up by modern paganism, and has been (comparitively speaking) neglected by modern hermeticism, which has focused primarily on the Tarot and the Kabbalah. Amanda Walker ------------- Amanda Walker (amanda@intercon.com) writes: |Eliphas Levi is the earliest source I have yet found in European |esotericism which gives the points of the star an elemental attribution This was probably derived from Tycho Brahe's _Calendarium Naturale Magicum Perpetuum..._, the ancestor of _Liber 777_ and many other works of that sort. Although the Calendarium does not show a pentagram marked with the elements, the row "Quinarius denari ..." shows all the details: a pentagram with human body imposed, Hebrew for YHSVH, and the elements associated. That's 1582 e.v. Other, later sources also have the material. Looking to either the _Picatrix_ or the writings of Petro de Abano might turn up earlier European usage. heidrick@well.sf.ca.us (Bill Heidrick) -------------------------------------- In the book Symbols of t Prehistoric Mesopotamia by Beatrice Laura Goff , the pentagram is shown and related to the Uruk (Biblical)Eriech)peeriod of Mesopotamian civilization (3500 B.C>.E.). This singn is located on potsherds in the location of Uruk (near the mouth of the Gulf), and is in the company of signs relating to the beginning of written lagnguage. In the book Symbols of the Gods o in Mesopotamian Art by E.Douglas Van Buren, we find the Pentagram belonging to the archaic period UrukIV, and more frequently on Jemdet Nasr(3100-2900B.C>.E.) and Proto-Elamite tablets (3000-2500B.C.E.). The title suggested for the sign is revealing, UB , 'explained as "the very sign used in the royal inscriptions to designate, in a somewhat obscuretitle, a power extending to the 'four corners of the world''. These points are the four crorners of the compass. v306zj7w@ubvms.cc.buffalo.edu (Frater ABZU) ------------------------------------------- To say "the pentagram was considered an evil symbol by the Christians" is a little ... well, general. I haven't searched the whole corpus of Christian literature, and tallied up all the mentions of pentagrams-good and pentagrams-bad, but I would like to point out that (a) the pentagram occurs in "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight," and not as an evil symbol; (b) the pentagram was often regarded as emblematic of the Five Wounds of Christ; and (c) the pentagram was not an evil symbol for Pythagoreans, and there was a strong current of admiration, in Christian tradition (though not a unanimous one), for "noble pagans" -- Pythagoras, Plato, various Stoics, Plotinus, and so on. A good example of the ambivalence in Christian tradition toward writers and thinkers is Dante's treatment of Virgil. Can anyone come up with a specific text originating from the first thousand years of Christianity denouncing the pentagram as an innately evil symbol? I wouldn't be surprised, myself, if the first occurrence of such texts was some time within the past two centuries. Or five centuries. --LeGrand --------- The pentagram was used early on by the Xian church (particularly in the East). Their use was, of course, point-up. The inverted cross was also used by the Xians. It is known in traditional mythology as St. Peter's cross. Peter did not believe he was worthy enough to die in the same way that Jesus had, so he begged to crucified upside-down. (Or so the legend goes.) vondraco@telerama.lm.com (VonDraco) ----------------------------------- There is, of course, the "standard" pagan reply: the five points represent the five elements. It is "positive" if it is point-up because it represents the mastery of mind/spirit over mere matter. It is "negative" if worn point down because spirit is immersed in or ruled by the physical rather than mental plane. (CUE: End of standard reply.) Now for some other possibilities that are somewhat less standard. The five stages of humanity (or the five stages of life, if you prefer) are represented. Speaking purely in terms of age, there are: Babyhood, Adolescence, Adulthood, Middle Age, and Old Age. In terms of life occurrences, there are: Birth, Initiation, Love, Repose, and Death. In Egypt the five-pointed star represented the underground womb. To the pagan Celts, the pentagram was particularly associated with Morrigan, the underground goddess. To Hermetic magicians (and many others now), the five-pointed star represented Man in the Microcosm, with his head at the top, hands out to the sides, and legs below. His genitalia were in the center of the pentagram. To Christians (yes, they managed to get ahold of this symbol, too) the pentagram represented the five wounds of Christ at the crucifixion. In ancient Greece, the Pythagoreans called this symbol the Pentalpha, since it is five capital 'A' figures interlaced. As for the point-down pentagram being "evil", there are a couple of different answers to that. Yes, modern culture has led to the popular notion that this is an evil symbol. However, It is also a representative of the Horned God. Yes, it looks like a goat's head. The Horned God's most common five forms are represented by the points: human, goat, ram, stag and bull. Given the Christian propensity to turn the Horned God into the Devil, is it any wonder that this seems to be associated with the Christian Devil? I understand that this symbol also has some Qabalistic significance, but I am pitifully ignorant of the ways of the Qabala. Perhaps someone else could enlighten you about that part of it. Another important thing to remember is that the pentagram is a unicursal figure. That is, it can be drawn without lifting pen/cil from paper. It also means that each of the five (or more) things that are represented are *irrevocably* connected to one another, unless the line is broken. No one thing is any stronger or better than the other - they are all dependent upon one another. Jencina May Butler <jencina@gladstone> -------------------------------------- Here are two books you might enjoy reading, or just looking through: Rudolf Koch's THE BOOK OF SIGNS, 1930, reprinted by Dover since 1955; Clarence P. Hornung, HANDBOOK OF DESIGNS AND DEVICES, 1932, reprinted by Dover since 1946. (Dover Books has many beautiful books on design.) Koch, re PENTAGRAM: "The pentagram, a five-pointed star drawn with one stroke of the pen: this sign belongs, as do many others depicted here, to the most primitive of mankind, and is certainly much older than written characters. Signs of this kind are quite the most ancient human documents we possess. The pentagram has had several different significations at different times in the history of man. The Pythagoreans called it the pentalpha, and the Celtic priests the witch's foot. It is also Solomon's seal, known in the Middle Ages as the goblin's cross. It also represents the five senses; the male and female principles are also conveyed by the arrangement of the five points. Amongst the druids it was the sign of Godhead, and to the Jews it signified the five Mosaic Books. This sign was also popularly believed to be a protection against demons, and, by analogy, a symbol of safety. It is believed too to be the emblem of happy homecoming, whence its employment as an amulet. In ancient times it was a magic charm amongst the people of Babylon." Hornung, re PENTAGRAM: "The five-pointed star... As a continuous interlacement,... it is called the pentacle, or pentagram, and becomes an important element in the history of magic and witchcraft, with many mystic interpretations. It is an ingenious development used in ancient times by the Pythagoreans and others as the pentalpha, an emblem of perfection. This sign was also regarded as a protective fetish, and was frequently worn as an amulet." Raven <JSINGLE@MUSIC.LIB.MATC.EDU> ________________________________________________________________________ The pentagram has ment many things to many different people/groups thoughout history, including strangely enough within the Catholic church itself, during various parts of the middle ages it was seen as a symbol of truth, you can find indications of this in some Arthurian legends (i don't recall the dteails, however one of the knights in one of the accounts was supposed to have a shield with the symbol). ranger@twain.ucs.umass.edu (ranger) ----------------------------------- Gawain, in the medieval verse-tale SIR GAWAIN AND THE GREEN KNIGHT. I strongly recommend J.R.R. Tolkien's wonderful translation, which retains much of the Old English alliterative form. Stanzas 27-28: Then they brought him his blazon that was of brilliant gules with the pentangle depicted in pure hue of gold. By the baldric he caught it and about his neck cast it: reight well and worthily it went with that knight. And why the pentangle is proper to that prince so noble I intend now to tell you, though it may tarry my story. It is a sign that Solomon once set on a time to betoken Troth, as it is entitled to do; for it is a figure that in it five points holdeth, and each line overlaps and is linked with another, and every way it is endless; and the English, I hear, everywhere name it the Endless Knot. So it suits well this knight and his unsullied arms; for ever faithful in five points, and five times under each, Gawain as good was acknowledged and as gold refine'd, devoid of every vice and with virtues adorned. So there the pentangle painted new he on shield and coat did wear as one of word most true and knight of bearing fair. First faultless was he found in his five senses, and next in his five fingers he failed at no time, and firmly on the Five Wounds all his faith was set that Christ received on the cross, as the Creed tells us; and wherever the brave man into battle was come, on this beyond all things was his earnest thought: that ever from the Five Joys all his valour he gained that to Heaven's courteous Queen once came from her Child. For which cause the knight had in comely wise on the inner side of his shield her image depainted, that when he cast his eyes thither his courage never failed. The fifth five that was used, as I find, by this knight was free-giving and friendliness first before all, and chastity and chivalry ever changeless and straight, and piety surpassing all points: these perfect five were hasped upon him harder than on any man else. Now these five series, in sooth, were fastened on this knight, and each was knit with another and had no ending, but were fixed at five points that failed not at all, coincided in no line nor sundered either, not ending in any angle anywhere, as I discover, wherever the process was put in play or passed to an end. Therefore on his shining shield was shaped now this knot, royally with red gules upon red gold set: this is the pure pentangle as people of learning have taught. Now Gawain in brave array his lance at last hath caught. He gave them all good day for evermore as he thought. -- Raven (JSingle@Music.Lib.MATC.Edu). [All standard disclaimers apply] ------------------------------------- ...in Great Britain, the inverted pentagram is the sign of a second level Wiccan Student in the Gardnerian Tradition. Because of the fear frenzy of the Fundamentalists, in this country another symbol is used. And the symbols may be very different in different parts of the world as to how to identify either a Satanist or a second level Gardnerian Student. ...the symbol is a reminder to face the evil/dark and nastiness within or it will rise up and control you. tinne@eskimo.com (Susan Profit) -------------------------------- Well, according to my tradition, four of the points represent the elements of Earth, Air, Fire & Water. The fifth point represents the spirtual. Now, reference to up or down...Up is representative of the higher spiritual plane, down is representative of inner spirituality. ...the pentagram as a symbol for Satanism was a figment of some fundies' collective imaginations then adopted by Satanists. To lend further credence, it was pointed out that a point-down pentagram looked a little like a goat's head, said to be a Satanic creature. Actually, this reference first showed up centuries ago when the Roman Catholic Church attempted to slander Pan and His followers. dream_weaver@cybercircl.win.net (DREAM WEAVER) ---------------------------------------------- Joseph of Aramathia came to the Isle of angels after the crusifiction of Christ. There are those who believe that Jesus himself came to Britain and was taught by the Druids during his early adulthood. Regardless the people of Britian saw remarkable religious simililarities between their own beliefs and those of the EARLY christians. There is proof that the British practiced both religions side by side. Later when the Roman church was in ascendancy they started to subvert other religious practices. For some reason, whether to show displeasure of Rome, or whether the Church itself initiated the practice, those who where against the church inverted their crosses and since the Pentagram was worn with it it also was inverted. 906205re@cent.gla.ac.uk (Allan M Rennie) ---------------------------------------- There are a lot of pagans out here that use an inverted pentagram as a banishing/grounding pentagram that aren't involved in satanism at all. Both the upright and inverted pentagram are tools and nothing more. They are symbols of a way that ritual and magick and energy are moved. How each person or group of people chooses to *use* such symbols is the key issue. If you use an inverted pentagram for "Black Magic" (Ghod how I hate that term. Esecially since Black Magick for me designates only those workings done in the dark phase of the moon.) then it is the energy that you focus and the direction that *you* choose that makes them "evil" in symbology. Hawke windstrm@elf.com (NightStalker) ------------------------------- The pentagram itself is an extremely ancient symbol, with various forms and significances in different cultures -- much like the cross. The magical pentagram as used in a ritual which projects it to the four quarters is a relatively recent innovation, apparently no older than the Golden Dawn (or possibly Eliphas Levi.) The ritual authors derived the symbol from older sources, probably including the Pythagoreans, and built the ritual from it and other materials, such as a Jewish night prayer. This is the form in which the pentagram is used by modern paganism, which employs numerous variations on the Golden Dawn pentagram ritual as the basic framework for circle work. tim@toad.com (Tim Maroney) =================================================== END OF OOZING FAQ #05 This document is Copyright (c) 1994, authors cited. All rights reserved. Permission to distribute the collection is hereby granted providing that distribution is electronic, no money is involved, reasonable attempts are made to use the latest version and all credits and this copyright notice are maintained. Other requests for distribution should be directed to the individual authors of the particular articles. _________________________________________________________________________ This is from a series of continually-updated posts responding to recurrent questions in this newsgroup. Please debate anything in here which seems extreme and add your own response to these questions after the post. I'll integrate what I like. Thanks. tyagi nagasiva tyagI@houseofkaos.Abyss.coM (I@AM) User Contributions: |
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