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Pentagram According
to Pythagoras, the Greek mathematician and philosopher, five is the number of
man, because of the fivefold division of the body, and the ancient Greek div of
the soul- the five points each representing one of the five elements that make
up man: fire, water, air, earth and psyche. This
particular symbolism has persisted for centuries, and greatly influenced
theologies of diverse traditions. It is central to many doctrines of esoteric
Medieval and Renaissance traditions- alchemy, kabbalah, and Ceremonial magick. Ritual
magicians used the Pentagram as a microcosm of the human body. One of these,
Giordano Bruno, warned of misuse by Black magicians because of its great power.
The pentagram is still central to the practice of ritual magic, and is used in
most foundation rituals. In
the Jewish kabbalistic tradition, which borrows many Pythagorean ideas, the
pentagram represents the five upper sephiroth on the tree of Life; five numbers,
which being indivisible by any but themselves, represent pure archetypal forces:
justice, mercy, wisdom, understanding, and transcendent splendor. Christian
Kabbalists were especially enamored of the pentagram- to them, it symbolized
Christ as the Holy Spirit manifest in the flesh. A favorite gematric feat was to
add the Hebrew letter Shin (symbolizing fire and the holy spirit) to the
Biblical four letter name of God (YHVH) yielding YHShH- Yehoshua, or Jesus. (There
is a secret biblical connection, as well, in the name of the Christian holiday
of Pentecost- the day the Holy Spirit descended on the apostles of Jesus.) This
is not the only connection of the pentagram to Christianity. Before the cross,
it was a preferred symbol to adorn jewelry and amulets. It was associated with
the five wounds of Christ, and because it could be drawn in one continuous
movement of the pen, the Alpha and the omega. It was also an expression of a
secret Gnostic heresy, found hidden here and there throughout Christian history.
The most notable instance of this symbolism is in the Arthurian Grail romances,
which are Gnostic and kabbalistic teachings disguised as tales of knightly
quests. Currently,
the most common religious uses of the pentagram are by Wiccan, Neopagan, and
Satanic groups. In most Wiccan and Neopagan traditions, its symbolic meaning is
derived from Medieval Ceremonial magick, the four elements ruled by the spirit-
although as these theologies mature, they have added to its meaning. In many of
these, it can symbolize the unity of mankind with the earth or with the realm of
the spirit. The
Satanic pentagram is a difficult symbol. It is presented upside-down, or
inverted, with a single point facing downward. This glyph was a representation
of Black magick, symbolizing the triumph of matter and material desires over the
spirit. In modern satanic theology, it is far more likely to represent the
individual, or the choice to pursue individual glory or immortality rather than
union or absorption- where some traditions advocated the sublimation of the ego,
Satanism exalts it. The symbol most commonly associated with satanic practices
is the "Sabbatic goat" or Goat of Mendes, often associated with
Baphomet, a figure from Templar legend, and Pan, the Greek goat God. It rarely
has any deeper meaning; an irony when one considers that its association with
Satanism has made the pentagram a feared symbol to many. Surprisingly,
the pentagram also plays an important part in the symbology of the early United
States government (a fact not lost on some Christian conspiracy theorists). Many
of the Founding Fathers were masons, to whom the Pentagram is an important
symbol- it appears in much of the early US iconography- the flag, the Great
Seal, and on money. It is even to be found in the Capitol, where the white house
sits at the apex of a giant pentagram.
A
pentagram with a circle around it is known as a
It
symbolizes a passive spiritual containment keeping in tune with the traditional
secrecy of witchcraft.
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