Pentagrams & Pentacles Used In Magic(k)

The Pentacle and Pentagram are important symbols to people who practice Wicca, Neopagan religions, or other forms of magick faith. The most well known form of pentacle — the pentagram pentacle — is the encircled star. The five-pointed star, typically encircled, symbolizes several parts of the naturalistic beliefs of these individuals. Many people confuse the Pentagram and the Pentacle. Technically, a pentacle is a circular amulet used to evoke spirit or energy. There have historically been many different types of pentacles used by people of a wide variety of beliefs, with many different writings, shapes, and symbols contained in them.

The symbols contained inside the circle are representative of the type of magical energy being envoked. The Pentagram, by the most literal definition, is simply the five-pointed star design composed of five straight lines. In mathematics, it is more correctly identified as a “star pentagram”. This geometric shape becomes a pentacle when it is encircled and given a religious or magical significance. This figure has significance to many people and cultures, but to the practitioners of magick, wicca, or neopagan religions, the five points of the star represent the four natural elements plus the fifth, spirit, taking up the highest point.

They also represent the stages of life: birth, initiation, consummation, repose and death. The circle enclosing the star represents unity. This particlar pentacle — the five-pointed star or Pentagram, enclosed by a circle of unity, and used as a religous symbol — has strong meaning for the practitioners of these faiths. To them, it represents the power of the mind or the spirit over the material world, with the spirit entwined with, yet standing above, the natural elements. This symbol is used in many ceremonies and activities, or for charging material items with its power. Indeed, this particlar pentacle is of vital importance to the practices of the magick faiths.