What is the origin and meaning of the pentagram? | GotQuestions.org

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The Pentagram as an Ancient Religious Symbol

The pentagram has been used as a religious symbol throughout the world from the beginning of recorded history. The most basic pentagram is simply a 5 point star drawn with one continuous line, broken into 5 line segments and with one point of the star facing up.

Today, we usually mean a 5 point star with one or two circles drawn around it. Sometimes such a symbol includes other small magic sigils used in spells. An inverted pentagram has one point facing down and two facing up.

In any form, the pentagram has always been assigned a 5 part symbolism. The pentagram was used in ancient Chinese and Japanese religions to symbolize the five elements of life. In Japanese culture, the symbol was also considered magical.

The Pentagram in Christianity, Pythagorean Thought, and Occult Traditions

Ancient Babylonians assigned it to various gods and beliefs of their own. In Christian symbolism, the basic pentagram, without a circle, was originally used to represent the five wounds of Jesus Christ.

It was soon supplanted by the symbol of the cross, but the pentagram was still used for a few hundred years after Jesus' resurrection. The continuous line was considered symbolic of the Alpha and Omega.

Christian-influenced academia in Europe during the Enlightenment rediscovered the pentagram contained the golden ratio. Pythagoras' study went beyond mathematics, ordering the five ancient elements to the five points of the star, earth, water, air, and fire on the lower four points and spirit on the topmost point.

Many mythologies, the Freemasons and Eastern Star Organization have also used this Pythagorean pentagram, often adding their own symbols as well. In Wicca and various forms of white magic, the encircled upright pentagram is considered a symbol that provides protection of some kind.

Inverted Pentagrams, the Occult, and Modern Cultural Associations

Pagan and Neo-Pagan groups use the pentagram in all manner of rituals and ornamentation because it symbolizes infinity, the binding of the five elements, and protection of the self. In the mid -1800s, a researcher of magic declared in a book that the inverted pentagram was a symbol of evil because it presented an inversion of the natural order, placing matter over the spirit world.

Since then, the inverted pentagram has had associations with the occult and black magic. The Church of Satan copyrighted the inverted pentagram as its logo, adding a goat's head framed by the star. Today, the pentagram shows up in horror films, thrillers, and crime dramas, reinforcing the symbol's association with Neo-Paganism, black magic, and occultism.

A Christian Response to the Pentagram

In conclusion, of course, there's nothing wrong with a star, and the pentagram contains no inherent power. Many cultures have used it, including Christianity. It should not be feared, but we should be aware of what others are communicating through it.

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