I wrote this for a class on MysticWicks.com and it's prolly a little rough, but I'll leave it in tact. Someday I'll polish it up really nice. So here goes.
Please pardon me if I don’t get this quite right; I forgot to type it up and then… well never mind… here it is:
Pentacle, originally translated from Pentalpha from the Greeks, also originally meant ‘5 pointed star’. To those who attribute each point to the elements (fire, water, air, earth and spirit), the top point would represent Spirit, to show that the Spirit had control, or power, over all the other elements. Also thought of as “Spirit before man”.
When the Spirit point is at the bottom, it would be thought of more as mundane, and the elements would come before Spirit. Also thought of as “Man before spirit”.
Throughout it’s history, it has been used as a symbol by many of people. It has long been believed by many to be a symbol of protection against evil. It seemed to have been seen first as caveman drawings. After that it has represented several different things around the globe.
There are also a few natural pentacles, such as in the apple. Cut it in half, and inside you will see a pentacle, formed out of the seeds. Another such natural pentacle is seen in a fossil of a sea urchin, named “Shepard’s crown”.
It was used among the Hebrews and called the Seal of Solomon, and represented the first 5 books in the Torah.
Pythagoreans deemed it as insignia of perfection. Perhaps because, as the Greeks knew it, it was built of 5 ‘A’s.
Then it would progress to post-Hellenistic art where it would be seen in some temples.
The list is nearly endless, but a few cultures did attribute the goddess Morgan to the pentacle.
Even the Christians used the pentacle, representing the 5 wounds of Christ. However, when the medieval times rolled in, it was used less and less.
The pentacle wasn’t seen as “evil” until the Inquisition when it was seen to symbolize a goat’s head or the Devil in form of Baphomet. The Inquisition accused Templars of worshipping Baphomet. Then Pan was associate and then equated with the Devil. The pentacle was eventually named the “Witch’s foot”.
The first known illustration of the pentacle being evil was made by Levi Zahed in the 19th century.
Okay, once again, sorry it’s late. And I only used one resource ‘cause I loved that one so much ^-^
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