Im currently reading "the Davinci Code" and there is a reference to a pentacle... what is the difference between pentacle and pentagram?
My google search only shows me that a pentagram has the pointed part of the star pointed up.
Thanks for the info..

From my deep knowledge on the subject i have discovered that a penticle is 1/2 a tenticle.
pent = 5
ten = ten

Seeing tenticles are on octopuses (octopai?) then a 1/2 tenticle, or penticle, will be on a 1/2 octopus

So it is equal to 1/2 an octopus, which makes it a quadopus.

I hope this helps


[Edited on 15-8-2003 by Netchicken]

Well, I guess if you're looking for a specific answer you might say a "Pentacle" is simply a five pointed star. A "Pentagram" would be the same 5 pointed star but within a circle. If you're going to consider the point being up or down then you would probably be including it with some form of Magick or Ritual or Religious practice most likely and that may change it's meaning depending on where the info is coming from.

Don't let that misdirect you though, the Pentacle Star is one of the most perfect mathematically amazing shapes ever. It is a beautiful representation of the infinite and within it you will find the golden ratio or phi in so many different ways it is almost unimaginable.

Netchicken,
I hope you don't mind, but I have to use your new word!! Quadropus!!!

[Edited on 15-8-2003 by mOjOm]

smart pants, my answer was much better.

Religiously -

Pentacle = 5 point star within circle pointed up, symbol of wicca, pagan religions

pentagram - upside down pentacle, usually with goats head in middle, symbol of satanists, worshipers of set

For the most part, they mean the same thing. They both refer to a five point star with a circle drawn around it.

In Wicca (often called witchcraft) pentacle is the prefered term. If any distinction is made, the pentacle is usually an object (a charm) or a symbol inscribed on an object, while a pentagram is a large circle drawn on the floor (usually with salt) for protection during a ritual or invocation.

Christians use the term pentagram regardless of how the symbol is displayed, and believe it relates to satan. This is Christian lore left over from the Inquisition, but is not supported by the Bible.

Much is made of the star pointing up or down, saying that pointing up it's good and pointing down it's satanic, but the truth is that practicioners of Wicca don't believe in Satan (though they will always point it up for other symbolic reasons) where Christians believe it's satanic no matter how it points, though they will always point it down.

Pentacle and pentagram is the exact same thing. Unless perhaps for in majick.

Blessinghs,
Mikromarius

See Seekerof's links...but the common acceptance is:

Pentacle points up, Pentagram points down. At least, amongst many of my Wiccan friends...

Mycroft, I am surprised!!! Someone on this board besides me knows that the pentacle/pentagram isn't satanic!!!!

Anyways, the points on a pentacle/pentagram= Spirit, earth, fire, water, air(clockwise from top). This is used by witches to signify that the soul is above the material things of this world or a witch that is good with ESP/mind power to show that is what it is good with.

With it upside down it is to show either the fact the person believes the material world is more important than the soul or that they are better with elemental magic than mind power.

With satanists, christians do this. Why? Same reason they stole all their holidays, to get followers. They made the witch god(Hurn, the female has no name, usually just goddess or mother, so forth) and made his image into the image of satan to make people think that Hurn was evil, when witches don't believe in evil.

Christmas? Stolen from witches, was known as Yule. Easter? Stolen, was Ostara. Halloween? Stolen, it was Sowhein.

Okay, let's get an "official" opinion on this. The following information comes from Raymond Buckland's book The Witch Book; The Encyclopedia of Witchcraft, Wicca and Neo-Paganism:

Pentacle - originally had the same meaning as pentagram but has come to mean a circular wooden or metal plate engraved with magical symbols (usually including a pentagram) and used in magical rituals.

Pentagram - is a five-pointed star-shaped figure usually drawn with the single point upward. The pentagram has always been associated with magic. The five points represent the four elements - earth, air, fire and water, surmounted by spirit.

An inverted pentagram is not necessarily a sign of evil. How and by whom it is used may suggest good or evil. Reportedly, Satanists use an inverted pentagram often portrayed superimposed on the head of a goat. In that sense it is a negative symbol, whereas an inverted pentagram used in Wicca is a positive symbol.

well...an inevrted is satanic and a regular is wiccan

[Edited on 8-15-2003 by theshadowknows]

Also a protective symbol, and usually used as a symbol of the element of earth when used on ones altar.

It depends on the tradition youre in, some use it both ways. During higher levels of inititation, it is explored inverted. Generally, Inverted, it refers to the dark half of nature, not necessarily evil. Just the shadow half of the natural world.

Of course, christians insist, and always will, its a fearful sign of the devil, yet the symbol goes back further than the bible and the belief in Satan.

However, if you see an octpus with this symbol inscribed on its forehead, beware, that octopus is an agent of the NWO/ illuminati and has been gentically inbued with the power to suck your mind out and replace it with a microchip.

Skadi?

Anyways, nothing evil about it, it just a symbol. Christians being the ignorant ones they are belive witches are evil(witches don't believe in evil) and green skin with warts and feed on little kids and fly on brooms and that the pentagram, no matter what, is evil.

But, why? First, main religons christianity was competing with were... Witchcraft, Druid, and the Jews.

With Jews, they killed them off in Inquisitions. Or war. r just plain killed them.

Druids, last one was beheaded by the church in the 1600's. Well, last open one anyways. After the festival the church held before/during/after the beheading, the others decided to be quiet about what they believed.

Witches, Inquisitions, trials, and just plain killed.

Now, with christianity. The "book" is either made up or stolen from other religons. Holidays were stolen from the witches/druids.

Now, with Hurn/satan. Satan, in the "book" is a angel with the feathers torn from his wings. Yet no christian says this or knows this. Never seen satan as he is described in the "book". No, it is always with horns and hooves. Now, that image was Hurn/Pan(Witch/Greek). They took the image of one of the gods they were competing with and made his image evil.

Then, to make the goddess null and void, they made women the lesser of the two sexes. Before, women were prized, they were the givers of life in almost all poly religons. But then the new poly religon, christianity, and women either evil or got us kicked out of paradise(Lilith/Eve, and yes poly, father, son, holy ghost, saints out the wazoo)

Then, later on, tried to stereotype witches. Green skin, evil, old hags, warts, eye of newt leg of frog, so forth. But thankfully, christianity lost it's power, we got out of the dark ages, we discovered technology and science again even after the 1000+ years christianity took to kill it off, and life became good again.

Anyways, off the topic a little. Just trying to explain the stereotype/bad press that christianity gave to witchcraft.

Originally posted by James the Lesser
Skadi?

Then, later on, tried to stereotype witches. Green skin, evil, old hags, warts, eye of newt leg of frog, so forth. But thankfully, christianity lost it's power, we got out of the dark ages, we discovered technology and science again even after the 1000+ years christianity took to kill it off, and life became good again.

Anyways, off the topic a little. Just trying to explain the stereotype/bad press that christianity gave to witchcraft.

Also off topic but related to James the Lesser post:

The Fall 2003 issue of The Herb Quarterly magazine contains my article "Halloween's Herbal Legends" on pages 38-41. It's mostly about herbs but goes a little bit into how the witch craft trials started. The people most often accused of being witches were the village healers using a variety of herbal medicines they collected from the surrounding forests and contryside. Read the article if you're really interested. Nothing about pentacles/pentagrams though.

The penta-whatever pointing down represents spiritual or any higher rate of vibration slowing and becoming more dense or gross matter; thus it's association with negativity.

The one pointing up represents energy changing to a higher vibratory rate and becoming less gross; thus, it's association with positivity.

That's but one way to interpret it yet probably the main concept behind it.



ONE

Originally posted by Tamahu
The penta-whatever pointing down represents spiritual or any higher rate of vibration slowing and becoming more dense or gross matter; thus it's association with negativity.

The one pointing up represents energy changing to a higher vibratory rate and becoming less gross; thus, it's association with positivity.

That's but one way to interpret it yet probably the main concept behind it.

Of the following two sounds which one is most evil?

#1 Bzzzzzzzzzzz

#2 Weeeeeeeee

Blessings,
Mikromarius

Good point, mOjOm, the number phi is in there, just like pi has to do with a circle. It all goes back to sacred geometry which I'm sure nobody or hardly anybody on here knows anything about. If you want to know more about it look it up, too complicated and long to explain.

James, you're confusing Christians with Catholics again. Sigh....... Also, I think you need to do a bit more research on the topic. It's Samhain, not Sowhein by the way. Ha ha, no witches aren't all green with warts and such. Think there's no druids anymore, at least a lot of their beliefs? HA!!!