You might know a pentagram as the five-pointed star. Pentagrams have been used as religious symbols for centuries in all different places across the world.
Because of this, pentagrams have had many different versions, symbolism, and spiritual meanings. Pentagrams have so many different uses, and not all are religious or spiritual.
Pentagrams are most widely symbolic of the human body, the five physical senses, or the five elements.
How the pentagram is drawn, the orientation of the point, and what elements or astrological symbols are included varies on what it is used for. Since there are so many religions, regions, and ways to use it, there are many interpretations of the pentagram.
This article will look at 5 major pentagrams used throughout history and explore their meanings.
Origin Of Pentagrams
A pentagram is a five-pointed star drawn from one straight line in five directions that all connect. You have likely seen a pentagram before but maybe never knew it.
Even children are taught from a young age how to draw a pentagram so that they can draw stars easily.
But where do pentagrams come from? They have shown up as symbols since the beginning of recorded history, but what is their true origin?
We know that the five-pointed star was first used in ancient China and Japan for religious reasons. The pentagram was used to symbolize the 5 elements of life and was considered magical.
In Christian religions, however, the pentagram represents the 5 wounds of Jesus. This would be his two punctured hands, two punctured feet, and the puncture in his side from a soldier before he was nailed to the cross.
This Christian symbol led to the pentagram being widely recognized by philosophers, including Pythagoras. You will read more about Pythagoras’ pentagram in this article.
The pentagram is also used in various types of magic or spiritual religions. It’s often seen in Wicca, a pagan religion based in nature. It is also used in other occult practices, like black magic.
As you can see, the pentagram is well-known and widely used. Because of this, it has a lot of spiritual meanings. Let’s explore 6 of the most popular pentagrams, their meaning and interpretations, and what they are used for.
Baphomet Pentagram
The Baphomet Pentagram, also known as the Sigil of Baphomet, is the official symbol for the Church of Satan. A religious organization based on The Satanic Bible, the Church of Satan has used the Baphomet pentagram as its official image since 1966.
Of course, the Baphomet Pentagram existed before the religious organization was founded. However, the version we see today is the Sigil of Baphomet, which comes from Anton LaVey, the founder of the Church of Satan.
Take a look at what makes the Baphomet Pentagram unique and what symbolism it holds.
Orientation
Unlike the pentagram you may think of, the Baphomet Pentagram is inverted. This means that the point is downward.
It is said that a pointed-down orientation symbolizes something infernal since it points down toward Hell. This suits the Church of Satan, so the orientation is pointed-down to follow that idea.
However, it also means that the Church of Satan can use the image of the goat’s head or the Goat of Mendes. It fits perfectly into the five-pointed star when facing downward and almost outlines the goat’s head.
Symbols
Instead of being outlined in elements, astrological signs, or something else, the Baphomet pentagram is outlined in Hebrew letters.
The five Hebrew letters surrounding the goat’s head, between the two circles of the pentagram, spell Leviathan. Leviathan is the ancient serpent from the biblical time of Chaos, or before the world was born.
Leviathan is viewed as a symbol of hidden truths by the Church of Satan.
Samael Lilith Pentagram
The first version of the pentagram to include a goat’s head, the Samael Lilith Pentagram, is what the more popular Baphomet Pentagram was inspired by.
Stanislas de Guita, a French occultist, published La Clef de la Magie Noire, which featured the monster Leviathan. The Samael Lilith Pentagram first appeared in this work, inverting the pentagram to show that matter ruled over spirit.
This pentagram is, of course, similar to the more well-known Baphomet Pentagram. The difference, however, is that the names of Samael and Lilith are written inside the pentagram circle. Samael’s name is on top, while Lilith’s is on the bottom.
Samael
Samael is a fallen angel and, most notably, the prince of demons in Judaism. He is known for the fall of Adam and Eve, appearing as the snake in the Garden of Eden. Samael is the partner of Lilith and is usually entitled as the evilest of archangels.
Lilith
Lilith rebelled against Adam and was banished from the Garden of Eden. After her banishment, she partnered with archangel Samael, who had rebelled and fallen. In Judaic lore, Lilith is known as Adam’s first wife and then as Samael’s partner.
Eliphas Levi’s Pentagram
Éliphas Lévi was a famous French author from the 19th century who wrote over 20 books on the subject of magic and occultism. Through this, he became well-known as a ceremonial magician and occultist.
One of the things he created while studying occultism was what is now known as the Eliphas Levi Pentagram, also called the Blazing Pentagram. Its most common interpretation is that of humankind, as the many symbols surrounding it are seen as elements that unite to create the human experience.
Orientation
Unlike the Baphomet Pentagram, Eliphas Levi’s pentagram is pointed upward. A pointed-up orientation represents spirit ruling over the rest of the elements or human ownership over spirituality.
This follows Levi’s beliefs and the interpretation of his pentagram representing humankind. It would symbolize humanity’s use of spirituality or even man’s spirit ruling over humans.
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Unity Of Opposites
The unity of opposites is exactly what it sounds like. Two things of opposite nature need each other to exist, coinciding. This is a fundamental idea in philosophy and is also used in occultism.
The Eliphas Levi Pentagram has a few different unions of opposites in the image. The biggest one is the conjoined astrological symbols for Venus and Mercury, whose planets exist side by side.
Beside the planetary symbols are the signs for the sun and moon, who are also opposites but need each other to exist. Then, below Venus and Mercury are the Greek letters for Alpha and Omega, across from one another.
These are important to help interpret and use the Eliphas Levi Pentagram.
Symbols
Along with the unity of opposites, the Eliphas Levi Pentagram uses cabalistic symbols. The most visible are the letters that make up the word “Tetragrammaton,” the four-letter Hebrew word for Yahweh, or God.
There are various other Hebrew letters scattered throughout the pentagram. The words for Adam and Eve, namely, who were the first humans on God’s earth.
You can also see the four physical elements: a cup, a wand, a sword, and a disk. In the 19th century, these were highly used in tarot cards and other spiritual things.
Agrippa’s Pentagram
Henry Cornelius Agrippa was a German philosopher and occultist from the 16th century. His studying of the occult and spiritual arts led to his published work, Three Books of Occult Philosophy, where his pentagram is found.
Agrippa was especially concerned with humankind, the four elements, and astrology. His pentagram shows that humanity is a singular experience influenced by a broader scope, including the planets.
What is interesting about Agrippa’s Pentagram is that it follows the shape of a body, much like the Christian religion’s view of the 5 wounds of Jesus. However, the final point is at the head of the man rather than the middle where Jesus was stabbed.
Agrippa’s Pentagram reflects the idea that man is made in the image of God or as a work of God. This is a larger look at how humanity views spirituality and can help interpret occult practices or spirituality.
Orientation
Agrippa’s Pentagram has a pointed-up orientation, meaning that Agrippa believed that spirituality ruled over man. However, it also means that humankind took ownership of their spirituality, letting it command them at will.
Since it follows the outline of a body, it would make sense for the orientation to be pointed upward.
Planets And Other Symbols
You can see that there are planetary symbols for five planets in our solar system between the two circles of the pentagram.
From the left foot and moving clockwise, there is Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn. There is no symbol for earth.
However, these are put in the same order as their orbits, yet stop before Neptune. This may be used in astrology or other magical practices.
There are also symbols for the sun and moon within Agrippa’s Pentagram. Most notably, the moon symbol sits below the man’s genitals. The sun is placed at the man’s solar plexus.
This could be interpreted in different ways. The sun relates to higher intelligence and inner spirituality. But here, the moon serves the function of reproduction and sexuality.
Pythagorean Pentagram
If you’ve taken algebra or trigonometry, you are likely familiar with Pythagoras, one of the great teachers in Ancient Greece. Pythagoras is a famous mathematician who studied numbers as linked to magic and mysticism.
His most notable discovery was the Pythagorean Theorem, but he also studied the pentagram. When the Pythagoreans came to be, they used the Pentad, or the five-pointed stars, as a secret sign to greet one another by drawing it in the sand.
The pentagram was also seen as a sign of good health. It symbolized perfection and power because it included the golden ratio. It was commonly used to ward off evil. Thus it was kept a secret.
The Pythagorean Pentagram is similar to Agrippa’s Pentagram in the way that the symbols are used. It also refers to humanity but does not include the body of man like Agrippa’s does.
Orientation
The Pythagorean Pentagram is a pointed-down orientation. This represents matter consuming spirituality or humanity subverting spirit.
It is possible that because Pythagoras was studying logic and mathematics, he saw the pentad as a way to move from the magical world to the scientific world.
It may also represent a move away from the religious world, as a pentagram pointed downwards usually indicates Satan or Hell.
Greek Symbols
Greek letters surround the Pythagorean Pentagram between the two circles that outline it. They sit at opposite points to the five points of the pentagram, inverted similarly.
From the top and clockwise, the letters are U, G, I, EI, and A. These represent water, earth, divine ideas, heat, and air in that order.
This is perhaps why the Pythagoreans believed the pentagram to be a symbol of something divine and something to protect their health. It is also symbolic of the descent of spirit into matter since the physical elements are most important here.
Pythagoras’ pentagram is still used today to represent whole health and soundness.
Conclusion
As you can see, many different types of pentagrams have been used throughout history and in other regions. And this is not all that there is!
This article has covered the 6 major pentagrams and their symbolic meanings, but many other pentagrams are used in different spiritual ways.
The important parts to look for in a pentagram to interpret the meaning is the orientation, the images, and what elements or astrological symbols you can find. These will help you determine what the pentagram is used for and what it symbolizes.
Because pentagrams have been used since ancient times, beginning in the first recordings of history, so many variations can be used and so many different meanings. They vary from culture to religion to region.
Check out this article to learn more about pentagrams and their spiritual meanings so you can learn to interpret them.
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