The Oracle

Cadno ap annwn · by **Cadno ap annwn** on Mon Sep 10, 2007 2:19 am

Ok, here is an interesting little topic of discussion for you. Its something I've encountered quite a bit and its a surprise how varied the answers are to the following question.

What is the difference between a pentagram and a pentacle?

I'd love to hear your views on this and look forward to discussing it

Branwen · by **Branwen** on Mon Sep 10, 2007 7:50 pm

this may sound a bit on the uncomplicated side, but i was told when i was younger that a pentacle had the circle round it. or was it the other way round?
obviously there is some symbolism in the circle. which i can't actually think of right now, but i'll probably return and expand

Cadno ap annwn · by **Cadno ap annwn** on Mon Sep 10, 2007 11:02 pm

What I was taught is that the pentagram is a symbol, it can be on its own or have a circle to reflect protection. But heres the tricky part, when a pentagram is used as a tool, it becomes a pentacle. So by adding the protection in the form of that circle symbolism, you've turned it into a tool.

That's the basic explanation that I was taught to understand, its something I still go by as it gives a good perspective.

Freyja · by **Freyja** on Mon Sep 10, 2007 11:18 pm

You know I never thought about this until I read your last post Cadno.
I used to use the pentacle symbol for visualisation protection and it was always a pentacle, never a pentagram.

Freyja

Branwen · by **Branwen** on Tue Sep 11, 2007 10:45 am

cadno, do you mean kind of like...ermmm...electricity? we know its there, and in a way it is a symbol, but we use the national grid to turn it into a tool. so the circle is kind of like a fence?

it makes sense.

Wolfsong · by **Wolfsong** on Wed Sep 12, 2007 6:48 am

When I first started learning, a friend told me that the pentacle was good and the pentagram is evil. Now, since I've been on my path for a bit I've learned otherwise so don't everyone jump lol .. I've since learned that the pentacle is a pentagram with a circle around it. The circle symbolizes protection and unity. It can be used to invoke and/or banish depending on how it is drawn. The five points represent the elements with the upper most point being spirit.

"A Fourth Book of Occult Philosophy (c. 1565) spuriously attributed to Agrippa gives detailed instructions as to how pentacles should be formulated:

'But we now come to speak of the holy and sacred Pentacles and Sigils. Now these pentacles, are as it were certain holy signes preserving us from evil chances and events, and helping and assisting us to binde, exterminate, and drive away evil spirits, and alluring the good spirits, and reconciling them unto us. And these pentacles do consist either of Characters of the good spirits of the superiour order, or of sacred pictures of holy letters or revelations, with apt and fit versicles, which are composed either of Geometrical figures and holy names of God, according to the course and maner of many of them; or they are compounded of all of them, or very many of them mixt.'

Francis Barrett, in his influential work The Magus of 1801 (Book 2, part 2), repeats these instructions almost verbatim."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pentacle

That's my understanding of a pentacle and the differences between pentacles and pentagrams. They are pretty much the same thing but different in technicality depending on how they are used. It's up the the practitioner to decide.

Goddess Blessings,
Wolfie

by **odins raven** on Sun Sep 30, 2007 6:31 pm

hmmm interesting point, never gave it much thought.
I knew the circle was some form of protection.
thasts why we cast the circle to protect us from the outside i suppose.

Cadno ap annwn · by **Cadno ap annwn** on Mon Oct 01, 2007 11:36 am

Well just to answer Branwen, yes its similar concept and actually a nice way to explain it

The Pentagram is a wonderful symbol of the craft, but I often find it a real shame how often people tend to either get confused by the little differences people mention or even the lack of info out there. So I think discussions like this are fantastic for us all, trust me it took me the better part of 10 years to figure out the old pentagram vs penctacle debate. I think I spent too long listening to dogma and not paying enough attention to what was infront of my face lol.

xxglennxx · by **xxglennxx** on Thu Jun 26, 2008 1:09 am

Pentagram is an open five pointed star, a pentacle has a circle encompassing it.

But there's even confusion within scholars! Oxford English Dictionary:

Pentagram - Noun - A five-pointed star drawn using a continuous line, often used as a mystic and magical symbol.

Pentacle - Noun - A pentagram.

Hahaha!

The Oracle

Pentagram vs Pentacle

Pentagram vs Pentacle

re pentagram v pentangle

Re: Pentagram vs Pentacle

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