:The Pentagram:

Some say Pentagram, some Pentacle. They are the same thing.

The definition of Pentagram is: "the shape of a five-pointed star drawn with five straight strokes." The definition of Pentacle is: "an amulet used in magical evocation on which the symbol of a spirit or energy being evoked is drawn." Pentacles, despite the sound of the word, often had no connotation of "five" in the old magical texts, but were, rather, magical talismans inscribed with any symbol or character.

The Pentagram is commonly the most famous symbol of Witchcraft, and is symbolic of the power of Spirit as the overriding power controlling elements.

One of the frequent confusions regarding Wicca concerns our use of the pentagram, which is thought of by some as a Satanic symbol. The Pentagram has been employed by a variety of cultures for thousands of years to represent numerous different things. Christianity, in fact, employed it for considerable time to represent the five wounds of Christ. To assign it so absolutely to a single group is illogical.

Many religions hold one symbol above all others to represent the religion. For Jews it is the star of David, for Christians it is the cross, for Wiccans it is the pentagram.

The pentagram has existed for thousands of years through a variety of cultures. It has had numerous meanings, but mostly it has been a symbol of protection and invocation.

The pentagram symbolizes the union of the five basic elements. Spirit is ascribed to the uppermost point, with the implication that Spirit surmounts the physical elements. When the pentagram is inverted, the physical world supplants the Spirit, hence its association with Satanism.

As a symbol of our religion, the pentagram is always depicted point-up. Many Wiccans will insist that it is only used in this orientation. It is a way to further distance ourselves from Satanists who identify themselves with a point-down pentagram. However, there are in fact some Wiccans, and witchs, who use pentagrams in both directions, representing a variety of different meanings. The inverted pentagram has been used to represent a second-degree status of rank in some traditional groups of witchcraft. However, due to its association with Satanism and black magic, many traditions have since substituted other symbols, such as the triangle to represent the same degrees.