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Controversy Over Symbolism: The Pentacle

© Nancy Leigh Jobes

Some symbols, while not necessarily engrained in our subconscious, will still bring an emotional response. The response we feel when viewing a symbol may be in part from our up bringing, our religious beliefs, or even our misconceptions. As both individuals and as a society, perhaps we need to learn a lesson about fully educating ourselves about different religions and symbols before we make judgements, in order to fully realize religious tolerance.

Currently we are looking into the face of controversy. This controversy is about whether or not to allow children of pagan or Wiccan faiths to wear their pentacles around their necks in schools or at school functions like their Christian peers who are allowed to wear their crosses and crucifixes. When faced with the pentacle, many Christians, both casual and fundamentalist alike, see a symbol of evil or Satanism. However, this reaction stems from the belief that all which is not Christian must be Satanic, because not only do pagan faiths not recognize Satan as an entity, but the pentacle itself is not a Satanic symbol. The pentacle existed before anything resembling a worship of an entity called Satan was created.

Rather than approach a description of the pentacle from a religious standpoint, lets look at it from a practical approach. The five-pointed star of the pentagram represents spirit and the elements. The top point symbolizes spirit and light, a god, goddess, or creator of the earth and universe. The other four points represent air, earth, fire and water. The circle, being man or woman (self) means that man is at the mercy of the will of the spirit and the elements. As a whole symbol, the pentacle represents the belief that the spirit world, gods, and goddesses rule over all people and elements and that a force of greater good is in control of the universe. That's all, believe it or not. Now, contemporary Satanists, like LeVay and followers, recognized the Christian distaste for the pagan symbol of the pentacle, and decided to use it, but inverted it!

Inverted, the symbol can be taken to mean that the individual is more important than the earth, the elements, and the spirit. Levay "Satanists" don't really worship an entity. They worship themselves. They place the self and "getting ahead" in life above all things. In effect, it is more about taking care of those people and things that help you and treat you well, and not caring about what happens to anyone else. LeVay made his interpretation of Satanism popular to young people and those in high-powered business, as it is a self-centered and self-worshipping belief. Levay Satanism and its inverted pentacle is as far as you can get from Wiccan belief, which chooses to believe that you should harm none, be grateful to your entity for what you receive in life, and that much like Christianity, you should treat others with the kindness and charity that you wish to be treated with yourself.

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