by Richard Sprigg

Created on: December 12, 2008

The pentagram, or five-pointed star, is one of the most widely used symbols in use today. This article will concentrate on the Unicursal Pentagram, comprised of one continuous line, as this is the one that is specifically associated with workings of ritual magick.

I will attempt to show that the Pentagram has no inherent morality, it is a mirror, reflecting back what the individual intends. If the individual should have a positive intent, such an individual will see holiness and vice versa.

Magick, like other natural forces, is neither "Good" nor "Evil", though it can be used for a particular end that the operator desires. That end may be considered "good" or "Evil" depending on the viewpoint of the individual observer.

An analogy might be to liken magick to water: One may use water to bathe a child, quench it's thirst, drown it or even boil it alive. None of these actions in any way impact the water, nor impute any morality to it. The water is just a medium for the actions of the operator.

The Pentagram is extremely old and as can be imagined, the attributions made to it have changed according to the cultures and religions that have abrogated it to themselves over time. Given the tendency of people to view the religions and symbols of other cultures as averse, it has been considered both holy and unholy many times over through time yet the symbol has not changed.

In the early days of the Christian religion, the pentagram was considered to be a sacred symbol. The five points were considered to represent the dominance of spirit over the four elements (Earth, Air, Fire, and Water) which it was believed made up the material world. Further, the five points were considered to represent the letters of the name of Jesus, (JHSVH) as distinct from the secret name of the God of the Old Testament, Jehovah (JHVH, also referred to as the Tetragrammaton.)

In the magical revival of the sixteenth and seventeenth century, the symbol was used as a vector of power in magickal workings. Most magickal books of this time used holy symbols and words to evoke and control evil entities. The symbols and words needed to be holy so that they would have the power to constrain these entities to obey the operator. The use of the pentagram demonstrates that at this time it was still considered a potent symbol of holiness.
This usage was carried forward into the nineteenth century revival of the western mystery tradition in Europe and England.

In the mid to late twentieth century, the symbol was again

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