Re: About the Pentacle. By: Lark Moderator / Adept
Post # 15 Dec 13, 2011
"Thanks for all the answers. About the upside down pentacle? Is it ALWAYS satanic or not? "
No, it's not always considered Satanic. In British Traditional Wicca it is worn by those who have earned their 2nd Degree initiation.
You can wear it of course if you choose, but my suggestion is that to prevent confusion over the meaning of the one that you're wearing you might want to find an upright pentagram to wear instead.
Re: About the Pentacle. By: WhiteRav3n / Knowledgeable
Post # 17 Dec 13, 2011
Actually Artezia, you have it backward on that last part (no pun intended). The Goat of Mendes (Ptah of Egypt), Pan, and other such Nature or deities were quiet common and still are. Christianity took everything that was competition to their religion and either made it seem evil or modified it and adopted it themselves. In this case, they took the goat deities and described "devils" as being depicted with horns and hooves. Therefore anyone who worshiped these deities were worshippers of Satan and should be punished. What did the poor goat due to deserve such discrimination? Absolutely nothing but get in the way of a religious war.
As for the reversed pentagram, I do not understand why people can't just google these things. Taking people's personal opinions on a symbol is all well and fine once you learn and understand it's historical background. The pentacle can be found in multiple cultures all over the world. Egypt, Wales, and Greece to name a few. In its upright position it is the symbol for Venus (Aphrodite and the planet itself) and Astarte (Sumerian Queen of the Heavens).
It wasn't reversed or seen as a man or the elements until much later. Wicca uses the reversed pentagram in one of their degrees of witchcraft. Really until Eliphas Levi brought up the reversed meaning, it was never truly noted in history (from my research) besides the Roman Emperor Constantine reversed it on his seal when he converted to Christianity.
Some use the reverse pentagram as a banishing pentagram in their rituals.
Aleister Crowley is the one who truly made the reversed pentagram popular. Then Satanists ran with it and took a design off a piece of media including a goat in an upside down star (not a pentacle a regular 5 point star) and then someone else redrew it as a goat head in a pentacle. After that even a plain upside down pentacle was defined as a Satanist symbol. But I hope you do know that most Satanists don't believe in the Devil, and some are actually anti-religious, and follow no deity (LaVey's Satanism).
The pentacle upside down is seen often as satanic but is not necessarily so. It was taken and twisted into this satanic symbol when really it isn't. Though wearing it right side up is generally not seen as Satanic.
Also, Sadists are people who take pleasure in other people's pain. Not sure that's really in the right context here.
It is really what you make of it. All symbols are subject to different interpretations, and you are free to interpret the pentacle in any way you want. Of course it has its reputation, but you can take it upon yourself to educate the ignorant if it pleases you.
