The Star of Life

An Historical and Spiritual History of the Pentagram

Ancient Symmetries

Imagine the perfect apple, ripe, and bursting with life. Sliced in half, it reveals a beautiful five-point symmetry, a star, formed by the seeds inside. In fact, each of these five seeds may be seen to contain a symbolism of its own, (mirroring) the spiritual aspects of this universal symbol: the aspects of idea, sustenance, life, and secret knowledge, the hidden mysteries within the earth.

To the ancient Celts, the Island of the Apples, was an Otherworld Place of paradise and beauty. Why, then, has this beautiful and potent emblem, the five-pointed star, or Pentagram, become such a misunderstood and stigmatized symbol in these times of re-emerging enlightenment?

In modern culture, many of us were taught since childhood of the tale of Adam and Eve, where the apple signified hidden knowledge, which was forbidden to humankind. Other early cultures, however, had many holy and learned persons who persevered and learned the intricacies of divine knowledge over many years. For example, the Vedas state that the Universe, and ourselves, are one, and that by realizing this, and tapping into the Universal energy and state, we achieve wholeness, and bliss. These concepts were known to many ancient civilizations.

In our culture, this was at some point, designated as the right of the One Deity only. It was considered heretical to study the Divine workings of the Universe. The apple signified that which we should not attempt to know, and many attempts over the centuries to attain wisdom of the Universe, and therefore, of ourselves, was subjugated, and considered heresy. The five-pointed star became another target of this stigmatization, as we shall see.

The Pentagram, or five-pointed star, was a very widespread sacred symbol, since ancient times, in many areas such as Egypt, India, Persia and Greece. Almost all cultures had a five-fold symbol that was considered to be very important in their religious and spiritual ideology.

In areas of India where the Goddess Kali is worshipped, a pentad of deities is included, (Siva, Kali, Vishnu, Surya and Ganessa), and this may be seen to somewhat correspond with an Egyptian pentad, which was comprised of Osiris, Horus, Isis, Set, and Nephthys. Kali, (and Minerva), both have five as their sacred number. Kali's mystic, the poet Ram Prasad, is said to address her as she dances upon the prostrate form of Siva, by saying, "My heart is five lotuses. You building these five into one, dance and swell in my mind." The poet refers to the cults of the five deities, all of which can be seen to be really cults of the Goddess Kali.

Also, in the Indian coronation ritual of a king, the priest sets a sacred mantle upon the king, which is called "The Womb", in this ceremony of rebirth. He hands the king five dice, and says, "Thou art the master; may these five regions of thine fall to thy lot." The five regions are the four quarters of the earth, and the zenith, the hottest point attained by the sun.

The extended lore of the unicorn's horn contains five-fold symbolism, as well. Its horn represents the upper pole which reaches from the king up to the zenith. In Egyptian architecture, this is shown in the figure of the obelisk, whose square base tapers to a pyramid-shaped point, which symbolizes dominion over the four quarters of the world, and the zenith, which makes five.

On the island of Pharos in the Mediterranean, a vast system of harbour works was constructed, which was discovered in this century, consisting of an inner basin which covered 150 acres, and enormous sea walls, jetties and quays, which were constructed of massive stones, some weighing as much as six tons. On the broad landing quay, large blocks of stone were etched or grooved with a checker pattern of pentagons. Since these are more difficult to work with in a checked pattern than other geometric shapes, it is fair to assume that they must have had some important religious significance. The construction dates back to the end of the third millennium B.C.E.

The Sigil of Pythagoras

Pythagoras, who lived around 500 B.C.E. (Before Current Era) in the Mediterranean, was an unparalleled scholar, philosopher, teacher and leader, renowned for his knowledge and expertise in the areas of arithmetic, music, philosophy, health, good government, and sacred geometry. He tapped into the divine mysteries, and, as did the ancient Celts, and as do many Neo-Pagans, lived and learned between the worlds, as well as in both.

Pythagoras traveled the known world in the earlier part of his life, and was honored and initiated into the deepest mysteries and highest sciences of all the great centers of learning of the time, including Egypt, Sumeria, Persia and Greece. He likely had contact with the Celts, probably in Gaul (France), and had contact with their Druids, from whom he may have learned much. Pythagoras eventually set up a school and community in southern Italy where he taught many people, who all flocked to him in pursuit of divine knowledge. He was the most prominent thinker and political advisor of this time. It was he who brought the concept of reincarnation to the Greeks, and thus, to the Western world. In his school, men and women were treated as equals, and were also vegetarian, as he believed in the rights and feelings of our fellow creatures. Unfortunately, his school was eventually suppressed in a brutal and violent fashion, for political reasons (perhaps due to the fact that he denied entry into his school of persons of high rank or political if he did not think they were sincere or worthy).

Pythagoras considered the five-pointed star to be a symbol of life, and of the divine human. Because it was a compact symbol or rich and varied significance, it became the secret Sigil of the Pythagorean followers, "so that they may know each other", these seekers whose knowledge, culture and continuing society were forced underground at that point.

Iamblichus, a post-Pythagorean, listed many attributes to the Pentagram, including immortality, lack of strife, androgyny, wedding, manifesting justice, demi-God, Pallas Athena, five-fold, fore-thought and light.

The Mystery Schools, The Middle Ages, and Modern Use

The Pythagorean schools continued on in secret, and from this line of descent come the Gnostic and Hermetic Mystery Schools (which contained both men and women, and were Christian to varying degrees.) They saw fit to combine anything that was felt to be "illuminating" (much like the current New Age movement). These societies continued to use the Pentagram as a symbol, and it kept its positive and enriching Pythagorean attributes, and signified hidden luminous knowledge.

From there, it enters the mystery teachings of the Masonic Guilds, which were originally comprised of professional masons, gifted stone-masons who built all the great Cathedrals of the time. In fact, being part of becoming a mason was being initiated into these mystery schools. There were many reasons for this, not the least of which was the knowledge of sacred geometry. These people were members, therefore, of what was considered to be very heretical Christian societies. They built the most holy and sacred Christian structures in Europe, many of which contained (many) pentagonal or five-fold symmetries. The church was aware of this apparent dichotomy, but turned a blind eye, and hired these men to construct the great churches, as they were the only ones knowledgeable enough to do so.

Parallel with Masonic culture were the alchemists of medieval Europe. They were scientists, philosophers and magicians, who studied the mysteries of the Universe. Quite a number of women were members of these various mystery schools. The Pentagram was used as a symbol by these people, both in the form of the five-pointed star and the five-petalled flower, by which they sometimes represented the "quintessence" in the center of the cross of the elements. Not surprisingly, neither they, nor their ideas, were popular with the Church. The knowledge of Pythagoras continued on through these other schools, and of the many rivers which ran into the mystery schools, Pythagoras' knowledge undoubtedly comprised a main one. This continued on through the Middle Ages, and up until modern times. So this knowledge was never completely stamped out or eradicated, but often had to remain "underground" to survive. In fact, most of these underground currents of knowledge were brutally suppressed by the Christian authoritative infra-structure. Therefore, the Pentagram, which had been a sign of divine illumination, and even used to some degree within the Church itself, became a stigma of heretical thought, and eventually, as something evil. However, the symbol persisted, and continued to be used to point out / symbolize those who continued to search for divine knowledge.

It is interesting to note that five-fold symmetries are inherently unique to life, but are extremely rare in non-organic forms. The symbol of (hu-)man, the hand, a starfish, flowers, and many other plant symmetries follow this pattern, even down to a molecular level, which is found among living things. Other non-organic forms, such as rocks or crystals, do not show a five-fold pattern in their structure, usually 4 or 6, and this, again, exists even down to a molecular level. Five, therefore, embodies the form and formation of life, the very essence of life.

Satanists use this symbol in an upside down position, with one point facing downwards, in much the same way as use an inverted cross or a mass spoken backwards, in rebellion to modern society and authority, as much as anything, to some degree, as well as to negate the good that the symbol represents. Modern mass media has only cemented and further twisted the image of this symbol as signifying something evil. However, notice that nowadays, 99% of the time, it is used with the point facing upwards, as it has mainly been used, to signify the positive attributes it has always had. In addition, modern day Satanists have actually given it even more of a stigma by using it at all, because on the Two of Pentacles Tarot card, one star is featured point upwards and one pointing downwards, and the card means "change". The two opposing points of the stars simply show polarity, but as in the concept of yin and yang, not as in good and evil. 

For modern-day Pagans, the use of the Pentacle has many wonderful layers of symbolism. It is fair to say that it still maintains many of its ancient attributes, and continues to represent the quest for Divine Knowledge.

The five points are often said to symbolize the four directions (a concept which is ancient in origin, and universal in scope, from the earliest written ritual texts from Babylon, to Native American traditions), and the fifth is Divinity, the divine Spirit, within and without. The circle around the star symbolizes unity and wholeness. It is still as much a symbol of life as it ever was.

The Four Directions and the Sacred Celtic Center

The sacred and important nature of five, the concept of "five-ness", is amply attested to in Celtic myth and literature. The Book of Invasions traces the mythic-historical tale of the Gaels up to the point of the eve of their voyage from Spain into Ireland, but stops to say, "Let us cease from the stories of the Gael, that we may tell of the five peoples who took Ireland before them." And, in spite of what was going on in Biblical lands, Ireland was still empty and without form. The narrative continues on to describe five earlier ages during which time Ireland obtains its familiar features, its culture, and the various archetypal inhabitants found therein.

The five invasions of Ireland are as follows:

Cessair (sometimes listed as Banbha, one of the three aspects of the Irish Goddess of Sovereignty) Partholon

Nemed

The Fir Bolg (who came to gain freedom from the oppression of overlords), and

The Tuatha De Danaan (who came from a land of magical learning.)

As stated so eloquently by Alwyn and Brinley Rees, in their scholarly work, "Celtic Heritage":

"The five pre-Gaelic peoples may be compared with the five Indian "Five Kindred’s" which are spoken of in the Rig Veda as immigrants who have come from another place across the water and have settled and tilled the lands on the hither shore. This was no historical invasion, but a crossing over from one form of being to another, a crossing variously described as having been accomplished in a ship and in heavenly chariot. As we shall see when we discuss voyages to the Other World, "in metaphysical formulation a 'crossing of water' always implies change of state and status." The voyage of the Five Kindred seems to be the other-world voyage in reverse, a coming into existence, a change from infinite possibility to actual manifestation."

After the Tuatha de Danaan were defeated in battle, Amairgen, poet and judge of the incoming Gaels, gave half of Ireland to the Sons of Mil (The Milesians), and gave to the Tuatha, the half of Ireland that was underground. The Tuatha de Danaan then "went into hills and fairy regions (sidbrugaib) so that fairies (sida) underground were subject to them. For each province in Ireland they left five of their number, increasing battles, struggles, strife and conflict among the Sons of Mil."

  There are several stories concerning five brothers, and the Sovereignty of the land, in which Sovereignty shows herself as an old hag, and is later transformed into a fair lady by the embrace of the destined king. In one such tale, that of the five sons of King Daire, it was foretold that one of his sons would obtain the kingship of Erin, and that his name would be Lugaid. Therefore, King Daire named all five of his sons in this way. However, a druid told him that his successor would be the son who caught a golden fawn which would enter the assembly. During the hunt for the fawn, a magickal mist was set in between the five brothers and those of the assembly. Eventually, it was the son named Lugaid Laigde who caught the fawn, and it was he who entered the bed of the hag who was then revealed to be Sovereignty.

At Tara, the symbolic seat of the kingship of Ireland, the cosmos is represented by four within four within four, while at Uisnech, the cosmos together with its source in the primordial chaos is represented by five within five within five (the Celtic three times five.) It is at sacred sites such as these that the sacred bonfires were lit at Festivals such as Samhain and Beltaine.

As we can see, this sacred symbol has a long and prestigious history, and has, until recently, always signified the pure-hearted search for divine knowledge, which burns inside the heart of seekers then and now, like a hill-top blaze, like a song, like the flame of a single candle burning throughout the night.....