Rumours about the Pentagram travel far and wide. For most people, it has been established as the sign of Satan, or at least an evil omen of some sort. For obvious reasons, it has been catagorized with "Dark" or "Occult" subjects. However, though these rumours are all grounded in some sort of truth, they are not true themselves.

The Pentagram is a symbol of the balance of the Universe. If you look closely, you'll notice that the 5 points are all joined together by one single thread. This thread is the Divine Source, Pure Diety in it's most natural sense. No matter where you start on this symbol, if you trace the path of Diety, you will have to go through every other point before coming back to where you started. Everything is connected to everything else in nature. This theory is also reinforced by the circle around it, which most Pagans take as the "Circle of Life" - an affirmation that we are all connected.

It is important to always remember that whatever you do, it affects all the other energies around you. And it is also important to realize that the God/dess is in everything around you, including the Elements of Earth, Air, Fire and Water... and most especially, the 5th element, "Akasha" or the Spirit. By donning this symbol, the Wiccan is reminding themselves of where they come from, and what they believe in. This is no different than when a Christian wears a cross to remind themselves of their faith and their Divine Saviour's sacrifice.

Other Uses of the Pentagram

Besides being a symbol of our faith, the Pentagram can be used as a symbol of protection. Some people will bless their houses by putting one above their doors, or will wear them on thier person to protect them against evil influences. Long ago, the symbol was used to represent the five points of a man's (read "humans") body. When I was at college, I hung one on my door to let other's know that my room was a Pagan safe zone.

Wearing a Pentagram can also be used to bring about Pagan Awareness, and advocacy. The more people out of the "broom closet", the better chance Pagans have of living a life outside of it's dark past. I started wearing my pentagram everywhere last year, even to Church, and have been met with many different glances. I have also found fellow Pagans everywhere I go. Granted, this is a double-edged sword. If you wear a Pentagram, you are more than likely going to be predujiced against by the more conservative among us, and I'm not only talking about other religions. I was discriminated against in a store a few weeks ago simply because I wore a pentagram (and I looked entirely "normal" besides that), and the person had no affiliation. Because of the rumours and the bad press, you can expect to be met up with some amount of opposition. However, in this case sometimes the good outweighs the bad. It all depends on the postion a person is in.