Pentagram

[Addalaide]

There are alot of cut-rate films at the movie store i go to and almost all the ones i have seen i have seen a pentical or a pentigram in, and thay use it as an evil symbal evey time.

And i the only one who gets like ectreamly mad when i watch shows on ancent people worshiping the symbal and all of a sidden a demon pops up and in the movie thay kill the demon and the worshipers. I just seam to get very mad, and yeah i know, just dont watch the movie, but just the fact thay do it is wrong, its a symbal of protection! i think the church use to even use it befor thay turned and said evey thing asociated with it is evil.

I love my cut rate vampire movies, but it just upsets me thay use the symbal as something evil, yes i know it is use be demon worshipers, but still i wish people whould make something up insted of useing a symbal or protection.

Ok done with my little rant.

[Estelle]

The reason it's kind of annoying when people have rants over symbols is because symbols mean lots of things. The pentagram, for example, stood for the human being in Pythagorean mysticism, to medieval Jews it was the seal of Soloman, to medieval Christians it symbolized the five wounds of Jesus, and then it gained the meaning of protection in the Middle Ages, mainly in Nordic cultures. Then, because it was associated with magic and Pagans, did it become a 'symbol of the devil.' You obviously know this is an association - as Gardner knew it - so, if it bothers you that much, I suggest you find a new symbol. There are lots out there. Otherwise, you'll just have to ignore it because this association isn't going anywhere soon.

[QIO]

The endless Knot was villified by our own "Jesus" aka Constantine the emporere of Rome when he tried to unify his city.

The endless knot was actually a symbol of protection against demons and appeas even in ancient judaic sects.

The five points represent the elements, and the tenents of knighthood:

generosity, courtesy, chastity, chivalry and piety.

Funnily enough it also depicted for early christians the five wounds of christ.

Hollywood just plays on the masses interpretation of what the symbols mean, and anyone that will base belief off a movie is a fool anyway.

Now the symbol is held to be the symbol of the sign of baphomet and the points are the points of the Goat.



Thats what I know of the pentagrams history.

It is similar to the Swastika it is a 3000 year old symbol, it was found on coins in troy as early as 1000BCE. It was used by many cultures:

* China - wan




* England -




* Germany - Hakenkreuz



* Greece - tetraskelion and gammadion



* India - swastika





The word "swastika" comes from the Sanskrit svastika - meaningto be good.

Now the symbol to most westerners means genocide and Hitler and racism.

It is sad how man can corrupt many good things.

Edit***

The swastika is still very important to hindus and features prominently in there pantheon.

[Addalaide]

I new the Swastika did mean something ealse befor the natzi's used it. i didnt know so many people had used it befor though. I have also herd it called the bent cross. In evey culture is it called the swastika?( well the same meaning of it atlest)

This is an image i made a fue weeks ago, the text is just a photoshop brush so i didnt wright it up but i am not sure how much of it is true, but i new some of them where. But that sums up prety much all the names i have herd the star called.

http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k306/ ... n/pen2.jpg

[sarah_20]

I have seen the pentagram used and described in a few different ways. I have read in some places...that when the point faces down its symbolic of "evil" or the "devil" and that when the point is at the top its a symbol for "spirit, earth, air, fire and water". I do think that hollywood blows it up because in society people see it as evil and scary and blah blah blah. Its an attention getter. But I wish more people understood it more instead of automatically assuming things.

Sarah

[QIO]

I new the Swastika did mean something ealse befor the natzi's used it. i didnt know so many people had used it befor though. I have also herd it called the bent cross. In evey culture is it called the swastika?( well the same meaning of it atlest)

This is an image i made a fue weeks ago, the text is just a photoshop brush so i didnt wright it up but i am not sure how much of it is true, but i new some of them where. But that sums up prety much all the names i have herd the star called.

http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k306/ ... n/pen2.jpg

The swastika is one of the oldest and most common of all religious symbology.

Even the cross was a religious symbol way before the time of christ...I believe there is one called Solomons Knot, that king Solomon used.

FYI...the Romans crucified on a single stake, the cross is another symbol of paganism that is hidden inside christianity.

Even the idea that the saviour died to save the world pre dates Jesus in the egyptian pantheon.

[Addalaide]

Even the idea that the saviour died to save the world pre dates Jesus in the egyptian pantheon.

Do you mean the idea that there will be a savior? Or that there was another one?

I have herd about the way the cross should have been a steak befor. And i belive i may have herd about the cross being pagan, but i didnt know what it symbalized, or if it was true.[/quote]

[QIO]

Even the idea that the saviour died to save the world pre dates Jesus in the egyptian pantheon.

Do you mean the idea that there will be a savior? Or that there was another one?

I have herd about the way the cross should have been a steak befor. And i belive i may have herd about the cross being pagan, but i didnt know what it symbalized, or if it was true.

[/quote]

I mean there was another saviour in the egyptian cult, before the christian cult picked it up..I believe it was Osiris any way puruse throughthis and see for yourself:

http://www.touregypt.net/bkofdead.htm

[Addalaide]

Eh. I will take your word for it, in 9th grade i took a collage class on the history of egypt, i only vagly remeber it, but i really hate it now. So the thought of reading more gives me a head ack.


But also something ealse is there are the 3 aspects of the goddess's, and i dont remeber if there are any gods other than the christion god, but almost evey culture that i have studyed so fare that has multipule god/ess's there is , maiden/mother/cron father/son/spirit , tripple brigits, ect. i think there is an egyption one but i cant remeber it now really.

[LaFiamma]

I have seen the pentagram used and described in a few different ways. I have read in some places...that when the point faces down its symbolic of "evil" or the "devil" and that when the point is at the top its a symbol for "spirit, earth, air, fire and water". I do think that hollywood blows it up because in society people see it as evil and scary and blah blah blah. Its an attention getter. But I wish more people understood it more instead of automatically assuming things.

Sarah

The upside-down pentagram is also used by some Wiccan traditions, if I remember correctly, most commonly to signify the second degree status, someting about the downwards-pointing star being symbolic of deeper introspection in the second degree studies....it also gets used for other, not-particularly-sinister things. It's also part of the symbol of the Order Of The Eastern Star (the women's branch of Freemasonry)

[Draconis]

the christian cross has had its origins linked to the Egyption Ankh, although they are slightly different the integeral shape is there. Both are signs of protection, the Ankh is also a symbol of immortality.

[Sobek]

in a certain context, everything has a good and a dark side, these symbols are just representations of the alternatives.

from another perspective symbols are just neutral conduits. its all about how the user uses them.

i personally love the use of symbols and i dont use them for anything bad(as far as im concerned anyway)

true, the pentagram can be used for darker purposes just as easily as light
but its how you use it. dont be affected by the way another chooses to use it. even if it is sterotypical misconceptions.