Dowsing for Divinity

The pentagram is an ancient symbol, used around the world to represent things that come in groups of five (the five senses, the five elements in Chinese symbolism, four elements plus spirit in the West, the five joys of Mary, the five wounds of Christ, five knightly virtues, and so on).

The upright pentagram ⛤

The upright pentagram is used by Wiccans and other witches. In Wicca it can represent the four elements plus spirit, or the Goddess, as well as other things. In the Feri and Reclaiming traditions of witchcraft, the Pentacle of Iron and the Pentacle of Pearl represent qualities that the members of those traditions seek to embody (and they’re well worth learning about).

The pentagram is also a Christian symbol representing the five wounds of Christ, the five joys of Mary, or the five senses. In the early medieval poem, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Sir Gawain has an image of the Blessed Virgin Mary on the inside of his shield, and a pentagram on the outside of his shield. It also represents the five virtues of knighthood (generosity, friendship, chastity, chivalry, and piety).

It was used by Pythagoreans to represent charity and/or health, and was the symbol of Jerusalem for a while (300–150 BCE).

Both the pentagram and the hexagram were reputed to have featured on King Solomon’s signet ring, and are sometimes referred to as Solomon’s Seal. This is why the pentagram appears on the flags of Morocco 🇲🇦 and Ethiopia 🇪🇹

The pentagram is used in the Baháʼí faith, where it is known as the Haykal (Arabic for “temple”).

In German, the pentagram is called the Druid’s foot (Drudenfuss).

The inverted pentagram ⛧

The inverted pentagram represents the descent of spirit into matter.

Here it is in the rose window of Amiens Cathedral, possibly representing the descent of the Holy Spirit:

Satanists (a very diverse and diffuse group) use the inverted pentagram, but it is also used in other settings and groups.

It’s absolutely ridiculous that just because Satanists use one version of this symbol, its rich and complex history and symbolism is dismissed.

Matter and spirit

According to Éliphas Levi, the upright pentagram represents “spirit over matter”, and the inverted pentagram represents “matter over spirit”. I think this does the inverted form a disservice.

The divorce of matter and spirit in Western culture has been a disaster for the planet, as people have exploited Nature and trashed the environment, and oppressed Indigenous peoples who have maintained an understanding of the intertwining of matter and spirit, in the form of the animist worldview.

Western culture urgently needs to see spirit and matter as integral to each other, enfolded in each other, or as a continuum. That way perhaps people will respect the environment and Indigenous peoples and cultures.