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The pentagram, or the five-pionted star, may be the most misunderstood religious symbol around these days. It is the most common symbol of Neo-Pagan Witchcraft.
In ist usual upright position (one piont uppermost), the pentagram is an ancient symbol of protection from evil. Also called "the endless knot", the pentagram was often displayed on doors, windows, and hearths of houses throughout pre-Christian Europe. It can be traced back to Egyptian and Sumerian cultures, and has even been found on native american medicine tools. Sometimes mistakenly confused with the Star of David, or hexagram ( a six-pionted star emblematic of Judaism), the pentagram is sometimes called the Star of Solomon, especially by ceremonial magicians.
To many, the lower four points represented the classical elements of earth, air, fire, and water, while the fifth point represents the spirit, the fifth element or quintessence. The pentagram symbolizes the four elements of the material world connected with, but ruled by, the spirit. When the pentagram is placed within a circle (symbol of unity and wholeness), it stresses our connection with the univers as a whole.
Another interpretation of the upright pentagram is that it symbolizes the most common view of deity in Witchcraft. The upper three points represent the Goddess in her threefold aspect of Maiden, Mother, and Crone. The lower two points represent her consort God, in his twin aspects of God of Light and God of Darkness.
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