The difference between a pentagram and a pentacle?

Please someone help me find the difference between the two. The origins as well would help. I’m just so sick of ingorant people. Now this ignorant person is filling my kids head with lies! For now, I’ll continue to keep my cool. I’ve explained that a pentacle represents the elements +spirit. My family calls me the devil. But, ever since I was a child my mother called me names like psycho, insane, crazy and I don’t know what I’m talking about. Let’s not forget I’m a freak! You’d think that with always being mistreated that Id get used to it, nope not the case. Thank you in advance for any help :slightly_smiling_face:

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As far as I know, the pentacle is simply a pentagram enclosed in a circle.
I found this graphic online which explains it quite well:

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Never! You can’t choose your “relatives” but you CAN choose your family. Setting boundaries and putting distance is a good start…

Basically what Christine said, the only difference between the two is the circle that encompasses the pentagram to form a pentacle. The added circle can signify connectedness or the cyclical nature of Life, Death, Rebirth.

The five-pointed star ⛤ represents the five elements: Earth, Water, Fire, Air, Spirit. Together they are a symbol of life and protection.

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@christina4 good afternoon! I have dealt with the same type of mistreatment since I was younger as well. I have mental health issues, and before I had children, I was never treated for them, but I was called psycho, I was worshipping Satan, a freak, crazy… you name it. I’ve been there & I understand the feelings that surround that kind of treatment. I have always been drawn to the spiritual side of life, tarot, astrology, crystals, pentagrams, pentacles, paganism… I practiced under a woman that I was best friends with when I was younger, and the social media and internet highway were not a thing at the time. Once I had children, I sought out treatment on my own and have finally found a happy medium between practices and only the medications that I need. I distanced myself from my relatives, and right now, I have the most amazing husband that has said recently, if it makes you happy, then follow through. Right now, I am working on patience and meditation, and the more I research the Triple Goddess, the more I am drawn to her. The only difference that I know of is the circle also. You will make it through, but it does take time and patience and making informed decisions that are good for you and your children, not what makes others happy.

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@christine4 @Francisco @Susurrus thank you all so much for your help and support! My mother believes the pentacle is a pentagram. The pentagram shes thinking of is the upside down star in a circle. The 2 points on top. Either way, I don’t worship the devil! Anyway, I seriously appreciate each of you! I am learning where my true family stands!

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This explains the pentagram, pentacle and the upside down pentagram. It also talks about the origins of all 3.

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Ohhh the inverted pentagram…! ⛧ From the link that Marissa shared:

The first known writings about the reversed pentagram come from Éliphas Lévi Zahed’s Dogme et Rituel de la Haute Magi written in 1856. In it, he wrote, “A reversed pentagram, with two points projecting upwards, is a symbol of evil and attracts sinister forces because it overturns the proper order of things and demonstrates the triumph of matter over spirit. It is the goat of lust attacking the heavens with its horns, a sign execrated by initiates.”

It’s true that Satanists adopted it and this description became very popular. However, I prefer this other interpretation by Llewellyn:

Does a symbol become evil simply because some group uses it? The association of a symbol with an evil group, leading to the assumption that the symbol is inherently evil is nothing new.

The truth is that a graphic symbol, such as a pentagram, is nothing more than lines. It’s what we put into it that matters. If you adopt it to represent evil, then for you—and for those who agree with you—it’s evil. If you think it’s positive and put positive values into a symbol, then it’s positive.

The Congressional Medal of Honor features an inverted pentagram:

s-l400

This is America’s highest and most-prestigious personal military decoration that may be awarded to recognize U.S. military service members who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor. @christina4 you can show that to your mother and see what she thinks…

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Thank you times a million! I have a potion from an apothecary that a real good friend of mine runs. I was gifted this bottle bc I always go to her. My dad used this bottle to help his back pains. It has a star with a point at the top.inside a circle. Nothing evil there for me. So, my mother says here take this away, it’s the devil’s working. What??? I thank the universe that I have patience and know how to stay calm and not react.

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Thank you very much beautiful soul!

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I’m so sorry you have so much negativity thrown at you :pensive: some people are so ignorant but you are a strong, beautiful witch and better than that :sparkles:

I have a pentacle tattooed on the back of my neck; I had it done as a sign of protection but also as I love working with the elements :metal:t2:

So many people ask why I have the “sign of the devil” on my neck :roll_eyes: (excuse my language) but I usually say something like do fuck off and do some research please :joy:

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Thank you doll! It touches my soul to know someone can relate. I have many people that I can talk to online but in person, not so much. I feel alone most of the time. Even as an introvert, humans need interaction. I’ll be sure to take your advice and tell my mother to research before tearing my emotions up.

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I remember growing up and it was actually my mom that introduced me to my sign and other aspects of paganism. My first trip to Salem was with her, when I began to really be interested and practice with my friend pretty regularly, she was convinced that I was worshiping the Devil and had a satanic altar in my room. Now I find it interesting that initially she was the one who introduced me to it, but then thought it was a negative in my life. I lived with years of mental, emotional, and physical abuse from her and it could be for anything that crossed her mind. I have recently come to terms with my past and I am looking forward to the present and future through counseling and a great friend. I feel a lot better about where I am life and what I am doing with it. I relate on a few levels and I like the answer to the assumption that the pentacle is a sign of the devil.

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@christina4 INTROVERTS UNITE! :laughing:
The thing with needing human interaction, is as introverts we need the right kind of human. Try not to let the societal ignorance that many others allow to cloud their minds fog your perception of what you find to be true. Sometimes, (from a previous experience) the ones who hurt us the most are the ones we least expect it to be, family can be difficult.
I feel for you, having to navigate through this with your family, hang in there!
Love & Light,
Tamera

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I appreciate it very much :blush: and you’re absolutely right about being introverted, finding the right person to be friends with. :slightly_smiling_face::couple_with_heart_woman_man:

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Im sorry that you had to experience that, too. I started counseling when I was 14. And I’m still involved. My therapist and I are actually good friends now. :laughing:

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Hi all
After reading the posts from @christina4 here, I just want to let you know that there is a place we can interact with each other https://discord.gg/msS8jBr. It is the spells8 discord channel (voice chat). It is free and can be use from all over the world. It is a great place for those of us who feel alone and want to chat with like minded people. It is a private channel just for us. We ca laugh, cry, get angry, be silly and just be witchy together. Hope to see many more of you there.

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So many things to say on this subject.

First organized religions always take what they don’t see as traditional to them and make it a bad thing.

They take witchcraft, symbolism, numerology, sexuality, appearance and make it bad. If they don’t like it or understand it then it’s bad or evil.

Funny thing is that they themselves use the same practices in their own religions.

Crosses, stars, pentacles, etc are all used in just about every religion and the meaning of those symbols has been distorted over time to fit within their needs.

Take Christianity for an example.

Talking to a deity (God) through a burning bush, or through dreams, meditation. Praying to a deity (God) to ask for help and guidance. The use of astrology, numerology, the ritual of baptism, salvation, Communion.

These are no different than Witchcraft. Witches do the same thing but with more knowledge, understanding, and the hunger for learning.

Satanism has many forms 99% do not worship Satan and actually believe he does not exist. They are more atheists than anything. LeVay used Satanism as a way to be sarcastic and was also controdicitary in his beliefs. A form of witchcraft was used in rituals, spells, etc.

My beliefs is that there is no right or wrong beliefs. Everyone has a right to follow their own path. It’s what you do with that path that dictates right from wrong.

We all have different gods and goddesses. Some chose Egyptian, some choose Celtic, some chose a single deity to be both make and female.

Back to symbols.

Pentalce, Pentagrams

These have been used through the years in just about every religion. The turning, placement, small changes are made to fit the religion.

My belief is that inverted or upright has its place. As above So Below. There is always an opposite. You can’t have good without bad. You can’t have left without right, you can’t have dark without light.

If you use that then an inverted pentagram is just the other side of the coin. Everyone has good and bad in them. We all have negative thoughts at times, we want for things we can’t afford it have.

It’s a fact of life. Now taking those thoughts and acting on them is what makes it bad. But! Is bad always wrong? What defines bad or evil?

That’s all in the mind of the person. Yes there are things that we all know are evil and wrong. Murder is one. I won’t list the rest because we all know the big ones.

Telling someone off because you’re angry in traffic, using curse words. I wouldn’t consider them wrong or evil but more of a negative expression. Something people can learn from and correct if they wanted to. I myself am known to let someone know when they drive bad and almost wreck me. Am I wrong for it, who knows but it was my way of letting someone know they were careless.

Anyway kind of ranting, it’s early lol.

I don’t see any reason someone can’t use both upright or inverted in practice. I have practitioners who use inverted to remind them that there is bad and to embrace that fact to better themselves because the world is not all roses.

We deal with negativity on a daily basis. Being in a inter racial marriage, having a third person in our marriage, practicing witchcraft, covered in tattoos. Instead of being angry we try to educate as best we can. Sometimes it’s just pointless and we walk away.

The point is right or wrong is sometimes just what you make of it. If you are happy, and what you use or practice helps you and others, then that’s all that matters. No one else can live your life, and you can’t live others.

If you are not out purposely hurting others and commiting crimes then it’s your life to live.

No one here will judge you for your own personal beliefs, use of symbols, or the way you practice.

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Right on! :metal: You’re absolutely right!!! You cannot have positive without the negative. And I don’t hurt anyone or anything. So if anybody gets offended by me not doing harm to no one ( in my family) then they can kiss my a$$!! Thank you for your helpful post!!!

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The pentacle was used for a long time as a Christian symbol before they adopted the fish, it stood for the 5 wounds of christ. Try to ignore ignorant people. The word ignorant comes from the root word “ignore” as they ignore anything that goes against the grain. Family should know that the devil never existed until Christianity, its a christian construct because they don’t understand Jewish belief… in Judiasm the devil is a persons own ego…I am sorry you have to deal with such things…blessed be. @Francisco is right…
People always told me be afraid of strangers, they can hurt you, but they never said how bad family will hurt you.

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There is a very easy question to ask religious folk when they claim the devil is evil.
Ask them to not answer until they have seriously studied their good book, " how many people did the god of the bible order killed, and how many did the devil kill?" If they can’t add, give them a calculator… tell them to come back with the answer on their own… no minister, no clergy…on their own.

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