THE TRUTH ABOUT THE PENTAGRAMS
THE TRUTH ABOUT
THE PENTAGRAMS
The most important thing to realize right off is everyone tends to get the meaning of the positions completely reversed. It's a mistake repeated in many sources, including various occult books to the repeated erroneous usage in various shows or movies.
It's stupid how often!
THE BASICS
The word penta, as in pentagram, means "five." While the suffix -gram denotes a drawn line or figure, -cle is derived from the root for "circle." Thus, a pentacle specifically refers to a pentagram or a pentagon enclosed within a circular border.
Neither the upright nor the inverted pentacle holds any inherent association with evil though some serves starting to connect such concepts as upright being divine and good and inverted being carnal and evil started in some cases as early as the 1700s and only in sources that tended to draw from Gnostic ideology.
The locked in concept of this concept, however, did not take full hold till after the 1950s by way of various cult fictions and so called "philosophic Satanic' organizations.
Traditionally, the two orientations represent directional concepts rather than moral judgments. The inverted pentacle represents birth into being, calling forth, and summoning. Conversely, the upright pentacle represents death, sending away, and banishing.
Christian Church And Other Usage
Before a lot of what the following will clear up and get right to the point of, in the proper context as demonstrated by The H.E.W. presenting both versions, the inverted represented the Divine Birth of the Nativity of the Christ and the upright represented his Death and Ascension. The rare old form in churches of two interwoven forming a Decagram more or less represented the Christ as fully human and divine.
That is why they appear on so many churches throughout the medieval period and sometimes still do in rare cases on other "orthodox" Christian sects buildings and symbolism. Its just not as much largely to the later occult impositions and resulting associations.
Its likely inherited over time from Coptic Christianity which did draw in a lot of prior Egyptian symbolism, one can find the prominent hieroglyph known as the Seba (𓇼). It often was used to also represent the complete soul (five souls" of the dead in unity) ascending up to the night time sky to join the ancestors, while inverted was considered a sign of its return to incarnate again in this world.
Meteor showers where often tied to such concepts or returning souls, or used at times as metaphors of battle, while comets or single meteorites was seen as a potential birth of a mighty ruler or sign of great apocalyptic destruction (seeing ancient craters can justify that sentiment). It is the basis behind some occult sayings that every soul is a star, and it did inspire the usage of such stars in reference to celebrities.
Pythagorean, Jewish and Christian forms
The pentagram has also been used for thousands of years as a protective symbol and is one of those things that no one knows other than the oldest known documented source was found in the Tigris-Euphrates region in present-day Iraq and dated to being around 6000 years old, and therefore from about 4000 BCE.
The Pythagorean used the Greek word Ugitha for health while the error if applying Hugieia has become a common error and actually the word for hygiene, meaning more accurate cleanliness. Each letter corresponds directly to one of the fundamental cosmic elements or building blocks of reality:
U (Υ - Hydor): Water. Represents the fluid, emotional, or cleansing aspect of nature.
G (Γ - Gaia): Earth. Represents the solid, physical, and grounded material plane.
I (Ι - Idea / Hieron): Divine Idea or Spirit. Represents the uppermost point of the star, symbolizing divine mind, form, or holy energy, and oin some cases, godhood.
Th / EI (Θ / EI - Therma / Heile): Fire (Heat). Represents the energy of the sun, metabolic warmth, and transformational light.
A (Α - Aer): Air. Represents the breath of life, intellect, and the atmosphere.
The Pythagoreans used this exact geometric symbol because the pentagram naturally generates the Golden Ratio (Φ) such as at the center of this star. This mathematical proportion was viewed as the ultimate proof of cosmic harmony, balance, and divine geometry.
The Six Dynamics of Totality
While the common concept is the count the five end points, you can also count the invisible center. However, what most tend to also miss is a geometric trick in which shows how a pentagram can be formed using just three irregular circles, from two main perspectives.
More can be applied of course, but for simplicity's sake the example is shown here in this Gif that best represents this proof with only one example expressing the inverted pentagon in the center of the primary pentagon form.
The surrounding circle signifies wholeness and completion. Because its boundary is unbroken, it also represents eternity. In this way, the pentacle embodies six distinct principles, which include the five outer elements, their shared center, and the absolute totality of their union. It is not a symbol of separated forces, but rather of the interwoven link between the physical and the spiritual worlds.
This connection to Pythagoreanism and Platonism to the Golden Ratio () and the pentagram is much later of course, though one of the main things that tend to be focused on is the 1-1- triangle (108°-36°-36°) as a foundational model for Platonic analogies. The Golden Ratio constitutes the Logos connecting the intelligible and visible worlds, using the pentagram and Plato's "Divided Line" to represent this structure, while distinguishing its historical analysis from modern interpretations.
Interestingly enough, if we take the same three irregular triangles out of the pentagram form, we can recombine them into a regular triangle. We can then take one of the one of the irregular triangles and from top to bottom cut it in halt, we end up with the Hypotenuse Squares connections. A basic form of the concept included build from there.
Even though this is often called the Pythagoras' Theorem, the famous theorem relating the sides of a right triangle (), was independently discovered and used by multiple ancient civilizations centuries before the Greek philosopher Pythagoras was born (of he ever actually existed).
Elemental Offerings and the Center
Elemental offerings are simple, embodied acts that bridge the visible and the unseen. Within this tradition, the Elemental Kingdoms dwell in the space between the physical and the spiritual planes. Consequently, making an offering aligned with a specific element pairs a tangible physical action with a focused, inward intention.
As illustrated in the diagrams, Life resides immovably at the center, which serves as the focal point of the self, mind, soul, will, and personality. The surrounding points map out the macrocosmic cycles of existence.
The inverted expression represents the physical manifestation, spelling out the Birth of Life. The upright expression represents the spiritual manifestation, spelling out the Death of Life. Ultimately, both orientations serve as balanced, elemental alignments of the same central spark.
The Methods of Elemental Offerings In Concept
Elemental Offerings are simple, embodied acts that join the visible and unseen. Druwayu teaches that the Elemental Kingdoms dwell between the physical and the unseen. Offerings that align to specific elements therefore combine a physical act with an inward, intentional quality. Practitioners commonly call them by a single invocation such as:
“The Wights of Spirit, Earth, Wind, Fire, Water, and Life.”
Offerings are not mere superstition;
They are practiced exercises of attention and responsibility. Performed regularly and thoughtfully, offerings help cultivate recognition, sensitivity, and reciprocal relations with the living patterns that sustain one's inner Wight so to speak and and builds within the individual a sense on a deeper level of connectivity with the world around them, for better or worse.
Elemental offerings also advance the Drikeyu.
They are not blind rites, but intentional practices that can be questioned, tested, and refined. Skepticism asks what the offering does in practice and whether it brings about real change. In this way, offerings do not fall into credulous repetition but remain accountable.
They are also expressions of independent thought: each offering is adapted to the land, season, and circumstance, with practitioners sharing truthfully about outcomes rather than relying on imposed formulas. Finally, offerings follow the facts.
They must be ecologically sound, lawful, and responsible, measured by tangible results such as the survival of plantings, improvement of habitat, or reduction of waste.
In the wider framework of Druwayu, offerings embody the Primary Tenets.
They affirm the Sanctity of Life by ensuring that no practice harms human or non-human beings. They strengthen Commitment to One Another by making shared offerings that build mutual responsibility and care.
They uphold Self and Mutual Sufficiency by planting, restoring, or giving back in ways that foster resilience rather than dependency. They fulfill the duty of Custodians of Life, returning to the land what has been taken and acting as stewards of resources.
Offerings matter most when they are followed by action.
A gesture without care is empty. Druwayu holds that the real measure of an offering lies in the ongoing work—watering, tending, repairing, or sustaining what has been set in place. Practitioners are urged to record and reflect on what was done and what results follow, so that evidence, not assumption, guides future practice.
Above all, offerings must never involve harm; acts that pollute, destroy, or kill violate the path of Druwayu. Where possible, offerings should be shared with others, not as display but as teaching: to show how care, responsibility, and recognition can be lived out in community.
Earth Offerings
Offerings to Earth honor grounding, fertility, and the abundance of the land that sustains all life.
Physical offerings: Stones, acorns, seeds, or soil placed in a natural setting or altar.
Homemade items: Fresh bread, cakes, or locally sourced grain.
Living offerings: Planting trees, shrubs, or pollinator gardens as enduring gifts to the land.
Land healing: Gather fallen branches and inscribe or burn protective signs, then return them respectfully.
(Etymology: Erda/Artha)
Wind Offerings
Offerings to Wind speak to breath, inspiration, communication, and unseen currents that carry voice and thought.
Incense and smoke: Burning herbs such as lavender or juniper to carry words into the air.
Feathers: Found feathers offered as tokens of sky and flight.
Song and sound: Singing, drumming, or playing instruments as gifts of breath and rhythm.
Climbing vines: Vines trained to climb altar-posts, symbolizing the rising bridge between earth and sky.
(Etymology: Wind/Wint)
Fire Offerings
Offerings to Fire call upon transformation, passion, and the force of renewal through flame and light.
Herbal blends: Pine, juniper, or local herbs offered into flame with spoken words.
Oil and drink: Pouring small libations into fire as an act of devotion.
Ceremonial fire: Walking around or safely leaping over flame recalls ancient rites of renewal.
Light: Simple candles lit in remembrance or blessing.
(Etymology: Fyr/Pyre)
Water Offerings
Offerings to Water honor flow, healing, intuition, and the cleansing of life’s pathways.
Fresh water: Pouring clear spring or well water into earth, stream, or stone basin.
Special waters: Rain, dew, or sea water gathered and poured in blessing.
Reflective offerings: Silver coins or other tokens placed in a pool or well.
Flowers and drink: Floating petals or pouring mead or ale into sacred water.
(Etymology: Wæder/Watar)
Spirit/Ghost Offerings
Offerings to Spirit recognize the breath that joins all elements and wights into living wholeness.
Prayer or spell: Spoken, sung, or whispered words of intent.
Meditation: A moment of stillness or contemplation to honor the unseen.
Unified rite: Planting (Earth), pouring (Water), lighting (Fire), and scattering (Wind) performed together.
(Etymology: Spirit is Latin for "air/wind" though the word Gast is root with similar context for a sudden movement of air as gust, becoming a formative word for geist = ghost experiences as a physical presence or "change in the air"). Sometimes breathe is used as in (one's own breathe) though the sense we use it today was a different word spelled was æðm(Aethm) based also in Latin aether.
Life Offerings
Offerings to Life does not mean sacrificing a living thing as some sort of blood rite, though, unfortunately, many do, considering the pain and suffering and wailing of a victim, strung out as long as possible before they finally die, is a known action the more vicious and violent tribal and clan based cultures.
Instead it is a meaning by which to honor all living beings, as in the wights of land, water, sky, and flame using the same elemental methods of giving offerings and as a way to gain authority over time to work with the entities considered embodied in or behind them.
Care for living beings: Feeding birds, tending animals, or planting for pollinators.
Care for environments: Cleaning up trash and removal of toxic industrial waste from local environments.
Communal sharing: Giving food or drink to neighbors, travelers, or the hungry.
Acts of kindness: Service and generosity offered as living devotion and compassion for others.
Remembrance: Naming forgotten ancestors or lost companions in gratitude for their part in the great cycle of life.
(Etymology: Lyf "life,” Lyfian "Living", though Wiht as "Wight" with similar context of the vitality = life essence of a thing).
As far as specific tools, do not get tramped by the idea that you need to waste a bunch of money on over priced tourist type junk. You don't. And those who proclaim reading and learning is not as important as "sensing and testing" are ignoring hundreds, and even thousands of years of handed down knowledge accumulated through trial and error and dumb luck of discovery.
Chances are, those who have such attitudes are indeed scammers or spend most their time playing off of some assumed aesthetic than serious practice of the craft and its various arts.
Shape of the basic Human Form
This is where we start seeing a historical process of distortion and imposing later ideas that do not even follow a lot of source materials but become the core concepts in the twisted concepts of more or less later and modern occultism.
The pentagram represents the human body because its five points are aligned to the head, two outstretched arms, and two spread legs with the torso for the center. When a person stands in this star-like position, their physical proportions naturally align with the geometric harmony of the five-pointed star.
Agrippa published this famous illustration mapping human anatomy directly onto a pentagram to show the connection between the microcosm (humanity) and the macrocosm (the universe as it was known to be back then).
When examining Agrippa's work, readers must understand that Renaissance occultism differs fundamentally from the modern, destructive cult dynamics seen in later centuries. Far from being an anti-Christian movement, this early esoteric tradition served as the primary foundation of Western "Magic" and was deeply rooted in core Christian concepts, theology, and biblical worldview.
During this era, the study of hidden forces was pursued under the umbrella of Natural Philosophy, an intellectual discipline where the boundaries between faith, mysticism, and observation were fluid. Ultimately, it was out of this very desire to systematically decode, measure, and understand the hidden laws of God's creation that modern empirical sciences eventually came into being.
This is the basis of Alchemy becoming chemistry, astrology becoming astronomy, and slitting from what was considered misrepresentations of these explorations and experimentation, of which modern occultism tends to lean on, often called such things as pseudo-alchemy and pseudo-astrology to name a few. It is indeed from these roots the majority of the symbols of the sciences, including physics, originate.
It was also around this time of division between the authentic and foolish dabblers and scammers that what came to be modern sciences also started making discoveries that ran directly counter to the established beliefs of Christianity, and considered for the longest time, and in some religious sects, including Non-Christian ones, a trick of the devil and entirely heretical.
Wrong? Yes.
Does it Matter Now? Depends who you ask but generally no.
As an intellectual of the Renaissance, Agrippa used the pentagram exclusively as a sacred symbol of the microcosm (the human body) and the geometric perfection of God's creation. He only illustrated the star pointing upward to show the spirit ruling over physical matter.
The Goat Head In the Inverted Pentagram
The concept of a goat's head within an upside-down pentagram did not emerge until centuries after Agrippa's death, developing through a specific timeline of 19th and 20th-century occultism:
Éliphas Lévi (1856): French occultist Éliphas Lévi was the first to explicitly draw a connection between an upside-down star and a goat. In his book Dogme et Rituel de la Haute Magie, he argued that while an upright star represents humanity or the Savior, an inverted pentagram symbolizes the "Goat of the Sabbath" or "Satan". He wrote that the two top points look like horns, the side points resemble ears, and the bottom point looks like a beard.
Stanislas de Guaita (1897): The very first time a visual illustration of a goat's head was actually drawn inside an inverted pentagram was in the book La Clef de la Magie Noire by French occultist Stanislas de Guaita.
The stars below have a twofold quality not often clarified in any discussions which was part of theological debates that became part of said occult philosophies such as from the sources previously mentioned. The first is where the pan in the pentagram substituted as the "Divine Androgyn and Infernal Hermaphrodite."
In esoteric tradition, Adam Kadmon and Adam Belial represent the two opposing cosmic blueprints of humanity. Adam Kadmon is the celestial "Man of Light" and a Divine Androgyn, embodying the perfect, harmonious balance of holy masculine and feminine energies aligned with God's law (even though there is no actual support for such concepts from the source material these occultists built their ideas on).
Conversely, Adam Belial is the infernal "Man of Chaos" and the exact opposite archetype, representing a corrupted union of the demonic masculine (Samael) and feminine (Lilith).
While Adam Kadmon symbolizes the soul's spiritual elevation, Adam Belial represents the human ego falling upside down into total material entrapment, a division visually immortalized by the upright and inverted pentagrams..
1. The Upright "Adam & Eve" Pentagram (The Divine Blueprint)
The top graphic represents the holiness of the spirit ruling over matter. The five outer points of this star hold the Hebrew letters י ה ש ו ה.
The Letters: Yod (י), He (ה), Shin (ש), Vav (ו), and He (ה).
The Meaning: This forms the Pentagrammaton (Esoteric Yahshuah / Jesus). Renaissance and 19th-century occultists took the unutterable four-letter name of God—the Tetragrammaton (יהוה / YHWH)—and inserted the holy letter Shin (ש) right into the middle.
The Symbolism: Shin represents the holy fire of the divine spirit. By inserting it, the remote God of the Old Testament becomes incarnated into human form (Jesus). The lower four points hold the material elements (earth, air, fire, water), while the top point holds the Shin, showing spirit reigning supreme over physical reality.
Why "Adam" and "Eve" are Present
The Inner Letter (Aleph - א): At the dead center of the star sits the letter Aleph. In Kabbalistic thought, Aleph represents the original, undefiled spiritual essence of the First Man (Adam Kadmon).
The Names: De Guaita writes ADAM and ÈVE flanking this star to symbolize humanity in its original, pure state of paradise before the fall. It represents the perfect equilibrium of the masculine (Adam) and feminine (Eve) forces harmonious under God's law.
2. The Inverted "Goat Head" Pentagram (The Fall into Materiality)
The bottom graphic represents the inversion of divine order, where blind matter rules over spirit. The five points of the inverted star hold the Hebrew letters ל ו י ת ן.
The Letters: Lamed (ל), Vav (ו), Yod (י), Tav (tav), and Final Nun (ן).
The Meaning: Moving counterclockwise from the bottom point, these letters spell out Leviathan (לִוְיָתָן).
The Symbolism: In the Hebrew Bible and esoteric lore, Leviathan is the primordial sea serpent representing chaos, dark depths, and the raw, untamed forces of the material universe. By wrapping the star in Leviathan's name, de Guaita symbolizes humanity being ensnared by worldly desires and physical illusion.
Why "Samael" and "Lilith" are Present
De Guaita writes SAMAEL and LILITH on either side of the inverted star to represent the archetypal "corruptors" of the divine masculine and feminine found in the top star.
Samael: In Jewish apocryphal text and Kabbalah, Samael is a powerful archangel who fell from grace, often identified as the true spiritual prince of demons and the adversary. He represents severe, unmitigated judgment curdled into malice.
Lilith: In Jewish folklore, Lilith is Adam’s mythological first wife who refused to submit to divine order and fled Eden, becoming a nocturnal demoness. She represents untamed carnal instinct and spiritual rebellion.
Summary of the Design Narrative
By placing these two diagrams on the same page, de Guaita is telling a story of spiritual mechanics:
The Top Star is the ideal—the human soul (Adam and Eve) anchored by the divine light (Shin) ruling over the physical world.
The Bottom Star is the execution of the Fall—where humanity succumbs to adversarial, ego-driven forces (Samael and Lilith), dropping down into a state where they are trapped by the physical beast of the material world (Leviathan).
These concepts have led also to all sorts of various "sexual and sexuality" based claims as a result far removed from the context of these concepts even though they are themselves distortions and misinterpretations of said source material.
Conclusion
I could continue on and on about these concepts, yet that would only be more examples of further twisted and further removed concepts that frankly speaking could be contained within several volumes just on these connections. Suffice it to say, if or when such stars are used, the upright is the banishment star and the inverted is the summoning, to be blunt. Or when used in the content of the following closing representation, it expresses the same concept that the One and Three control all ultimately in one way or another in the sense of having "the final word" before which all other things are entirely powerless.
