Granny's Bookstore

And choose TWO or THREE of the following Elective Texts for Level III.
These books will give you much needed information and experience on the different paths
and areas that are available, choose books that resonate with the path that you would like to follow.

The Goddess Celebrates : An Anthology of Women's Rituals
by Diane Stein Out of Print/ May Be Hard to Find

Book showing methods by which you can positively change your life and bring into being the things you dream of. Create your own reality by understanding the laws of life.

A complete step by step guide on making your own Bamboo flutes. All the ins and outs. Suitable for the beginner flute maker as well as the advanced. Models covered include the Shakuhachi, Side Blown, Native American Flute, Bamboo Sax and Recorder.

The Pentacle is a magickal symbol consisting of a pentagram - a five-pointed star -- pointing upward and enclosed by a circle. Worshipped by the ancients, its meaning is "life" or "health". It is worn as a symbol of a Witch's belief and used in magickal workings and ceremonies. Each point on the star relates to the five magickal Elements - Earth, Air, Fire, Water, and Spirit.

The Symbology

The pentacle, or pentagram, is the most revered and most popular sign of the craft. It is similar to the Cross or Crucifix of the Christian religions. This symbol has nothing to do with the devil or with evil. Devil worshippers use this symbol inverted as a symbol of Satan, but it has nothing to do with the devil in our religion. Devil worshippers use this symbol because it was once a popular Christian symbol used to signify the five wounds of Christ. It was abandoned early in history but can still be found in much of the art and architecture of old churches and monasteries. This, for its protection and Christian meaning, was the symbol carried on Sir Gawain's shield.

In witchcraft the pentagram and pentacle represent the five elements and are symbols not only of the religion, but also as a sigil of protection and unification. The elements are Earth, Air, Fire, Water, and Spirit. This is not to be confused with the Holy Spirit of the Christian religion. The spirit is the energy vibration attributed to each and every thing. People have them as well as animals, stones, trees, planets, moons, stars, even the universe. It is often used for protection and is included on most amulets and talismans. It can be drawn in certain ways to promote specific results in spell work.

The banishing (getting rid of something - i.e.: negativity, evil, etc.) pentagram is drawn starting at the bottom left-hand point going up to the top, down to the bottom right-hand corner and so on. This pentacle is drawn this way in all rituals involving banishing. It is also drawn over doors and windows to prevent evil from entering a space.

The invoking (bringing something toward you - i.e.: money, luck, etc.) pentagram is drawn starting at the top corner, down to the bottom left hand corner, up to the top right hand corner and so on. The invoking pentacle is drawn in this way when you want to draw something toward you or to gain something. This pentacle heightens power and aids in invocative spell work.
The pentacle is also representative of the five points on the human body. The circle is considered feminine and is indicative of the womb and the points represent the male member. Sometimes the inverted pentacle is used to signify the God and the upright pentacle is used to represent the goddess. This method is not often used, however, as it has very evil connotations in other religions. In many other pagan religions, the pentacle was the symbol of the earth or the earth-womb and is often used to signify the earth. It is also used to represent the God and Goddess at each point. The top three points represent the aspects of the goddess: Maiden, Mother and Crone. The bottom two are the aspects of the god: Oak King - light, and the Holly King - dark. It also represents the 5 stages of life: birth, Maiden, Mother, Crone, death. The Wiccan kiss, or the five-fold kiss is used in ritual and is represented by the pentacle: feet, knees, womb, heart and lips.

The pentagram, or five-pointed star, may be the most misunderstood religious symbol around these days. Being the most common symbol of Neo-Pagan Witchcraft, it has nevertheless been denigrated by movie and publishing industries which seem 'hell-bent' on connecting it with Satanism and other malevolent practices. However, like the Roman Cross or Crucifix, it is only when the symbol is INVERTED that it alludes to negativity. And even then, there are exceptions, as we shall see.
In its usual upright position (one point uppermost), the pentagram is an ancient symbol of protection from evil. Also called 'the endless knot' (in its interlaced form), 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-pointed star emblematic of Judaism), the pentagram is sometimes called the Star of Solomon, especially by ceremonial magicians.

To many, the lower four points represent the classical elements of earth, air, fire, and water, while the fifth point, surmounting the others, represents spirit, the fifth element or quintessence. Thus, 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 universe as a whole.

Another interpretation is that there is not one point upward -- but three! In numerology, three is the number of harmony, best expressed in the classical formula: thesis, antithesis, and synthesis. In other words, it is the middle point that harmonizes the opposing outer points. The Celtic love of triads (the most common form of their 'wisdom literature') has its roots in this model. The upper three points are thus placed above the lower two points, which represents dualistic opposites that cannot be integrated or harmonized (seeing everything in black and white).

Yet 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. However, in all these interpretations, it is important to remember that all the points are connected -- each an aspect of the other, all part of the same whole.

But when the pentagram is inverted, so is its meaning. Thus, an inverted pentagram may represent the physical world (four material elements) in domination of the world of spirit (the fifth element). (This may be why Satanists and other 'demonistic' groups use this symbol.) With two points uppermost, it may also express a Neo-Platonic dualism (the old 'war in heaven', good vs. evil theme) -- as opposed to the Pagan monistic view of reality ('the Force') seen in the single point upward. The most common exception to this rule is that some traditions of Witchcraft (chiefly British) employ the inverted pentagram as a POSITIVE symbol of advanced degree. In this case, the two points uppermost represent the horns of light, symbol of 'the Horned God', consort to the Great Goddess (like the Greek god Pan).

The suit of pentacles (or 'coins') in the Tarot deck, the Stone of Fal (coronation stone of kings) in ancient Ireland, the sangreal of the Holy Grail processions, and the 'Universal Man' of Leonardo da Vinci, are all related to the pentagram, stressing its ties to the earth and nature, making it a symbol par excellence of an earth or nature religion. The five points also represent the five physical senses and allude to approaching the spiritual realm THROUGH the sensual -- in fact, the meaning of the Ace of Pentacles in Tarot. In numerology, 5 is the number of sexuality, combining the feminine 2 with the masculine 3. Thus, the pentagram also represents the opposite of asceticism.

But wherever the pentagram is displayed, one message is clear: evil has no power there.