Could someone please tell me

[Richard Henry]

Could you please tell want a Pentacle is ?
I know it soulds odd please forgive me I am very new to the Pagan way and this is something I was wonding the other day.
In peace
Rh

[Faelon_Moon_Hawk]

Could you please tell want a Pentacle is ?
I know it soulds odd please forgive me I am very new to the Pagan way and this is something I was wonding the other day.
In peace
Rh

http://www.skogshastdesigns.com/images/shaded_designs/shaded_designs_pent2.jpg
^ this is a pentacle :)

It represents the elements (earth, air, fire, water, and spirit). It is also a sign of protection.

Here (http://www.witchvox.com/va/dt_va.html?a=usma&c=basics&id=2875) is some more info on the pentacle.

[elfmage]

You can find some basic history on the pentacle here (http://www.witchvox.com/va/dt_va.html?a=usma&c=basics&id=2875).

Nothing to forgive, if you don't ask questions, you don't learn! And to be Pagan os to be forever learning (believe you me! :lol: )!

[JadeNSC]

Here's a good link: http://wicca.timerift.net/pentagram.html

[Agaliha]

Here are some links to info about them:

Here's a few links about the pentacle/pentagram
http://www.witchvox.com/va/dt_va.html?a=usma&c=basics&id=2875 (http://www.witchvox.com/va/dt_va.html?a=usma&c=basics&id=2875) -- part one
http://www.witchvox.com/va/dt_va.html?a=usfl&c=basics&id=2878 (http://www.witchvox.com/va/dt_va.html?a=usfl&c=basics&id=2878) --- part two, has history
http://home.insightbb.com/~kizla/pentagram.htm (http://home.insightbb.com/~kizla/pentagram.htm)
http://www.fabrisia.com/pentagram.htm (http://www.fabrisia.com/pentagram.htm)
http://www.ecauldron.com/pentagram.php (http://www.ecauldron.com/pentagram.php) -- has history and non-pagan useses, pretty detailed
http://www.religioustolerance.org/wic_pent.htm (http://www.religioustolerance.org/wic_pent.htm)
http://altreligion.about.com/library/weekly/aa100102a.htm (http://altreligion.about.com/library/weekly/aa100102a.htm)
http://www.crystalinks.com/414.html (http://www.crystalinks.com/414.html)

:)

[Richard Henry]

Thank you all for the above infromation So would you say that the Pentacle is just a symbol of witchcraft or would you feel that there is a use/identity within the all of the Pagan community.?

Also could you please tell me what the stones mean ie Stone Henge? Again this is something I have offtern hard about and have in visited butknow very little about there reail mearing.

I know this is OK to ask but it does feel odd for me as a 41 year old man but this is something you don't learn at school and I have been in busy world for far to long and now with a baby coming along (which I am so happy about) I would like to know all this and find my parth in my time but to be able o talk to my son when he wants to know where his part lies for him I would like to have the right infromation to give him also
Thanks in peace and freindship
RH

[Pol]

I would say that often the pentacle/gram is used most by witches and such, but it's also a generic symbol for many Pagans. I could be wrong, but that's how I see it.

As for Stonehenge..well, that's the big question isn't it? :D
I think everyone likes to believe what they think it's all about, even though no one really knows. It's most often believed to be related to solar/lunar dealings, if memory serves.

edit to add: Much admiration to you for expanding the mind :)

[Agaliha]

Thank you all for the above infromation So would you say that the Pentacle is just a symbol of witchcraft or would you feel that there is a use/identity within the all of the Pagan community.?

No the Pentacle and Pentagram is not just a symbol of Witchcraft. Pagans and Wiccans and many others inbetween wear and incorporate them into their beliefs and practice.
I don't think people just wear them so people are like "Oh, hey s/he's a Pagan/Wiccan/Witch" rather everyone has their own meaning and views and reason for wearing it. For me I see it as a symbol of protection, as a symbol that embodies the elements, the Earth and Totality.
Here is a thread that may help you with your question: Your Pentacle/Pendant (http://www.mysticwicks.com/showthread.php?t=77855) --here people talk about and explain the symbolism and reason why they wear what they wear [or why they don't].

Also early Christians used the Pentacle and Pentagram to symbolize the 5 wounds of Jesus. Same with the Celtic Triquatra, it shares Pagan and Christian symbolism.



Also could you please tell me what the stones mean ie Stone Henge? Again this is something I have offtern hard about and have in visited butknow very little about there reail mearing.

What the meaning of Stonehenge is? Isn't that one of the great archaelogical mysteries?
I can't help you with that angle, but here are some sites with theories:
Yahoo's directory (http://dir.yahoo.com/Regional/Countries/United_Kingdom/England/Counties_and_Regions/Wiltshire/Cities_and_Towns/Amesbury/Entertainment_and_Arts/Architecture/Buildings_and_Monuments/Stonehenge/) <--has 16 links

I know this is OK to ask but it does feel odd for me as a 41 year old man but this is something you don't learn at school and I have been in busy world for far to long and now with a baby coming along (which I am so happy about) I would like to know all this and find my parth in my time but to be able o talk to my son when he wants to know where his part lies for him I would like to have the right infromation to give him also
Thanks in peace and freindship
RH

Don't feel odd! I think it's great you are willing to learn and grow and progress on your path. You never learn unless you take the time to and ask questions, so keep it up :)

[JadeNSC]

Thank you all for the above infromation So would you say that the Pentacle is just a symbol of witchcraft or would you feel that there is a use/identity within the all of the Pagan community.?

Also could you please tell me what the stones mean ie Stone Henge? Again this is something I have offtern hard about and have in visited butknow very little about there reail mearing.

I know this is OK to ask but it does feel odd for me as a 41 year old man but this is something you don't learn at school and I have been in busy world for far to long and now with a baby coming along (which I am so happy about) I would like to know all this and find my parth in my time but to be able o talk to my son when he wants to know where his part lies for him I would like to have the right infromation to give him also
Thanks in peace and freindship
RH

Yes, the pentacle/pentagram has become sort of a generic symbol for most of the Pagan community. It's important to note though that this symbol has been around for centuries. Even the early Christians used it to symbolize the five wounds Christ received during the crucifiction. So, it's not out of line for someone not of a Pagan background to "use" the symbol.

As for Stone Henge, I believe the stones were assembled in such a way that it acted as a sort of calendar. The druids were able to know when a equinox/solstice was approaching. You can probably do a google search or a Yahoo! search to find out more about the history of Stone Henge. :)

[jcldragon]

but this is something you don't learn at schoolThey don't teach this in school? I'm shocked!!! What are they teaching in schools these days?

/kidding

The Pentacle has been used in most cultures around the world. The Chinese use it in their Five Elements theory, which is very different from the Western use. Some have related the Cycle of Venus to the SunSpot cycle. I happen to like the Leonardo DaVinci sketch of the man inside a circle with his limbs spread out. It is anatomically perfect, which is a big hint as to how deeply the Pentacle is embeded in Nature.

[Romani Vixen]

The Pentacle is most often associated with Paganism... however... it isn't just a Pagan symbol!!!

The Mormon Temple (or tabernacle) in Logan UT has one on each of the four sides of the spire!!!!

I see each of the points as an element, earth, air, fire, water, and spirit. I see the circle around it as sybolizing universal knowledge and truth as well as the interconnectedness of reality.

[StormVixen]

obviously not all pagans use thr pentical as their symbol... i use equal armed cross...

just another question... i thought the pentical and the pentagram were slightly different things... something like a pentagram has a circle round and a pentagram doesnt... but i might be wrong

[LadyCelt]

I could be wrong, but I think its also protection

[Faelon_Moon_Hawk]

Thank you all for the above infromation So would you say that the Pentacle is just a symbol of witchcraft or would you feel that there is a use/identity within the all of the Pagan community.?

Also could you please tell me what the stones mean ie Stone Henge? Again this is something I have offtern hard about and have in visited butknow very little about there reail mearing.

I know this is OK to ask but it does feel odd for me as a 41 year old man but this is something you don't learn at school and I have been in busy world for far to long and now with a baby coming along (which I am so happy about) I would like to know all this and find my parth in my time but to be able o talk to my son when he wants to know where his part lies for him I would like to have the right infromation to give him also
Thanks in peace and freindship
RH

I think that the pentacle can be used to identify many pagans, tho certainly not all. Not all witches either, but many. Defininging anything as something all pagans/do/say/believe is kinda tricky as pagans are such a diverse group of ppl ^_^.

As for stonehenge...well there's tons of debate on that. I'm not sure anyone really knows what it was used for. There are lots of theories. What i do know about it is that it does aligned to the sun's travel through the sky throuout the year, and it lignes up on some solstices (not sure if it's all or just spring & fall). My stonehenge knowledge is fairly limited to what i've seen on documentaries on it on tv ^^;;

[charmedkisses1]

Also could you please tell me what the stones mean ie Stone Henge? Again this is something I have offtern hard about and have in visited butknow very little about there reail mearing.



Recent dating has labeled stone henge older than the Druids (who used it at some point). So we don't really know who built it now. Most people believe it to be a calendar. The site was later used for sacred rituals signifying entry from one world into the next (or so the History channel says.)

[Richard Henry]

[quote Don't feel odd! I think it's great you are willing to learn and grow and progress on your path. You never learn unless you take the time to and ask questions, so keep it up :)[/quote]

So to keep up the qestions could you all please tell me in your own way way many Pagans use Stones as a place to worsip/celebrate what is it that makes the stones all over the world so specail ?

Thank you again for all your help with my questions so far I am enjoying learing so much I have become fell that my journey has begun I don't think it like going home as much as starting to see where home is!

[Agaliha]

So to keep up the qestions could you all please tell me in your own way way many Pagans use Stones as a place to worsip/celebrate what is it that makes the stones all over the world so specail ?

Are you refering to the mouments of the world? Stonehenege, Pyraminds of Egypt, South and Centeral America, and things like that?
I am not an anthropology and archealogy expert [though I love those subjects!] but I would say at it is what the stones represent that is so special.
I do know of the Goddess Al-Uzza was represented as an actual stone [dark, obsidian I think] and acacia trees. Allat too, she was represented with white granite. And I am sure there are a few more that are...but with the monuments I think it's more what they represent and honor.
If you for example one saw a Diety in a particular spot-- say a canyon-- then over time that canyon will become sacred to that diety.
Also places like caves, caverns, tunnels-- are scared to the Goddess due to them being like the womb and birthing canal. Same with watery places.
Places with pillars, the sky and things like that in most civilizations are reperesented by the God.
So In my opinion it's not the actual stones, but what the stones are representing and symbolizing.

[Richard Henry]

So to keep up the qestions could you all please tell me in your own way way many Pagans use Stones as a place to worsip/celebrate what is it that makes the stones all over the world so specail ?

Are you refering to the mouments of the world? Stonehenege, Pyraminds of Egypt, South and Centeral America, and things like that?
I am not an anthropology and archealogy expert [though I love those subjects!] but I would say at it is what the stones represent that is so special.
I do know of the Goddess Al-Uzza was represented as an actual stone [dark, obsidian I think] and acacia trees. Allat too, she was represented with white granite. And I am sure there are a few more that are...but with the monuments I think it's more what they represent and honor.
If you for example one saw a Diety in a particular spot-- say a canyon-- then over time that canyon will become sacred to that diety.
Also places like caves, caverns, tunnels-- are scared to the Goddess due to them being like the womb and birthing canal. Same with watery places.
Places with pillars, the sky and things like that in most civilizations are reperesented by the God.
So In my opinion it's not the actual stones, but what the stones are representing and symbolizing.

Ha HAAAAAAAAA sorry Ok so much to learn could we please start with the Stones Ie Stone Henge, Stone Circles The stuff infromation as given me a lot to thing about but I would like to go a little slower please.