Is the Inverted Pentagram Evil or Satanic?
The recent Memorial Day weekend got me thinking about the pentagram. Why? Well, read on…
For as long as I can remember, my teachers (and innumerable books) have claimed that the “upright” pentagram is a positive and spiritual image. It’s upright. What could be more positive than upright?
It’s used as a symbol for Wicca, Witchcraft, and Paganism. It’s used for protection as in the famous Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram as well as in other rituals.
It is said that the five points of the pentagram represent the five elements: Fire at the lower right, Earth at the lower left, Water at the upper right, Air at the upper left, and Spirit at the top. What a great symbol this can be!
It’s not only popular among occultists, but among very patriotic American citizens. It’s on the U.S. flag in 50 places…………………….
It’s part of the symbol for the U.S. Air Force.
Here is an older version of the USAF symbol:
And here is a new USAF symbol:
In some of the earliest forms of Wicca, the Pentagram was taken as a symbol for the first or most basic degree of the Craft. The symbol for the third or most advanced degree included the inverted pentagram:
However, as Wicca spread to the U.S., it was discovered that Americans tended to despise this symbol. It was said to represent evil or Satanism. The two upright points implied the horns of the Satanic goat. Sometimes, this goat was even drawn into the image:
But is it truly a Satanic or evil symbol?
It is certainly true that some Satanists have adopted it.
But 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.
Perhaps the most famous example of a symbol becoming evil is that of the universal symbol of good fortune, the Swastika. The Swastika has been found among native cultures all over the world, It’s most “pre-evil” use was in India where it was usually drawn with a flat side:
Hitler himself chose the symbol to represent the Nazi party, but tilted it on one point. Today, in India, it is still a popular symbol and appears everywhere, including on spiritual items. This surprises many Westerners who today only know the symbol for its Nazi associations.
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.
Although the U.S. is a secular country, we do have certain places and objects that are so honored they have acquired a quality that can only be called “sacred.” From the Statue of Liberty (the goddess Liberty Enlightening the World) and the Washington Monument (a representation of masculine energy) to the sublime meaningfulness of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall, we have our sacred symbols. In the U.S., perhaps no symbol is more sacred and more honored than the (Congressional) Medal of Honor. Although there are three basic versions of the medal, they are all similar in design:
Do you still think the inverted pentagram
is necessarily Satanic or evil?
Honestly this is why for myself I have always favored a
Labris as a personal symbol; it honors some of the very oldest visions of Goddess, and at the same time does not provoke the anger and misunderstanding of frankly ignorant people; but people who have spent literally centuries pouring their misguided energies into the thought form, and that cannot be without magickal import, no?
Perhaps the case of the Swastika is not again important here, in India, you are not in a thought field where-in the symbol is drenched with feelings of hatred; and so the traditional meaning applies, no?
In the US the Pentagram is a symbol, many Pagans embrace, but many Christians imbue with terribly negative associations, and if reality is interactive, can we really just shut that out and say, no, I create my own reality. I’m not so sure myself.
More questions raised than anwsers, but perhaps thats good I look forward to your thoughts.
Don’t forget that the upright pentagram is also the Star of Solomon!
And as a side note, I went to a Tibetan restaurant in Beijing and to my suprise, the food they brought out was all shaped like swastikas! Even the garnishes. I knew it was a holy symbol for many (was unaware, though, that the Tibetans considered it as such, too). But I was still initially shocked!
It’s a shame that the Nazis had to pervert it.
Of course, it could be interpreted as a symbol for spirit descending into matter. Although I’ve often wondered what deeper meaning would suggest that it was a wholly evil symbol (besides the satanic goat, which isn’t even described in the bible). I thought perhaps it had something to do with the higher gifts of the spirit being used to satisfy selfish and materialistic needs and desires. Even then you wouldn’t necessarily think that it specifically implies misusing the four elements for murder, torture, or whatever other black magick one might want to conjure up.
It once again seems to be a matter of personal preference. Just like Hitler was looking for a symbol of ultimate power and force in the Swastika, a satanist will find a powerful symbol for working evil in the inverted pentagram. It’s all relative to the people interpreting it. It’s also interesting to note that the Nazi Swastika was not considered by many Germans during the war to be an “evil” symbol at all, and Hitler and his cronies thought themselves to be righteous and good people. I guess it just shows how twisted and egotistical human beings can be, and how they can redefine things in their own image.
Think about the north star?the representation is not that of the pentagram
The inverted pentagram is not necessarily evil. IT is symbolic of the subconscious mind that allows us to function in this world. It is the body and the ego mind or lower self. It is not necessarily under the control of the higher self or god and that’s where trouble can start. We need to turn it around to draw on the inner light of the God force to bring about positive change in this world. It’s a matter of being single minded, simple like a child of god you are and to love others as your true brothers and sisters. Rather than allowing the egos negative instinctive and habitual reactions free rein we need to respond from our higher natures. Eventually we will be our higher selves and have true mastery over the self.
I find the moon or star to be my symbol,I love the crescent moon with a star.I have a tat of that very thing near my inner ankle.
ok now that read this i know more about the pentagram i never thought it was satanic just as this guy just because somone adopts does mean anything also this is my symbol.(slipknot forever)stay sic
The Hopi Indian and the Tibetan have a legend about the origins of all people, that they spread out from one location to the corners of the earth following a specific pattern… and the pattern just happens to be the traditional swastika symbol. Theres a little more substance to that coincidence. If you drilled straight through the earth from sacred Hopi lands, to come out to the other side of the world, you’d find Tibet. Also, the words for SUN and MOON are flipped around between the two cultures… but they are the same words. Just for Tibetans what means sun means moon to Hopi, and what means moon in Tibet means sun to Hopi. There really IS SOMETHING to this legend and that symbol… and thats why Hitler, with his extreme fascination with ancient history and occult mysticism, flipped it around.
I know this post is rather old but I just wanted to make a serious comment;
After 30 years of studying the occult and experiencing both LHP and RHP I would say that the inverted pentagram is not evil. What makes a symbol (or ritual) either so called good or bad is the intention behind it.
Didn’t the whole rather superstitious notion of the inverted pentagram being ‘bad’ come from Levi? He was an old school odd ball and often said things that seemed some what contradictory.
Agreeing with Don, this post is old, but in my opinion the inverted pentagram means nothing more than a symbol of power. What type of power is up to the user. This is where it can be seen as so evil, because people can use it to their advantage. I myself just bought an inverted pentagram pendant from a Wiccan shop last night. Upon paying for it, the cashier did a double take and had to warn me that the pentagram was upside-down. I told him I wouldn’t be buying it if I didn’t know what some people assumed it stood for. I bought my pentagram as a means to help give me power to overcome my mortal weaknesses. To me, it is a very positive symbol.
the inverted pentegram is evil if you believe it is because it is evil to you i dont necisarily believe that it is evil unless you use it to summon somethig because the thing you try to summon will most likely be evil
The inverted pentagram is neither evil or satanic by its nature. I think EA Koetting explains it best in his book Works of Darkness in the chapter “Sinister Symbols”:
The inverted pentagram is more than a simple turning upside down the things of righteousness, but is the embracing of that which is forbidden, dark, and truly dangerous. It represents becoming one’s own master, bowing before none and destroying all that does not lend to Ascent. LaVey had inscribed around the Sigil of Baphomet the Hebrew name Leviathan, the serpent of the watery deep. Perhaps it would have been more appropriate to write instead the name of another Crown Prince of Hell, Belial: “Without a Master.” The Black Magician lives by the statement, “Nothing is greater than what I can become.” All demons, angels, spirits, humans, animals, minerals, even the Gods themselves exist to serve the Master of Black Magick. It is this forbidden autonomy that is implied within the angles of the inverted pentagram. Rousing hell to overthrow heaven. In the vibrant and living inverted pentagram is seen the true form of Baphomet, once the eyes have ceased searching and the mind has been conquered by that which cannot be understood. Once the Works of Darkness have begun and the black powers flood from the Sorcerer into the sigil and back again, the symbol of the inverted pentagram will speak its own truth.
My ex had the upside down star i didnt no wat it meant until now its evil and im so glad im not wit him anymore i just cnt belive i let somone in m like that!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I believe a symbol is a symbol. Different people have differnt mranings.wher one could see it as negative another sees it as positive. A aymbol can be cherished in many ways….it is the how a pwrson uses the symbol that matters most…intriguing facys of someone elses past can be interpretated in more than one way..where one finds an evil power the next can find a positive.
Just a symbol – doesn’t mean anything but everything is open to interpretation
Love this post I may link back to it.
To me the inverted pentagram stands for the five elements BUT with the human spirit at its lowest point showing that the human spirit does not stand above the other elements. For me it stands for being modest and respectfull to others and nature. Even though we are at the top of the food chain this doesn’t mean it will always stay like that. So for me it also stands for being happy with what you have and enjoying your time as a human being without being disrespectful towards nature.
To me an inverted pentegram is the symbol of the horned god . All about intention when ur using it
For me, the pentagram is and shall always be the symbol of the Pythagorean school. They praised it as a symbol with mathematic symmetry. So, inverted or upright, the pentagram stands for study of mathematics, completely devoid of religion and spirituality.
the pentagram can be good or evil it dose depend on who u r and how u use
I clicked on this site because I am concerned about an art student who has confessed to being a student of Wicca. She has produced the most marvelous graphic novel mural of that has three teens embossed with iconography and symbolism. The teen girl is wearing a pentagram and the two boy’s garb is everything from curled ram horns to grasping a human heart in one hand with just a hint of blood around his mouth. I spoke with my student about her mural and told her about my concerns but she told me that she was not a Satanist and wanted no part of that culture. She is however a naturalist, a witch and is a student of Mother Earth! This did not make me feel any better because I am a Christian and am in opposition to mysticism in any form, however I have allowed her to continue with artwork. Although I am worried that my employment may be in jeopardy because we are in the bible belt, I refuse to allow my personal views to dampen her enthusiasm for her Art regardless of its subject matter! After all, we are all Americans and have freedoms endowed unto us by the founding fathers of this great nation through the constitution which governs us.
[…] Pentagram is yes inverted, but at the same time, it can be satanic in peoples eyes. But in this article, (click the link). We know that this symbol can be pan or the descent into matter. So this can […]
Okay in response to: concerned. You are well natured, in your honest attempt at researching. I believe that because you are a” Christian” does not mean you can’t be an individual. I mean really broken down there are ritual magic and spells performed in all religious ceremonies. Just because you believe in something doesn’t mean you can’t think for yourself. If you are an educator, which I salute you on, you should look at the knowledge and the beauty in this opportunity the both of you can share and learn from each other. If you’re true to the love God has shown you, which maybe a test to see if you will treat this young beautiful child with love and respect as the golden rule. Or will allow hate and impatience to shine through being the way this young girl will perceive Christians and the religion for the rest of her life. What she creates may not even be true to what she believes exactly. But instead is combining her imagination with what she has been taught by her guardians. She might just be creating new ideas but pulling from what’s she’s been taught combined with today’s popular entertainment. I would be slow to judge and more apt to learn where she’s coming from. While sharing what I know with her over time. With no end goal other than to show her who you are and that she can share who she is with you.
[…] Llewellyn offers a little rationality for us: […]
[…] Llewellyn offers a little rationality for us: […]
What the fuck is evil?
Is just a symbol
Is not evil this wrong is represent nature
That is evil?
to Concerned. You are a teacher not a psychologist. Your job is to teach. Not to judge. You are taking your christianity and doing what your taught. To judge. Let your student draw if that is what you are teaching and if you don’t like what other students draw then maybe you are in the wrong career as art and beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
Actually symbols are just symbols, if we give our faith to the lord truly and fully, symbols will be nothing, now i just realize that world is a full of prank, in spite of being a neophyte in this symbols all i can say faith is the greatest symbol.
I use the sigil of the Baphomet so there is no doubt in anyone’s mind I am a Satanist. Clears up the confusion.
!!!! GOD WANTS TO FEED YOUR SPIRIT. THE WICKED WANTS TO EAT YOUR SOUL !!!
This is what is wrong with humanity now, you are comfortable with your own beliefs, and only rely upon your own understanding.
Confusion and vanity is the wickeds greatest tools. First they confuse you and make you believe that there is no right or wrong, truth or lies, that all is of mere perception. Through repetition they teach you, and through repetition you learn the falsehoods. You must awaken the seeker within you. To seek Truth. Because there is only Truth, and everything else is a lie. That is the law of God. God is was is, and everything else is what isnt. To believe in perception is to believe in the lie.
Vanity is nothing more than the seperation from God, from all that is, all to satisfy the desire of self, when that too is a lie, because we are all of and connected to God. To do for self and not to do for the whole is not of God. One love is a True expression, because to Truly Love yourself is to Truly love your neighbor, only because that one Love is what binds and connects us all.
Additionally, in regards to perception, to say that there is no Real Truth or right or wrong, is to say there is no positive or negative, nor such a thing as mathematics, science or any other quantifiable or identifiable process.
For those whom worship the beings that distorted Truth for its own vain purposes, is only foolishly seeking to hasten their own Eternal damnation of their Godly selves. For the deep dark cold abyss is Real, a state in which light, love nor hope will reach, and once your there, it will be Eternal. So please do not allow the lies and ills of the world to perverse your soul. Because once your mind has been tainted, and your heart poisoned, your spirit will be lost. Seek repentance, True Knowlede and understanding, live and love right and you will be forgiven and blessed. No matter what has happened, because the spirit transforms all.
For those who hunger for True Knowledge, who want to live in the pure light of the prime creator, The Most High, the True God, learn to let go of your strong opinions, open your mind and seek with your third eye, and learn to discern with a pure heart. This is whats going to elevate your spirit and allow you to connect to Truth.
Start here and continue foward, upward, and Godward: Sacred Gemotry – Universal Laws – The Golden Rule
So many intelligent, interesting comments on this article… and then there’s that one Christian who needs to step into someone else’s business and trample over the entire civilized debate; with their own prejudice and the misinformation and indoctrination that they have been fed their entire lives. Basically I’m only commenting here because it annoyed me that the last comment was the way it was… and because I wanted to tell that person “shame on you”. You guys wear your crosses and rosaries, and we’ll wear whatever we damn well please. Just the fact that we need to ask each other whether or not we have to courage to wear our symbols in public for fear of your violent reactions says a whole LOT about your “peaceful”, “loving” religion of light and the positive thoughts you come to share with us (and about us).
The pentagram pentacle represents the god Apollo. Leonardo da Vinci drawing of the naked man standing with arms and legs spread is the symbol of the pentacle or Apollo. Many ancient artifacts found in Italy have pentagram on them.
I read the above post and very much like to agree with them. Throughout history, many symbols have been discovered and interpreted in various ways. Even the people who gave them meanings and descriptions cannot be sure of the truth. Mythology contains truth and secrets. Just because one person has adopted an image and has shifted it to a meaning of their own, does not mean that’s what its original definition or representation was.
How one individual sees the world varies from how another might look at it. Ancient cultures used images and symbols to tell their stories and history to the next generation. And how we interpret it and understand it is completely different.
Look at it in a manner it makes sense, not in the way it might hurt others around us.
Do christians believe we are lost because god told them or because their priests, a centuries old book and their fear of nonobediance told them? I KNOW the Divine is with me and yet I am not a christian… Also alot of them take the book as if it is the only accurate communication between the Divine and humans and YET an emperor of Rome with the Nicaean Council dictated what books would and would not be in the bible and punished any christians that did not comply with their ruling. Their own “holy” book is NOT complete and yet they beat people over the head with it metaphorically speaking… Believing a book could not be edited, mistranslated and even censored in parts over history just because it is written in it not to is foolishness. I will continue to trust in the Divine over a book that has been obviously messed with. They claim that would be me trusting myself over god’s word and that I am lost but the bible is not infallible and therefore trusting a corrupted book over a worked for connection with the Divine seems equally insane to me. The Divine (or in their name God) should take precedent over a priest or book. Putting a priest and ancient text over attempting to directly communicate with and have a connection with the Divine seems dangerous to me. Am I truly lost because some book and fearful people say so?
As for the pentagram being inverted one guy here pretty much proved it now IS an evil symbol… the guy with the nick #12 Anon. Making everything else bow to one’s will, including gods? That is tyranny. True freedom is live and let live, not making everything else bow to your will while you are free…. So if it is being used in the sense of everything else bowing and it being used more and more for this purpose it is becoming an evil symbol. Like the swastika. Stupid Nazis had to ruin it for others… Though I AM glad to see some people have their own interpretations because the way to break the power of symbols is to redefine the definitions and so over time if people do not use the symbols for what those intending harm use them for, they will lose their power. The danger in redefining symbols, though, is also to change historic connection to them and it can confuse people over time so it would be immensely important to keep track of the symbol’s use over time so history isn’t lost. History has been miswritten often these days, much of it has been lost and some of what we think to be true is false. The further back, the harder it is to ferret out real history, so what we can preserve NOW that is factual is immensely important. Namaste.
Come to think of it maybe that’s part of the whole problem… symbols become a part of rote and people get locked into the identification of them with activities etc… so to find out what a symbol use means part of it is looking at the person or group’s intent. I know many now are using the inverted pentagram for harmful purposes, but some people here aren’t. Some use it very very different personal meanings.. We get locked into the definition of these symbols mentally and the more something is used for the negative the more it becomes the negative…. but over time symbols change and even from culture to culture different symbols are used for the same things so perhaps it is not symbol but intent/action that is the only important thing in the end… so who is using what symbol for what at that moment in time? History is very important for keeping track of that… Right now the inverted star is becoming used for evil intent.
I’ve seen inverted pentagrams on some graves a time or too. These were not tombstones of Satanists, Occultists or even Pagans, but this was the Eastern Star Symbol. I believe some of these graves may have been Masons.
Upright or inverted
Believe in the ENTITY , It will manifest itself, if you believe in the devil , you give that devil power, one pointed thought is not to believe in evil entities, if you believe in GOD ,believe in GOD and MAN, However evil does exist in the heart of man,
So tell me about my pentacle again..
Blessed be
Hail my master, the Dark Lord!
So I drew a satanic pentagram on my hand and drew blood from my self and smothered it in blood, I did this because i’m a very depressed person, but i was wondering if anything bad will happen to me for this reason?
Braeden, nothing bad will happen to you because you did that (it’s just a symbol) but you should probably get some help for your depression. If you are in the UK or Ireland the Samaritans’ number is 116 123 (no area code) and their website is https://www.samaritans.org . If you’re somewhere else, https://www.befrienders.org can help you find your local helpline (in some places there are also centres where you can talk to someone face-to-face if that’s easier for you). These services are free and are NOT just for people who are suicidal but for anyone who is depressed or going through a hard time. Good luck and best wishes. Helen xx
To Kyle. Just wanted to point out that the 5 pointed pentagram isn’t the same as the Star of Solomon as that star has 6 points. Also known as the Seal of Solomon or the Star of David. The upright Instagram has leant towards representing good or white magic whilst the inverted Instagram has been adopted by Satanists with the 2 points at the top representing the horns of the devil. What people should ALWAYS be aware of is whatever the use placed on either symbol the power it wields is the SAME universal power and only the user decided whether it was to be used for either good or bad purposes. Same power, different applications. The onus is on the individual to choose wisely.
Sorry auto correct put Instagram instead of pentagram haha
I see a lot of Christophobic responses but no real discussions. Is the pentagram evil short answer is no. The long answer is the pentagram is a symbol of man but the the invert of it is symbolistic of women. Eve associated with the fall of man and hence the term EVE-il or as its written now evil.
XXLTXX your post added a really original and witty interpretation, this one I never heard despite my many years of prolific reading on related topics. Thanks for cracking me up 🙂
I do think the upside down pentagram represents evil, hatred, and the desire to ruin souls. The pentacle, however, can counteract it by its original meaning, the 5 elements: Spirit, water, fire, earth, and air. Just like the upside down cross, just because it’s upside down doesn’t make it a satanic symbol. St. Peter was crucified upside down because he didn’t feel worthy enough to be crucified upright with his Lord and Savior. Do your research people!!!
Hewo I’m satan lol
explain how the USA is 70% christian and yet secular?
Pentagram has nothing to do with Satan. It’s just a symbol silly symbol. it doesn’t mean it’s Satanic. I am sick of Religious freaks aka Christianity and Catholics follow the bible to “Their God” I am sick of their religion shoved down the throats!
So…this is what the “religious experience” how come to in today’s society huh? Well it seems to me that since it is most definitely the INTENTION of the WELDER that makes any symbol become what it is and since in today’s realm the Satanists have adopted the inverted pentagram then I would assume that’s what it NOW related too. Did anyone ever stop to think though that it’s the illuminati’s most favored way to impart messages ? Through the use of symbols? Just like a photo can speak a thousand words so can a symbol speak volumes through many generations. Some may think that they can use the inverted pentagram for whatever but the two Satanists are right when they say that it is being used to show the one without a master or whatever that statement was bc that’s what it is NOW being used for… So in my opinion don’t mess with it If you don’t truly understand it bc what killed the cat? Curiosity! That’s by no means suggesting that you shouldn’t be curious bc as humans it is our nature to seek the occult or the unknown but what better way to understand that which is unknown is to then make it known?
The inverted pentagram is used in Satanism. I am an atheistic Satanist and wear an inverted pentagram 24/7. It’s basically an inversion of the Wiccan pentagram. Instead of the spirit being on top the physical elements are. The downward point, points to the earth. Our physical reality supersedes the spiritual. When you include the head of Baphomet we are reminded that we are animals. We aren’t specially created. We just evolved animals. Just like every other animal.