Verified answer

Pentacle: a talisman that is used in magical evocation, and is usually made of parchment, paper, cloth, or metal (although it can be of other materials), upon which a magical design is drawn.

Pentagram: the shape of a five-pointed star (note that the definition does not include it being inside a circle).

Regardless of how you want to define it, a 5-pointed star inside a circle is more than just a pentagram.

What's that got to do with Religion & Spirituality?

I understand the pentagram has some other element with the star, like the circle, the pentacle is just the five points, usually depicted as a star, and the idea of the symbol came from an ancient astronomer who charted the apparent movement of the planet Venus in the night sky over a period of time.

Knowing the difference between a pentagram vs a pentacle is easy, but it’s one that’s often conflated, perhaps because Gerald Gardner wrote in The Meaning of Witchcraft that “In this position, the human body resembles the figure of the Pentacle, or Pentagram.” By doing so, he made the two symbols synonyms of one another, when they are not.

So, what is difference between a pentagram vs a pentacle? And, does the meaning change if you wear your pentagram upside-down?

Home » Magic.

What Is the Difference Between a Pentacle and a Pentagram?

The Pagan Grimoire ·

This post may contain affiliate links that we collect a share of sales from.

SHARES.

Knowing the difference between a pentagram vs a pentacle is easy, but it’s one that’s often conflated, perhaps because Gerald Gardner wrote in The Meaning of Witchcraft that “In this position, the human body resembles the figure of the Pentacle, or Pentagram.” By doing so, he made the two symbols synonyms of one another, when they are not.

So, what is difference between a pentagram vs a pentacle? And, does the meaning change if you wear your pentagram upside-down?

WHAT IS A PENTACLE?

A pentacle is an object that has been inscribed with magical symbols or sigils. The pentacle is often a disc, like those you may have seen in the tarot. In tarot decks, the suit of pentacles represents the element of Earth and is often visually illustrated to look like a coin to symbolize earthy desires.

However, a pentacle can literally be any talisman. It can be as simple as a piece of paper or cloth. It’s when you add the magic symbols to this that it is transformed into a pentacle.

In Wicca, you often see a pentagram inside or on top of a circle. These combination of these is called a pentacle, but that’s because it has been inscribed with the magical symbol of the pentagram.

There are plenty of pentacles that contain other sigils or magical symbols that aren’t stars. 

So, in a nutshell you are on the road to esotericism, possibility of being in contact with the spirits of demons.

As for the Tattoo, I advise against it, because whatever figure you make in your 

body, you will praise Satan, because he is the King, of the tattoo.

Leviticus 19:28.

28 You shall not make incisions in your flesh for a dead man, nor shall you get tattoos on yourselves. I am the LORD.