Welcome to the Witches’ Web’s signs and symbols page. Here we will get to know various Wiccan/Pagan symbols and dispel the rumors surrounding them. First we have the “Pentacle” or “Pentagram”. The difference between the two being that a “Pentacle” is a five pointed star and the “Pentagram” is the Pentacle surrounded by a circle!:) It’s as simple as that! It is worn as a symbol of a Witch’s belief and used in magickal workings and ceremonies. Each point on the star has a specific meaning: Earth, Air, Fire, Water, and Spirit. Pentagrams are never worn inverted in the Craft. Many Witches consider this Blasphemy of their faith. However, an inverted Pentacle is used in some second degree initiations, not to indicate evil, but to fulfill a function of growth.”

As she said the points correspond with the 4 directions and the 4 elements (we’ll talk about the 5th one later). The Northern point corresponds with Earth. Which represents  “Mystery and growth, fertility, material abundance, the combined forces of nature and it’s bounty; birth and healing; business, industry and possessions; the bear, the stag and the wolf; conservation and nature.”

The Eastern point corresponds with Air. Which represents “Intellect, communication, knowledge, concentration; the ability to know and understand; to unlock secrets of the dead; to contact the angels; telepathy, memory and wisdom; the hawk, the raven and the eagle; prophecy; movement, Karma and speed.”

The Southern point corresponds with Fire. Which represents “Energy, purification, courage, the will to dare, creativity; higher self; success and refinement; the arts and transformation; the lion, the phoenix and the dragon; loyalty and the force.

The Western point corresponds with Water. Which represents “ intuition, emotions, the inner self, flowing movement, the power to dare and cleanse all things; sympathy and love; reflection; currents and tides of life; the dolphin, the swan and the crab; dreams and dreamtime.”

And now for the Fifth element and point.

The tip top most point is saved for the Spirit. It represents “centering , transformation, and that its limits are beyond time and space as we understand them. This element is often called Akasha.”

This is an Ankh. It is an ancient “Egyptian hieroglyphic that is widely used as a symbol for life, love, and reincarnation. It is depicted as a cross with a looped top.”

As Erykah Badu says in the live version of her song “On and On” the loop at the top represents the woman’s womb and the long straight part represents the male aspect of the womb.:) 

Ankh also stands for “Eternal Life”, it also symbolizes more than just 'Eternal Life" it also signifies the 'Power' that flows through all creation(Ptah-Seker) it is also the key to the Tuat (levels of the underworld) and the admission of the soul on its journey.

All the gods had made their own amulets as concentrations, as well as representations, of their powers. All the Egyptian gods were depicted holding an ankh in their hands. The ankh, also known as the crux ansata, is a symbol of life and was considered to be a very powerful amulet by the ancient Egyptians. It was also believed to be an ancient fertility symbol, as it originally represented the male and the female genital organs (as described above). The gods bestowed the ankh on Egyptians who had led good lives, thus ensuring that those individuals would live in the afterlife for one hundred thousand million years.

The ankh was the oldest amulet used by the Egyptians. As we have already seen, the Egyptian gods all possessed this symbol of life, thus ensuring their immortality. When the Egyptians embraced Christianity in the first century, they still kept the ankh as a religious symbol and it often appears on tombs of that period, next to the Christian cross. The ancient Egyptians made the ankh from various materials, such as wood, wax, metals, and different colored stones.