The Misconceptions Of Pagan Symbols

Most of the symbols used in Wicca remain obscureas the main symbol of his church. The Christian
to the uninitiated, the uninformed and theChurch condemned the pentagram as a symbol of
uninterested. There are some however that haveevil soon there after. No distinction was made
become fairly well known but because ofbetween the Wiccan pentagram and the Baphomet
mis-understandings, mis-associations andPentagram.
mis-interpretations, have fallen into bad repute.The Moon
Religious intolerance and dogmatism on the part ofThe Moon is a sacred symbol of the Goddess and
some non-pagan groups exacerbates the matter.representative of cycles of rebirth, maturity, old age
The Pentagram, the Moon and the Mano Cornutoand death, followed by rebirth. The waxing crescent
(Horned Hand) are probably those best known bymoon represents a young woman (maiden) and
the general public and will be discussed in this article.symbolizes new beginnings and growth. When the
All of these Wiccan symbols are erroneouslymoon moves towards full, the woman enters the
associated with Satanism in spite of the fact that"mother" phase of her life. When the moon wanes,
Wicca and Satanism are two completely differentand the woman enters her "crone" years. For
religions. Many a treatise has been written on theWiccans, this stage is associated with wisdom and
differences and I recommend that those interestedknowledge. In Wicca all stages of a woman's life are
in informing themselves of the facts visit thevalued and respected.
following two Religious Tolerance web pages for anWitches celebrate the phases of the moon as a
objective overview of each: &representation of life and make use of the different
Pentagram and Pentaclephases to lend power to specific spells. In example,
The Pentagram is a five pointed star surrounded bythe waxing moon could be used to lend power to a
a circle. As a symbol, it is ancient and was widelyspell to aid the recovery of someone after illness,
used over millennia by different cultures (as far afootwhereas the full moon could be used to lend power
as the Mayans) and different religions (includingto a spell seeking to maintain good health and the
Christianity). In Wicca, the Pentagram is a sacredwaning moon to reinforce a spell seeking to destroy
symbol and representative of the earth aspect duringa disease.
ritual. It contains all the elements that give life. TheThe misconceptions around the Wiccan moon symbol
circle surrounding the five pointed star represents thestems from the fact that Satanists describe their
sacred space where Spirit (Deity, the Divine) rulessymbolism of the moon as death and blood. This is
over the four mundane elements of earth (work,illustrated from the following excerpt by Vexen
home & hearth, etc), air (intellect, thought, etc), fireCrabtree, a known and published Satanist:
(action, energy, etc) and water (emotions, love etc)."Primitive religions, sun worship, has recognized the
The pentagram is considered a protective symbol inmoon for what it is: A symbol of death and blood. [...]
most traditions, just as the cross is considered aThe moon, the symbol of the night, symbolizes the
protective symbol by Christians.victory of everlasting darkness and of sexuality. [The
The upright Pentagram, as used in Wicca, is oftenMoon has] always perturbed Humanity. [...] But this
confused with the inverted Pentagram and thefear, in modern Satanism, is faced and accepted full
Baphomet Pentagram. The latter is an invertedon without the barriers that other religions erect."
pentagram containing the head of a goat. Anton La"The Sinister Left & Fear of the Moon" by Vexen
Vey, who was the founder of the Church of SatanCrabtree 2002 Oct 26
(mid 20th Century), used the Baphomet PentagramThe contrast is self explanatory.