Pentacles / Pentagrams -- Do non-wiccans spiritualists / witches wear them / identify with them?

[Wyrdkiss]

Greetings,

 

OK, pretty specific question here, but I'm curious.

 

I am between an Atheist at heart yet a spiritual practitioner of tarot, manifesting, and basic essential magic ritual.

 

I like my pentagram necklace, it is basic but quite nice and the symbol resonates with me on a tarot / practical level, yet I've stopped wearing it this last year or so.

I am not Wiccan, do not really identify with the belief system, and it seems that is the "auto-assumption" of 

everyone who raised my jewelry as a talking point.

 

what are your experiences and your spiritual / magical relationship with the symbol? -- if you fall into my category or not?  On the Atheopagan forum on Facebook,, which is a 

science - based earth spiritual movement, one member wrote: "pentacles are an auto-wiccan tag, so they are a no go for me."

 

I'd love to hear your input. And this is not bashing Wicca, I was a practitioner years ago, but  my philosophy and experience just changed.

Thanks.

 

 

PS this  was my question @Raggydoll

 

 

 

[Raggydoll]

Well, to be honest. Pentacles have no real meaning to me. I mean, obviously I am aware of all that they represent, but they’ve never held any significance to me personally. I never went down the path or Wicca because so many things about it didn’t speak to me. I do know that some people feel that the pentacle is a cliche, but I don’t really have an opinion on that. I think it can be very empowering to focus on what a symbol means to us, and not bother too much about what other people think or feel. This is something I’ve had to practice in my journey with the runes. As you know, runic symbols come with a lot of baggage, and many people have all sorts of opinions on them. What it all came down to was what they mean to me and how I want to work with them. 
 

I understand if you don’t feel like educating every person that sees you wearing a pentacle, but there is always the option of having a longer chain and wearing it underneath your clothes on the occasions when you don’t want to explain anything. 
 

And I think it’s perfectly understandable to be an atheist or an agnostic and still practice witchcraft. Deities aren’t a big part of my own practice, but nature energies are. I don’t know how to classify myself, but I can’t say I’m terribly interested in finding a label that fits 😁

[Arania]

You can be an atheist in the general accepted sense as in no big great god created the universe and still work with entities. When Bast decided a cat household needed her protection and I kind of grumbled at the idea because I consider myself a non-believer in the all-creator I basically got a "me, too!". But I disgress again.

 

I see a lot of people from the environmental activist groups wear the pentagram to identify with the earth as such. For some people it is just jewelry, much like wearing a cross does not mean Christian anymore.

 

I wear it because I have come to like the symbol, having grown up without it. But I also wear other things. To me it means Earth, Air, Fire, Water, Spirit in the purest sense, even if the meanings comes from western esoteric sources and has nothing to do with the old ways, such as there still exist, of my land. If people assume I am Wicca, I quickly corret them. The usually get it. Especially as the ritual magicians around here wear it, too. If you hate correcting people you are wise not to wear it though.

[DanielJUK]

In traditional Wiccan beliefs for many, you would have a wand, sword, cup and pentagram on your altar, just like The Magician! The Pentagram is a symbol for protection. I am afraid it is a low-key sign to wear one around your neck to be identified as a Wiccan, it is a cultural thing or secret code. Or the symbol of the moons that looks like )()( . I sometimes see them on Tote bags as well! So it is a recognised way of quietly showing you are one. If I see someone wearing one in some form, I do immediately think they are Wiccan. Like a symbol for other religions that people wear, cross, etc.

 

If it bothers you @Wyrdkiss, why not choose something else without any meaning or a necklace with a crystal or something like that? You can work out your own symbol that you feel comfortable with and love 🙂

 

I don't really have a special meaning with them personally, even though I lean that way. I never understand why people get tattoos with those elemental triangles (very fashionable a few years ago) and when you ask them if they really associate with water when they have the element symbol tattoo of that, they look at you perplexed!

 

 

 

 

[Jadis]

I am also non-Wiccan but I love the symbology of the pentacle because it encompasses all of the elements in balance. Reading about Wyrdkiss's experiences here has been interesting as I feel that non witchy/pagan people tend to associate the pentacle with witchcraft in general and not Wicca in particular. 

[Aeon418]

4 hours ago, Wyrdkiss said:

I am not Wiccan, do not really identify with the belief system, and it seems that is the "auto-assumption" of 

everyone who raised my jewelry as a talking point.

 

Look on the bright side. If someone assumes the pentagram dates back no further than the 1940's (which is when Gerald Gardner invented Wicca), you can safely "auto-assume" how intellectually lazy they are.

[Misterei]

12 hours ago, Wyrdkiss said:

I like my pentagram necklace, it is basic but quite nice and the symbol resonates with me on a tarot / practical level, yet I've stopped wearing it this last year or so. ... I am not Wiccan, ... and it seems that is the "auto-assumption" of everyone who raised my jewelry as a talking point

I always loved the pentagram as a piece of sacred geometry. The Golden Ratio and all.

When I was young being "witchy" was a loose conglomeration of people who read tarot cards and wore pentagrams and crystals and whatnot.

People didn't read too much into it.

It's a more recent development that pentagram came to mean "wiccan" in religious diversity memes.

star of david is judaism, cross for christian, crescent for moslem, and pentagram for wiccan.

I no longer wear one.

It was always about PYTHAGORAS for me. *sigh*

I do sometimes wear a cross. I was born greek orthodox even thou I no longer practice. The cross doesn't attract unwanted attention.

And for me, the the cross also has esoteric meaning.

Edited September 18, 2023 by Misterei

[Natural Mystic Guide]

3 hours ago, Misterei said:

star of david is judaism

I like wearing a 6-pointed star, although I am circumspect here (Bali, Indonesia).  Also I socialize in Balinese-Hindu circles.  The only thing that matters is 22 carat gold.  Total status.  My eye has become accustomed to this aesthetic.  So I really need a good gold one.

[Morwenna]

I realize that the pentacle has been identified with Wicca but I think it's more in line with Paganism in general. I'm not Wiccan, but I see nothing amiss with wearing a pentacle, because, as others have said, it represents the 5 elements and also the golden ratio. (When I ever saw that demonstrated on "Donald in Mathmagic Land" I was thunderstruck!) I like the symbolism of numbers. 

 

But as for me, I don't wear symbolic jewelry any more. But I do have a couple of Christian medals and a dreamcatcher on my key ring... if I ever got a pentacle that small I might add it... 😊