On countless nights we have raised our eyes to the sky to contemplate those small distant points of light that illuminate us. The stars have always awakened admiration and sighs to all those who have gone to contemplate them.
This universal emblem takes on very special prominence in any look, especially with your jewelry. Stars are the most beautiful motifs in jewelry, and with more meaning. Today we will show you the symbolism behind the stars popularly known as the five-pointed star or Pentacle.
Meaning of the five-pointed star
The history of the five-pointed star goes back thousands of years. Some scholars claim that it was known in Mesopotamian cultures, such as Sumerian and Babylonian. Popularly, the meaning of the star is associated with the figure of a human being: with arms crossed and legs open. The top point of the star is the head of the human being and the other points are the 4 elements of nature.
The Pentacle symbolizes the control and domination of human beings over nature. It is the sacred symbol of the harmony of body and spirit, and consequently, the representation of the perfect physical, energetic and spiritual health of the human being.
Etymology
The 5-pointed star derives from the "pentalpha of Pythagoras", from the Greek Penta (five) and alpha, the first letter of that language, which has the figure of a small triangle.
The five-pointed star is representative of the human body because in it are marked the five extremities of man, his five senses, and his five natural elements (matter, spirit, soul, force, and life).
The physical interpretation of this symbol indicates that the human body is concentrated on the five forces or elements of nature: earth, water, air, fire, and time.
The number 5
The five-pointed star is closely related to the symbolism represented by the number 5: it designates the fifth universal essence, the vital essence, the vivified spirit, the eternal genealogical movement, and the human intellectual force.
The five also represent the natural elements of the world: earth, water, air, fire, and germ.
The history of the five-pointed star symbolism
It is one of the oldest symbols, but its exact origin is not known, since its existence is lost in time. The Sumerians already used it, and like the Star of David, no culture, society, religion, or country has a monopoly on this symbol. Despite its many interpretations, what is agreed upon is that, when this star is inverted, it is known by most as the Devil's Star.
On a symbolic level, it shows the head of the man below and the four elements above him. This means that he does not control the 4 elements but is attached to the Earth, i.e. material energy (material goods, basic instincts, power, money, etc.). It is also said that, as the three points are downward, it is a negation of the Christian Holy Trinity and that the two points upward indicate the negative side (as duality) that dominates, with respect to the positive.
The Five-Pointed Star is a symbol of the human being, not only because of its physical resemblance to the Geometric Man of Vitruvius but also because its sides enclose the golden ratio, a number that appears in all forms of life and in man. It has the property of self-replication, generates the golden spiral, and is the trend of the Fibonacci numbers.
The star of five can be seen symbolically as the rays coming out of the central Sun, a small circle, radiating its light out into the universe. In addition, the star forms a Pentacle in the center where another five-pointed star can be created, a process that becomes infinite towards the center of the star.
But also the envelope of the star is another Pentacle that can be considered as the center of a larger star. Therefore, it can also extend infinitely outward, symbolizing the hermetic principle: "as above so below, so below so above".
Evolution of the meaning of the five-pointed star
The meanings that this symbol has taken on throughout history are very varied since it is one of the oldest known symbols:
- The oldest known form of the five-pointed star dates back to 3500 BC in the city of Ur in Ancient Mesopotamia where it was worn by the ruler as a symbol of power. Also, Emperor Constantine I used it in his seal and amulet.
- For the Hebrews, the five-pointed star represented the Truth and the 5 books of the Pentateuch. It is incorrectly called the Seal of Solomon.
- In Ancient Greece, it was called Pentalpha, composed of five points. The Greeks did not attribute other symbolic meanings to the letters of their alphabet.
- For the Gaians, the five-pointed star represents the royal order of balance on Earth. The four upper points are the four fundamental Elements: Air, Fire, Earth, and Water; and the upper point, the human. Surrounded by a circle, it implies that everything belongs to a single body.
- In ancient Egypt, it was identified as the symbol of the "Underground Matrix".
- The Celts related the five-pointed star to the Underground Goddess Morrigan.
- The Christians gave it the meaning of the 5 Stigmata of Christ.
- In the Middle Ages, the five-pointed star was inscribed in gold on the shield of knights symbolizing their five virtues: generosity, courtesy, chastity, piety, and chivalry.
- During the Inquisition, the inverted Pentagon symbolized the Head of the Goat, or (as we have said before) the star of the devil.
The golden ratio or "divine proportion"
The five-pointed star inscribed in the regular pentagon, the "mystic pentagram," was the symbol of the Pythagorean school. To the quotient between the diagonal and the side of the pentagon, usually designated by the Greek letter φ, special aesthetic qualities are attributed and it appears very frequently in architecture, as in the Parthenon, in painting and sculpture. It is also the quotient between the length and width of the ID card and credit cards.
It is often called the "golden ratio" or "divine proportion" when a segment is divided in two in that proportion: "The whole is to the greater part as the greater part is to the lesser part".
A golden ratio is an irrational number discovered by ancient thinkers when they noticed the link between two segments belonging to the same straight line. This proportion can be found in nature and in geometric figures, and it is given an aesthetic condition: those whose forms respect the golden ratio is considered beautiful.
Visit the Planderful website to choose your star jewelry. The designs reflect the strength and hope conveyed by each of the points of the stars. I hope their story has inspired you!
