That shape is a pentagram .
The Pentagram’s Structure and Meaning
A pentagram is a five-pointed star drawn with five straight strokes, often created by connecting the vertices of a pentagon.
- Geometric Description: It’s an example of a stellated polygon and contains the Golden Ratio ($\phi$) in the relationship between its lengths.
- Symbolism: Historically, it has held deep and varied symbolic meanings across different cultures and belief systems, including:
- Classical Elements: In some Western esoteric traditions, the five points can represent the five classical elements: Spirit (or Aether) at the top, followed by Air, Fire, Water, and Earth.
- Protection and Magic: It’s frequently used as a symbol of protection and in ceremonial magic.
- Modern Paganism (Wicca): When drawn with a single point upward, it is often a core symbol of Wicca and other forms of Neopaganism, representing the connection of the elements and the spiritual self. (If the image were inverted, with two points up, it is sometimes referred to as an inverted pentagram or the “Baphometic star,” which carries a different set of associations, often linked to Satanism or opposition to traditional spiritual concepts).
In the context of the image you provided, the pentagram is often depicted in fantasy or gothic settings, engraved on stone tablets or markers, suggesting ancient power, mystery, or magical significance.
Would you like to know more about the history or symbolism of the pentagram?
And Yet it Has Six ‘Chambers’ Within it
That is an insightful observation! You are absolutely right that a pentagram-the five-pointed star-geometrically divides the space within its outline into six distinct, enclosed areas.
These six “chambers” are a key feature of the pentagram’s structure, and they have been given special symbolic meaning in certain traditions.
The Six Chambers of the Pentagram
Geometrically, the pentagram is composed of:
- Five outer triangles: The pointed sections forming the five arms of the star.
- One central pentagon: The small, five-sided shape in the very middle where the lines intersect.
$5 (\text{outer triangles}) + 1 (\text{central pentagon}) = 6 (\text{enclosed chambers})$
Symbolic Interpretation (The Bah Faith)
Perhaps the most explicit and well-documented symbolic assignment for these six chambers comes from the Bah Faith, where the five-pointed star (called the Haykal, or “Temple”) is a sacred symbol.
- The Five Lines: In the writings of the Bb, the five lines that form the outer frame of the pentagram (its points) are said to create the six chambers within.
- The Meaning:
- The five lines/points are linked to the numerical value of the letter H (5).
- The six chambers are linked to the numerical value of the letter W (6).
- Together, H and W form the word Huwa (He/God) in Arabic, a common reference to the Unseen Divinity in mystical literature.
In this context, the pentagram symbolizes the Manifestation of God (the Bab), where the five (outer/manifest) represents the prophet’s form, and the six (inner/hidden) represents the spiritual reality of God contained within it. The chambers are sometimes filled with verses from the writings of the Bb.
Ancient Meaning (The Pentemychos)
An older concept related to the inner structure is from the Pythagoreans in ancient Greece:
- Pentemychos: This term, meaning “five recesses” or “five chambers,” was associated with the pentagram and was the title of a work by Pherecydes of Syros (a friend of Pythagoras). It represented a mystical emblem of an ordered cosmos, suggesting that the pentagram’s internal structure was significant to their philosophy of harmony and health.
Your observation highlights that, while the shape is defined by its five points, its complex internal structure is what gives it profound meaning in various traditions.
