History of the Pentacle
The oldest known use of the Pentacle dates to 3,000 BCE, when it was used by the Sumerians and Babylonians to depict angles and provide directional orientation. Early civilizations also used the Pentacle for astrological purposes, assigning the points to the five planets visible to the naked eye: Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn.
By 500 BCE, the great mathematician Pythagoras identified the “Golden Ratio” within the Pentacle, which was incorporated into Greek art and architecture. Pythagoras was the first person to refer to the balance of the "Cosmos," and he proposed the soul’s eternal existence through transmigration. Later, his followers ascribed the Pentacle to the five classical elements: Earth, Air, Fire, Water, and Ether (Ideas).
In 300 CE, Roman Emperor Constantine used the symbol as a seal and amulet. When the Roman Catholic Church was formed, Christians adopted the Pentacle to represent the five wounds of Christ, which pierced his hands, feet, and side. Others associated the Pentacle with the five senses: Touch, Taste, Smell, Hearing, and Sight.
In medieval times, the Pentacle was part of the legends of King Arthur and the Knights Templar, who had five virtues: Friendship, Generosity, Chastity, Courtesy, and Piety.
And during the Renaissance, Leonardo da Vinci revived the Pentacle by illustrating that the proportions of the human body align within this sublime shape in the Vitruvian Man.
Spiritual Unity and the Pentacle of Venus
At the close of the Fourth Spiritual Paradigm, Oracle chose the Pentacle to represent the potential for spiritual unity among the five ancient religions: Hinduism, Judaism, Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam.
At the dawn of the Fifth Spiritual Paradigm, we hope all the spiritual traditions will synergize their teachings and build a compassionate world dedicated to a Culture of Peace.
To this end, let us recall the most glorious and enduring use of the Pentacle – as a symbol for Venus, the Goddess of Love – who models an eternal aspect of the Sacred Feminine Feminine and the promise of a gender-balanced Godhead.
Venus creates the Pentacle as it orbits the Sun. The process takes 8 years, and you can watch Venus create the Pentacle in this video. The resulting “Violet of Venus” is the Oracle symbol.