Symbolic meaning of the pentagram

The Pentagram is a symbol of a star encased in a circle. Always with 5 points (one pointing upward), each has its own meaning. The upward point of the star is representative of the spirit. The other four points all represent an element; earth, air, fire, and water. All these things contibutite to life and are a part of each of us.

To wear a pentagram necklace or other form of jewelry, is to say you feel the connection with the elements and respect the earth.

Five elements

Here are five elements, four of matter (earth, air, fire and water) and THE quintessential - spirit. These may be arrayed around the pentagrams points. The word quintessential derives from this fifth element - the spirit. Tracing a path around the pentagram, the elements are placed in order of density - spirit (or aether). fire, air, water, earth. Earth and fire are basal, fixed; air and water are free, flowing.

The single point upwards signifies the spirit ruling matter (mind ruling limbs); is a symbol of rightness. With two points up and one (spirit) downwards, subservient, the emphasis is on the carnal nature of Man.

The number 5

The number 5 has always been regarded as mystical and magical, yet essentially 'human'. We have five fingers/toes on each limb extremity.We commonly note five senses - sight, hearing, smell, touch and taste. We perceive five stages or initiations in our lives - eg. birth, adolescence, coitus, parenthood and death. (There are other numbers / initiations / stages / attributions).

The number 5 is associated with Mars. It signifies severity, conflict and harmony through conflict. In Christianity, five were the wounds of Christ on the cross. There are five pillars of the Muslim faith and five daily times of prayer.

Five were the virtues of the medieval knight - generosity, courtesy, chastity, chivalry and piety as symbolised in the pentagram device of Sir Gawain. The Wiccan Kiss is Fivefold - feet, knees, womb, breasts, lips - Blessed be.

The number 5 is prime. The simplest star - the pentagram - requires five lines to draw and it is unicursal; it is a continuous loop.

Pentagram:
The five-pointed star. With a single point uppermost, it represents the human being. Also called the pentalpha because it can be formed by five capital A's. Inverted, with two points uppermost, it can have Satanist associations; but not necessarily. Some traditions of Wicca use the inverted pentagram to signify an initiate of the second degree.

The Ark of Hope

The Ark of Hope, a 49" 124.5cm x 32" 81.3cm x 32" 81.3cm wooden chest was created as a place of refuge for the Earth Charter document, an international peoples treaty for building a just, sustainable, and peaceful global society in the 21st century. The Earth Charter will be presented to the United Nations in 2002 for endorsement.. The Ark of Hope also provides refuge for Temenos Books, Images for Global Healing, Peace, and Gratitude. Over 300 handcrafted 8" x 8" x 2" books were made by artists, schoolchildren, and Vermont citizens, expressing their individual and collaborative prayers and affirmations for Earth. The Earth Charter's 16 principles for building a just, sustainable and peaceful global society were the guiding vision behind the creation of these books.

The Ark was designed and painted by Sally Linder, built by cabitnetmaker Kevin Jenness and lined by fabric artist Beth Haggart. It was crafted from a single plank of sycamore from a tree in Germany. The five painted panels that form the sides and top of the Ark each represent the flora and fauna of the world as seen through the images of the world's traditional artists. Each panel visualizes a season, a direction, an element, and a universal symbol.

Inside the Ark, the Earth Charter is handwritten on papyrus paper. The University of Cairo supplied Sally with instructions for making paper with papyrus – a plant known to have the ability to purify water of pollutants in the world. The papyrus was harvested from the Living Systems, Inc. waste treatment plant in South Burlington, VT, soaked for two weeks in Sally’s bathtub, then pressed using a 90,000 press at Landell Papers, a Vermont papermaker in East Topsham.

The Ark of Hope was created for a celebration of the Earth Charter that was held at Shelburne Farms, Vermont on September 9., 2001. The event, for love of Earth, featured keynote speaker Jane Goodall, global peace walker Satish Kumar, musician Paul Winter, and Dr. Steven C. Rockefeller, a member of the Earth Charter Commission. Visit website http://phlox.gardeners.com/earthcharter for a description pf the event and http://www.jasonhouston.com/earthcharter for photos of the day

On September 11, volunteers were cleaning up from the September 9th event when news of the New York and Washington, DC tragedies was heard. Sally Linder’s immediate, spontaneous response to the horror was to begin walking the Ark of Hope to New York and the United Nations. Joined by Andrea Morgante and Janet Fredericks, they carried the 200-pound chest across the meadows of the farm to Rt. 7 where they were joined by Susan Diehl Dufort.

Many other walkers have since joined this pilgrimage to the United Nations, bringing with them hope and the vision of the Earth Charter to communities along the way. The Ark of Hope with the Temenos Books will be gifted to the United Nations.

Recognizing that the United Nations is central to global efforts to solve problems which challenge humanity, the 500-pound Ark of Hope carrying the Earth Charter and the books was walked over 350 miles from Vermont to New York City, USA and exhibited at the United Nations during the World Summit PrepComII in January-February 2002. It was also exhibited at the Interfaith Center of New York.

At the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, South Africa, the Ark of Hope will be ceremoniously offered to the world by the children of Diepsloot, an informal settlement in Johannesburg.

The Ark of Hope carrying the vision of the Earth Charter belongs to Earth and humankind. Its life grows when it is shared. It is hoped that nations around the world will bring the Ark of Hope to their people, continuing to introduce the Earth Charter to audiences globally, spreading hope and the recognition of the interdependence of justice, and economic and ecological integrity, which together build a culture of peace.

There are five elements that the Ark of Hope represents, Spirit, Air, Fire, Earth, and water.

Water

What is the Earth Charter?

In 1987 the United Nations World Commission on Environment and Development issued a call for creation of a new charter that would set forth fundamental principles for sustainable development. The drafting of an Earth Charter was part of the unfinished business of the 1992 Rio Earth Summit. In 1994 Maurice Strong, the Secretary General of the Earth Summit and Chairman of the Earth Council, and Mikhail Gorbachev, President of Green Cross International, launched a new Earth Charter initiative with support from the Dutch government. An Earth Charter Commission was formed in 1997 to oversee the project and an Earth Charter Secretariat was established at the Earth Council in Costa Rica.

Mission of the Earth Charter Initiative

A new phase in the Initiative began with the official launching of the Earth Charter at the Peace Palace in The Hague on June 29, 2000. The mission of the Initiative going forward is to establish a sound ethical foundation for the emerging global society and to help build a sustainable world based on respect for nature, universal human rights, economic justice, and a culture of peace.

The goals of the Earth Charter Initiative are:

To promote the dissemination, endorsement, and implementation of the Earth Charter by civil society, business, and government.
To encourage and support the educational use of the Earth Charter.
To seek endorsement of the Earth Charter by the UN.

1 Thessalonians 5 :1-11

1 But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write

to you. 2For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in

the night. 3For when they say, "Peace and safety!" then sudden destruction comes upon

them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape. 4But you,

brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief. 5You are all

sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness. 6Therefore let

us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober. 7For those who sleep, sleep at

night, and those who get drunk are drunk at night. 8But let us who are of the day be sober,

putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation. 9For

God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,

10who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him.

11Therefore comfort each other and edify one another, just as you also are doing.

Matthew 16

1 The Pharisees also with the Sadducees came, and

tempting desired him that he would shew them a sign

from heaven.

2 He answered and said unto them, When it is

evening, ye say, It will be fair weather: for the sky

is red.

3 And in the morning, It will be foul weather to

day: for the sky is red and lowering. O ye hypocrites,

ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not

discern the signs of the times?

4 A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a

sign; and there shall no sign be given unto it, but

the sign of the prophet Jonas. And he left them, and

departed.