Compiled by Rev. Selena Fox, Senior Minister, Circle Sanctuary
adapted from part of Circle Sanctuary's January 6, 2006 application for the Pentacle being added to the NCA list of Emblems of Belief that can be inscribed on VA issued headstones and markers for deceased Veterans
for more information, contact:
Rev. Selena Fox, Circle Sanctuary, PO Box 9, Barneveld, WI 53507 USA
phone: (608) 924-2216
fax: (608) 924-5961
Email: selena@circlesanctuary.org
NCA POLICY: 2.d. "NCA will consider requests to add emblems of belief not on the current list when the required information outlined in this directive is submitted." 2.e. "The request will be evaluated against the following criteria:"
2.e.(1) Whether there is an immediate need to inscribe the emblem on a new, first headstone or marker issued for a deceased eligible veteran.
Circle Sanctuary has an immediate and urgent need to have the Pentacle emblem inscribed on a new, first marker to be issued for our long-time church member who is a recently deceased eligible veteran.2.e.(2) Whether there is a letter signed by a recognized leader of the organization supporting the addition of the emblem.
Circle Sanctuary's cover letter to the NCA dated January 6, 2006 requests the addition of the Pentacle to the list of NCA approved religious emblems for headstones and markers. This letter was written and signed by Rev. Selena Fox, the recognized leader and Senior Minister of Circle Sanctuary.2.e.(3) Whether the organization's (the decedent's) belief/faith system (footnote definition: "belief system" is a group of opinions, doctrines, and/or principles believed or accepted as true, a body of tenets accepted by a group of persons or an organization."):
2.e.(3)(a) Is comprehensive in nature, consisting of a system of beliefs that provides the believer with answers to many, if not most, human problems and concerns, in contrast to an isolated belief or teaching.
2.e.(3)(b) Addresses fundamental and ultimate questions, such as questions concerning the nature of life and man's purpose in it;
The belief system of Circle Sanctuary is comprehensive in nature and is not an isolated belief or teaching. Circle Sanctuary's belief system not only addresses the human condition, but also includes a larger view that extends beyond humankind to the rest of the natural world. As with other types of Nature religion, Circle Sanctuary views the sacred dimensions of Nature as sources of wisdom, guidance, and answers for human problems and concerns. Circle Sanctuary members attune themselves to the Divine through aligning with natural rhythms, including the cycles of sun, moon, and seasons. Humankind is viewed as part of a great interconnected circle of life on the earth and in the universe, and the religion emphasizes the importance of being in harmony not only with other humans but also with this greater circle of life.2.e.(3)(c) Is shared by an organized , structured group of substantial membership; andOver the years, Circle Sanctuary has published a variety of books, articles, and other writings pertaining to its beliefs and practices. The best known of Circle Sanctuary's publications is the international quarterly,
CIRCLE Magazine , which has been published for more than twenty-five years, and is one of the leading publications of Wiccan/Pagan religion in the world today. A sampling of articles is on the magazine's section of the Circle Sanctuary website.Circle Sanctuary's belief system shares much in common with other denominations of the Wiccan religion and related forms of Nature religion, also known as contemporary Paganism. The comprehensive nature of Wiccan/Pagan beliefs is widely documented, not only in scholarly works, but also in the popular press and on the Internet. Furthermore, in federal court decisions over the past twenty years, the Wiccan religion has been upheld as a religion entitled to the same civil rights as other religions.
Summaries of Wiccan/Pagan beliefs and practices are published in a variety of state and federal government manuals pertaining to religious accommodation, including the Technical Reference Manual (TRM) of the Federal Bureau of Prisons, US Department of Justice; various editions of the US Army Chaplains Handbook, first published in 1978; and the Wisconsin Department of Corrections' Religious Practices Advisory Committee (RPAC) Handbook. Rev. Selena Fox of Circle Sanctuary has served as an advisor for these publications.
Rev. Selena Fox has contributed Wiccan-related writings to a variety of works by scholars documenting religion in America. She was among the consultants on the On Common Ground multimedia educational CD-ROM created by Professor Diana Eck, Ph.D., Director of the Pluralism Project at Harvard University, and President of the American Academy of Religion. Rev. Fox also contributed to The Encyclopedia of Religion and Nature, edited by Bron Taylor (Continuum International, 2005). Rev. Fox authored sections on the Wiccan religion and Paganism in Religions of the World, the four-volume world religions encyclopedia edited by J. Gordon Melton and Martin Bauman (ABC-CLIO, 2002); Sourcebook of the World's Religion, edited by Joel Beversluis (New World Library, 2000), and the forthcoming Women in Religion in North America, edited by Rosemary Skinner Keller and Rosemary Radford Ruether (Indiana University Press, 2006).
Circle Sanctuary currently has more than 53,800 members in the United States and more than 2,700 members in other countries. However, the size of the Wiccan/Pagan religion in the United States is much larger, with estimates ranging from 500,000 to over 2 million practitioners. Circle Sanctuary estimates that there are at least 600,000 practitioners in the United States based on the church's history of extensive contacts with individuals and organizations of many denominations over the past thirty years.2.e.(3)(d) Is characterized by certain formal and external signs, such as regular services, ceremonial functions, existence of clergy, organizational structure, efforts at propagation, observance of holidays, and any other signs characteristic of traditional belief/faiths.
The belief system of Circle Sanctuary as well as the Wiccan religion and related forms of contemporary Paganism/Nature religion is characterized by formal and external signs. Circle Sanctuary is a legally established church, incorporated as a non-profit religious organization in Wisconsin and with 501(c)(3) IRS status. Circle Sanctuary has ordained clergy, church staff, a church headquarters, and an established pattern of worship services and other activities throughout the year. Although Circle Sanctuary does not proselytize, the religion is propagated through instruction of those who express an interest in learning. Furthermore, Circle Sanctuary participates with a variety of churches and organizations of other world religions in local, regional, national, and international interfaith endeavors, including charities and conferences.2.e.(4) Whether there is a statement from a recognized leader of the organization certifying the emblem is currently used and recognized as the symbol of the organization or its belief system, and attesting to the widespread use of the emblem to represent the organization or its belief system.
In addition to the statement by Circle Sanctuary's Senior Minister, Rev. Selena Fox attesting to this, included with the application are two other letters of support included from religious leaders from other major Wiccan denominations with national and international membership further attesting to the widespread use of the Pentacle as an emblem of belief.2.e.(5) Whether the organization sponsoring the emblem promotes activity that is illegal or contrary to public policy; and
Circle Sanctuary does not promote activities that are illegal or contrary to public policy.2.e.(6) Whether NCA Memorial Programs Service has determined that the requested emblem of belief can be replicated onto a stone or bronze surface for use in a headstone or marker production line environment. (There cannot be a copyright or other restriction in place that would prohibit publication of a replica of the emblem.)
The Pentacle is an ancient religious symbol and no individual or group owns copyright to it. There are variant forms of the Pentacle across denominations of the Wiccan religion and related forms of contemporary Paganism/Nature religion.Back to Veteran Pentacle pageCircle Sanctuary selected the form of the Pentacle that consists of a solid line outlined five-pointed star in a circle because (1) it is the form used by Circle Sanctuary in our religious art, in religious medallions, and in religious ceremonies, (2) it was the form used by our deceased veteran and the form requested by his widow, and (3) it is the form most commonly used across the various denominations of the Wiccan religion and contemporary Paganism. In preparing the depiction of this form of the Pentacle for this application, Circle Sanctuary's graphic designer took into account NCA specifications as well as the need to have a form that lends itself well to engraving.