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Excerpted from Circle Sanctuary’s application to the US Department of Veterans Affairs for the addition of the Pentacle to the VA’s National Cemetery Administration list of emblems of belief
The Pentacle as Widespread Emblem of Belief
The Pentacle is an encircled and outlined five-pointed star, with one point up.
The Pentacle is the symbol of the Wiccan religion throughout the United States and worldwide.
The Pentacle is an emblem of belief for Circle Sanctuary and its members.
The Pentacle also is the emblem of belief for Wiccans of other churches and denominations.
Furthermore, the Pentacle is the emblem of belief for many practitioners of other forms of contemporary Paganism/Nature religion.
The five-pointed star of the Pentacle represents balance, and the circle that encompasses the star represents unity and eternity. The Pentacle as a whole signifies harmony and well-being.
The top point of the five-pointed star of the Pentacle represents Spirit, or Soul, and the spiritual essence that is the foundation of human life. The other points represent the four other sacred Elements of Nature and aspects of human existence – Earth and the physical realm; Air and the mental realm; Fire and the behavioral realm, and Water and the emotional realm.
The Pentacle is worn as part of spiritual practice. The Pentacle also is used in religious art, in literature, in architecture, and on ceremonial tools. The Pentacle is worn as an emblem of belief by practitioners in the same way that a cross is worn by Christian practitioners and a Star of David is worn by Jewish practitioners.
On behalf of Wiccan/Pagan veterans who have the Pentacle as their emblem of belief, I ask that the Pentacle be added to the list of NCA approved emblems of belief for inscription on government issued headstones and markers for veterans.
Rev. Selena FoxDate of statement: January 6, 2006