The Iron Pentacle

[icymist]

The pentacle is the tool of Earth, the element whose characteristics are solidity and structure, the element of manifestation; it is thus fitting that the pentacle should be the foundation of the Faery Tradition.

I first encountered the Iron Pentacle on the day of the Spring Equinox, 1970. I was on a longish trip with my friend Gwydion Pendderwen, who introduced me to both the Faery Tradition and Victor and Cora Anderson. He invited me to join him in his observance of the day. What he did was very simple: he went outdoors, offered incense to the directions, and drew a pentacle in the air with his hand, saying: “In the name of Sex, in the name of Pride, in the name of Self, in the name of Power, in the name of Passion”. I recoiled inwardly a little, feeling the mix of excitement, rightness, fear, and revulsion that were characteristic of my early encounters with the Faery Tradition.

The Iron Pentacle is a Witch’s foundation, the ground on which she stands. Each of its points: Sex, Pride, Self, Power, and Passion is a fundamental part of our humanity, and each of them is something we have been taught to deny, repress, feel shame over. In the Faery Tradition, they are holy, and to be embraced with joy. They are in effect the five cardinal virtues of the craft.

Read the full essay