Pentagram: meaning
The Pentagram represents the universe
It symbolizes the universe based on the four elements (fire, air, water, earth), and the fifth, the spirit. It has always been a symbol of protection. Since the highest antiquity, this star is found in the main feminine cults linked to the Great Mother Goddess and in all the religions of Europe, Asia and Africa.
The Pentagram and the Vitruvian Man
The perfect man
The Pentagram, the five-pointed star, is the symbol of the perfect man. Schematically, it represents a man standing on his two feet, with his arms spread out and his head held high.
Who does not have in mind the famous Vitruvian Man by Leonardo da Vinci?
The Vitruvian man is inscribed in:
● a square, symbol of the earth, its four vertices referring to the four terrestrial elements (water, air, fire and earth) and the four cardinal points
● a circle, symbol of the sky: it is the representation of the unity, of the celestial vault.
Thus, Leonardo da Vinci would seek to represent man as a creature (earthly) of god (celestial) and to show by the use of divine proportion that Man, creature of god, is perfect.
The extremities of the human body form a pentacle with five branches.