Effective use of any of the pentacles presented on this website requires that the person doing the meditation--the "operator"--first be centered and grounded. Failure to center and ground prior to any meditation or spiritual work can cause a depletion of personal energy (resulting in fatigue, illness or confusion) and can encourage personal isolation and false feelings of transcendence. It is also strongly suggested that you do pentacle work in sacred space by casting a circle beforehand. Pagan meditation is not designed to effect the kinds of self-centered isolation that many popular meditation methods (some Eastern and New Age techniques) inadvertantly cause. Pagan meditation is designed to put us into deeper contact with ourselves, the earth, the beings with whom we share the earth, and with the Gods. Pagan meditation embraces both immanence and transcendence--the goal is not only ultimately to see the unconditioned, unitive state of the individual soul, but also to translate any insight into positive self-cultivation and action in the collective. A Pagan axiom is "a gift demands a gift," and this means that we must share the fruits of our spiritual work with others or stagnate. Pagan meditation transforms the individual and the world and the fruits of meditation must be shared in the collective sphere. For example, the Iron Pentacle nurtures a positive acceptance of the energies of sex and pride. This might translate into action as work for sexual equality, battered women, abused children, rape-associated causes, etc. The Pearl Pentacle encourages an awareness of the unitive values of Freedom and Law and work with it might translate into an effort to reform existing national laws to reflect the spiritual values of equality. These pentacles can be used, therefore, in any spiritual or psychological work designed to prepare individuals for magical, political or social action or for jobs that deal with these questions--these meditations are not just something that one does alone on a mountaintop.
Starhawk treats the Iron, Pearl and Life-Cycle pentacles in The Spiral Dance (3d edition, Harper, 1999. 79-81). She suggests that prior to working the meditations, the operator should draw the appropriate pentacle in her/his Book of Shadows. While it is a good idea to have a visual representation of the pentacle you are working with, you may also just draw it in the air in front of you once or several times. The idea is to awaken the structure of that pentacle in your energy body and to attune your awareness to the shape and points of that pentacle. The Pagan Universalist tradition has a ritual of transmission in which these pentacles are put into the energy bodies of the student, but this ritual/transmission is not necessary. Patient and regular use of the pentacles will build their presence in the energy body without requiring a in-person instructor.
The points of your body--head, hands and feet--correspond to the five points of the pentacle. Imagine lying down on a pentacle drawn on the floor and you will see that on the Pearl Pentacle, Love=head, Power=right hand, Wisdom=left hand, Law=right foot, Knowledge=left foot. When you are in meditation and running the energies of the pentacle through your body, you will visualize an appropriate color of light darting from point to point as it weaves the star into your subtle energetic field (aura). You may simply imagine this or you may imagine the Goddess (or other appropriate entity) standing before you or hovering above you and drawing the pentacle over your body.
You will generally start with the upper point of the pentacle and proceed down to the right foot, following the line from there and making sure you connect the fifth point back to the top when you have finished. This seals the pentacle. You may also want to draw a circle around the star after connecting the final point. You do not have to start at the top, but may begin on any point that is appropriate to your current circumstance or ritual need. For example, if you are experiencing too much selfishness, you may start the iron pentacle on the "self" point and meditate on its connections to power and passion--you may gain profound insight into how your selfishness is related to your use of power or to a failure to direct your passions with will. If you are experiencing low self-esteem, you may want to begin on the same point (Self) or on the Pride point. The idea is not only to awaken the point in your energy field and consciousness, but also to see how it is connected to the other points in dynamic relationship. It is not enough, in extended work with these pentacles, to simply recite the points--you must hold what "sex" or "love" mean to you--how they are connected to other points in your life and not only in the abstract.
1. Create Sacred Space
2. Center and Ground. If working in a group, you may also want to do some shielding to control how much energy is coming at you from others.
3. Draw the pentacle and label its points or gaze on a visual representation of the labeled pentacle. You may also draw the pentacle in the air, visualizing it forming out of an appropriately colored light (your intution will tell you what's the best color).
4. Lie down or stand up with your arms outstretched and feet spread apart. Be comfortable.
5. Start with the upper point or with the point you have decided to begin with. See it glow with a bright, safe point of light. Think about what that point means to you, how it is manifesting in your life at present. Let any visual images related to that point come to your awareness. Linger over the point as long as you like. Keep the point of light glowing and alive at all times. Make a mental note of any seemingly unrelated thoughts or images that come to mind. They may contain secret insights.
6. When you are ready, move the energy to the next point. See a beam of light (shooting out or drawn by your deity) move from your starting point to the next connected point (head to right foot, for example). Think about this second point just as you did the first. Also think about the connections between the first and second points, the dynamics in your life that connect them. When you are finished, move to the third point and repeat the process.
7. Repeat the whole meditation as many times as you like.
8. When you are finished, make sure you connect all points. You may draw a circle around the pentacle at this time. You may want to give thanks to your deity. Sit quietly for a few minutes reflecting on the pentacle as an inter-linked whole.
9. Write down any insights you want to keep in your memory before they fade.
When you are moving energy along the points, note your emotional responses and attempt to intuitively assess the strength of that point. Ask how it feels and what qualities it has within you. For example, someone who has lost a job may feel wounded or weak in the "pride" and "power" points of the Iron Pentacle and may see these points in symbolically meaningful terms. In such a case, "Self" could be seen as a small, wounded child in a tight cage. If these sorts of images arise, you may direct healing energy to them. Starhawk writes that "When you are 'on the points,' they will all be in balance. If some points feel weak, work on developing those qualities." The pentacle thus becomes an energetic diagnostic tool as well as a meditative apparatus and will help you in your process of self-cultivation.
Working with these pentacles is generally not a one-time thing, but something that is repeated as a process of self-exploration. Repeated use of a single pentacle or of several will enrich your experience, understanding, and ability to use them as meditative tools.
The Elemental Pentacle | The Pentacle of the Magus | The Life Cycle Pentacle
The Pentacle of Iron | The Pentacle of Pearl
Complementarity of Iron and Pearl