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The Five Pointed Star As A Masonic Symbol

by M. R. Stapleton, MPS

The five pointed star, also known as the
pentalpha, pentacle, pentagrammaton,
pentaculum, or pentagram, is reputedly
not a Masonic symbol according to past
authorities. 1&2 However, it is commonly
included among the symbols of the third
degree in many charts and monitorial
works.

In ages gone by, the pentalpha has, at
one time been a symbol of almost every
mystery school, with an equally large
diversity in meaning.

The Egyptians at times substituted the
figure of the pentalpha as a numerical
representation of the value five, believ-
ing that there were five planets in our
solar system.

Early Christian gnostic schools called it
the Blazing Star, and lent it the meaning
of intellectual authority. This claim was
based on the Trinity corresponding to
three points of the star, and the two na-
tures of Christ to the remaining, a con-
cept known to the initiated. Similarly,
the five points were also said to symbol-
ize the five wounds of Christ.

Magicians of the Middle Ages pre-
scribed diametrically opposed meanings
to it, dependent upon orientation of the
legs. More specifically, if one leg points
upward, or two legs point upward, it
may describe antithetic sets of good and
evil, order and disorder, light and dark-
ness, the morning or evening star, the
Lamb of Ormuzd and St. John or the
Goat of Mendes.

The pentagram depicted the human
body with four appendages and the
head, if overturned, it became the image
of chaos, insanity, and death.

The Kabalists used the pentalpha as a
symbol for the microprosopus, which is
a collection of attributes (sefirah) of God
(En~of) arranged as triads, yielding the
characteristics of:

 1 . Power of universal thought.

2. Moral truth in the universe.

3. The material universe and its mo-

- tion (equilibrium). The attributes

which comprise the characteristics are:

1 . a. knowledge (kether)
b. wisdom (hokhmah)
c. understanding (binah)

2. a. mercy (hesed)
b. judgment (gerurah)
c. beauty (tifereth)

3 . a. endurance (netsah)
b. majesty (hod)
c. foundation (yesod)

By a somewhat complex means of divi-
nation these characteristics are balanced
to provide first hand experience of God
to the ardent practitioner, by coming to
know the true divine nature. Talmudic
tradition holds King Solomon to be
among the Kabalistic adherents.

The Greek philosophical schools
ascribed the pentalpha, or triple triangle
to Pythagoras. Although, each school
lent its own peculiar meaning to this
device. The Platonists' assigned one of
the four elements to each of the legs, with
the pinnacle being the symbol of uni-
verse. The Hellenistic school thought it
to be of great power, by reason of the fact
that the number five is the sum of the first
odd, and even integers.

Oddly enough, inspection of the pen-
talpha's construction is far more reveal-
ing with respeot to its true nature than
any exposition presented thus far. First
glance will yield information about the
fact that it is a ten sided non-regular
polygon, containing 5 36 degree interior
angles, and 5 72 degree exterior angles.
Fig. 1 (A, B, C, D) describe the construc-
tion as follows:

lA.Inscribe a circle of some diameter

X.

lB.Divide the circle into five equal
parts. (To obtain chord length use:
C = D x sine (180/5)
lC. Sequentially connect the points
around the circumference of the circle
to produce a pentagon.
lD. Connect alternate points around
the circumference of the circle to pro-
duce the pentalpha.

Fig 2 illustrates a pentalpha partially
inscrlbed in a pentagon. Lines AC and
BE intersect at point F. Line CF = Y, and
AF =Z. Therefore assume that a con-
tinuous line is formed, of length Y + Z,
and marked off in two parts Y and Z.
The respective lengths are such that the
ratio of the whole (Y + Z) to the greater
part (Y) to the lesser part (Z). i.e.
y + Z/Y = Y/Z Then Y-ZY-Z2 = O
Whence Y/Z = (1 + SR 5)/2 = O
= 1.618.

That is to say, Y is 1.618 times longer
than Z, and Y +Z is 1.618 times longer
than Y.

This value became so ubiquitous that it
was dubbed the "Golden Ratio," and it
is doubtful that the pentalpha has any
rival in plane geometry where a greater
number, or forms of Phi occur. (See Ap-
pendix A)

The value of ~ was first described by
Vitruvius, a Roman architect (50 B.C.)
in his landmark work "The Architec-
ture. " Explicit in phrase, Vitruvius sets
forth an exact account of the symmetry
and proportion required to design each
detail of a temple. The analogy em.-
ployed was that of the human body,
giving due proportion of the correspond-
ing parts, and their relative measure, as
the standard for construction. Central to
this concept is the ratio of the total height
of a person to the height of the navel, the
product being ~.

A study conducted by Hambridge8 to
verify the occurrence of 0, and its func-
tions as the basis for proportion in the
human body, was undertaken in 1919.
The measurements produced twenty-
three constants of proportion occurring
in all three-hundred skeletal specimens
studied. This work verified Vitruvius'
system of proportion beyond question.
However, this model for design did not
lay dormant, nor remain untested until
our time. Between 1500-1600 the
greatest geometricians of the day e.g.
(Kepler, Pacioli, Durer, Da Vinci) wrote
extensively on the "Golden Ratio" and
its appearance elsewhere in nature. Dis-
covery was made in the areas of anatomy,
astronomy, acoustics, mechanics, optics,
biology, botany, and music; so littered is
the Grand Architects' scheme with this
phenomena, Kepler called it "The
Divine Ratio."

The advent of Gothic architecture
pointed up philosophical, and technical
similarities between Vitruvius' theory of
The Philalethes, February 1992

CF = Y A F = Z
CFA = Y~Z ~ = Y

y2 yz _ z~ = O
Z = 2. ) = ~jb= /.61~3

proportion, and the post Romanesque
builders. Vitruvius framed his propor-
tion patterned after man, Gods' most
glorious achievement. The Gothic
masters, on the other hand sought to
interpret, and replicate both mystically,
and liturgically the celestial city de-
scribed in the book of Revelations.

In the 10th century St. Augustine set
forth a philosophical view of art rooted
in science. His perception of beauty is
based on the analogical function of
geometry, that is, its ability to lead the
mind from the world of appearances to
the contemplation of divine order. Con-
sistent with this view, he reasons that
" perfect ratio, and proportion is the
source of all aesthetic perfection, and
outlined a system of rigorous mathe-
matical formulae for the harmonic de-
sign of structures.

The twelveth century brought further
technical refinement by means of a uni-
fying concept. A group of Platonists as-
sembled at the Cathedral School Of
Chartes knit geometry, and theology as

Figure 2

a link between God and the world, the
magical tool which would unlock both.
This image gelled as the depiction of God
as a master builder, and launched eccle-
siastic fervor for construction.

The Medieval architect was quite
different from our present day notion of
the analogous professional. Typically,
the designers of the Gothic period were
Master Masons educated in the seven
arts and sciences, and endowed with the
secret geometric doctrine which allowed
development of a unified design from a
single dimension. The epitome of this
esoteric geometry is illustrated in Fig. 3F
as presented by Moessel.8 The
geometric key diagram is formed from
two interlaced pentalphas (decalpha) in-
scribed concentrically in two larger in-
terlaced pentalphas, in the O ratio. Each
of the larger also connected in such a way
as to describe a pentagon. Fig. 3 (A-F)

This diagram when correctly scaled,
may be superimposed on either the plan
or elevation of a Gothic structure, thc
resultant correspondence of verticcs in
26

Figure 3

the figure to major architectural foci is
striking. By corollary, employment of the
figure during the design process imme-
diately yields due proportion for all other
parts of a building from the initial
measure.

Exemplification of the method is given
by dimension "A" from Fig. 4, which
has been taken as the fundamental
measure from which the elevation view
in Fig. 5 may be developed. It should be
noted that the distance between the ver-
tices, or points of intersection that form
Fig. 4 are some function of ~, in the
vertical, horizontal, and diagonal planes
simultaneously.

Figure 5

Two possible schemes for harmonic
analysis of the facade of " The Chapel Of
Houghton In The Dale" have been pro-
posed in Fig. 6 & 7 . Detailed calculations
of the actual proportions illustrated in
the figures, validate the utility of the key
diagram.

As a means to further test Moessel's
proposition, complete sets of plans and
elevations were obtained for a number of
Go~thic structures.9 Similar results were
obtained as in the previous example, in
all cases of structura, detail where the key
diagram predicted proportional concor-
dance in ~I Subsequent calculational so-
lution consistently yielded numerical
verification of the prediction.

Design by proportional development
during the Gothic period is a docu-
mented fact,10 although the specifics of
the method are vague at best. The finite
scope of test cases used here, suggest
excellent agreement with the proposed
technique, and thereby form a rea-
sonable basis to argue that the key dia-
gram is indeed the operative masters
secret.


Appendix A- 1

In view of the fact that Gothic architec-
ture, and Freemasonry enjoyed a coeval
span of popularity, the one siring the
other; it is a sma,ll leap to assume that the
two became a conjugate entity with com-
mon symbols . So we find the " Five
Pointed Star" as a Masonic symbol, om-
nipresent, all pervasive, yet its light ob-
scured by the veil of time.
Re~erences

1. "Encyclopedia Of Freemasonry," A.G.

Mackey 1921, The Masonic History Co.

2 . "Coil's Masonic Encyclopedia, " H.W. Coil

1961, Macoy Publishing.

3 Ibid.

4 . " History Of Freemasonry, " 1893, The Frater-
nity Publishing Co

5. "Kabba,h," C. Ponce 1973, Quest Books.

6. "Mathematical Diversions," J.A. Hunter

1963, D. Van Nostrand.

7. "The Architecture," F. Granger (translator)

1931, Harvard University Press.

8. "The Geometry Of Art And Life, " M . Ghyka
1946, Sheed and Ward Co

9. "GothicArchitecture," H W. Pugin 1821,J.R.

Jansen Co.

10. "The Gothic Cathedral," 0. von Simpson

1956, Pantheon Press.

General Re~erences

Thl Diuinc P~oportion, H.E. Huntley 1970, Dover

Publications .

Ccomnry And Thc Visual Art~, D. Pedoe 1976, St.

Martin Press.

Art ~' Gcomctry, W.M. Ivins 1946.

Building In England Down To 15~0, L.F. Sa,zman

1967, Oxford University Press.

ThcEncyclopcdiaofArchitccturc, J. Gwilt 1867, Long-

mans Publishers.

A.Q.C, Vol. xix, A. Bowes, Vol. viii, W.H.

Rylands; Vol. xxiii, T. Klein.

The Philalethes, February 1992
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