Pentacle
<p >A <b>pentacle</b> (or <b>pantacle</b> in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thelema" title="Thelema" >Thelema</a>)<sup id="cite_ref-CrowleyCLXV_0-0" class="reference" ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pentacle#cite_note-CrowleyCLXV-0" >[1]</a></sup> is an <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amulet" title="Amulet" >amulet</a> used in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magic(paranormal)" title="Magic (paranormal)" >magical</a> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evocation" title="Evocation" >evocation</a>, generally made of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parchment" title="Parchment" >parchment</a>, paper or metal (although it can be of other materials), on which the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symbol" title="Symbol" >symbol</a> of a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spirit" title="Spirit" >spirit</a> or energy being evoked is drawn. It is often worn around the neck, or placed within the triangle of evocation. Protective symbols may also be included (sometimes on the reverse), a common one being the five-point form of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seal_of_Solomon" title="Seal of Solomon" >Seal of Solomon</a>, called a <i>pentacle of Solomon</i> or <i>pentangle of Solomon</i>.<sup id="cite_ref-OEDPentacle_1-0" class="reference" ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pentacle#cite_note-OEDPentacle-1" >[2]</a></sup> Many varieties of pentacle can be found in the<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grimoire" title="Grimoire" >grimoires</a> of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Key_of_Solomon" title="Key of Solomon" >Solomonic</a> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magic(paranormal)" title="Magic (paranormal)" >magic</a>; they are also used in some <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neopagan" title="Neopagan" class="mw-redirect" >neopagan</a> magical traditions, such as <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wicca" title="Wicca" >Wicca</a>, alongside other <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magical_tools_in_Wicca" title="Magical tools in Wicca" >magical tools</a>.
The words <i>pentacle</i> and <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pentagram" title="Pentagram" >pentagram</a></i> (a five-point <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eulerian_path" title="Eulerian path" >unicursal star</a>) are essentially synonymous, according to the Online Oxford English Dictionary (2007 revision), which traces the etymology through both French and Italian back to Latin, but notes that in Middle French the word "pentacle" was used to refer to any talisman. In an extended use, many magical authors treat them as distinct. In many <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarot" title="Tarot" >tarot</a> decks and in some forms of modern <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Witchcraft" title="Witchcraft" >witchcraft</a>, pentacles often prominently incorporate a pentagram in their design.
There is a specific differentiation between pentacle and pentagram within Wicca and other re-constructionist systems. Namely, a<i>pentacle</i> refers to a <i>pentagram</i> circumscribed by a circle. This form of pentacle is formed upon a disk which may be used either upon an altar or as a sacred space of its own. The pentacle is representative of the Earth in occult usage.<sup id="cite_ref-Guiley1989_2-0" class="reference" ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pentacle#cite_note-Guiley1989-2" >[3]</a></sup></p>