From the Flaming Pentalpha to the Sign of the Goat
A sinister feature of women's Freemasonry
By Athos A. Altomonte
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The Five-pointed Star

For Egyptians the five-pointed Star represented the Sun, Horus, born from Isis and Osiris.

Later it was used by Pythagoras to demonstrate the golden segment. The rectangle has sides that respect the golden proportion; it is called golden rectangle and it can be originated many times in the so-called Pentalpha.

Pentalpha means ‘ five alphas' , viz. five principles. The Pentagram , symbol of Pythagoreans, contains a word that corresponds to ‘ healthy ', which for Greeks meant life and health. Inside the pentagram there is a human figure whose limbs touch the circumference (called Agrippa's) and it represents the human microcosm and the five centers of strength of the body.

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* Pythagoreanism is synonym of science of the numbers. Numbers are the archetypical ideas and the geometrical models of every form in manifestation. In his studies Pythagoras (572-497 B.C.) revived the science of the ‘Word', that is the power of sound ; he made an exact science out of the study of the sound that from the supreme Being moves through metaphysical characteristics. By studying sonorous intervals (octaves) he penetrated harmonic forms (tones) up to the silent sound . He reduced the sonorous relations between planetary masses and solar system to mathematical values and associated them to man's structure (see Laws of Harmonics).

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The five-pointed Star is also called the Magi Star, in accordance to the symbol of power and light that enlightens the spiritual journey. For these reason it is usually placed on top of the grotto and on the Christmas Tree.

Medieval Architects thought that the pentalpha represented the Golden Number (1.618) used to establish the relation 3 to 5 in buildings.

The proportions of the Golden number can be found in all that gives man a feeling of harmony and beauty; their use is widespread. This dynamic sign of Nature and Man doesn't touch the ‘higher planes', though. They can be reached only through the circles that branch off it, drawn by the ‘Compass of the Spirit'.

The ‘Star' is the emblem of Freemasonry and it is shown everywhere. It adorns buildings' facades and decorates the chest of the best men, even princes of the Church. It embellishes monuments and churches together with the Luminous Delta (J. Boucher op. cit.).

The Flaming Pentalpha

Speculative Workers have developed its philosophical and esoteric meanings; they have transformed it into the highest representation of the initiatory condition of the Man who has received the Light.

‘…the Flaming Star, the Pentalpha that contains the ideogram translated with the letter G. The Flaming star that appears to the winner of the earthly attractions is the star of the Human Genius; it has five points that correspond to the head and the limbs of Man; it is the Star of the Microcosm that in Magic embodies the sign of Sovereign Will, viz. the irresistible means of action of the Initiate.' Umberto G. Porciatti

‘…the Flaming Star is the center where the true light irradiates from.' Guillemai de Saint Victor

‘…the Flaming Star represents the light that shines on the disciple of the Masters, the worker able to serve them meekly; it is the symbol of Intelligence and Science.' Gedalage

For Freemasonry ‘…the Flaming Star is the emblem of free thought, of the sacred fire of the genius that elevates man to great things.'

‘…the adept can realize the Rebis when he curbs his elementary attractions. All that is inferior, brute, meanly instinctive in him must be controlled before he can attract the Fire of the Sky and embody it. In other words, animal nature must be overcome and Man will have the full possession of himself.' Oswald Wirth

In the Sign of the Goat

The Pentalpha with a point directed upwards and the image of a ‘man' inscribed into it has a luminous and beneficial value. On the contrary, when it is upside down it becomes the Pentacle with a ‘Goat's head' inscribed into it and has an evil value in opposition to Light, the emblem of instinct and bestiality.

The overturning gives a negative meaning to any other symbol, not only the Pentalpha. The number 999*, for example, represents spirituality and perfect initiation. Upside down it becomes the number 666, which has a demoniac and counter-initiatory meaning. The same is true for the Latin cross, which is a Christic symbol but upside down it is a satanic representation.

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*In a mathematical sense the perfection of 999 is in the fact that it is the sum of three prime numbers, 149 + 263 + 587, where all the numbers from 1 to 9 appear only once.

A sinister feature of women's Freemasonry

‘…for those who don't know the Goat's meaning, we can say that it is the representation of Satan. Nevertheless, it might not necessarily be a negative attribute; it could mean the opposite pole, viz. woman.' Oswald Wirth

Some people have marked Women's Freemasonry with the upside down pentalpha, because they've followed the theory that ‘ it might not necessarily be a negative attribute and it could mean the opposite pole, viz. woman' . They have proved themselves doubly ignorant.

The first mistake is to consider the feminine pole opposite to the masculine one. Feminine and masculine poles are complementary. Therefore man and woman are not opposite but complementary essences. The proof is in the attempt to harmonize the complementarities of both through the agelong experiment called ‘family'.

We must not confuse the conflicts of two poles which don't have harmonics yet with the opposition of contrary natures.

We must not forget that both men and women have their own masculine and feminine poles, which they must learn to develop (logical and perceptive systems). It would be an intelligent choice if one helped the other by revealing their prerogative and strengths to each other. Initiatory competence should provide these instruments.

The upside down seal, sign of misogyny or moral racism?

The second mistake is of ethical nature.

We will never know if the person who attributed such a compromised symbol was inspired by superficiality or misogyny. But the result is certainly immoral.

We need to establish the initiatory rationality and the ability of judgment of people who still use that symbol and hope that they can get rid of it.

From a personal point of view it would be interesting to know if the concerned parties recognize themselves in the Sign that ‘men's wisdom' gave them; if it represents their reality, if it expresses their feeling like soul. It would be interesting to know how they view the fact that as sisters they receive an upside down Pentalpha and as female gender a pair of white gloves, symbol of virile kindness. It is difficult to say if this attitude is a symptom of mental confusion or hypocrisy. Certainly Women have already suffered great damage, wrong doings and injustices from religion. Will traditional Freemasonry be able to get rid at least of the most reactionary obscurantism against the female soul?