Copyright © 2002 Scott Cunningham & David Harrington

Pentagrams have been used in magic throughout history. The pentagram's shape may have derived from the hand. This could account for its continued magical use for protection (hands are used to guard ourselves), as well as money (we earn our living with our hands).

The pentagram is an interlaced five-pointed star. Aside from its hand symbolism, it also represents the human body: the top point the head, the left and right middle points the arms, the bottom two the legs. Pentagrams were found among the ruins of Pompeii. It was in use even earlier, for a pot found at Tell Asmar (Jemdet Nasr period, circa 2750 B.C.E.) in Mesopotamia bears a painted pentagram. This figure is so steeped in magic, symbolism, and religion that of necessity these few words will have to suffice. (The pentagram isn't in any way connected with the Christian summation of evil.)

A pentacle (the term stems from ceremonial magic) is any round object decorated with a pentagram. This project utilizes the money-attracting properties of the pentagram.

Items needed:

   * Clay
   * Tracing paper
   * Pencil or pen
   * Inscribing tool (A toothpick, a whittled stick, or an awl)

Directions:

Break or cut off a tennis ball-sized piece of clay. Knead and roll it between the hands to form a ball. While doing this, visualize money coming into your life. On a piece of waxed paper, flatten the ball into a quarter-inch thick circle. Smooth the surface. Transfer the diagram shown here to a piece of tracing paper. Lay it over the flat clay. If your clay disk is too large, roll it into a ball and flatten it again, adjusting it so that it is the correct width. Using the toothpick or awl, poke a hole into the clay at each of the five outer points of the "star." Use these as guides when inscribing the pentagram onto the clay.