Brass Pentagram Altar Tile, 5.75 Inch

A working pentacle, not just decor. The tile is the altar's earth tool in Wicca, the surface for consecrating tools and charging objects, so it earns a permanent place at the center of the altar rather than a shelf.

Solid brass at 5.75 inches. Big enough to hold a chalice, a stone, or a small offering dish, heavy enough to stay put, and warm-toned enough to glow under candles.

The classic upright pentagram. The five points stand for earth, air, fire, water, and spirit; the upright star is the everyday protective form used across Wicca and modern witchcraft.

• Diameter: 5.75 inches
• Material: brass
• Design: five-pointed pentagram
• Weight: about 6.4 oz

In Wicca, the pentacle is the altar tool of the element of earth, and a pentagram altar tile is used as the consecrating surface: salt and water are blessed on it, tools are laid on it to be dedicated, and charms or stones are set on it to charge. Gerald Gardner placed the pentacle at the center of the Wiccan altar in the 1950s, drawing on the ceremonial magic of the Golden Dawn, where the pentacle was already the earth tool of the four elemental weapons.

The symbol goes back much further. The Pythagoreans used the pentagram as a sign of wholeness, the Solomonic grimoires drew it on protective seals, and the nineteenth-century occultist Eliphas Levi fixed the modern reading of the upright star as spirit over the four elements. Brass is a traditional metal for ritual tools because it is warm, durable, and takes engraving well. When you set something on this tile, you are placing it inside a symbol that has meant protection and balance for more than two thousand years, and inviting it to hold that meaning for you.

1. Cleanse the tile with smoke, moonlight, or a wipe of salt water before its first use, then dry it. Speak a short dedication as you set it down, naming it as the earth tool of your altar.
2. Place it at the center of the altar or in the north, the quarter most Wiccan traditions assign to earth, with the single point of the star facing away from you.
3. Use it as the consecrating surface: rest a new athame, a stone, a charm bag, or a jar of salt on it while you recite a blessing or an invocation of the elements.
4. During a working, keep the tile as the anchor: the chalice sits on it for the symbolic Great Rite, offerings rest on it, and the finished charm is set on it to charge until the candle burns down.
5. Polish it now and then with a soft cloth, and let it darken with age if you prefer. How it lives on your altar is yours to decide.

• Medieval Athame, 9.5 Inch: the blade to lay across the tile for consecration.
• Pentacle Cast Iron Chime Candle Holder, 1.25 Inch: a small candle to burn on or beside the tile during spellwork.
• Altar Bell with Pentagram Design, 2.5 Inch: ring the working open and closed over a matching star.
• Frankincense Resin Tears, 1 oz: the consecration resin, burned on charcoal beside the pentacle.
• Living Wicca by Scott Cunningham: the solitary's guide to building an altar around a pentacle like this one.

What is a pentagram altar tile used for?

A pentagram altar tile is the earth tool of the Wiccan altar, used as the surface for consecrating tools, blessing salt and water, and charging charms, stones, or jars. It also anchors the altar visually. Objects placed on it during a working are held inside the symbol of the five elements.

Where should the pentacle go on the altar?

Most Wiccan traditions set the pentacle at the center of the altar or at the north, the quarter of earth, with the single point of the star facing away from the practitioner. Eclectic witches place it wherever the altar's layout needs an anchor. Consistency matters more than the exact spot.

How do I clean and care for a brass altar tile?

Wipe it with a soft dry cloth after each working and polish it occasionally with a brass polish or a paste of lemon juice and salt, rinsed and dried well. Brass darkens naturally with age and handling, and many practitioners like that patina. Keep it dry between uses to avoid spotting.

Is 5.75 inches a good size for an altar pentacle?

Yes, 5.75 inches is a standard altar size, large enough to hold a chalice, an offering dish, or a stack of small tools during consecration, and small enough to fit a dresser-top or shelf altar. It also travels well wrapped in an altar cloth for outdoor ritual.

Can I use this tile if I am not Wiccan?

Yes, the pentagram belongs to a broad Western magical tradition, from Pythagoras to the grimoires to modern eclectic witchcraft, and nothing about this tile requires initiation. Use it as a charging plate, a protective anchor for the altar, or a place to set offerings, and let it take on the meaning your own practice gives it.

Is the pentagram on this tile upright?

Yes, this tile carries the upright pentagram with a single point at the top, the form Wicca and most modern witchcraft use to represent spirit governing the four elements. Which way it reads on your altar depends on how you set it down, so orient the single point away from you for the upright form.