The following diatribe/article/missive/nonsense from me is about writing and some critically important thoughts on writing. Have some magnificent forbearance and a little undulating patience while I meander my way to that topic.

Many people think/assume a pentacle is an evil shape whose sole purpose is for use in wicked incantations designed to invoke Satan or other devilish and nefarious creatures.

Not.

Our ancient ancestors utilized pentacles as a serious meditative and focusing tool to assist people in reaching/achieving an understanding of themselves and the world around them.

You can, by your experience and interpretation of sensory input achieved through contemplation of the pentacle (life experienced through your senses), either invoke what the ancients termed a daemon or a demon.

Note the difference in spelling as it is critical, which is why I am mentioning it.

A daemon is the soul or persona that each human, as they develop their awareness and consciousness, projects into three-dimensional real-time space. The daemon reflects all that is virtuous and good in the individual. Proper control and use of sensory experience (pentacle of the senses) leads to understanding, which can (through conscious appreciation) result in wisdom and thus, virtue.

A demon is also the soul or persona of a human, but one who has chosen to live at the purely physical or social level and has not internalized any of the greatest ethical or moral values. Their demon projects into three-dimensional real-time space and reflects all that is evil, selfish and unclean in the individual. The worst people are those who attain a certain higher level of knowledge and willfully choose to use their knowledge for pure self-gain. They rarely “repent” as it were and achieve true wisdom and virtue.

Just like the pentacle of the senses above, writing has 5 aspects:

Step 1. A word.

Step 2. A sentence.

Step 3. A paragraph.

Step 4. A chapter.

Step 5. A book.

How we write, and what we choose to write about, is based on how well the pentacle of the senses is appreciated and applied to our writing. Too much emphasis on any one sense can still produce a story, but it will be incomplete and unfulfilling.

As I mentioned above, the pentacle of the senses was used by our ancestors to help others reach an authentic and deep understanding of themselves and the world around (and within) them. Once you do that (and continue to strive to achieve that) then writing becomes the way in which the fruits of this labor are expressed.

Using the pentacle of the senses will result in different things for all of us because we experience life in unique ways, but writing expresses universal human traits, ideas, conceptions and thoughts — good writing expresses the thoughts of our daemon and NOT a demon.

There are things we all love about life that are evocative of the pentacle of the senses. Qualia, as some would have it. The smell of fresh garlic, the visual beauty of a new sunrise, the sound of birds chirping, the taste of spices and food, the touch of a loved one. As we combine all of these things we start to understand ourselves, others and life, and with that understanding we begin to achieve wisdom — and if we consciously utilize that wisdom we can find virtue.

Writing represents the breadcrumbs on the trail so we do not lose our way. The words we use to express our thoughts may assist others (and ourselves) in the journey of life, or simply demonstrate our own joy at the trip.

It is good to write about the things we know and love. A writer has to contemplate and meditate on what that means to them personally — and then start expressing those thoughts using the 5 steps of writing — words, sentences, paragraphs, chapters and a book.

Art, illustrations, photos, drawings, diagrams and such also clearly express the pentacle of the senses and are key elements alongside any essential text.

Contemplate all this and then take the first few steps — words, sentences and paragraphs — and see where it takes you.

Express how you see the world through the pentacle of your own senses.

Have a fun journey !!!

Enoch