Symbols And Their Meanings In Wicca: 6 Esoteric Symbols Explained

Please note that posts on this site may contain affiliate links

It takes dedication to learn all the symbols and their meanings in Wicca. There are many symbols throughout all different forms of witchcraft. Even other forms of Wicca see symbols like the pentacle in different ways.

Wiccan symbols represent aspects of our lives, reality, and the earth. For instance, Wiccan symbols represent the elements, masculine or feminine energies, life or death, and other essential themes common amongst humanity.

To demonstrate this concept, let’s look at six popular symbols and their meanings in Wicca.

Symbols And Their Meanings In Wicca Explained

Symbols as tools for magic is a powerful theme throughout most religions. Symbols are used to take big, abstract ideas and boils them down to make them easier to understand and identify.

For instance, think of the typical drawing of a heart. It symbolically represents so many things: Life, health, vitality, love, romance, and more.

Wicca is no different in this regard. It has powerful symbols that represent religiously and spiritually significant concepts.

They are frequently incorporated into spells and rituals to link deities, energy, and magic with the physical world.

Symbols bind our will and spiritual energy together, making symbols simple but potent spells that almost anyone can use.

This article is going to explore six of the most significant Wiccan symbols. Many of these symbols are well-known outside of Wicca, as well.

This isn’t an exhaustive list of major Wiccan symbols, but they are a few of the most common ones you will encounter as a witch.

The Triquetra

This magical symbol is composed of 3 arcs that interlace. Modern neopagans have claimed that the triquetra is a symbol for triple goddesses.

Unfortunately, there isn’t really any scholarly evidence of this connection.

Still, this has become a symbol of triple goddesses in various witch paths and traditions. In modern witchcraft, this symbol represents the three phases of womanhood: maiden, mother, and crone.

This symbol is also present in Celtic art. Celtic reconstructionist pagans use the triquetra to represent the presence of the number 3 in their theology. For instance, they divide the world into three realms: the land, the sea, and the sky.

Celtic reconstructionists also use the triquetra to represent goddesses like The Morrigan, who are sometimes seen as triple goddesses.

The Pentacle And Pentagram

The pentacle and pentagram are probably the two most well known Wiccan symbols.

Even the US military allows pentagrams to be used on their gravestones and tombs now.

What’s the difference between a pentacle and a pentagram? Well, the pentagram is the five-pointed star. The pentacle put the pentagram inside of a circle.

The pentagram star represents the four elements of earth, air, fire, and water, plus the fifth element of spirit. Some Wiccans change what the fifth element is, but spirit is the most common choice.

The circle around the pentagram represents many things. It can symbolize the cycle of life, death, and rebirth. It can represent the interconnectedness of all the elements and all living things. It reminds us to see the world as a whole.

The symbol itself is a protective one. Much like casting a circle protects us from negative energy and unwanted spiritual attention, the pentacle spiritually protects us.

It shields us and protects our own energy, deflecting negativity.

Wearing a pentacle or having one tattooed on you can give you daily protection.

Wearing a pentacle also reminds us of our spiritual path and that we are part of many interconnecting webs of life. We do not exist in a vacuum, away from other people and their realities.

In some pagan faiths, the pentacle also represents the 3 aspects of the triple goddesses (maiden, mother, and crone) and the 2 aspects of the Horned God (life and death).

The Solar Cross

The solar cross is associated with the sun, sun gods, and the element of fire. This is one of the oldest known symbols and dates back at least as far as the neolithic. This symbol can be seen in neolithic stone age cave paintings.

Ray Buckland once mentioned that this is also known as Wotan’s cross. 

This sun wheel can be used to mark the solstices and the equinoxes of the wheel of the year.

The solar cross is another protective symbol. It evokes the powerful energy of sun gods to guide and cover you from negative energy. It also represents light and the movement of the sun.

This symbol of balance and infinity is tied directly to the earth and is best used when honoring nature. It helps many pagans to center and calm themselves.

That’s another reason to learn occult symbols and their meanings: they are great meditation tools.

The Celtic Knot

A Celtic knot or Icovellavna is a knot that doesn’t end, representing infinity. 

In fact, the triquetra above is one version of a Celtic knot.

Celtic knots are made of one unbroken line with no start or endpoint. They can be complex or simple. 

Celtic knots are one way to represent deities and can be used like sigils if you are making your own.

The Moon

For Wiccans and many pagans, the Moon is more than just that ball of cheese in the sky. It’s more than a symbol, too. She is a goddess, or many goddesses, depending on your path.

You will see many people using the crescent moon in witchcraft and paganism. Or perhaps, the triple Moon, which is a crescent moon followed by a full moon and followed by a crescent moon again.

Why is the Moon so important for spirituality and magic? Because the Moon is intrinsically tied to us in mysterious and powerful ways.

The Moon controls the ocean’s tides. It also controls the tides of our lives since we are made up mostly of water.

When witches tune into the Moon’s phases, they notice how much it affects us all. Some even believe that the Moon controls the frequency of paranormal activity!

For women, our cycles are tied to the Moon as well. Women inherently practice moon magic in this way. 

This is probably why the Moon is most often a woman in cultural myths.

The Moon represents intuition, mystery, dreams, wishes, the divine feminine, psychic power, and so much more.

Few people take the time to notice the energy of the Moon and its phases. If you wish to work powerful magic, you should make it a habit to connect with the Moon.

Hecate’s Wheel

This maze-like symbol spirals around like a serpent. It represents the goddess Hecate, the patroness of witches, magic, and crossroads.

The maze is also known as the Stropholos of Hecate. It also represents knowledge, life, necromancy, ghosts, and entryways.

If you want to learn about more Wiccan symbols and their meanings, check out this video below: