[MR] pentagrams in devices

[nodecaf at nodecaf.com]

Thank you for this wonderful information! Me, the-lover-of-lost-causes, was actually starting to research a paper along these lines with the hope of enlightening a few minds. As a real practicing Pagan, I will say that it is with a sigh of relief that here in the SCA some have finally begun to see past religious prejudices. 

For a decent historical overview of the pentagram symbol see: 
http://www.journey1.org/freedom/pentagram.htm 

Lady Tsura to je Staiji 
Barony of Bright Hills 


Greetings all,

(I never throw out old emails :-)

As Disreali said: all things come to those who wait.  Back in October 2000 
there was a discussion on the Merry Rose between the then Golden Dolphin, 
Pedro, Myself, a Lady Brenna and others regarding the College of Arms 
refusing to register pentagrams/pantacles.  I am pleased to report that this 
precedent was overturned in March 2009.  My Lady Brenna, if
 you are still on 
this list I hope you find this information useful.

Regards,

McKenna

Fwd from SCA_Heralds:

This precedent was overturned in March 09:

Ailis Linne. Badge. (Fieldless) A mullet of five points voided and
interlaced within and conjoined to an annulet azure.
There is a long history of rulings regarding the unregisterability of
mullets voided and interlaced (also known as pentacles or pentagrams),
beginning as early as 1973 by Ioseph of Locksley and including rulings or
correspondence in 1976, 1978, 1979, 1990, 1994, and 1996. The ruling in
1990 was appealed to the Board of Directors, as reflected and discussed on
the April 1991 Cover Letter. As specified in that Cover Letter, the primary
argument against the registerability of this charge was that "the device
was not returned for its specific religious content as perceived by the
submitter and her co-religionists, but for
 the specific anti-religious
content as perceived by a far larger number of people, both within and
without the SCA." The 1996 ruling was an appeal of a return from 1994, and
after considering the various arguments, the then Laurel King of Arms,
Da'ud ibn Auda, felt "compelled to uphold the prior precedents disallowing
the registration of mullets of five points voided and interlaced, whether
within and conjoined to an annulet or standing by themselves. [Based on the
evidence presented, s]uch charges still are perceived by a significant
portion of the population as [a] "satanic symbol", and hence cannot be
registered by the College."

The current submission presents extensive documentation showing that the
pentacle or pentagram is no longer perceived as a specifically satanic
symbol. Instead, it has become more closely recognized as a symbol of the
Wiccan religion. For example, the US military services have
 acknowledged
the Wiccan religion in their Chaplain's handbook since at least 1990, and,
more recently, the association of the pentacle with the Wiccan religion was
acknowledged by the US government when the pentacle became the Wiccan
religious symbol allowed on the government-furnished headstones of fallen
US soldiers.

We received a large amount of commentary on this submission from the
College, and the consensus was overwhelmingly in favor of dropping the ban
on this charge. We hereby overturn the ruling from 1996, and allow the
registration of mullets voided and interlaced, both inverted and not, and
both conjoined to annulets and not, so long as the overall design in which
this charge is used does not otherwise violate RfS IX.2 Offensive Religious
Symbolism.