Magic of the Iron Pentacle: Reclaiming Sex, Pride, Self, Power & Passion

by Jane Meredith, Fio Gede Parma

Magic of the Iron Pentacle is an intense journey into self-awareness through the Reclaiming tradition and practice. Explore the magic of a living pentagram that exists in each of us. It is of the body, it sings to spirit, it evokes qualities neglected and reviled--yet those qualities, together and in balance, enliven our magic and our lives.

The work of the Iron Pentacle will change you. As you are challenged at each point and your projections and fears rise to meet you, your soul rises also. In embracing this work, being human reveals the divine within.

Simultaneously simple and intricate, Magic of the Iron Pentacle opens the door to a revolutionary concept that combines personal empowerment with magical technique. Exploring the themes of Sex, Pride, Self, Power, and Passion, we enter a realm of self-awareness, growth, and transformation. This is the work and the time is now.

Let the adventure begin . . .

Genres: Spirituality, Witchcraft, Nonfiction, Metaphysics

264 pages, Paperback

First published February 8, 2016

About the author

Jane Meredith is an author and ritualist. Her books include Falling through the Tree of Life: Embodied Kabbalah, Journey to the Dark Goddess, Aspecting the Goddess and Circle of Eight: Creating Magic for Your Place on Earth. Jane's passions include magic, trees, rivers, dark chocolate and participative ritual.

Jane offers distance and in-person courses worldwide and her website is: www.janemeredith.com

Reviews

[Pablo Roman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I actually purchased this book last year directly from one of the authors at a pagan event. For the record i know both authors, and consider them both incredibly competent teachers. I didnt read the book right away because to be honest i was quite afraid of what i would find.
Being a little more conversant with reclaiming witchcraft technologies having attended a couple of witchcamps i started reading this book this week. IT IS INCREDIBLE! I am blown away by the insight and work it contains for the reader. Meditations on the five points are interspersed among rituals, spells, and deeply personal memoirs illustrating how the points and concepts they contain manifest in our daily lives.
For me this is what witchcraft is about - doing deep personal work in order to take it out to broader world. I love this work. Its difficult, confronting but so deeply rewarding. This books provides useful tools with which to carry the work out. Everyone should do it

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Magic of the Iron Pentacle is a book that, like Meredith & Parma’s previous co-authored work Elements of Magic, is inspired by a core class in Reclaiming tradition witchcraft. Unlike the prior book, this one is – at least as far as I can tell – authored entirely by Meredith & Parma. It reads as more cohesive and consistent as a result. As someone who hasn’t taken an Iron class, I found the material to be clear and thorough, definitely enough of an introduction for me to incorporate Iron into my practice.

The book is organized into eight parts: a brief introduction (including history, ‘how the book is set up’, etc.), a section for each of the five points of the Iron Pentacle, a section on ‘Iron Pentacle Tools’ (including both basics like grounding and centering that are relevant far beyond Iron as well as ways to run the Iron Pentacle), and finally the last part ‘Deeper Iron’ which gets into additional pentacles (rusted, gilded, and Pearl) as well as some ideas for experimenting with running iron in different ways, including in small groups. Overall, I think this structure works, though I do think that some readers will want to read the ‘Iron Pentacle Tools’ section first, particularly those less familiar with ritual structure and those who aren’t familiar with how Iron / pentacle work is run specifically.

Inevitably, there will be parts that work for some readers and not others. Each of the sections on a point of the pentacle includes several ritual ideas, and there are some that appeal to me that I can imagine trying and others I definitely wouldn’t, and I’m sure this will be true (with different rituals) for different readers.

I appreciate that the authors have included a ‘further reading’ list, though I’d much prefer it didn’t include a so-called ‘feminist’ author known to be vehemently transphobic: this feels out of alignment with the rest of the book, which reads as quite inclusive. I also appreciate that they consistently identify where (ex. from Feri, from Reclaiming) different ideas and practices derive from.

[JP · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a deeply personal work, which fits with the whole process of working with the Iron Pentacle. I will admit, some parts I read had me feeling uncomfortable, but the whole point of working with the Pentacle is to uncover those parts that make us uncomfortable and turn them into strengths, to uncover what strengths we have in relation to those points.

I've had problems in the past with Parma's writing style, acknowledging his experience but feeling that his way of expressing it was too open in the way of a young writer. I find myself changing that opinion now- he's open where he has to be and it's a good thing. The raw feeling is what one needs when working with these practices; raw feeling is a key element of magic, of (self-)transformation (along with a variety of other key factors).

This was my first time reading Meredith and I enjoyed her work. Together, these two provide an excellent expansion on a practice I first discovered in Coyle's Evolutionary Witchcraft. It's well worth the read.

[Storm Faerywolf · Rating 5 out of 5]

Magic of the Iron Pentacle is a beautiful and intelligent exploration of one of the most powerful and transformative conceptual tools of the Witch. Exploring its origins and evolution through the Faery and Reclaiming traditions, authors Jane Meredith and Gede Parma share many stories... of how this pentacle of iron came to be, what it means to those who seek it, and how it can change and empower us, if we dare to engage it fully. The wisdom shared in these pages is that born of personal practice and a deep passion for the Craft. Weaving together a bardic tapestry formed of poetic narrative, personal stories, philosophical exploration, meditative exercises, and simple rituals, Meredith and Parma succeed in bringing the power and presence of the Iron Pentacle to a new audience of Witches, who are hungry for more than simply casting circles or casting spells, and are ready for the deep self-work that is the road to the true power of the Craft. Performing the practices outlined here will give an experiential understanding of the Iron Pentacle in a deep and personal way, while engaging the poetics of this work will nourish and enchant the soul. This is a work that speaks to all levels of our selves, and in so doing holds a valuable key to our own magical and spiritual empowerment.

[Zan Dean · Rating 4 out of 5]

Powerful, poetic, and overall solid exercises. Working through this book and developing the Iron Pentacle for myself has been an empowering experience. This book also opened me up to others in this modality - Evolutionary Witchcraft and others.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had the impression that the book was going to examine every facet of the pentacle, including deep work on the paths between the points. It is actually a deep meditation on the points themselves, with a brief section on the things I was hoping for. This makes it more of an introduction rather than the next level work that would add some spice to my practice, but it is still useful.

[Angy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like the concept of the Iron Pentacle and this book. The Pentacle is a great symbol in terms of self-transformation and witchcraft. And of course, iron's abundance make it work very well in terms of strengthening one's attitudes toward sex, pride, self, power, and passion. The information about each of those five points was effective and well-explained, and I agree that most humans really do need to form healthier relationships with those things!

I don't think the book perfectly executed these topics, however. I was not terribly impressed by the memoir sections that the two writers included, found them to be distracting and not super enlightening or helpful. I love their attitude toward capitalism and why that is non-productive toward self-improvement. However, I do not like how they talked about sex. Don't get me wrong, I am the opposite of vanilla and I'll try anything once (and I've tried many things). However, one thing I'm a stickler about is monogamy, even if I respect other people's wishes for polyamory! I felt like the book judged monogamy because of those who are unable to practice it well (such as cheating, which I and my current partner have never done, though I realize how much of a problem this is), and I was irritated by them saying that pornography seemed like a deviation of monogamy. There was also a portion in a memoir about cheating, which annoyed me. I do not mind the concepts of casual sex and sleeping with multiple people, but there's no place for infidelity if you've set that boundary in an intimate relationship, no matter how freeing it could feel.

One thing I really did like were the exercises within each chapter! They were unique and thought-provoking. I've done some with alterations that felt more authentic to myself.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book describes a meditation tool used in the Feri and Reclaiming Witchcraft traditions. The points of the pentacle are Sex, Pride, Self, Power, and Passion, five forces in our lives that are many layered and loaded with cultural baggage. The goal is to bring them into balance and become a more "right-sized" person in all these ways. It seems the work of a lifetime, but work worth doing.

I also took a class on the same tool whole I read this book.

[Silen Wellington · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fio and Jane Meredith such an incredible job exploring this rich tool. This book helped me deepen into the Iron Pentacle as a magical practice and develop a more potent and living relationship with it. Iron Pentacle has changed my life and is a tool I use so often in my practice. This book is a great mixture of history, practices, essays to speak to many learning styles.

[Brandon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is well written and has been an incredible place for so many people I know to begin exploring oneself through the iron pentacle while helping to identify and hold truth to the deep seated things that move through us, both known and unknown. I definitely recommend.