Appendix:
Drawing Pentragrams & Pentagons
I've paraphrased the following from Charles
W. Benfield, "Constructing a Pentacle" (_Nematon_, Vol.
I, No. 3; Beltane 1974, pp. 12, 14-16):
Procedure I
| 1.
Draw a horizontal line, which will be the diameter
of the bounding circle. |
| 2.
Bisect the line to get its center, and draw a perpendicular
through this center. |
| 3.
Draw a circle around the center with the given diameter.
|
| 4.
Bisect the horizontal three more times to get its
sixteenth part. |
| 5.
Mark on the horizontal the point 13/16 from its left
end (5/8 of the right-hand radius). |
| 6.
Use the compass to measure the distance from this
point to the intersection of the vertical and the
circle; this is the pentagon's side. |
| 7.
With the compass set as described, set off five points
around the circle's circumference. |
| 8.
Connect these points to make the pentagram. |
Procedure
II
| 1.
Construct as before the circle ABCD with vertical
diameter AOC and horizontal diameter DOB. |
| 2.
Bisect OD at E. |
| 3.
Set the compass to measure EA. |
| 4.
With E as the center, drop an arc AF which intersects
OB at F. |
| 5.
Set the compass to measure AF; this is the side of
the pentagon. |
| 6.
Step off the five points and draw the pentagram as
before. |
by
John Opsopaus November 1993
