Five pointed star in Nature

We see the Five Pointed Star all around us. Pentagram stars hold the symbolism of quality. Used in logos, flags, school merits and excellence ratings the pentagonal symmetry on which a five pointed star is based holds a special place in us all.

So lets look at the five pointed star, sometimes called the Pentagram, that we find in nature. As with all our shape hunting exercises sometimes it takes a while to tune into what to look for. To some, it feels like arrows point out these stars to us loud and proud while for others we see the flower and the 5 petals but need time to identify the star within.

star in flowers and seed pods — Hoya flower, strawberry flower and eucalyptus seed pod

geometry in food 5 pointed star — apple core

loved by children and adults alike the apple star always amazes. It is the number of petals that often denote the seed formation, many fruit bushes/ trees have five petalled flowers. (new variants of species often deviate from this)

Celery stalks, like other plant leaves, grow to a pattern of the Fibonacci sequence, print from the bunch and you can join the stalks in alternate steps to create the hidden star.

Echinoid fossils, sea urchins and starfish are just some of the marine creatures displaying the hidden pentagram.

5 point star in sand dollar — 5 point star shape in sand dollar

Regeneration

One of the most important geometric features of the five pointed star is it’s ability to regenerate itself and create pentagram after pentagram inside one another. Simply draw lines joining all 5 points and a pentagon (5 sided shape) appears in the centre, join these five points and another pentagram appears. you can keep going forever drawing stars within each other. Experience this yourself with pentagonal stars and patterns.

star shape in the planets — conjunctions of Venus, Earth and the Sun

Every 8 years the positions of Venus, Earth and the Sun all fall into a straight line. Mark each of these lines and they create a wonderful pentagonal flower pattern in the solar system that redraws itself again and again. This flower scribes the five points of a star. you can scribe your own at this link

In many flowers an ever present pentagon displays the pentagram star at its centre.

History of the Pentagram star

It has been the same in history also. The star has always held a great magical association. The star is greatly used in christian symbolism and was often worn as an emblem to ward off evil during the middle ages. All the way back to the rennaisance pythagorus school the pentagram was used as their symbol of recognition because of its significance to the eternal regenerative powers of nature. This flag of life expresses itself in so many living forms and creatures all around us.

echinoid stars — tiny star present in the echinoid fossil

Spirit, Philosophy and Geometry

The five pointed star at the base of a blueberry holds significance to some Native Americans that the Great Spirit has sent ‘starberries’ to ease hunger.

In philosophy practised by the Greeks, it was seen that the Monad was One – a point. Dyad was Two points – the Line. Triad was a group of three – three points making a surface. And the Tetrad of four points – was the minimum amount of points needed to create volume and introduces 3 dimensions.

So it followed that the Pentad was the introduction of life itself – the next step. The pentad was visualized by a star or a pentagon.

Nature of Life

Also, the fifth of the 5 platonic solids being the ‘dodecahedron’ which has 12 pentagonal faces. In the past the dodecahedron has been associated with:

the Pomegranate which represents the prolific nature of life ready to burst its seeds.
the Cosmos. The Life that brings together all the platonic solids and the elements they represent.

5 stars for Nature!

You can eat that apple now!

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