Baphomet is a mysterious creature with the head of a goat, which is found in several sources from the history of occultism. It is considered a satanic idol. Starting from the Templars in the Middle Ages and ending with the masons of the XIX century, Baphomet always caused controversy and controversy - up to the present day. Baphomet - what is it? And most importantly, what is the true meaning of this symbolic figure and its appearance in occultism?
Meaning in the occult
Throughout the history of Western occultism, the name of the mysterious Baphomet is often found and mentioned in many treatises. At its core, Baphomet is, as already noted, a satanic idol. Although the name became widely known in the twentieth century, mentions of Baphomet can be found in documents dating back to the eleventh century. Today, this symbol is associated with everything related to occultism, ritual magic, witchcraft, Satanism and esotericism. His name often pops up to emphasize something occult. So who is he - Baphomet? What it is? The name first appeared in 1098 in a letter from the crusader Anselm Ribmon. The most famous image of this idol of the Middle Ages is found in the book of Eliphas Levy “Dogma and Rituals of Higher Magic”, and since 1897 the work has become a landmark for modern occultism. Many are interested in the sacramental question: "Baphomet is the devil or not?" Why is he so important in occultism? To answer these questions, you must first find out its origin.
The origin of the name of the satanic idol
There are several theories regarding the origin of the name Baphomet. The most common explanation claims that this is an old French distortion of the name of Mohammed, a prophet of Islam revered by Muslims. During the Crusades, the Templars remained for long periods in Middle Eastern countries, where they became acquainted with the teachings of Arab mysticism. But its exact origin has not yet been established.
Baphomet and the Templars
Contact with eastern civilizations allowed to return to Europe what would become the basis of Western occultism, including Gnosticism, alchemy, Kabbalah and Hermeticism. The connection of the Templars with Muslims led the church to accuse them of worshiping an idol named Baphomet, so there are several likely connections between this name and the prophet Mohammed. The Catholic Church made the following accusations against the Templars: they allegedly practiced sodomy, desecrated the cross, and renounced God. Documents recently discovered in the secret archives of the Vatican suggest that these allegations may be real. For many centuries, the Catholic Church has maintained that Baphomet is Lucifer, that is, the devil himself.
There is a high probability that the worship of the Templars by Baphomet was fictitious, and this lie was specially disseminated by the Inquisitors themselves to find any reason to incriminate them in heresy, and thus solve the problems created by this famous and rebellious order. The Templars, for example, used every opportunity to influence the king of France, Philip VI, and even the leaders of the Catholic Church.
The persecution of the Templars
The last highest master of the order, Jacques de Molay, was charged with being burned at the stake as a heretic. The torture of thousands of members of the order gave the Inquisitors the desired confession in a variety of atrocities and heresies. Chief among them were the denial of Jesus and the worship of an idol, namely, a bearded goat head, called Baphomet. The Templars claimed to have been trained to deify this idol as the only God and Savior, but their descriptions of this satanic deity were very different. For example, some said that he has four heads and three legs. Others claimed that the figure of an idol is either wood or metal. Some Templars claimed that Baphomet was made of gold. As “evidence”, the court was presented with many temple items brought from eastern countries, and some of them had the image of an unusual androgenic creature. Subsequently, all submitted materials were destroyed.
Alternative Theories
However, there are other theories regarding the origin of this name. An alternative explanation may be that the name Baphomet comes from the Greek baphe metous, that is, in the literal translation “baptism of wisdom”, which connects it with the Gnostics. There is also a theory about the origin of the name Baphomet from the distorted Arabic expression "Abu Fihamat", which means "father of wisdom." The symbol itself, like its name, does not have an unambiguous explanation. However, in the ancient world there are dozens of strange, mystical references to it. Horned gods are often found in ancient mythology.
The modern image of Baphomet
However, the modern image of Baphomet appeared only in 1856, in the book “Dogmas and rituals of higher magic” by Levi Eliphas (mentioned at the beginning of the article), who was an experienced esotericist and occultist, originally from France. His book is trying to answer the question: "Baphomet - who is this?"
The book does not describe a deity, without even implying an idol for worship. The images of Levy are a metaphor for the unity sought by magic and alchemy. This is not a man, not a woman, not a man, not an animal, not black, not white. This is just a complex image or likeness of the Chinese principles of all things - Yin and Yang. Levy was deeply convinced that the Templars really worshiped this ancient deity, but he could not get real evidence of this. Esotericists and mystics are still wondering who Baphomet is.
Description of Baphomet
The description of Baphomet that Levy provided is used in modern esoteric literature. Baphomet is a rather frightening creature in the guise of a goat-headed idol.
A goat carries a pentagram sign on its forehead, with one dot at the top, which is a symbol of light. His one hand points upward to the white crescent of Hesed (good), and the other is directed down to the black star Geburah (evil).
One of his hands is a woman, the other is a man. The flame of intellect shining between the horns is the magic light of universal balance, the image of the soul, towering above being, like a fiery essence. But at the same time, she is attached to matter, shining above her.
The head of the beast expresses the horror of the sinner, whose material needs and earthliness should be punished solely because of the renunciation of the Almighty and nature. The soul is not considered sensitive in the non-material world, but it can suffer and feel during the painful process of materialization.
A rod instead of the genitals symbolizes eternal life. The body of the beast is covered with scales. Half of the circle above the god symbolizes the atmosphere of fear, and the feathers of Baphomet are necessary for gaining the ability to soar in the air. The idol has a powerful chest, feminine developed, and the hand of the sphinx of the occult sciences. So who is Baphomet? The photo from Levy's treatise on the dogma of mysticism perfectly demonstrates this, in any case, describes its appearance.
What does Baphomet represent?
Many people ask: "Idol Baphomet, what does it mean on a spiritual level?" This is not an easy mystery. According to Eliphas Leve and according to his occult theories, Baphomet is an image of human ignorance, superstition, delusions, sinfulness, which are generated by blindness of the spirit. In this sense, Baphomet is suitable for identifying him as Lucifer, the governing idol. In this case, it is understood that its influence extends to ignorant people, struck by the darkness of spirituality and anger.
For this reason, the true follower of occultism and esoteric religion does not create idols for itself, and of course, does not worship them. Baphomet, having flesh and blood through the human imagination, does not exist for him. It is believed that for real followers Baphomet is nothing more than a phantom.
Most esotericists agree that in reality Baphomet did not exist and this is nothing more than a fiction of the Catholic Church and the monarch of France, with the aim of destroying the Knights Templar. Evidence is often given that there were no people who described the appearance of the idol absolutely identically during interrogation. Baphomet had either the head of a goat or the cat. The number of limbs of the creature also changed dramatically. The clothes were also very different - from black monastic robes to human skin. Some said that he had a tail, hooves, beard, while others denied this.
Modernity and the goat idol
The Church of Satan, created by Baphomet fans in 1966 in San Francisco, adopted a different image of Baphomet as a sign of Satanism. It is quite specific.
This symbol represents the head of a terrifying goat, inserted into an inverted five-pointed star, which, in turn, is in a double circle.
On the outer circumference there are Jewish letters, which are located on the edges of the pentagram and denote the name of Leviathan - a large oceanic monster-like serpent, which, in essence, is similar to the devil. When performing rituals and processions in the Church of Satan, the symbol of Baphomet is attached to the wall behind the altar. For the followers of this cult, Baphomet is a higher being.