The Baphomet

[Unveiled Artist]

I don't know if this is the right forum since I don't really look into these things. I was talking to my co-worker and she was talking about satanism and the evils of it and so forth. I think satan either means knowledge/wisdom or temptation, can't think of which. Anyway, she pulled up different actors and actresses who were in the Ilamati I think who wore the Baphomet as a ring, on their clothes, etc.

I was wondering, is this a satanic symbol of some sort? I wear a pentacle ring and one on my key chain. She asked about that thinking it was evil as well. I wanted to tell her more about the symbol and how it's used in different ways and meanings outside of religion. I did want to tell her what I learned about the Baphomet.

I know symbols are important in many religions; and, on the other hand, I don't think some symbols have any supernatural in the ink or lead they are written. So, it confuses me about this connection between the symbols and evilness even goodness, for that matter.

 

[Liu]

The Baphomet in its current form as androgynous combination of different animals (goat, human, fish, bird) is an invention of the French occultist Eliphas Levi from 1856.
Since it stands for the balancing of opposites, especially of spiritual and carnal matters, it nowadays gets used as a symbol by Satanists, too. For example the atheist/humanist group The Satanic Temple recently unveiled a statue of Baphomet to symbolize secularism and the respecting of all worldviews. But I guess there are many philosophies which could use such a symbol of balance.
Its head often gets drawn in combination with a downwards-pointing pentacle; that was probably made popular by LaVey and in that combination is a common symbol of Satanism. But, I guess you know that this doesn't mean that it'd stand for evilness. Some interpret it as standing for carnality.

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

The image of Baphomet existed for quite a while before modern Satanism did. Just to be clear, this is Baphomet:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eliphas_Levi

Basically, the Baphomet symbol itself is actually a sort of Western occult version of the Yin-Yang. It's a representation of the concept of the unification of opposites, it's all dualities reconciled. "Solve" (separate) and "coagula" (join together) are alchemical terms. It's just the principle of cosmic and internal balance, pretty much. The image itself has nothing to do with Satan or Satanism, really.

However, the term "Baphomet" is based on the rumor that the Knights Templar were secretly worshiping some occult goat-headed idol. "Baphomet" is actually a corruption of "Mahomet". In other words, the Knights Templar actually would've been practicing Islam, if there was any truth to them being heretics.

Anton LaVey took that bit of misinformation and ran with it, making the so-called Sigil of Baphomet the logo of his "church". But the Sigil of Baphomet is very old and meant something different from his usage of it. Anyway, they ended up modifying it.

Original:

CoS version:

To sum it up, pretty much every "satanic" symbol you can think of was just co-opted by Satanists for their own use and they've come up with their own meanings for them. The pentagram, the Baphomet and the inverted cross don't belong to them. They just repurposed them.

I like the goat head pentagram and the one-point down pentagram for aesthetic reasons and personal meaning. But I'm not a Satanist and I don't care about Satanism.

 

[Adramelek]

 

[1137]

How did you make that pentagram?

 

[Adramelek]

In ancient Egypt there were cults that worshipped the figure of the Ram such as the cult of Amon-Ra and the cult of Khnum.

How did you make that pentagram?

Out of black poster board, a pencil for basic outline, and a silver colored ink pen with a fine point, and a lot of attention to detail.

 

[crossfire]

I don't know if this is the write forum since I don't really look into these things. I was talking to my co-worker and she was talking about satanism and the evils of it and so forth. I think satan either means knowledge/wisdom or temptation, can't think of which. Anyway, she pulled up different actors and actresses who were in the Ilamati I think who wore the Baphomet as a ring, on their clothes, etc.

I was wondering, is this a satanic symbol of some sort? I wear a pentacle ring and one on my key chain. She asked about that thinking it was evil as well. I wanted to tell her more about the symbol and how it's used in different ways and meanings outside of religion. I did want to tell her what I learned about the Baphomet.

I know symbols are important in many religions; and, on the other hand, I don't think some symbols have any supernatural in the ink or lead they are written. So, it confuses me about this connection between the symbols and evilness even goodness, for that matter.

I would say that Baphomet is at home in the carnal/material plane, reaching above and below from there, and therefore leans more towards the carnal/material/Satanic side of the LHP. Being a LHP Buddhist, I use Naga Kanya instead of Baphomet, as Buddha made peace between the garudas and the nagas (above and below) within the human mind.

 

[Adramelek]

An origin of Baphomet, the Ram headed Egyptian god Khnum, the Creator of Man.

​

 

[1137]

I would say that Baphomet is at home in the carnal/material plane, reaching above and below from there, and therefore leans more towards the carnal/material/Satanic side of the LHP. Being a LHP Buddhist, I use Naga Kanya instead of Baphomet, as Buddha made peace between the garudas and the nagas (above and below) within the human mind.

I'm more inclined to say it is the border between the material and spiritual, Tipharet on the tree of life.

 

[allfoak]

The language of symbolism is as old as man.
In fact it is a part of man.
We naturally use symbols to explain everything.

Like i am doing now explaining something using the symbols of the English alphabet.

 

[crossfire]

I'm more inclined to say it is the border between the material and spiritual, Tipharet on the tree of life.

Baphomet is also more about balance (adversarial) than harmony (individuation,) so that would also put it more in the Satanist direction, as well. (This is only my perspective. Your mileage may vary.)

 

[allfoak]

When we have to explain the symbols that we are using before we can explain why we are using them, perhaps it is safe to say that we have lost touch with the art and use of symbolism as a language and rely more on expert opinion for what we call a definition of what something means.

 

[Unveiled Artist]

When we have to explain the symbols that we are using before we can explain why we are using them, perhaps it is safe to say that we have lost touch with the art and use of symbolism as a language and rely more on expert opinion for what we call a definition of what something means.

That is a beautiful way of explanation.

 

[allfoak]

I prefer pictures to a thousand words.

 

[Shadow Wolf]

Who made that picture/where is it from? At first glance, I thought it was the cover from In Sorte Diaboli.

 

[Mindmaster]

Baphomet is basically the symbolic master magician. It is non-dual because it has reached union with the god consciousness -- it is no longer man or beast, female or male, mundane or even divine. (The Angel wings/Man-like aspects) It is the unrealized potential of everything and the capacity to make it into any form or unmake it.

I find it curious that LaVey bothered to use it mostly because Church of Satan doesn't espouse any of these ideas or flatly rejects them. The CoS Baphomet is as nonsensical as to what value the Hebrew words Leviathan (written in the ring) has because it literally means, "whale." (Spooky!) The pentagram upright or downwards means exactly the same thing -- it is the living microcosm, the four elements and spirit; it still is if they are upside down. Anyway, the original source of the pentagram was a book called La Clef De La Magie Noire by Stanislas de Guaita, available here if you are bored and can read french: https://archive.org/stream/LaClefDeLaMagieNoire/La-Clef-de-La-Magie-Noir_1#page/n0/mode/2up ; I don't think other than the names on the sigil anyone in CoS had a clue of what the Hebrew letters meant. Otherwise, they would have taken them off because it's stupid. Well, they use Shemhamforash in rituals too (42/72 letter name of God anyone?) so I guess things don't have to "make sense" in this way. I guess if you don't believe in any of it then it doesn't matter? I figure why bother if you don't... but, what do I know...

I feel pretty weird wearing the word whale on a sigil, but I have many things with pentagrams and baphomets on them because the symbol means something to me.

 

[Adramelek]

Who made that picture/where is it from? At first glance, I thought it was the cover from In Sorte Diaboli.

It is.

 

[1137]

Baphomet is basically the symbolic master magician. It is non-dual because it has reached union with the god consciousness -- it is no longer man or beast, female or male, mundane or even divine. (The Angel wings/Man-like aspects) It is the unrealized potential of everything and the capacity to make it into any form or unmake it.

I find it curious that LaVey bothered to use it mostly because Church of Satan doesn't espouse any of these ideas or flatly rejects them. The CoS Baphomet is as nonsensical as to what value the Hebrew words Leviathan (written in the ring) has because it literally means, "whale." (Spooky!) The pentagram upright or downwards means exactly the same thing -- it is the living microcosm, the four elements and spirit; it still is if they are upside down. Anyway, the original source of the pentagram was a book called La Clef De La Magie Noire by Stanislas de Guaita, available here if you are bored and can read french: https://archive.org/stream/LaClefDeLaMagieNoire/La-Clef-de-La-Magie-Noir_1#page/n0/mode/2up ; I don't think other than the names on the sigil anyone in CoS had a clue of what the Hebrew letters meant. Otherwise, they would have taken them off because it's stupid. Well, they use Shemhamforash in rituals too (42/72 letter name of God anyone?) so I guess things don't have to "make sense" in this way. I guess if you don't believe in any of it then it doesn't matter? I figure why bother if you don't... but, what do I know...

I feel pretty weird wearing the word whale on a sigil, but I have many things with pentagrams and baphomets on them because the symbol means something to me.

I think you've entirely missed not only the occult but Hebrew significant of the mythological version of leviathan.

 

[Shadow Wolf]

It is.

Not sure where or how, but maybe I was tired and thought I saw a few things that made it different.

 

[crossfire]

An origin of Baphomet, the Ram headed Egyptian god Khnum, the Creator of Man.

​

What do you think about a Hathor mirror, where the mirror takes the place of the torch? (Or Hathor's Solar Disk, for that matter)