Baphomet is a mysterious creature with the head of a goat, which is found in several sources from the history of the occult. Considered a satanic idol. From the Templars in the Middle Ages to the Freemasons of the 19th century, Baphomet has always caused controversy and controversy - right up to the present day. Baphomet - what is it? And most importantly, what is the true meaning of this symbolic figure and his appearance in the occult?
Meaning in the occult
Throughout the history of Western occultism, the name of the mysterious Baphomet appears frequently and is mentioned in many treatises. At its core, Baphomet is, as already noted, a satanic idol. Although the name became widely known in the 20th century, references to Baphomet can be found in documents dating as far back as the 11th century. Today, this symbol is associated with everything related to the occult, ritual magic, witchcraft, Satanism and esotericism. His name often comes 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 by Eliphas Levi "Dogma and rituals of higher magic", and since 1897 the work has become a landmark formodern occultism. Many are interested in the sacramental question: "Baphomet - is it the devil or not?" Why is he so important in the occult? To answer these questions, you first need to find out its origin.
Origin of Satanic Idol Name
There are several theories regarding the origin of the name Baphomet. The most common explanation claims that this is an old French corruption of the name Mohammed, the prophet of Islam, revered by Muslims. During the Crusades, the Templars stayed for long periods of time 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 Templars' association 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 denied 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 claimed that Baphomet is Lucifer, that is, the devil himself.
There is a highthe possibility that the Templars' worship of Baphomet was made up, and that this lie was deliberately spread by the Inquisitors themselves in order to find any reason to convict them of heresy, and thus solve the problems created by this famous and recalcitrant order. The Templars, for example, used every opportunity to influence King Philip VI of France and even the leaders of the Catholic Church.
Templar persecution
The last Grand Master of the Order, Jacques de Molay, was burned at the stake on charges of being a heretic. The torture of thousands of members of the order gave the inquisitors the desired confessions of a variety of atrocities and heresy. Chief among these were the denial of Jesus and the worship of an idol, namely, a bearded goat's 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 varied greatly. For example, some said that he had four heads and three legs. Others claimed that the figure of the idol is either made of wood or metal. Some Templars claimed that Baphomet was made of gold. As "evidence" the court was presented with many temple objects 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 could be that the name Baphomet comes from the Greek baphemetous, that is, in the literal translation "baptism of wisdom", which connects him with the Gnostics. There is also a theory about the origin of the name Baphomet from a 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 him. Horned gods are often found in ancient mythology.
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 (it was mentioned at the beginning of the article), who was an experienced esoteric and occultist from France. His book tries to answer the question: "Who is Baphomet?"
The book does not describe a deity, not even referring to an idol to worship. Levi's images are a metaphor for the unity sought by magic and alchemy. It is not a man, not a woman, not a man, not an animal, not black, not white. This is just a complex image or similarity of the Chinese principles of everything that exists - Yin and Yang. Levi was deeply convinced that the Templars did indeed worship this ancient deity, but he was unable to obtain genuine evidence of this. Still esotericists and mystics are wondering who is Baphomet?
Description of Baphomet
The description of Baphomet provided by Levi is used in modern esoteric literature. Baphomet is a rather terrifying creature in the guise of a goat-headedidol.
The goat bears the sign of a pentagram on its forehead, with a single dot at the top, which is the symbol of light. One of his hands points up to the white crescent of Chesedu (good) and the other points down to the black star of Geburah (evil).
One of his hands is a woman, the other is a man. The flame of intellect shining between the horns is the magical light of universal balance, the image of the soul, rising above being, like a fiery essence. But at the same time, it is attached to matter, shining above it.
The head of the beast expresses the horror of the sinner, whose material needs and earthiness must be punished solely because of the renunciation of the Almighty and nature. The soul is not considered sensitive in the non-material world, but can suffer and feel during the painful process of materialization.
Twig instead of genitals symbolizes eternal life. The body of the animal is covered with scales. Half of the circle above the god symbolizes the atmosphere of fear, and the feathers are necessary for Baphomet to gain the ability to soar in the air. The idol has a powerful chest, developed in a feminine way, and the arm of the sphinx of occult sciences. So who is Baphomet? A photo from Levi's treatise on the dogma of mysticism perfectly demonstrates this, in any case, describes its appearance.
What does Baphomet represent?
Many are wondering: "The Idol of Baphomet, what does it mean on a spiritual level?" This is not an easy riddle. According to Eliphas Leve and according to his occult theories, Baphomet is an image of human ignorance,superstitions, delusions, sinfulness, which are generated by the blindness of the spirit. In this sense, Baphomet is suitable for defining him as Lucifer, the ruling idol. In this case, it is understood that its influence extends to ignorant people, afflicted with the darkness of lack of spirituality and anger.
For this reason, a true follower of the occult and esoteric religion does not create idols for himself, and certainly does not worship them. Baphomet, having flesh and blood through the human imagination, does not exist for him. It is believed that for true adepts, 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, in order to destroy the Knights Templar. Often they give evidence that there were no people who described the appearance of an idol in an absolutely identical way during interrogation. Baphomet had the head of a goat, then a cat. The number of limbs of the creature also changed dramatically. Clothing was also very different - from black monastic robes to human skin. Some said that he had a tail, hooves, beard, others denied this.
Modernity and goat idol
The Church of Satan, founded by Baphomet worshipers in 1966 in San Francisco, adopted a different image of Baphomet as a sign of Satanism. It's pretty 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 outercircles there are Jewish letters, which are located at the edges of the pentagram and indicate the name of Leviathan - a large oceanic monstrous serpent, which, in fact, is similar to the devil. When carrying out 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 the supreme being.
