At first look,
it appears ghastly-a grotesque sphinx like creature, with the head of a goat,
cloven hooves, and the body of a nude woman. It is the Baphomet, one of the
most misunderstood religious symbols of all time.
The name Baphomet is derived from an enigmatic figure first
described at the trials of the Templars, a medieval order of Crusader Monks
accused of Heresy, witchcraft, and other crimes against the Catholic Church.
The Order, (ostensibly) founded in 1118 by nobleman Hugues
de Payens, was the first of a number of Military Monastic Orders that flourished
during the Crusade years. The word "Templar" derives from the full
official name of the order, "The poor knights of Christ and the Temple
of Solomon." Originally promoted as the protectors Christian pilgrims
to Jerusalem, they were known as fierce warriors with tremendous military
prowess.
In a very short time after their inception, the Knights Templar
became very popular. They were exempted from taxation, and had amassed great
wealth and property by the 13th century. By this time, Jerusalem had fallen
back into Muslim hands, and enthusiasm for crusades was waning. The Templars
were now living quite well. They had tremendous political and financial influence
(even instituting Europe's first banking system).
However, with no Crusades to justify their continued existence,
they became to some a target of resentment. King Phillip of France, possibly
with an eye toward gaining control of Templar finances, issued secret orders
to have all of the Templars in France arrested on grounds of heresy and sorcery.
Torture elicited confessions of various crimes and heresies from many of the
Knights. The laundry list of unlikely confessions included spitting on the
cross, denying Christ, and worshipping an idol called Baphomet.
The Baphomet is still an enigma, and there is of course some
debate whether or not it was real or the product of torture. Several knights
recalled that Baphomet was variously a severed head, or an idol possessing
two or four heads, or sometimes, as a goat or goat's head. The name is highly
unusual, and many suggestions about the origin of the word have been put forward.
Idries Shah has proposed that the name is a corruption of the name Mohammed-abufihamat,
pronounced "Bufihimat," a word very similar to Baphomet, is Moorish-Spanish
for "father of wisdom," an epithet used to describe the Prophet.
This seems to me very unlikely, although there seemed to be a concerted effort
to link the Templars with Islam. The Templars certainly had contact with Muslim
ideas, but Islam forbade Idol worship just as strenuously then as now- creating
an image of the prophet in order to worship it would be a tremendous blasphemy.
The Goddess Sophia
Others have suggested more intriguing possibilities-a respected
Dead Sea Scrolls scholar, Dr. Hugh Schonfield, believes that baphomet is a
kabalistic cipher for the Gnostic Goddess Sophia. The code, known as the "atbash
Cipher," is a common kabalistic substitution cipher, where the Hebrew
alphabet is laid out twice in opposite directions, each letter from the top
row substituting for one on the lower. Using this system, the name Baphomet
spelled in Hebrew characters yields the name Sophia. Curiously, a number of
Templar artifacts bear an image of an unusual bearded androgyne which resembles
alchemical drawings of the Anima Mundi, or soul of the world, who is identical
to the Gnostic Sophia. (They also resemble depictions of Abraxas, a Gnostic
solar deity) The images are certainly not drawn from any orthodox Christian
symbolism:
The Cathar connection
Historians over the years have debated whether or not there
was any truth at all to the charges against the Templars. There is some evidence
of connections between the Knights and the Cathars, or Albigensians, a heretical
Gnostic group which was the very first target of the inquisition. The Cathars
were pious ascetics whose main offense to the Church seems to have been their
acceptance of women as the spiritual equals of men. In a time when it was
still a matter of debate whether women had souls, even the suggestion was
beyond blasphemy. (The Templars, too, seemed to take a more positive view
of women. Surviving records show many instances of women joining the Order,
a practice which was discontinued by Papal order.) The Cathar’s last
stand was in the mountain fortress of Montsegur. The Templars are rumored
to have refused to participate in the fight, and may have assisted fleeing
Cathars.
The Holy Grail
Another interesting connection between the two groups can
be found in the Arthurian Grail romances. The imagery of the mysterious bearded
head surfaces again in the Grail romances of Chretien of Troyes, where thinly
disguised Templars are the Guardians of the Holy Grail. The grail in this
story is not the cup of Christ of later versions, but a mysterious dish accompanied
by a lance.
The story, commissioned by a Templar nobleman, is rife with
alchemical and sexual allegory. The hero Percival visits a mysterious castle,
Montsalvat- believed by many to be identical to the Cathar stronghold of Montsegur.
During his stay, he observes two odd processions: a maiden carrying a platter
(the grail) with a single wafer on it, and a page carrying a lance which bleeds
continuously. Out of respect, he avoids asking about the items.
He awakens to find the castle deserted. Outside, he encounters
the Fisher King, who is tellingly wounded “in the thigh,” and
is admonished that his failure to discover the secret of the Grail and the
lance has cursed the land with infertility (most of the grail stories follow
in similar vein, seeming to hint at pre-Christian sexual rites associating
the health of the land with the virility of the king). A fourteenth century
painting underlines the hidden message of the Grail stories- it depicts the
Grail knights kneeling before a glowing vision of the Goddess Venus:
Celtic symbolism
Another thread of continuity exists between several descriptions
of the Baphomet as an idol with multiple heads, and the very obvious connection
between the Grail romances and Celtic mythology. In the pre-Christian Celtic
religion, heads were venerated as the seat of power, and important deities
were quite often portrayed with multiple heads/faces. Pagan fertility rituals
were known to have been carried on long after the conversion of Europe’s
Pagan tribes. The Templar connection to the Grail stories, with their unmistakably
Celtic notions, has been well established.
Eliphas Levi and the Occult Baphomet
The popular drawing of Baphomet pictured above was drawn by
the nineteenth century occultist Eliphas Levi (Alphonse Constant). Based on
a gargoyle found on a Templar chapel, the figure was drawn with the head of
a Goat, a human body with cloven feet and wings. According to Levi, it was
a revelatory figure, requiring study to understand:
"The goat on the frontispiece carries the sign of the
pentagram on the forehead, with one point at the top, a symbol of light, his
two hands forming the sign of hermetecism, the one pointing up to the white
moon of the Qabbalistic Chesed, the other pointing down to the black one of
Geburah. This sign expresses the perfect harmony of mercy with justice. His
one arm is female, the other male like the ones of the androgyne of Khunrath,
the attributes of which we had to unite with those of our goat because he
is one and the same symbol. The flame of intelligence shining between his
horns is the magic light of the universal balance, the image of the soul elevated
above matter, as the flame, whilst being tied to matter, shines above it.
The ugly beast's head expresses the horror of the sinner, whose materially
acting, solely responsible part has to bear the punishment exclusively; because
the soul is insensitive according to its nature and can only suffer when it
materializes. The rod standing instead of genitals symbolizes eternal life,
the body covered with scales the water, the semi-circle above it the atmosphere,
the feathers following above the volatile. Humanity is represented by the
two breasts and the androgyne arms of this sphinx of the occult sciences."
What is the purpose of such a figure? It could be easily assumed
that the intolerance of the Church would have made extreme secrecy on topics
that may be found blasphemous or heretical, especially any doctrine which
promised illumination without the guidance of that Church. The use of symbolic
figures would allow communication between those in “the know”
without making any obvious statement to those without; it also enables outsiders
to learn through the interpretation of symbols.
The true historical
identity of the Baphomet can only be guessed at, it cannot be solved; symbolically,
it is an open book to anyone with the key.
Related
resources:
Ritual
Magick
Basic information about Ritual Magick, also known as Ceremonial Magick, from
your Alternative Religions guide.
Magick
and Theory
Magick and magickal theory. What Ritual magicians do, and why they do it. Essays
on a number of subjects relating to Ritual/ Ceremonial Magick.
Satanism
Satanism as a religion and a philosophy. Every variety and type of Satanic belief,
from the mythical Satanist of the Middle ages to modern ritual Satanists,
Dabblers, and Gnostics.
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