Who The Hell Is Baphomet, And Why Am I Kissing Her Arse?
By Hawthorn
Students of Witchcraft and occultism are familiar with the figure of the Goat-Headed God, torch burning between it's horns, presiding over the nocturnal revels of the Witches Sabbat. This goat-headed image is regarded by many as the true representation of the androgynous God/dess BAPHOMET. Equally familiar to students of the occult and of the history of the crusades are the images of the ‘Knights Templar'- warrior monks pledged to protect Christian pilgrims on their way to and from the occupied Middle East. The Order of the Knights Templar was disbanded after being accused of worshipping the mysterious Deity known as ‘BAPHOMET'. How did this strange God/dess become associated with both the Witch cult of Europe and a Christian order of warrior monks who were charged with heresy and disbanded in the fourteenth century?
The Knights Templar Order was founded in France in 1118 after the first crusade. For nearly 200 years the power of the Templar's grew until they were one of the most wealthy and influential orders in Europe and the Middle East. In addition to their material and political pre-eminence, the Knights also enjoyed a special status within the church, in religious matters the order was answerable to no authority but it's own and that of the Pope. This autonomy may have allowed the knights the freedom to investigate the Gnostic, Sufi, and other heretical philosophies that they have been accused of embracing. The Knights at first garnered glory for their order through their martial prowess and savagery, excelling in the ravaging, rape and murder of their foes. However, after a time the Knights discovered that banking riches for pilgrims and making treaties with the Muslims was more profitable than making war. As a result they became extremely rich and powerful.
Whether or not the Templar’s ever practiced heretical ideas; the charge that they did so was certainly a convenient one for those who may have benefited from their demise. One of these was the French king Philip IV, who owed a considerable amount to the knights. If Philip could have the Pope dissolve the order, not only would this eradicate his debt, but he would also be able to seize the Templar’s holdings in France for himself. Spies in Philip's employ were infiltrated into the Order to gather evidence that would be used, along with the testimony of an embittered ex-Templar, to build a case against the knights. In the early hours of Friday 13th of October French officials arrested every Templar they could find.
The knights Templar were charged with a raft of accusations including, homosexuality, heresy and desecration of Christian objects, but the most contentious allegation was that the Templar’s worshipped an idol known as BAPHOMET. The first descriptions of BAPHOMET given by the knights were simply a head, most likely human, sometimes having a beard and sometimes not. However, as the questioning became more intense the descriptions of BAPHOMET became progressively more fantastic and bizarre. Sometimes the idol was described as a monstrous head, or a Demon in the form of a goat, or a figure with the head of a goat and a composite body of dog, ass and bull. Others described it as having a frightening head with a long beak and sparkling eyes, yet others said it was a human skull or had two or three faces, some accounts claimed that the idol was of wood, others said metal. Some accounts said that the idol had a goat's body and others are quite vague. Many of the confessions describe the head in detail, it was crowned with a pair of horns and between the horns was a flaming torch, on the forehead of the goatish visage was said to be a pentagram with one point uppermost.
The illustration of ‘BAPHOMET' by nineteenth century Magician Eliphas Levi is the most popular and well known representation of this Archetype among modern occultists. It seems to be a composite figure based on some of the descriptions from the Templar trials, an image found on a building said to have belonged to the Knights - the Comandry of Saint Bris le Vineux - and on Alchemical and Hermetic ideas. The image found at Saint Bris is said to be of a horned, bearded figure with female breasts, cloven feet and wings.
Levi's illustration of ‘BAPHOMET' shows a goat-headed human figure sitting cross-legged atop a cubic altar, between the horns a torch burns, representing the flame of spirit and on its brow the upright pentagram, representing the adept who has balanced all of the elements within her or himself. One hand of the figure points upward to a bright crescent, the other points down to a dark one, this gesture represents the balancing of light and dark and the Hermetic axiom “As above So below”. Upon the forearms is written the alchemical formula “SOLVE COAGULA” (dissolve and reform). The upper body is that of a full-breasted woman representing maternity, nurturing and abundance. Sprouting from the image's shoulders are a pair of great black wings, representing the intellect, the airy realms and their inhabitants The stomach reveals the scales of a fish, an allusion to the creatures of the watery depths of the unconscious and the maternal sea, from whence all life arose. The lower limbs of BAPHOMET are veiled with a cloth; rising from this covering is a staff entwined with twin serpents, one dark and one light. On one level this is a symbol of male sexuality, on another level it represents the magician who has united the polar opposites within the self; the serpents also represent regeneration and knowledge of the hidden mysteries of the underworld. Two cloven hooves protrude from the lower edge of the veil, representing as does the goat head, the power and vitality of the animal realm. Taken in total the image of BAPHOMET represents the natural world, the power and spirit that informs that world and the Adept who has learned to harmonise these energies within her or his own being.
According to historians BAPHOMET is ‘Old French' for Mahomet or Muhammad, the prophet of Islam, author Peter Prentice quotes an old Troubadour song from France that mentions ‘BAFOMETZ' as the God of Islam. However Islam expressly forbids the making and worship of idols and unlike the Christians who have a similar prohibition; the Islamic prohibition was and still is, rigorously observed. If BAPHOMET is a dialectic term for Mahomet and the Knights Templar did indeed come to revere the Prophet and worship the God of Islam, it must have been a very unorthodox branch of that faith.
Within the lands that embrace Islam there exist a number of philosophical/ mystical schools of thought known as Sufism. Many Sufi schools are fairly orthodox in their beliefs and practices, but there are others who are or were quite unorthodox. Several authors describe groups that use imagery that has some similarity with the Goat-Headed BAPHOMET.
One of these groups described by Idries Shah (1964, pp.206 - 216) is the ‘Maskhara' Dervishes who were also known as the ‘Revellers' and the ‘Wise Ones'. Their leader was known as Abu el-Atahiya and he was a member of the Bedouin tribe, the Aniza. The name Aniza means goat and el-Atahiya was commemorated by the ‘Revellers' with the symbol of a torch burning between the horns of a goat. After Atahiya's death a group of his followers migrated to Moorish Spain. Many esoteric and cabbalistic schools flourished in Spain, during and after the Moorish occupation and the ‘Revellers' practices could easily have been disseminated to the rest of Europe. If the practices of the ‘Revellers' were carried to other parts of Europe they may then have integrated with similar native traditions. However, the image of an animal-headed or horned God with a light or torch between its horns is much older than the ‘Revellers', some of the earliest representations can be traced back to pre-Indo-European Shiva worship in ancient India. This symbol is also reminiscent of the horned solar disc worn by many Ancient Egyptian deities, the torch being a representation of the disc.
Doreen Valiente (1984: p103) believes that it is possible that the Aniza Bedouin were named after one of these Horned Gods of pre-Islamic North Africa, and that the Maskhara followers of el-Atahiya adopted the symbol of the horns and torch not only to honour their spiritual leader but also because of the older esoteric meaning it conveyed. These mystics known variously as the ‘Revellers' the ‘Wise Ones' and the ‘Maskhara Dervishes' gave their name to the ‘masquerade' and to ‘mascara' from their practice of dancing wearing animal masks and blackened faces. The meaning of the blackened face may be related to the occult connection between the concepts black and wisdom. These two words are similar in Arabic and are used as synonyms in some occult teaching, this rather than the Christian association with evil may be the reason that magick is called the 'Black Art'.
If the Maskhara Dervishes are, or were, part of the body of Islam, the cult referred to by Arkon Daraul in his book, ‘A History of Secret Societies' (1961, pp. 163 -178) as the ‘Dhulqarneni' or the ‘Two Horned Ones' were accorded much less tolerance. Islamic officials tried to suppress the cult, but it became quite popular and may still exist today. Reports of the rites of the Dhulqarneni have many points in common with beliefs about European Witchcraft. They danced in a circle in order to raise magical power, their rites were said to be associated with moon worship and they were said to recite Islamic prayers backward and invoked a being called El Asward, the ‘Black Man' to aid in their rites. Women and men belonged to the ‘Dhulqarneni' and were said to be given a small wound from a ritual knife which they called Adh-dhane, the ‘blood-letter'. This may be where Gerald Gardner got the name for the ritual knife used in the version of the craft popularised by him and his followers.
Like the legendary Witches of Europe, ‘The Two Horned Ones' were said to meet at cross-roads at night, these meetings were called the Zabbat, which translates as ‘the Powerful, or Forceful Occasion'. The circle of initiated Dhulqarneni were known as the ‘Kafan' the ‘winding sheet', apparently because an unadorned white robe without under garments was all that was worn. Like the Witches coven, the Dhulqarneni Kafan was also a circle of twelve plus a leader, this leader was called El-Asward, the Black Man, another name for him was Rabbana (Lord). European Witch lore also speaks of covens led by ‘The Man in Black', a popular name for this figure was Robin or Robinet. The term ‘Sabbat' used to describe the Witches gathering is of uncertain origin and although the term ‘coven' comes from the Latin word for gathering, the similarity of the Arabic and European words in both sound and meaning is remarkable.
The existence of the Maskhara Dervishes, the Dhulqarneni and similar mystery cults that bear a resemblance to the European Witch-cult, does not prove that the Templars had contact with or were influenced by such groups. The similarities between the symbolism of these groups and the symbols which are associated with the Witch cults of Western Europe and BAPHOMET are suggestive but not conclusive. It may be that there was some contact or borrowing between these groups. It may be that there was a common source from which these groups have descended. It may be that those who look for evidence of the witch cult-ancient and modern- have collected pieces of information that though similar in appearance, are connected only by the investigators desire to perceive such a connection. However, from the point of view of the practicing Magician who wishes to access the occult powers of the archetypal Witch there exists another possibility. Many Witches believe that the true source of their craft lies not only with ancient earthly sects, but also within the archetypal realms of the astral ‘Witch World'. This archetypal Witch realm is seen as the source and inspiration of the earthly manifestations of the Witch-cult. Those who are sensitive to the keys which unlock the Witch archetype may learn to enter this realm and return with the knowledge and inspiration to give expression to the magick of Witchery upon earth. The name and imagery of BAPHOMET, and the associated ideas presented in this essay may be seen to represent such keys.
The mystery of the origin and meaning of the name ‘BAPHOMET' has lead to much speculation. As stated above, the earliest European references to the name associated it with the beliefs of the followers of Islam. However, it should be noted that it was quite common throughout Europe, from the middle ages to the early modern period, for corruptions of the name Mahommed to be used as synonyms for the Christian Devil. As late as 1540, Bellezza Orsini of Colle Vecchio (Perugia), was accused of worshiping the devil under the name Mauometto ("Mohammed"), who appeared as a handsome man dressed in black ( Magliocco 19..: ) . It may be that the use of a name which was reminiscent of the Prophet of Islam was the most frightening symbol that the persecutors of the Templars and later the Witches could think of to engender fear and loathing of these two groups in the hearts and minds of European Christians.
However if the name BAPHOMET is more than just a corruption of Mahommed, then perhaps it has other significance apparent only to those who have access to the correct keys. Several suggestions have been advanced claiming to reveal the inner meaning of the name. Levi believed that the name derived from the reversal of the abbreviation TEM OHP AB -Templi omnium hominum pacis abbas-, translated as “The father of the temple of universal peace among men”. Idries Shah claims that BAPHOMET was derived from the Arabic term -abufihamet-, meaning “father of understanding”, or “Father of wisdom”. It is a term used to refer to a Sufi master. In Arabic ‘father' can be taken to mean source. Aleister Crowley and others claimed that the name came from the Greek words Baph and Metis meaning “Baptism of wisdom”, Metis, one of the Titans, represents wisdom. Kaos magician Peter Carrol interprets Baph-Metis as “union with wisdom”.
Levi's referral to BAPHOMET as ‘The Goat of Mendes' would seem to offer another interpretation of the identity of this deity were it not for the fact that the God of Mendes is described as RAM headed not GOAT headed. However, closer scrutiny of the images of the God of Mendes, show a creature which bears FOUR horns upon its head, one pair of which look very much like goats horns! It is possible that the animal represented in the ancient Egyptian reliefs is the Jacob's Sheep. This ancient breed of sheep can have multiple sets of horns, growing in the same configuration as the representations of the Deity of Mendes. Seen from a distance or after shearing, the Jacob's RAM can easily be mistaken for a goat! Perhaps this mistake can also be made when observing the ancient Egyptian representations of the Ram of Mendes. It might be tempting to dismiss the connection between the Mendes god and the god of the Templar’s as nothing more than superficial resemblance were it not for the similarity of their names. It is easy to imagine that the name of the RAM of Mendes: BANEBDJEDET ( pronounced Ba-neb-Tetet) could have become BAPHOMET.
Another theory states that when BAPHOMET is interpreted according to the ‘Atbash Cypher' it reveals an inner meaning. The Atbash encryption is applied by substituting the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet with the last one, the second letter is likewise replaced by the second last and so on. The ‘Atbash Cypher' was first applied to the BAPHOMET mystery by Dr Hugh Schonfield, one of the original researchers examining the ‘Dead Sea Scrolls'. He was interested in the history of the Knights Templar and in the accusation that they worshipped an idol called BAPHOMET. Schonfield believed that the Templar’s may have used the Atbash Cypher, he therefore translated BAPHOMET into Hebrew characters and then applied the cypher. The name that was thereby revealed was ‘SOPHIA' a Greek word meaning both wisdom and the Goddess of Wisdom. Thus BAPHOMET is identified with the Arabic “Father of Wisdom”, with “METIS” the Titaness who represented wisdom, with “SOPHIA” Goddess of wisdom and with the concept of union. This use of male and female honorifics fits in with the image of BAPHOMET as an androgynous entity. The use of the word wisdom, with its connotations of witchcraft, magick and blackness fits with BAPHOMET's hermetic and witchey associations. Such multi layered ciphers’ are typical of the kind of codes and multiple meanings of which occultists are fond!
During the era of Witchcraft persecutions the name and image of BAPHOMET became strongly identified with the wild revels of the Witches Sabbat. Early representations of the Witches god often show a humanoid creature with clawed feet and birds head however, by the 17th century images of the Sabbatic Witches' god were far more likely to feature the familiar goat-headed deity. Whatever its origin the BAPHOMET archetype and its connection with Witchcraft struck a cord in the collective psyche that has survived down the centuries. Thus it is that many occult students have had their imaginations stirred by the name BAPHOMET. As stated above, many of Eliphas Levi's thoughts on BAPHOMET were synthesised into his drawing of the ‘Sabbat Goat'. The English occultist Aleister Crowley regarded ‘BAPHOMET' as a form of the Greek God, ‘PAN' and adopted the name ‘BAPHOMET' as his motto when he joined the Ordo Templi Orientis (Order of the Temple of the East). This quasi-masonic order claimed or at least implied links with the original Templar’s. Other occultists who have touched upon the BAPHOMET archetype include the 19th century masonic author Albert Pike and the self-styled ‘Black Pope', Anton Szandor LaVey. The image of BAPHOMET was the model for the Devil card in the Rider-Waite and Case-B.O.T.A. Tarot decks. Kaos mage Peter Carrol described BAPHOMET as follows -
“In the first aeon, I was the Great Spirit.
In the second aeon, Men knew me as the Horned God,
Pangenitor Panphage
In the third aeon, I was the Dark one, the Devil
In the fourth aeon, Men know me not, for I am the Hidden One
In this aeon, I appear before you as Baphomet.
The God before all gods who shall endure to the end of the Earth.”
All these sources have contributed to the modern understanding of the BAPHOMET archetype. The celebration of the BAPHOMET rite at EUPHORIA represents the blending of the ideas suggested in this essay, with the experiences of the EUPHORIA participants to create a powerful experience of Magick, transformation and ecstasy!
By Hawthorn
Students of Witchcraft and occultism are familiar with the figure of the Goat-Headed God, torch burning between it's horns, presiding over the nocturnal revels of the Witches Sabbat. This goat-headed image is regarded by many as the true representation of the androgynous God/dess BAPHOMET. Equally familiar to students of the occult and of the history of the crusades are the images of the ‘Knights Templar'- warrior monks pledged to protect Christian pilgrims on their way to and from the occupied Middle East. The Order of the Knights Templar was disbanded after being accused of worshipping the mysterious Deity known as ‘BAPHOMET'. How did this strange God/dess become associated with both the Witch cult of Europe and a Christian order of warrior monks who were charged with heresy and disbanded in the fourteenth century?
The Knights Templar Order was founded in France in 1118 after the first crusade. For nearly 200 years the power of the Templar's grew until they were one of the most wealthy and influential orders in Europe and the Middle East. In addition to their material and political pre-eminence, the Knights also enjoyed a special status within the church, in religious matters the order was answerable to no authority but it's own and that of the Pope. This autonomy may have allowed the knights the freedom to investigate the Gnostic, Sufi, and other heretical philosophies that they have been accused of embracing. The Knights at first garnered glory for their order through their martial prowess and savagery, excelling in the ravaging, rape and murder of their foes. However, after a time the Knights discovered that banking riches for pilgrims and making treaties with the Muslims was more profitable than making war. As a result they became extremely rich and powerful.
Whether or not the Templar’s ever practiced heretical ideas; the charge that they did so was certainly a convenient one for those who may have benefited from their demise. One of these was the French king Philip IV, who owed a considerable amount to the knights. If Philip could have the Pope dissolve the order, not only would this eradicate his debt, but he would also be able to seize the Templar’s holdings in France for himself. Spies in Philip's employ were infiltrated into the Order to gather evidence that would be used, along with the testimony of an embittered ex-Templar, to build a case against the knights. In the early hours of Friday 13th of October French officials arrested every Templar they could find.
The knights Templar were charged with a raft of accusations including, homosexuality, heresy and desecration of Christian objects, but the most contentious allegation was that the Templar’s worshipped an idol known as BAPHOMET. The first descriptions of BAPHOMET given by the knights were simply a head, most likely human, sometimes having a beard and sometimes not. However, as the questioning became more intense the descriptions of BAPHOMET became progressively more fantastic and bizarre. Sometimes the idol was described as a monstrous head, or a Demon in the form of a goat, or a figure with the head of a goat and a composite body of dog, ass and bull. Others described it as having a frightening head with a long beak and sparkling eyes, yet others said it was a human skull or had two or three faces, some accounts claimed that the idol was of wood, others said metal. Some accounts said that the idol had a goat's body and others are quite vague. Many of the confessions describe the head in detail, it was crowned with a pair of horns and between the horns was a flaming torch, on the forehead of the goatish visage was said to be a pentagram with one point uppermost.
The illustration of ‘BAPHOMET' by nineteenth century Magician Eliphas Levi is the most popular and well known representation of this Archetype among modern occultists. It seems to be a composite figure based on some of the descriptions from the Templar trials, an image found on a building said to have belonged to the Knights - the Comandry of Saint Bris le Vineux - and on Alchemical and Hermetic ideas. The image found at Saint Bris is said to be of a horned, bearded figure with female breasts, cloven feet and wings.
Levi's illustration of ‘BAPHOMET' shows a goat-headed human figure sitting cross-legged atop a cubic altar, between the horns a torch burns, representing the flame of spirit and on its brow the upright pentagram, representing the adept who has balanced all of the elements within her or himself. One hand of the figure points upward to a bright crescent, the other points down to a dark one, this gesture represents the balancing of light and dark and the Hermetic axiom “As above So below”. Upon the forearms is written the alchemical formula “SOLVE COAGULA” (dissolve and reform). The upper body is that of a full-breasted woman representing maternity, nurturing and abundance. Sprouting from the image's shoulders are a pair of great black wings, representing the intellect, the airy realms and their inhabitants The stomach reveals the scales of a fish, an allusion to the creatures of the watery depths of the unconscious and the maternal sea, from whence all life arose. The lower limbs of BAPHOMET are veiled with a cloth; rising from this covering is a staff entwined with twin serpents, one dark and one light. On one level this is a symbol of male sexuality, on another level it represents the magician who has united the polar opposites within the self; the serpents also represent regeneration and knowledge of the hidden mysteries of the underworld. Two cloven hooves protrude from the lower edge of the veil, representing as does the goat head, the power and vitality of the animal realm. Taken in total the image of BAPHOMET represents the natural world, the power and spirit that informs that world and the Adept who has learned to harmonise these energies within her or his own being.
According to historians BAPHOMET is ‘Old French' for Mahomet or Muhammad, the prophet of Islam, author Peter Prentice quotes an old Troubadour song from France that mentions ‘BAFOMETZ' as the God of Islam. However Islam expressly forbids the making and worship of idols and unlike the Christians who have a similar prohibition; the Islamic prohibition was and still is, rigorously observed. If BAPHOMET is a dialectic term for Mahomet and the Knights Templar did indeed come to revere the Prophet and worship the God of Islam, it must have been a very unorthodox branch of that faith.
Within the lands that embrace Islam there exist a number of philosophical/ mystical schools of thought known as Sufism. Many Sufi schools are fairly orthodox in their beliefs and practices, but there are others who are or were quite unorthodox. Several authors describe groups that use imagery that has some similarity with the Goat-Headed BAPHOMET.
One of these groups described by Idries Shah (1964, pp.206 - 216) is the ‘Maskhara' Dervishes who were also known as the ‘Revellers' and the ‘Wise Ones'. Their leader was known as Abu el-Atahiya and he was a member of the Bedouin tribe, the Aniza. The name Aniza means goat and el-Atahiya was commemorated by the ‘Revellers' with the symbol of a torch burning between the horns of a goat. After Atahiya's death a group of his followers migrated to Moorish Spain. Many esoteric and cabbalistic schools flourished in Spain, during and after the Moorish occupation and the ‘Revellers' practices could easily have been disseminated to the rest of Europe. If the practices of the ‘Revellers' were carried to other parts of Europe they may then have integrated with similar native traditions. However, the image of an animal-headed or horned God with a light or torch between its horns is much older than the ‘Revellers', some of the earliest representations can be traced back to pre-Indo-European Shiva worship in ancient India. This symbol is also reminiscent of the horned solar disc worn by many Ancient Egyptian deities, the torch being a representation of the disc.
Doreen Valiente (1984: p103) believes that it is possible that the Aniza Bedouin were named after one of these Horned Gods of pre-Islamic North Africa, and that the Maskhara followers of el-Atahiya adopted the symbol of the horns and torch not only to honour their spiritual leader but also because of the older esoteric meaning it conveyed. These mystics known variously as the ‘Revellers' the ‘Wise Ones' and the ‘Maskhara Dervishes' gave their name to the ‘masquerade' and to ‘mascara' from their practice of dancing wearing animal masks and blackened faces. The meaning of the blackened face may be related to the occult connection between the concepts black and wisdom. These two words are similar in Arabic and are used as synonyms in some occult teaching, this rather than the Christian association with evil may be the reason that magick is called the 'Black Art'.
If the Maskhara Dervishes are, or were, part of the body of Islam, the cult referred to by Arkon Daraul in his book, ‘A History of Secret Societies' (1961, pp. 163 -178) as the ‘Dhulqarneni' or the ‘Two Horned Ones' were accorded much less tolerance. Islamic officials tried to suppress the cult, but it became quite popular and may still exist today. Reports of the rites of the Dhulqarneni have many points in common with beliefs about European Witchcraft. They danced in a circle in order to raise magical power, their rites were said to be associated with moon worship and they were said to recite Islamic prayers backward and invoked a being called El Asward, the ‘Black Man' to aid in their rites. Women and men belonged to the ‘Dhulqarneni' and were said to be given a small wound from a ritual knife which they called Adh-dhane, the ‘blood-letter'. This may be where Gerald Gardner got the name for the ritual knife used in the version of the craft popularised by him and his followers.
Like the legendary Witches of Europe, ‘The Two Horned Ones' were said to meet at cross-roads at night, these meetings were called the Zabbat, which translates as ‘the Powerful, or Forceful Occasion'. The circle of initiated Dhulqarneni were known as the ‘Kafan' the ‘winding sheet', apparently because an unadorned white robe without under garments was all that was worn. Like the Witches coven, the Dhulqarneni Kafan was also a circle of twelve plus a leader, this leader was called El-Asward, the Black Man, another name for him was Rabbana (Lord). European Witch lore also speaks of covens led by ‘The Man in Black', a popular name for this figure was Robin or Robinet. The term ‘Sabbat' used to describe the Witches gathering is of uncertain origin and although the term ‘coven' comes from the Latin word for gathering, the similarity of the Arabic and European words in both sound and meaning is remarkable.
The existence of the Maskhara Dervishes, the Dhulqarneni and similar mystery cults that bear a resemblance to the European Witch-cult, does not prove that the Templars had contact with or were influenced by such groups. The similarities between the symbolism of these groups and the symbols which are associated with the Witch cults of Western Europe and BAPHOMET are suggestive but not conclusive. It may be that there was some contact or borrowing between these groups. It may be that there was a common source from which these groups have descended. It may be that those who look for evidence of the witch cult-ancient and modern- have collected pieces of information that though similar in appearance, are connected only by the investigators desire to perceive such a connection. However, from the point of view of the practicing Magician who wishes to access the occult powers of the archetypal Witch there exists another possibility. Many Witches believe that the true source of their craft lies not only with ancient earthly sects, but also within the archetypal realms of the astral ‘Witch World'. This archetypal Witch realm is seen as the source and inspiration of the earthly manifestations of the Witch-cult. Those who are sensitive to the keys which unlock the Witch archetype may learn to enter this realm and return with the knowledge and inspiration to give expression to the magick of Witchery upon earth. The name and imagery of BAPHOMET, and the associated ideas presented in this essay may be seen to represent such keys.
The mystery of the origin and meaning of the name ‘BAPHOMET' has lead to much speculation. As stated above, the earliest European references to the name associated it with the beliefs of the followers of Islam. However, it should be noted that it was quite common throughout Europe, from the middle ages to the early modern period, for corruptions of the name Mahommed to be used as synonyms for the Christian Devil. As late as 1540, Bellezza Orsini of Colle Vecchio (Perugia), was accused of worshiping the devil under the name Mauometto ("Mohammed"), who appeared as a handsome man dressed in black ( Magliocco 19..: ) . It may be that the use of a name which was reminiscent of the Prophet of Islam was the most frightening symbol that the persecutors of the Templars and later the Witches could think of to engender fear and loathing of these two groups in the hearts and minds of European Christians.
However if the name BAPHOMET is more than just a corruption of Mahommed, then perhaps it has other significance apparent only to those who have access to the correct keys. Several suggestions have been advanced claiming to reveal the inner meaning of the name. Levi believed that the name derived from the reversal of the abbreviation TEM OHP AB -Templi omnium hominum pacis abbas-, translated as “The father of the temple of universal peace among men”. Idries Shah claims that BAPHOMET was derived from the Arabic term -abufihamet-, meaning “father of understanding”, or “Father of wisdom”. It is a term used to refer to a Sufi master. In Arabic ‘father' can be taken to mean source. Aleister Crowley and others claimed that the name came from the Greek words Baph and Metis meaning “Baptism of wisdom”, Metis, one of the Titans, represents wisdom. Kaos magician Peter Carrol interprets Baph-Metis as “union with wisdom”.
Levi's referral to BAPHOMET as ‘The Goat of Mendes' would seem to offer another interpretation of the identity of this deity were it not for the fact that the God of Mendes is described as RAM headed not GOAT headed. However, closer scrutiny of the images of the God of Mendes, show a creature which bears FOUR horns upon its head, one pair of which look very much like goats horns! It is possible that the animal represented in the ancient Egyptian reliefs is the Jacob's Sheep. This ancient breed of sheep can have multiple sets of horns, growing in the same configuration as the representations of the Deity of Mendes. Seen from a distance or after shearing, the Jacob's RAM can easily be mistaken for a goat! Perhaps this mistake can also be made when observing the ancient Egyptian representations of the Ram of Mendes. It might be tempting to dismiss the connection between the Mendes god and the god of the Templar’s as nothing more than superficial resemblance were it not for the similarity of their names. It is easy to imagine that the name of the RAM of Mendes: BANEBDJEDET ( pronounced Ba-neb-Tetet) could have become BAPHOMET.
Another theory states that when BAPHOMET is interpreted according to the ‘Atbash Cypher' it reveals an inner meaning. The Atbash encryption is applied by substituting the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet with the last one, the second letter is likewise replaced by the second last and so on. The ‘Atbash Cypher' was first applied to the BAPHOMET mystery by Dr Hugh Schonfield, one of the original researchers examining the ‘Dead Sea Scrolls'. He was interested in the history of the Knights Templar and in the accusation that they worshipped an idol called BAPHOMET. Schonfield believed that the Templar’s may have used the Atbash Cypher, he therefore translated BAPHOMET into Hebrew characters and then applied the cypher. The name that was thereby revealed was ‘SOPHIA' a Greek word meaning both wisdom and the Goddess of Wisdom. Thus BAPHOMET is identified with the Arabic “Father of Wisdom”, with “METIS” the Titaness who represented wisdom, with “SOPHIA” Goddess of wisdom and with the concept of union. This use of male and female honorifics fits in with the image of BAPHOMET as an androgynous entity. The use of the word wisdom, with its connotations of witchcraft, magick and blackness fits with BAPHOMET's hermetic and witchey associations. Such multi layered ciphers’ are typical of the kind of codes and multiple meanings of which occultists are fond!
During the era of Witchcraft persecutions the name and image of BAPHOMET became strongly identified with the wild revels of the Witches Sabbat. Early representations of the Witches god often show a humanoid creature with clawed feet and birds head however, by the 17th century images of the Sabbatic Witches' god were far more likely to feature the familiar goat-headed deity. Whatever its origin the BAPHOMET archetype and its connection with Witchcraft struck a cord in the collective psyche that has survived down the centuries. Thus it is that many occult students have had their imaginations stirred by the name BAPHOMET. As stated above, many of Eliphas Levi's thoughts on BAPHOMET were synthesised into his drawing of the ‘Sabbat Goat'. The English occultist Aleister Crowley regarded ‘BAPHOMET' as a form of the Greek God, ‘PAN' and adopted the name ‘BAPHOMET' as his motto when he joined the Ordo Templi Orientis (Order of the Temple of the East). This quasi-masonic order claimed or at least implied links with the original Templar’s. Other occultists who have touched upon the BAPHOMET archetype include the 19th century masonic author Albert Pike and the self-styled ‘Black Pope', Anton Szandor LaVey. The image of BAPHOMET was the model for the Devil card in the Rider-Waite and Case-B.O.T.A. Tarot decks. Kaos mage Peter Carrol described BAPHOMET as follows -
“In the first aeon, I was the Great Spirit.
In the second aeon, Men knew me as the Horned God,
Pangenitor Panphage
In the third aeon, I was the Dark one, the Devil
In the fourth aeon, Men know me not, for I am the Hidden One
In this aeon, I appear before you as Baphomet.
The God before all gods who shall endure to the end of the Earth.”
All these sources have contributed to the modern understanding of the BAPHOMET archetype. The celebration of the BAPHOMET rite at EUPHORIA represents the blending of the ideas suggested in this essay, with the experiences of the EUPHORIA participants to create a powerful experience of Magick, transformation and ecstasy!
