The image that comes to your head is an iconic symbol of Satanic and Demonic ideology and imagery. You see a goat with the torso of a “man”. Though this would be incorrect. It has arms doing some weird and strange gesture and the fingers are bent at some skewed angle. And that is as far as most people go.
Some people in the communities of Satanists and Demonolatrists work alongside the tropes or ideas. Some have a good and well rounded knowledge of the Baphomet. Some like aesthetics and their wardrobe is made from solely shopping at Hot Topic and Spencers and they don’t have any idea that their entire outfit of inverted crosses and colours of black with skulls is heavily Catholic. But I digress.
The Baphomet is, it its origin, far more Catholic and generally Abrahamic than you may think. Originating from the Knight’s Templar in the early 1300s, the concept of the Baphomet has evolved and morphed insanely over the course of over 600 years. The philosophy was of devout enlightenment, wholesome understanding of the spirit, and structuralized imagery of a sort of ideology that surrounds unification of duality and “all things”. But we do not necessarily get this all from the creative minds of the Knight’s Templar themselves. And that is the exceptionally simplified and dumbed down version of it. And I mean it when I say that it is exceptionally dumbed down. You may as well be drinking stale water. The imagery of the Baphomet (to an outside perspective) may easily look and behave "Demonic" to the ignorant mind of someone who has no knowledge of the concepts of spiritual alchemy. This is exceptionally true if you have very little historical context.
As much as it seems thrilling and edgy and exciting to worship this “Ultimate Evil Goat God of Blood and Destruction”, I am here to pop that bubble just a bit.
It is true and mighty sad indeed. But when it comes to any particular study, you should absolutely always have at least some degree of knowledge as to how something works, where it came from, and what makes it “tick” the way it does. You should absolutely know what you are working with and talking about, and that means doing the dirty work. The good news is that the information I am dropping here for you can easily be found in several books which will be listed at the bottom. The problem is that you’ll have to get comfortable with reading historical Catholic Content and Alchemy.
To begin, the Baphomet was not even supposed to be called what it is today. The Etymological origins are a mixture of things. There is a lot of speculation as to where the name comes from, but the general consensus is that it is a bastardization of the name “Mohammed”. This was considered to be done due to the locations that the Knights Templar were in as they incorporated Islamic beliefs into their Christian ones. As such, this was considered heretical to the Church. With tensions already high against the Knight’s Templar due to their position in the Church, they were taken as being heretical against the Church and from there prosecuted with their basis being of heresy. And that heresy had absolutely little to do with witchcraft or the occult, and moreso a sort of age old issue of racial and spiritual argument versus Islamic and Catholic beliefs. At the time of this, there were immense tensions between the two due to the wars at the behest of the Church. It does not generally look good when your army begins to convert to enemy beliefs. But that is the running historical theory.
The concept of the Sabbatical Goat, which is what you are all familiar with, does not come into play until hundreds of years later in the 1800s. Éliphas Lévi created the image of the Sabbatical Goat in Dogme et Rituel de la Haute Magie. Beforehand, the concepts of the Baphomet were simple figurines of a head with two or three faces or simply a human skull.
So the process of which the Baphomet has grown has evolved in much more modern times. And yes, the 1800s is absolutely considered Modern. Imagining a potential concept of the Sabbatical Goat coming from very vague and thinly processed concepts five hundred years earlier (half a whole millennium!), is absolutely fair to call it Modern. We are left with this interestingly balanced structure that you know of as the Baphomet. It mixes some Greco concepts such as the caduceus of Mercury and assertions from Kabbalistic structure such as utilising Chesed and Geburah in earlier concepts, and even going all the way into the Goat of Mendes.
So evolution has absolutely brought forth a lot of aspects, attributes and ideology that has taken something and absolutely sprinted across the globe with it. So what exactly even is the Baphomet if it is not what we think that it is? What even could it be or how do you even work with something that probably seems a little deflated now? I’ll tell you how I have captured it into my work now. Because let’s face it, you did not read all of this just to lay awake in bed at four in the morning with zero questions answered. I’ve wasted enough of your time.
My Personal Experience and Workings with Baphomet
The Baphomet for me is the ultimate duality. Even from out of the gate, the Knight’s Templar produced an idea of a head with many faces, or three for that matter. I’m a physics major, and that means I love threes. Why? Because Three is the Perfect Number in Mathematics. And in philosophy, Pythagoris has given us Harmony, Wisdom, and Understanding within the numerical value of three. Freshly starting, we are working with a concept and an energy that produces similar to same value.
I also study Alchemy. This means that the prospects of the Sabbatical Goat and the energy produced by its long time evolution brings me immense interest. Without writing an extensive and annoying quantity of details as to how everything ties into spiritual Alchemy, I am going to just lay out the essence of Pure Duality and Unity as well as Peace and Understanding through the Baphomet. We’re going to quickly talk about symbolism and what that means for me.
The Elephant in the Room is the Solve and Coagula. Dissolve and Coagulate. These changes and processes are connected to the cycle of all things in alchemy. From there, they blend into the balance of “Above and Below”. This cycle and motion connects us from the mundane and earthly living and the essence of the spirit and cosmic forces at play. We then look to the things out of our reach and above our minds and the earth below our feet. The Baphomet sits upon an orb or a globe. This is not necessarily a form of Dominion or Dominance, but it is a peaceful observance of all things within the world. By scale, the energy at play is all around us. Our feet upon on the earth, we walk, sit and sleep within the boundaries of the physical realm. The Sabbatical Goat has the candle of Illumination upon its head. this bestows upon us enlightenment, truth, and a beacon of knowledge. A fire is a fire and it casts light, but the higher you hold the flame, further is the illumination.
The Goat itself is akin to how significant they have been in the lives of humans. Goats were one of the very first milk producing livestock humans had. A goat could provide the survival of a village. Infants were fed by the tits of a goat if there was no source of milk from a mother. Yes, goats would be wet nurses for human infants. Goats represent fertility and strength, willpower, integrity, and raw power as well as the giving sustenance of life. They are agile and capable creatures and exceptionally clever. There is a Divinity to a goat that comes from the heavy reliance that humans have had for them.
The Phallus/Caduceus represents Masculine energies and the breasts of the Baphomet represents Feminine energies. In the case of the the caduceus, we are given concepts of trade and exchange as well as the element of mercury. Mercury the planet is associated with the element of air which comes into intuition and communication, the mind as well as creativity and thoughts. The wings of the Baphomet (though some depictions omit the wings), are iconic of travel and movement. The ascent we make through life as we migrate both physically and spiritually. There is travel involved in life and we are always travelling and moving. Wings also represent the Divine in historical contexts, feathered being associations with birds who carried messages back and forth between parties. The image in question has two moons, one waning one waxing. Waxing and waning moons are the cycles of progress. We build and we break down. We grow and we rest. These correspond beautifully to the Coagula and Solve. And the star on the forehead is the unification and collective of all elements.
There is some avoidance at providing imagery of the Baphomet with a cock or breasts and it is an awful bastardization that terribly eradicates the energies at play and is a great insult to the Baphomet. There is the Alchemical Union of Male and Female, Life Given, Life Taken, the Seed and Womb, the Harmony and Unification that is prevalent in our magic and how we treat it is greatly influenced by our imagery of it. To ignore these aspects of the Baphomet is to cherry pick Divinity in the worst ways possible. We are to not disfigure and vandalise the Divine because we are too soft and closed minded to accept what is before us.
—
And this symbolism is just the tip of the iceberg for me. When it comes to the Baphomet, I absolutely work with Them as a theistic entity. For me, the Baphomet is the Buddha of the Left Hand Path. It is the Zen and the Wholesome Goodness that comes from the deep and peaceful understanding of connecting to the whole as we find understanding within ourselves and the universe we occupy.
The Baphomet is a being of Peace. They/It have no true gender and no true alignment. It is an ultimately peaceful entity of that Divine Duality and the merging and balance of all of what we experience. Their Divinity is very akin to dharma in my experience. And in my experience, they have little to no immediate association with the Demonic Divine in any regard. They seem to exist within this zen-like posture that is separated from all things. Though for me there is a lack of an immediate connection to the Demonic, it exists as an auxiliary connection to all things simply from the nature that all energies are intertwined. All forces are divine. All things share a space and share an occupancy of existence in either here or the spaces between, the liminal and the spiritual. The connection between the Baphomet and the Demonic may as well be just as prevalent as the Baphomet to Pazuzu or Baphomet and Odin, or Hermes, Anubis, Prometheus or any other sort of God or Goddess. This makes working with the Baphomet easily atheistic and more philosophy instead if that is something that strikes someone’s fancy. The cult ties of the Baphomet to me come purely from mainstream occultists and edgelords like Anton LaVey or Crowley. (Once more, this is just my opinion.)
The Baphomet’s energy is very harmonious and musical. It is similar to the imagery of koi swimming. It is balanced in a way I have not experienced with many other Divines. It is vivid and bright, warm and cold, calm and exhilarating. But all at once, it is soothing. Some may find it overwhelming and some may find it calming. I find great peace and deep tranquillity amongst the energies of Them.
Working with the Baphomet has been very good for my personal growth as an individual. This is just one easy example that ties into mundane and magical correspondance. To begin with, I was experiencing energetic confusion. Being AFAB but identifying as non-binary with a slight lean to masculine, I was left with some thought and considerations in my work as I made great effort to balance and discover what was comfortable for me as an occult practitioner. In short, I felt as if I lack substantial Harmony. I understood and could be receptive to the energies at play, but how I was incorperating them left me something to be desired. The Baphomet had been a superiorly supportive guide in my efforts to find balance and acceptance for myself between my mind body, and spirit; as well as They encouraged me to pursue hormone therapy and finally see a physician for my transition. But that is just the beginning.
The Baphomet has been a greatly supportive Force of encouragement in my life as a Divine Being that encourages me to maintain bodily, spiritual, and mental health. Clean water and air, grounding energies through yoga, and finding meditation in my free time are just a few of the disciplines that I have been pushed towards and managed to maintain. The Baphomet is not shy about digging up things that you hide. All is illuminated before Them and through Their light, you see yourself as you are. This includes the things you may not be happy about within yourself. But Their embrace is warm and supportive and the guidance They provide unveils all hidden within you and the truth you need to know to help guide you on the right Path to work with yourself and the energies both within and around you in more harmonious ways. They do not sugarcoat anything. I found that out quite plainly. Though there has never been harshness nor bitterness. No malice or disappointment comes from Them. It is simply a reality bestowed upon you. And then you are reminded who you are hurting in the process of poor decisions or lack of care. And then you are often shown what those consequences are. And from there, what paths are open to you in order to remedy this. Though my case, I imagine, is exceptionally mild. I have no extreme excitements that happen in my life and I do not suffer from much, if anything that requires intense and deep rectification.
At the same time, I have been nurtured and supported through the journeys and walks I have taken closely with Baphomet. When They feel that I will need Them, they make it no secret. They are loud and obvious when they come into my space and bring their essence and presence with Them. When a situation or my need for Them comes, it is like clockwork. There is no shyness and no shame, just acceptance and guidance, support and encouragement.
The Baphomet is vocal and very intense at times, though I am always enraptured by Their presence. Often I am presented with the soft and deep voice, neither feminine nor masculine, human or animal, that says things like: “You will succeed. Because you will it. I believe in you. I know your will. I thus know your ability. I thus know your Power. For your Power is my Power. I believe in myself. And you believe in Me. We have Faith. Together and within Eachother.”
Just an example I had written when I first had begun working closely with the Baphomet.
Other circumstances I have seen the Baphomet in revolve around practitioners needing firm guidance and discipline. Within the union of the Baphomet, you are given regular knowledge and awareness of your progress and your current circumstances. You are exposed to your reflection. The stark contrast most of our energies have and who we are greatly are reflected within the presence of the Baphomet. Such a sort of Divine Being really does well at snapping how we compare to Their Divine Energy in a way that we are compelled immediately to reflect upon ourselves as we are within Their Embrace. And yet, I never have felt inadequate or unworthy.
I have been greatly gifted with the ability to connect to Divine Forces with natural ease since I was a child. I have capitalised upon that skill with great enthusiasm and have been fortunate enough to have been able to find the Baphomet in my personal workings and Gnosis over the last decade. It has been a great pleasure and greatly illuminating and has provided me with tools and wisdom that I feel were paramount to my development as a magician and sorcerer in various studies of the Occult. My personal workings have brought me to be able to write this document with a great amount of enthusiasm and I appreciate the time people have taken to read this.
I am going to close this out now and draw it to an end. Listed below are books that I have sourced some of the information from as per provided by other sources as well.
—
Encyclopaedia Americana 1851
https://correspondencesjournal.com/15303-2/ ("The 'Baphomet' of Eliphas Lévi: Its Meaning and Historical Context")
Barber, Malcolm (2006). The Trial of the Templars
Dogme et Rituel de la Haute Magie - Lévi, Éliphas
Michaud, Joseph Francois (1853). The History of the Crusades (google Books)
The New Knighthood: A History of the Order of the Temple
https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/1911_Encyclop%C3%A6dia_Britannica/Templars
The History of the Knights Templar - Charles Addison
