What is the Baphomet Project?

One artist's interpretation of Baphomet. ©2010-2014 Living-with-aliens

When people hear about my love for Baphomet, they often  get scared.

So many think that Baphomet is an evil entity, the Devil of Christianity.  (This one comic, for example, tries to claim that Baphomet is the evil god of the free masons [he’s not] and will lead your children towards suicide).

What many don’t understand is that Baphomet is a rather modern invention/discovery/rediscovery, and that each person who claims to work with Him/Her/It/Hir/Hem/Them has a different view on what Baphomet is.

This blog is dedicated to exploring the different ways people view and experience Baphomet.

Some think the Knights Templar worshiped the shrunken head of John the Baptist which supposedly shared wisdom with them. Is this Baphomet?

The first reference to Baphomet in history was from records of the Inquisition in the early 14th century. Some of the Knights Templar, who were accused of blasphemy and homosexuality, admitted under torture that they were worshiping an idol by the name of Baphomet.

Little is known of what Baphomet actually was. Some records say a cat idol, others a shrunken head, while many scholars think it’s a mispronunciation of Mohammed the Prophet.

Whatever the Knights Templar actually worshiped, this mysterious entity had certainly excited the minds of occultists for centuries to come.

Eliphas Levi's rendition of Baphomet.

The modern image we have of Baphomet (posted above) comes from one of those occultists in the 19th century whose imagination was inspired by the Knights Templar. This man was Eliphas Levi, the grandfather of the modern western occult tradition.

Drawing a winged hermaphrodite with a goat’s head and a torch between Hir horns, the image became popular quickly throughout Western culture.

Sometimes, Levi talks about Baphomet being a symbol of some mysterious initiation, an image representing a Qaballah-based Universe. Other times, Levi talks about Baphomet as if (S)He is the Devil or the Serpent in the Garden of Eden. Other times still, Levi says that Baphomet is Pan, or even that (S)He is Spinoza's God.

Levi's representation of Baphomet was probably most inspired by the Devil card from Tarot. Note the horns, the breasts and the penis.

With so much potential to mean so many different things, many modern occultists have found that they can approach Baphomet in their own way. They can have an organic, completely original relationship with the concept/deity/demon since there is no strict tradition surrounding Hir.

For some, Baphomet is their opportunity to embrace the totality of the Universe and of themselves, considering that (S)He is the Great Hermaphrodite, containing both good and evil, male and female, darkness and light.

For others, (S)He is the most recent manifestation of the ancient Horned God, perhaps representing our own animal natures. The Church of Satan associates Baphomet with lust.

The Order of Nine Angels think Baphomet is a Dark Menstruating Goddess hungry for human sacrifice. Other occultists summon Baphomet during orgies or fireside rituals as the Sabbatic Goat of the Witches, while others think Baphomet is but another word for some pantheistic God.

May Baphomet bless you in your search for Truth, Beauty, Happiness and World Domination.

We invite you to explore the ideas, art, rituals and experiences surrounding the many manifestations of Baphomet that can be found on this blog.

If you have some insights of your own regarding Baphomet that you’d like to share, feel free to contact me and I’ll be sure to add you as a guest blogger.

(cvpenfold at gmail dot com)

Enjoy your time here as you wander the uncharted paths of Baphomet with us!