Many people firmly believe that it is the symbol of Satan, because of its beards, horns, wings and other details with an esoteric tinge, which is collectively related as something evil. However, not everyone thinks this way and there is a whole science behind this symbology, which hides surprising mysteries, but that few know. Below we will see the truth of Baphomet, or the symbol of Satan?

The Templars and the cult of the billy goat

A whole enigma surrounds this striking character in the history of the Templars. Several theories have emerged since the 12th century. Within the cabalistic and Masonic knowledge, Baphomet is very important. But they do not see it as something bad, but it means “Baphomet of wisdom”, from the etymology of the prefix “Baph” and the suffix “Metis”. They explain that the bearded head symbolizes the head of John the Baptist, which in turn is another symbol signifying chastity and the death of desire.

Interestingly, Baphomet is also closely related to the deities of other cultures. It could be said that in different times and peoples of the earth, they have tried to represent the Divinity in a similar way, with a being with horns.

An example is the pagan peoples, such as the pantheists, who worshipped the god Pan, with similar features. Or the ancient Wicca cult and their belief in the god Cernutos. Even in Christianity itself, even Michelangelo sculpted the statue of Moses with horns, indicating that not only the devil has them, but also the beings of light.

So while the collective of society considers it to be something evil, not knowing the hermetic science that concerns Baphomet, scholars of the subject such as Masons, Rosicrucians, occultists, secret societies, Gnostics, etc., consider it as the symbol of the path to light or darkness, as chosen and according to the method.

On his forehead rests a five-pointed star, with one peak upwards and two downwards, contrary to the star used in the dark rites. Eliphas Levi, recognized sage and occultist of the 19th century, in his book “Dogma and Ritual of High Magic”, explains the following:

The Male Goat, carries on his forehead the sign of the pentagram, with the point upwards, which is enough to consider it as a symbol of light; he makes with both hands the sign of occultism and shows in high the white moon of Chesed and in low, the black moon of Geburah. This sign expresses the perfect agreement of mercy with justice.

Eliphas Levi

Eliphas Levi also states that one of his arms represents the feminine and the other the masculine, as an Androgynous being. The torch that shines between the horns, would come to symbolize the intelligence and the magic light that is in charge of balancing the universal forces and the soul freed from the chains of matter, but living in it. The head, as an amphora or chalice of the sacred fire.

According to universal Gnosticism, the gloomy goat’s head symbolizes the animal tendency of the human mind, which must be subjugated. The caduceus of mercury that is located in its generative organ, is the same with which Hermes gave to understand the immortality and the secret Arcanum.

The Hermetic Principles

The Rosicrucian mysteries indicate that by inverting the letters that constitute the word Baphmet, one obtains the key that contains: “TEM OHP AB”, which means “, oli omnivm hominum pacis Abbas”; in English: “The Father of the Temple, Universal Peace of Men”.

On one of the arms is written in Latin the word “Solve” and on the other “Coagula”, which translates to dissolve and create. They also add that the symbolism of Baphomet is intimately linked to the seven hermetic principles and Solve and Coagula are related to the principle of mentalism and, in turn, to that of Cause and Effect, since to create something requires an action followed by a certain consequence.

As one of the arms points upwards and the other downwards, it would come to represent the principle of correspondence in the Universe, which is that as above, so below; as within, so without.

The position of his hands is a mudra called Jupiter and represents the movement, the principle of vibration of all things.

The principle of polarity would be symbolized by the feminine and masculine features of the figure, added to the white moon and the black moon. “Everything has two poles and its pair of opposites,” warns the Kybalion.

The moving water in the lower part of Baphomet is the principle of Rhythm, alluding to the lunar influence on the tides.