The Pentagram and Ram's Head
by David J. Stewart
The pentagram or pentacle is probably the best known and used of all occult symbols and is considered to be the most potent means of conjuring benevolent spirits. The inverted pentagram, with the point of the star is downward, is used to conjure up the powers of evil. As the circle is believed to enhance the powers of a particular symbol it is usually added to the pentagram. The ordinary (point-up) pentagram is the symbol of witches, warlocks and Wiccans in general and which they call "The Great Rite," whereas the inverted (point-down) pentagram is the symbol of Satanism. The point-down pentacle is also the symbol of Masonry and the Eastern Star.- "The Pentagram is used extensively in black magic, but when so used its form always differs in one of three ways: The star may be broken at one point by not permitting the converging lines to touch; it may be inverted by having one point down and two up; or it may be distorted by having two points of varying lengths. When used in black magic, the pentagram is called the "sign of the cloven hoof" or the "footprint of the devil". The star with two points upward is also called the "Goat of Mendes" because the inverted star is the same shape as a goat's head. When the upright star turns and the upper point falls to the bottom, its signifies the fall of the Morning Star [Jesus Christ]".
Goat and Ram Heads are Sacred in Witchcraft and Satanism
Photo to Right: Advertisement photo for the movie, Pan's Labyrinth, showing the entrance to the Labyrinth. Please notice the ram's horns (which represent Satan). Also, notice the little girl about to enter. Pan is known as the god of rape and sexual immorality. Please read NARNIA Exposed!
In 1966, the Beach Boys came out with their album, Pet Sounds, featuring them feeding goats on their album cover. This is no coincidence, the goat represents Satan...
"The horned and hoofed Greek goat-god, Pan, is one of the most important entities of Witchcraft. Thor, the Norse god, was worshiped before the other gods of Valhalla. Some say he existed as early as the stone-age. Thor drove a great chariot, pulled by two giant, powerful goats. They symbolized thunder and lightning. Medieval legends say that the Devil created the goat. Satan himself often appeared with goat's horns, and sometimes changed his shape completely into a goat." -SOURCE (Encyclopedia Mythica)
Clearly, Satan is the spiritual power behind ALL rock music, including so-called "Christian rock." There is nothing even remotely "Christian" about rock-n-roll music. Rock-n-roll is a religion of immoral sex, drug abuse, and demonic powers summonsed through the music itself. Brian Wilson (lead singer of the Beach Boys) even admitted that he was trying to create "witchcraft music"...
"We were doing witchcraft, trying to make witchcraft music."
-Brian Wilson quoted in Nick Kent's The Dark Stuff (pg.27.)
The music of the Beach Boys may seem harmless, but it is as demonic as all rock-n-roll music. One of the greatest dangers is that young people idolize rock band members and want to become like them (following in the steps of their mentors).
If you think I am being ridiculous, then consider the fact that Paul McCartney did the same exact thing on his 1971 album, RAM. Pictured to the left is Paul McCartney's 1971 album cover. One may contend that there is a vast difference between a goat and a ram; but, if you research the subject of witchcraft, you'll learn that BOTH animals are extremely popular in witchcraft. Notice the Wiccan witches' pendant below with the Ram's head (center photo).Look again at the definition from the Encyclopedia Mythica of a goat...
"Medieval legends say that the Devil created the goat. Satan himself often appeared with goat's horns, and sometimes changed his shape completely into a goat." -SOURCE (Encyclopedia Mythica)."
"The Goat of Mendez is the god of the witches. (Mendez is another spelling of Mendes, a city of ancient Egypt where fertility worship - Baal worship -- was practiced). Masons admit readily that Baphomet is a pagan fertility god and, more importantly, that Freemasonry is a fertility cult religion. At any rate, this mockery of Jesus is a satanic symbol and figures prominently in Satan worship." -Kerr Cuhulain (Occult author, police investigator, and friend of witches)
Did you know that the ram and the goat are synonymous with witchcraft and Satan worship? The Baphomet or Satanic pentagram is pointed downward to accommodate the outline of a goat's head.
Some witches today claim that the goat head is really supposed to be a ram's head (which originated with the ram-headed god of Ammon in ancient times). The photo to the right is Ammon, the Egyptian ram-god, also identified with the Greek god Zeus. A ram (a non-castrated adult male sheep), has CURVED horns (as in the center photo above); whereas, as goat has a beard and STRAIGHT horns (as in the left photo above). BOTH symbols are utilized in today's Satanism, occult, and witchcraft circles. The Church of Satan uses the goat's head on their main webpage. The pentagram image is inherent to BOTH the goat and the ram. Whether ram or goat, BOTH animals are used to depict the works of darkness.
Notice below on Ozzy Osborne's album cover that he uses the RAM (curved horns). Do you really think it a coincidence the Paul McCartney placed a RAM on his album cover? Clearly, the music industry has an infatuation with Satanic symbolism.
On Ozzy's cover, the fans are all TOUCHING (caressing) the beast, just as McCartney is fondling the RAM on his album cover. Of course, the goat and ram represent Satan. Such affection is symbolic of one's fondness and allegiance to Satan. It is to no surprise that the Rolling Stones produced a blasphemous song titled "Sympathy for the Devil." Satan has successfully slithered his way into the hearts of America's youth through evil music.
Both Satanists and Wiccan witches adore and worship the Pagan god, Pan, the world's most infamous sex predator! Pan is the embodiment of Rock 'N' Roll music!
Heavy Metal rocker and known Satanist, Ozzy Osbourne, has featured Pan on all of his recent album covers (2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008). Ozzy is bound for Hell. The Rock 'N' Roll industry is infamous for worshipping Pan, who is the very embodiment of Rock music. Pan represents Satan, which is what the ever-so-popular Satanic hand sign (more signs) shows, allegiance to the Beast, the coming Antichrist. Walt Disney features a little girl falling in love with Pan in PAN'S LABYRINTH.
Satanism and sexual rituals have always been inseparable. In Greek mythology, the goat is considered an agent of fertility...
The Greek deity Zeus was the head honcho of Mount Olympus, and he made his sexual power known by appearing to goddesses and mortals alike in the form of a bull, swan, or golden shower. Zeus didn't go after women alone- his abduction of the beautiful youth, Ganymede, in the form of an eagle has been the subject of many paintings. Zeus was known as the Aegis-Bearer, and this may have some sexual significance; the aegis was a ritual goat pelt worn by a chieftain or ruler and was the totem of the Aegidae, a tribe that moved into Greece in its early history.
The goat, like Zeus himself, was exceptionally prolific and this may have accounted for the aegis being part of his symbology. Consequently the goat was considered an agent of fertility according to any sea-faring culture that the Greeks came in to contact with. His son, Hermes, was quite the player himself, often wooing and seducing many mortal women with his charm and trickery. -SOURCE
The Freemasons worship the goat-headed Baphomet (pictured below), as their god of enlightenment. Clearly, the Pentagram is used by Wiccans and Satanists to represent everything that is evil and unholy... Satan himself.
The Beast sits atop the world. The moons may also suggest that this is the Prince of Darkness. The moon is also an accurate metaphor for Satan, masquerading as a 'source of light'
It can only reflect the true light down upon those living in darkness, and it pales in comparison.
Notice the upside down pentagram in the advertisement above.
Photo to left: Most people recognize the Satanic hand sign which John Lennon is making at the bottom right (representing the goat's head; but, few people realize that the "ok" sign which Paul McCartney is making at the bottom left is also very Satanic. The "ok" sign is actually three 6's, each of the three vertical fingers forming an individual 6. 666!
Paul McCartney said, "We probably seem to be anti-religious. . . none of us believes in God." (Hit Parader, Jan 1970, p.15)
John Lennon, in his book, A Spaniard in the Works, portrays Jesus Christ as, "Jesus El Pifico, a garlic-eating, stinking little yellow, greasy fascist bastard catholic Spaniard." (A Spaniard in the Works, p.14).
The rock band, Forsaken
OzzFest 2002 - notice the Satanic Pentagram on Dimmu's arm.
Above is pictured a Freemasonry pentagram with Baphomet.
The pentagon is an infinite occult symbol — it is the center of a pentagram and a pentagram fits perfectly inside a pentagon.
Occultists believe that symbols are given a supernatural power at their creation. It is also believed that this power increases to whatever degree the non-initiated remain ignorant of the sign's true meaning. According to the book Magic Symbols by Fredrick Goodman, an occultic symbol is defined as, "...an image which hides an inner meaning. This meaning is usually cunningly hidden behind a form..."
SOURCE: How Satan Turned America Against God; by Dr. William P. Grady; pg. 347; 2005; ISBN: 0-9628809-3-0
Notice the occult PENTAGRAM on the book next to infamous Satanist, Aleister Crowley.
One of the most potent symbols in occultism is the Pentagram. According to Man, Magic and Myth: The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Mythology, Religion and the Unknown, "The star with with five points is traditionally a weapon of power in magic." However, the all-important factor has to do with the positioning of the pentagram. "The pentagram, with one of its points projecting upwards, can be imagined as a man's body with arms and legs extended and is a symbol of the dominance of the divine spirit (the one upward point) over matter (the other four points)." When the pentagram is inverted, the devil himself shows up as the goat head of Mendes, otherwise known as the Templars' god, Baphomet (or sometimes called Mahomet).
A reversed pentagram, with two points projecting upwards, is a symbol of evil and attracts sinister forces because it overturns the proper order of things and demonstrates the triumph of matter over spirit. The two upper points suggest the horns of a devil. "It is the goat of lust attacking the heavens with its horns," said Eliphas Levi, "a sign execrated by initiates of a superior rank." [This is why the devil's followers are likened to goats in Matthew 25:32.]
SOURCE: How Satan Turned America Against God; by Dr. William P. Grady; pg. 347; 2005; ISBN: 0-9628809-3-0
THE PENTAGRAM―FREEMASONRY―AND THE GOAT
The following is an excerpt from: THE PENTAGRAM―FREEMASONRY―AND THE GOAT, which Shows how the pentagram is used in Witchcraft, Satanism, and Freemasonry...
The purpose of this study is to show the curious similarity between the use of the Pentagram by the Masonic lodge, and other occult groups such as Satanists and Witches. There is much more to this symbol than meets the eye. This study will help you to comprehend the deeper meanings of this symbol and the deceptions that are connected to its ritualistic use.
Two witches, Janet and Stewart Farrar, give their definition of a pentagram:Pentagram: a five-pointed star, one of the main symbols of Witchcraft and occultism in general.#1Notice the pentagram is used in the center of the Temple by the altar in the Temple of Blue Lodge Masonry (the first three degrees: Entered Apprentice, Fellowcraft, and Master Mason) (See illustration on page 2, #2)The pentagram is used by Satanists, Witches and Black and White Magicians to invoke and banish demons. The illustration on page 3, #3, is from the book, The Golden Dawn, by Israel Regardie. The Golden Dawn is a secret society that practices ritual magic. It was founded in the nineteenth century by three men; MacGregor Mathers, Wynn Westcott, and Dr. William Robert Woodman. All three of these men were Masons. It should be noted that Westcott and Woodman were eminent and powerful Masons.Other members of the Golden Dawn were Kenneth MacKenzie, author of The Royal Masonic Enclopaedia - A. E. Waite, the author of, A New Encyclopedia of Freemasonry - and 33rd degree Mason, Aleister Crowley. Crowley's writings have formed the basis of Modern Satanism. Aleister Crowley described his Masonic authority in these words:...I was now a sort of universal inspector-general of the various rites, charged with the secret mission of reporting on the possibility of reconstructing the entire edifice, which was universally recognized by all its more intelligent members as threatened with the gravest danger. #4The illustration on page 3, #3, clearly shows how this organization that was founded and guided by Freemasons used the pentagram to invoke and banish demons in their rituals. The following statement is from the same book that the illustration is from.Yet, if there may arise an absolute necessity for working or conversing with a Spirit of evil nature, and that to retain him before thee without tormenting him, thou hast to employ the Symbol of the Pentagram reversed -. #5The deception is the fact that some persons using the pentagram think they are invoking good spirits and others think they are invoking bad spirits. It makes no difference what they think ! They are all invoking demons.The pentagram also is pictured on the cover of A Witches Bible Compleat (Illustration page 5, #6). It is one of the most prominent symbols in Witchcraft and can be seen on the witch's altar. The same type of pentagram is found by the altar in the Temple of the Blue Lodge of Freemasonry (Illustration page 2, #2).The illustrations on page 6, #7-#10, are also from A Witches Bible Compleat and show the extensive use of the pentagram in witchcraft.The pentagram is the focus of what is blasphemously called, "The Great Rite" in Witchcraft. The rite is described below:The couple enacting the Great Rite are offering themselves, with reverence and joy, as expressions of the God and Goddess aspects of the Ultimate Source. "as above, so below." They are making themselves, to the best of their ability, channels for that divine polarity on all levels, from physical to spiritual. That is why it is called the Great Rite..."Ritual sexual intercourse", says Doreen Valiente, "is a very old idea indeed -- probably as old as humanity itself."......The Great Rite invocation specifically declares that the body of the woman taking part is an altar, with her womb and generative organs as its sacred focus, and reveres it as such....The High Priestess then lays herself down towards the altar, and her arms and legs outstretched to form the Pentagram. #11The picture on page 8, #12, is the sign that hangs outside the Hadi Temple in Evansville, Indiana. Note the five pointed star with the two points up and the one down.When the pentagram or five pointed star is turned with one point down and two points up, it takes on an entirely different meaning as the illustration and explanation on page 9, #13, tells us.According to the Masonic authority quoted in the illustration on page 9, #13, the pentagram with one point down as is seen in picture of the Hadi Shrine sign on page 8, #12, represents evil.The pentagram with one point down can also be seen in the Emblem of the Eastern Star, which is the Masonic organization for women.See the illustration below, #14. As shown in the illustration, the five pointed star is in the center of the floor in the room, with an altar in the middle of the star.The adepts of Freemasonry are not ignorant of the fact that the symbol of the pentagram with one point down is evil. 33rd degree Mason, Manly P. Hall explains:When used in black magic the pentagram is called the "sign of the cloven hoof," or the footprint of the Devil. The star with two points upward is also called the "Goat of Mendes," because the inverted star is the same shape as a goat's head. #15The illustration on page 12, #17, is the inside title page of The Satanic Rituals, by Anton Szandor LaVey, High Priest of the Church of Satan. You will notice that inside the pentagram you can see the goat's head.The pentagram is undoubtedly one of the most prominent symbols of both Witchcraft and Satanism. We have already shown it as it appears on the cover of A Witches Bible Compleat (Illustration page 5,#6). It also appears on the cover of the following books: Bucklands Complete Book of Witchcraft, Raymond Buckland,The Satanic Bible, by Anton Szandor LaVey, and The Satanic Witch, by Anton Szandor LaVey.The five pointed star with one point down and the goat's head inside is called, the Baphomet. The Satanic bible describes the Baphomet as follows:The symbol of Baphomet was used by the Knights Templar to represent Satan. Through the ages this symbol has been called by many different names. Among these are: The Goat of Mendes, The Goat of a Thousand Young. The Black Goat, The Judas Goat, and perhaps most appropriately, The Scapegoat... The symbol of Baphomet is placed on the wall above the altar.#18ENDNOTES1 Janet and Stewart Farrar, The Life and Times of a Modern Witch, Phoenix Publishing Inc. 1987, p.187.2 William Schnoebelen, Masonry Beyond the Light, Chick Publications 1991, Illustration p. 1033 Israel Regardie, The Golden Dawn, Llewellyn Publications 1990, Illustration p. 281.4 Aleister Crowley, The Confessions of Aleister Crowley, A Bantam book 1971, p.760.5 Israel Regardie, The Golden Dawn, Llewellyn Publications 1990, p.280.6 Janet and Stewart Farrar, The Witches Bible Compleat, Magical Childe Publishing Inc. 1991, Illustration of Cover of book.7 Ibid., Illustration p. 40, Vol. II.8 Ibid., Illustration p. 82, Vol. II.9 Ibid., Illustration p. 21, Vol. II.10 Ibid., Illustration p. 153, Vol. II.11 Janet and Stewart Farrar, A Witches Bible Compleat, Vol. I. p. 49 & 50.12 Picture of Sign outside of Hadi Shrine Termple in Evansville, Idiana taken by Donna Carrico13 Henry L. Stillson and William T. Hughhan, History of Freemasonry and Concordant Orders, The Fraternity Publishing Company p.49.14 F.A. Bell, Order of the Eastern Star, Bell’s Eastern Star Ritual ,P.R.C. Publications, Inc. 1948, p.28.15 Manly P. Hall, The Secret Teachings of All Ages, The Philosophical Research Society 1988, p. CIV.16 Anton Szandor LaVey, The Satanic Rituals, Avon Books 1972, Inside cover.17 Yaj Nomolos S.P., Citizen Satan, Embassy of S.A.T.A.N., p.6.18 Anton Szandor LaVey, The Satanic Bible, Avon Books 1969, p.136.
Here's one of the album covers from the demonic heavy metal band, SACRAMENTUM. The album is a tribute to the satanist band, BATHORY (named after the serial killer of hundreds of sexually molested children and adults, Elizabeth Bathory...
ABOVE: The album cover for the Heavy Metal band SACRAMENTUM. This album is their tribute to the band BATHORY, featuring such songs as "13 CANDLES." The album is pure Satan worship, clearly represented by the Goat Of Mendes (the ram's head on the album cover).Britney Spears Makes Devil Horns in a Glee Advertisement
It's all a big joke to the wicked world! Signs Of Satan are everywhere!
As of February 2011, Spears has employed the satanist director, Jonas Akerlund, to film the video for her new number one song “Hold It Against Me” and has released clips of the video via Twitter. Well, God will hold her wickedness against her on judgment day (Ecclesiastes 12:7,14).
...Akerlund has publicly worn clothing with images of Satan, the Sigil of Baphomet (the common symbol of Satanism), and has incorporated representations of Satan and Satanism or Luciferianism in many of his past video work, such as in Lady Gaga’s “Paparazzi” and “Telephone” with Beyonce Knowles, Ozzy Osbourne’s “Let Me Hear You Scream,” and the porno music video for Rammstein’s “Pussy.” He was a member of the Swedish black metal band Bathory.It was named after the Hungarian Countess Elizabeth Bathory who was the most prolific female serial killer in Earth’s history and sexually molested and murdered over 600 young women and children to bathe in their blood to obtain “eternal youth.” One of the band’s many Satanic songs is “Satan My Master.” It seems Akerlund is aiding the major music industry to help brainwash people into accepting the corruption of the New World Order Illuminati. Britney Spears' album Femme Fatale is scheduled for retail release on March 15. SOURCE
ABOVE: The Heavy metal band, VENOM's 1981 album cover, "WELCOME TO HELL" (clearly displaying the Ram's head inside an inverted pentagram, which signifies open Satan worship; as compared to having the point facing upward, which Wiccan witches use, symbolizing their attempt to conceal their true demonic nature)...
This is what Britney Spears is promoting and representing when she makes the Devil horns. This is what everyone who flashes the El Diablo Satanic hand-sign is representing.
Meaning Of The All-Seeing Eye & The Great Pyramid
Complied and edited by David J. Stewart
•The image to the right contains two triangles-the pyramid and the eye above it.•The Pyramid represents the past (human civilizations).
•Note that the capstone of this pyramid is not in place, thus denoting an unfinished situation. Interestingly, The Great Pyramid of Egypt was never finished. This unfinished situation was planned to remain in effect until the Old World Order was destroyed and replaced with The New World Order.
•The eye represents Lucifer, the light bearer. When the serpent (Satan according to Revelation 20:2) told Eve that she and Adam would become “as gods” if they are the forbidden fruit, it was true (but not in the sense that Eve was led to believe). Adam and Eve were given the power to know and choose between good and evil, but what Satan didn't tell them was that they'd live and die by the consequences of their decisions.
•The all-seeing eye is profoundly simple in its meaning. It is exactly what you see, that is, there's an occult (hidden) world on the other side, and someone is peering through watching the rest of civilization that is not part of the group within the capstone. This group is improperly but often referred to as “Illuminati.” It's improper because the actual group called the Illuminati (led by Adam Weishaupt, born 1748-died 1830) disbanded 10-years after it had begun (1776-1786). Due to public fear and criticism of the occult group they went underground and have infiltrated into Freemasons (which was part of their original plot) and other groups. Today the proper term for the architects of the New World Order are the “Globalists.” That is what the eye represents, but ultimately it symbolizes Satan, the god of this world according to 2nd Corinthians 4:4 in the holy Bible.
•Adam Weishaupt's Illuminati group outlined a blueprint for World Government. It was no coincidence that this coincided with the Revolutionary War in America and the birth of our nation. It wasn't coincidence that many of our founding fathers were active freemasons. In exchange for worldly fame and fortune, the Rothschild family sold their souls to Satan, which has become the Rothschild's dynasty spanning hundreds of years and nearly 100 generations. The Rothschild family today is so wealthy that they could house, cloth and feed every human being on the face of the earth for multiple lifetimes over. The Capitalist Conspiracy: An Inside View of International Banking by (G. Edward Griffin).
•Annuit Coeptis – “Announcing The Birth”
•Novus Ordor Seclorum – “New World Order”
•Capstone – Eye of Horus [Theocracy of Egyptian Mysticism] = Eye of Satan or Lucifer. It's is no coincidence that there are 13 levels of the base of The Great Pyramid. Out of the ruin, depravity and chaos of the human race will rise the Antichrist. The globalists are deliberately trying to cause this chaos, so they can come in and pose as men's saviors with their totalitarian New World Order, of which the Antichrist will ultimately reign.
•MDCCLXXVI on the bottom layer of stones = 1776 [May 1, Beltaine, Second High-Holy Day of the Year] On May 1, 1776, a New World Order was born when the Masters of the Illuminati was founded, whose foundation would be built upon depravity and rebellion. Its leader would be Satan.
•Thirteen Layers to the Pyramid = The number, ’13′ is the occult number of Depravity and Rebellion.
•Annuit Coeptis – “Announcing The Birth”
•Novus Ordor Seclorum – “New World Order”
•Capstone – Eye of Horus [Theocracy of Egyptian Mysticism] = Eye of Satan or Lucifer. It's is no coincidence that there are 13 levels of the base of The Great Pyramid. Out of the ruin, depravity and chaos of the human race will rise the Antichrist. The globalists are deliberately trying to cause this chaos, so they can come in and pose as men's saviors with their totalitarian New World Order, of which the Antichrist will ultimately reign.
•MDCCLXXVI on the bottom layer of stones = 1776 [May 1, Beltaine, Second High-Holy Day of the Year] On May 1, 1776, a New World Order was born when the Masters of the Illuminati was founded, whose foundation would be built upon depravity and rebellion. Its leader would be Satan.
•Thirteen Layers to the Pyramid = The number, ’13′ is the occult number of Depravity and Rebellion.
Phoenix
A mysterious mythological bird, which is sacred to witchcraft. The witches and Illuminists believe that this spiritual bird has a lifespan of 500 years. At the end of 500 years, it bursts into flames and is reduced to ashes, and from the ashes rises a new phoenix.
A mysterious mythological bird, which is sacred to witchcraft. The witches and Illuminists believe that this spiritual bird has a lifespan of 500 years. At the end of 500 years, it bursts into flames and is reduced to ashes, and from the ashes rises a new phoenix.
Pentagram
Star with two sides. The side (here the bottom) with one points to the “good” Lucifer, while the two points point to the evil “Satan. They believe good and evil exist in equal measure in the world. This particular orientation is the “Goats Head of Mendes”, which is one of the Infernal Names of Satan within Satanism. Also called Samael by Black Magick Satanists (not a misspelling).
Witches wear the pentagram with the point up (“good”), while Satanists reverse it with the point down (“evil”).
Star with two sides. The side (here the bottom) with one points to the “good” Lucifer, while the two points point to the evil “Satan. They believe good and evil exist in equal measure in the world. This particular orientation is the “Goats Head of Mendes”, which is one of the Infernal Names of Satan within Satanism. Also called Samael by Black Magick Satanists (not a misspelling).
Witches wear the pentagram with the point up (“good”), while Satanists reverse it with the point down (“evil”).
Creepy, Huh?
The original 1973 album cover of the Rolling Stones album titled, Goat's Head Soup. The goat and ram head are greatly revered in Satanism and witchcraft; a mockery of the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ.
The History of the Origin
of the Sigil of Baphomet
and its Use in the Church of Satan
of the Sigil of Baphomet
and its Use in the Church of Satan
There have been many rumors and claims regarding this symbol, and here we recount the Church of Satan’s discovery and use of this powerful image.
Prior to the worldwide press given the Church of Satan—and later the publication of The Satanic Bible— the now familiar goat / pentagram / “Leviathan” graphic had not been used as the prime symbol for Satanism. Our younger readers may find this hard to believe, but it is a fact.
Examine the literature and imagery predating the founding of the Church of Satan in 1966: Satanism is usually denoted by inverted crosses or crucifixes and blasphemous parodies of Christian art. There are also images of goats and devils, and demons—along with their sigils from grimoires—all used to represent the “satanic.” However, the complete graphic which we now call the “Sigil of Baphomet” only became associated as the foremost symbol of Satanism in the public and media consciousness after the founding of the Church of Satan and Dr. LaVey’s use of it. From its inception, the Church of Satan has been constantly spotlighted in print, film, and television media all over the globe, so this was to be expected.
The word “Baphomet” dates back to records of Templar trials, and there are ongoing discussions concerning its derivation and meaning. However, there is no clear evidence that the symbol which we in the Church of Satan call “Baphomet” is similarly derived; the evidence, if any, has not yet been released in any public forum.
The Unholy Genesis of the Sigil of Baphomet
A discussion concerning the symbolism of pentagrams is contained in Eliphas Lévi’s Dogme et Rituel de la haute magie (1855-56 & 61, translated into English by A. E. Waite under the title Transcendental Magic). There are no accompanying illustrations. Here is the English translation of the quote:
Chapter 5—The Blazing Pentagram
The Pentagram, which in Gnostic schools is called the Blazing Star, is the sign of intellectual omnipotence and autocracy. It is the Star of the Magi; it is the sign of the Word made flesh; and, according to the direction of its points, this absolute magical symbol represents order or confusion, the Divine Lamb of Ormuz and St. John, or the accursed goat of Mendes. It is initiation or profanation; it is Lucifer or Vesper, the star of morning or evening. It is Mary or Lilith, victory or death, day or night. The Pentagram with two points in the ascendant represents Satan as the goat of the Sabbath; when one point is in the ascendant, it is the sign of the Saviour. By placing it in such a manner that two of its points are in the ascendant and one is below, we may see the horns, ears and beard of the hierarchic Goat of Mendes, when it becomes the sign of infernal evocations.
The pentagram or pentalpha is a symbol which has long been affiliated with demonic activity. From at least the early Middle Ages an entire genre of ritual magic handbooks and manuals has claimed to originate from King Solomon based, no doubt, on his legendary reputation for conjuring and employing demons in the construction of his temple. Among the oldest of these grimoires is the Testament of Solomon dating from perhaps as early as the First Century BC. This text includes a diagram of the pentalpha and relates that Solomon had a ring inscribed with that symbol which gave to him the ability to call forth demons and to have them work his will. The image in the manuscript shows the star point up. Inscribed on a ring however, the direction of the point might be immaterial as it could be perceived either way.
What was the source for this symbolism presented by Lévi in this work? Scholars researching the sources for his writings might be able to trace this.
As far as we now know, the first printed artwork for an image of a goat face in a five-pointed star appeared in an engraving on page 387 of the 1897 book La Clef de la Magie Noire, by French nobleman and occultist Stanislas de Guaita. The book was part of his multi-volume Essais de Sciences Maudites which not only put forth some of his own occult ideas underlying his establishment of a group of Rosicrucians but also served as a platform for his share of the accusations of Satanism that he and his enemies—such as La Basauthor J.K. Huysmans and friends—were publicly throwing at each other at the time. De Guaita wrote that he considered Eliphas Lévi to be one of the greatest geniuses of the 19th century so it is not surprising that he would take one of Lévi’s concepts and embellish it further.
Lévi mentions the demon Lilith in the above passage and the de Guaita image incorporates her name into the graphic along with that of Samael. In different places Lévi calls Samael both a white-light genie of Mars as well as the Hebrew name for a demonic force. Lévi makes no mention of Leviathan but the de Guaita image is encirlced by this name in Hebrew script.
In describing the graphic, de Guaita only slightly expands on Lévi and says nothing about Samael, Lilith, or Leviathan. After describing the point-up pentagram as a white-light symbol of man “voluntarily rejoined in the providential plan,” de Guaita notes:
But oriented in the opposite direction, the pentagrammatic Star is nothing more than a symbol of iniquity, perdition, blasphemy: its two points in the air become the horns of the foul Goat threatening Heaven, and whose head is framed with the stellar pentacle, with its low ears in the side branches, and its beard in disorder in the single lower point. [Page 386]
This engraving may have been taken from elsewhere or it may have been created by de Guaita’s secretary and assistant Oswald Wirth as noted below.
Lévi’s description can also be seen as a clear influence in Paul Jagot’s Science Occulte et Magie Pratique (Paris: Editions Drouin, 1924, page #172). As can be seen below, it is figure number 24 and is labeled “the pentagram espressive of subversion.” How the author came by this image is unknown to us. Note as well that the star itself is “open,” rather than composed of five “alphas.”
Next we find on page 47 of the Handbook of Magic & Witchcraft by Charles W. Olliver (Rider & Co., London, 1928) an appropriation from La Clef de la Magie Noire. Olliver’s book is highly derivative of prior works and it is clear that he simply lifted the images from de Guaita, subtracting the surrounding circles and Hebrew characters.
It is referred to in the text as the “Inverted Pentagram of Black Magic,” and is coupled with the “Pentagram of Appolonius,” shown below.
The continued evolution of this goat-graphic can be found in a 1931 book concerning Freemasonry by Oswald Wirth (Oswald Wirth, La Franc-Maçonnerie Rendue Intelligible à ces Adeptes, Deuxième Partie: “Le Compagnon,” Paris: Derry-Livres, 1931, page #60).
In addition to creating illustrations for de Guaita, Wirth also wrote and illustrated a number of his own books on occult topics including the tarot and Freemasonry. His tarot deck is still sold commercially today. In La Franc-Maçonnerie Rendue Intelligible à ces Adeptes, Deuxième Partie: “Le Compagnon,” Wirth presented his own original rendering of the goat head and pentagram image and identified it as his own by discretely including his “OW” initials just above the goat’s head.
The unadulterated de Guaita images re-appeared in a book by Maurice Bessy: A Pictorial History of Magic and the Supernatural (English first edition 1964, French first edition:Histoire en 1000 Images de la Magie, Editions du Pont Royal, 1961).
The graphic image in the Bessy book (English edition, page 198 under the heading “Satanic Sciences”) has a caption which reads:
“624-625. Pentagrams are the result of obscure numerological speculations. The five-pointed star, for example, seems to be characteristic of the Christian era, while the cross is the symbol (amongst others) of the figure five: four arms and the centre. By a strange coincidence, the Holy Spirit, the United States, and the U.S.S.R. and Islam use the fivepointed star as their emblem. (The opposition of good and evil is indicated through the inverted triangles).”
The above illustration is to the right of this caption. As in all prior appearances of this and similar renderings, nowhere in this book is #625 referred to as “The Sigil of Baphomet.”
For the actual cover of this hard-bound book, an artist rendered symbol #625, minus the words “Lilith” and “Samael,” and it was printed in white on the black cloth cover. It is very striking.
During his years of research into the “Black Arts,” Anton LaVey had come across this book and added it to his collection. So when he chose to metamorphose his magic circle, “The Order of the Trapezoid,” into the Church of Satan, he decided that this particular symbol was the one which most fully embodied the principles which were the bedrock of the first aboveground Satanic church.
The pentagram (pentalpha) comes from the Pythagorean tradition. The goat’s or ram’s head within it refers to the Goat of Mendes, a symbol of the Egyptian Neter Amon, who was called “the hidden one, he who abides in all things, the soul of all phenomena” and is thus the closest Neter to the Dark Force which is seen to permeate and motivate all nature. The two concentric circles which contain the word “Leviathan” written in Hebrew (starting at the lowermost point and moving counterclockwise) stem from the traditions of the Ophite (serpent) Jews, and this is the essence of the Dragon of the Abyss, descended from Tiamat, sometimes symbolized as an ouroboros (serpent biting its own tail forming a circle). Thus, in one sigil, we find a confluence of several cultures’ approach to embodying what we call Satan.
It is this cover art which was enlarged and placed above the altar in the main ritual chamber (as well as above a lower-level altar) in the infamous Black House.That the original source for this symbol was the Maurice Bessy book was well-known among the members who attended rituals at the Black House during our formative years. The book was constantly being perused by them, and was often used as a prop in photo shoots (minus the dust jacket which did not include this symbol). Anton LaVey never claimed to have designed the Bessy version of this symbol (as falsely stated by some of our detractors).
In its early days, the Church of Satan used the version seen on the cover of the Bessy book on its membership cards and stationery as well as on the medallions which were created both by hand and by professional manufacturers. Indeed, there were many variations, based on the skill of the renderers as well as on the resolution for detail of the means used to create the final product.
While The Satanic Bible was being written, it was decided that a unique version of this symbol must be rendered to be identified exclusively with the Church of Satan. The pentagram was made geometrically precise, the two circles perfect, the Hebrew characters were distorted to make them look more sharply serpentine and “corrupted with time,” while the goat face was redrawn with particular attention paid toward the eyes. The original highly-detailed artwork was first used to create altar plaques which were available only to local Church of Satan members (later, in February of 1970, they were made available to the general membership). This new version was then used on the cover of the groundbreaking LP, The Satanic Mass (©1968), produced by the Church of Satan. In addition to a recorded Satanic Mass, this LP included the “Prologue” and “Books of Satan: Verses I through V” from the then-unreleased book, The Satanic Bible. The album’s cover design was credited to “Hugo Zorilla,” a pseudonym used by Anton LaVey for some of his artwork. The liner notes, attributed to Franklin Kincaid, say that “the Satanic symbol, Baphomet,” was adopted from the Knights Templar. This symbol was finally widely-released to the general public in December of 1969 with the publication of The Satanic Bible, where it adorned the cover and appeared on the interior page introducing the section detailing the Satanic Ritual. And, significantly, here in this book was the very first time that this sigil was referred to as the “symbol of Baphomet” in any publication available to a mass audience. It was this version which the Church of Satan then had made into cloisonné medallions (which were only available to members) and it became the standard logo for all Church of Satan materials. We began calling it more precisely the “Sigil of Baphomet” and so it was named in print in The Satanic Rituals (released in December of 1972). It should be noted that this version is a copyrighted graphic which belongs to the Church of Satan alone. We have the legal right to place the © symbol next to this rendering, should we care to do so.
The Church of Satan did file for (1981) and then received (1983) a trademark which protects the use of the Sigil of Baphomet with the words “Church of Satan.” The Church of Satan therefore has the legal right to place the ® symbol meaning “registered trademark” next to this combination of symbol and words. This trademark also prohibits anyone from using something similar in combination of name and symbol, which could constitute an illegal dilution or blurring of the trademark.Current trademark laws are now in flux regarding this issue of trademark blurring—the use of marks similar to existing trademarks—but they are moving in the direction of favoring the forbidding of marks that could be considered misleading in any way, shape, or form.
Anton LaVey authorized Hell’s Kitchen Productions, Inc. to produce a Sigil of Baphomet medallion, and so a minor variation of the Church’s official Sigil of Baphomet was created in which the Hebrew characters between the circles were no longer outlines, but filled-in (a minor change). This authorized variation is also used exclusively on the official website and can be seen at the top of this page and throughout this site. This rendering is also protected by copyright laws.The copyright for the artwork that appears on the cover of the Bessy book belonged to the publisher of that book. Since that book is out of print, the copyright has lapsed, and thus the rights for the text reverted to the author, and the rights for the graphics contained therein would need to be determined—usually they revert to the artist or other source of origin. After passage of enough time, if the estates of the authors/creators do not renew the copyrights, the items in question then enter public domain. Thus, the Bessy cover rendition is most probably now in the public domain.
If anyone wants to legally use our version of the “Sigil of Baphomet,” they may ask for permission, and we have generally been quite liberal in licensing people to use this for various projects and goods—though we usually only allow its use on websites when (and where) they are mentioning the Church of Satan. Otherwise, those wishing to use a public domain version of a goat / pentagram / “Leviathan” symbol must go back to the historically published sources, or they may take the challenge to draw a fresh one.It is interesting to note that, prior to its slight enhancement and adoption by the Church of Satan, this sinister symbol appears never to have been used by any who would actually honor and revere it. Rather it was conceived, nutured and even continually passed along by Levi, de Guaita, Wirth and others—men who professed to oppose that which they imagined it to represent. These were ceremonial magicians, condemned by the Christian church yet still largely captive to the common mass morality of their day. In their quest to counter their critics, they dreamed up an imaginary cabal of selfish, unconstrained, unconventional black magicians in comparison to whom they hoped to seem quite acceptable to polite society. Was this a simple fiction to deflect public persecution or a more fully formed thoughtform fueled and fed by the nightmares and perhaps even secret, supressed desires in the unconscious minds of these magicians? There is no way to know for certain. The history is clear, however, that the image of the inverse pentagram invoking the head of the sabbatic goat was conjured up from their imaginations, imbued with geat resonance by the forbidden things it was believed to represent, and then passed from one seeker to the next for more than a century until Anton LaVey embraced it, and made what it had always symbolized manifestly real.
So marking the original appearance of this potent concept to Lévi’s description of 1855 C.E., we Satanists now celebrate the 150th anniversary of the coming forth of what we call the Sigil of Baphomet. We know that it shall continue its dark reign in minds and hearts for years to come as the preeminent visual distillation of the iconoclastic philosophy of Satanism.
Magus Peter H. Gilmore
© Walpurgisnacht, XL A.S.
Revised to include additional information on 30 April, XL A.S.
A special thanks to Reverend Robert The Merciless for his excellent scholarship and substantial contibutions to the revision.
Below is a collection of “Baphomet” variants we have seen.
None of these belong to the Church of Satan,
but the rights to reproduce them may belong to other artists.
but the rights to reproduce them may belong to other artists.
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album cover: JAMRA: The Second Coming (1972) | album cover: VENOM: Welcome To Hell (1982) | origin unknown |
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Book cover (back): A series on the occult published by Aldus Books Ltd., 1976. This is an excellent example of a unique re-rendering. |
A fine site that has public domain versions of the Sigil of Baphomet, ready for downloading is
Walpurgis 9's Hellish Graphics. Just clickon the Sigil below to visit.
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