My Recent Altar! – Venus Satanas

My Baphomet statue (middle). It’s sitting on it’s own stand but in front of it is my crystal ball..surrounded by my crystals!

Around the time of the Summer Solstice this year, I acquired the final finishing piece for my altar!  On one of my journeys out of town I decided to visit a magic shop in Jacksonville; there I found many nice things..but the best of all was this Baphomet statue. It fits perfectly in my small space I have set up for magic and ritual.

This is my first time owning a Baphomet statue, but it’s not my first time using the symbolism of Baphomet in my altar setups. Most times, I have hung a banner or an image above my altar.

The Baphomet is symbolic to Satanists for several reasons. In it’s history it has often been a misunderstood symbol. The best way to understand it is to see it’s opposite – the lamb. The lamb and the shepherd symbolism of Christianity is contrasted with the goat, a symbol used in Judaism as Azazel, the ‘scapegoat’, the creature that bore the sins of the people and was set free in the the wilderness.

So it was common for Christians to scapegoat other groups and religions with their chosen symbol of Satanism. This was seen with the Baphomet representing the god of the Templars who were falsely accused of being Satanic and were slaughtered by a king that sought to bury the fact that he owed them a fortune.

The Baphomet as a spiritual symbol was made popular by Eliphas Levi, from his book, the Transcendental Magic. In his symbolism it showed the Baphomet as a hermaphrodite, encapsulating male and female energies, light and dark, above and below. The symbolism is related to the archetype of Satan found throughout the world in various cultures, in dark and demonic gods. More than this, however, it is a symbolic of initiation:

 Baphomet is not worshiped; it is God who is worshiped, this faceless God behind this formless form, this image which resembles no created being.  Baphomet is not a God; He is the sign of initiation.” – Eliphas Levi, Transcendental Magic

What does this “initiation” mean? The Baphomet as a symbol of the void that comes into being, the nothing that becomes something, is the force of nature at work. In this we find the symbol of Satan as the force of nature, as the worldly god. It is from the darkness that light begins, so we are taken to the source, the beginning, the initiation.

Very appropriate for Satanism! We as Satanists have adopted this symbol and have identified with it as part of our Satanic culture. I’m glad to finally have a Baphomet statue for my altar. Show your Satanic pride and get your very own Baphomet Statue for your altar from Amazon!

 

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