Baphomet: A "Magical" Solved At Last?
I wish to pay for my blessing to Frater Baraka IV of Whiskey Conflict
Station O.T.O. for his delightfulness in allowing me to reprint his
anecdote and tenet on the Baphomet featuring in.
(This anecdote without help appeared in the
decriminalized problem of Whiskey Conflict Station, Pittsburgh PA
Ordo Templi Orientis. (C) 1995)
Baphomet: A "Magical" Solved At Last?
by Frater Baraka, IV*
Preferably or ensuing every apprentice of either the esoteric or the
history of the Crusades encounters the name of an purportedly
ethereal article household as "BAPHOMET". Baphomet was assumed to be the
"GOD" or "Megastar" of the Knights Templar, but has also been
described as "THE GOAT OF MENDES", "THE GOD OF THE WITCHES", a
latter-day paraphrase of the Greek god Pan, a symbol of an
alchemical straightforward, and even Satan himself. And moment in time each of
these has a go along with, represent is top score portentous the
destiny that Baphomet's origins are not straightforwardly not ethereal,
but whatsoever somewhat than creepy.
The "Magical" of Baphomet begins in 1307 with the passing of the
Knights Templar. The soldiers order of "Opponent MONKS" was
founded in 1118 in France as soon as the First Battle to protect
European pilgrims on their way to and from the Religious Maintain. For
in the neighborhood two centuries the Templars grew in dimensions, seriousness,
political hit, name (good at firstly, but bad towards the
end), but top figure of all in wealth, and this would corroborate to be their
end. In the to the lead fourteenth century Emperor Philip IV of
France, who was very in damage to the Templars, profound to not
straightforwardly dissolve that damage but impound their wealth and catch for
himself and having his puppet pontiff Self-controlled V wane the
order. To do this, Philip would bear to bear the Templars
convicted of heresy. Moreover "Notation" gathered from agents who
infiltrated the Templars, the length of with a sworn demonstration from a
disgruntled ex-Templar on whose describe his prosecutors can
build a crust, Philip completed his move. Transitory on unassailable orders they
were not to open until the other midnight, Philip's officials
arrested every Templar they can from side to side the daybreak hours of
Friday, October 13, 1307. Since some of the charges, such as
sodomy and desecration of Christian symbols, were unmistakably nonsensical
even to regular polite society at the time, other allegations, such as the
chanting of "YALLAH!" (DARAUL, 1961), sounded in the manner of metaphors
of much-admired Sufi Muslim practices (KHAN, 1974). But it is the
charge of worshipping an idol called "BAPHOMET" that has romantic
the top figure combat.
At firstly, "BAPHOMET" was honestly a run, and allegedly a whatsoever
one, but under the bullying of sting, Baphomet's metaphors
became progressively would like and expand. Draw up to every
historian who has in print on the topic has dismissed the
"BAPHOMET" announce as blatantly make-believe, accurate one elder trumped-up
charge opposed to the Templars. Motionless, as soon as studying whichever the
thought and elder open connections along with the Templars,
Sufism, and Freemasonry, I bear come to the indecisive suburb
that the "BAPHOMET" subject matter may bear contained a immense element
of truth -- one which the inquisitors unquestionably out of true, but
true in any case.
Greatest extent of us who bear heard of Baphomet firstly encountered the name
in either a history book or the works of Anton Szandor LaVey,
whose goat's-head-in-the-inverted-pentagram extraction is
assumed to be Baphomet, or besides in the works of Aleister
Crowley, who equated Baphomet with the Greek god Pan (Crowley,
1974). Crowley even adopted the name "BAPHOMET" as his own truism
subsequently he amalgamated Ordo Templi Orientis (Variety of the Oriental
Memorial, or O.T.O.). Out of the ordinary occult writers who bear discussed
Baphomet cuddle nineteenth century authors Eliphaz Levi and
Albert Pinnacle, and Baphomet is the scheme for "THE Evil spirit" in the
Waite-Rider and Case-B.O.T.A. tarot decks. Profuse historians bear
claimed that the name "BAPHOMET" was Old French for Muhammad,
whose name is sometimes spelled Mahomet, other than Crowley (1989)
untaken an gaudy, but believably likelihood, refer to that
the name came from a Greek name for "Baptism OF Penetration". The
harness with Crowley's crust is it overlooks two basic facts about
the Templars: 1) as Roman Catholics, Greek names were not that
dangerous to them (and to Catholics at the time, the Greek
Upright Christians were in some ways accurate as far-off "INFIDELS" as
the Muslims), and 2) the Templars who lived in the Religious Maintain,
the length of with the masons they employed, had to agreement with the loving
terrain on a regular affect, repeatedly became express in Arabic, and
for a European in the Religious Maintain --Templars included -- to "go
home-grown" was not beyond few. But it was in the
pop-history book" Blood, Religious "that I firstly came
on both sides of the notion that "BAPHOMET" was resulting from an Arabic set phrase,
"meaning "Mother OF Sense", somewhat than from
an Old French name for the founder of Islam. Such as that book,
other than a "Complete Admittance", is not one scholars pull out gravely due to
its very speculative theses, I profound to subjugate their stock
for this, Idries Shah's which contains fresh
of interest information discussed bottom.
For now I point of view to view the Arabic origins over the Old French
for the go along with reasons: firstly, as an iconoclastic religion,
Islam seriously forbids images, either decorated or sculpted, of
either God or Muhammad, so the notion of even lopsided Muslims
worshipping an idol is honestly embarrassing. Summarize, of associates authors
I bear read who refer to that "ANY A cut above ON OLD FRENCH" apparition say
that Baphomet was another name for Muhammad never actually excerpt
any such Old French experts to document this pledge. One such
playwright was Peter Correlate, who even found a French troubadour
ballad from the postponed thirteenth century and published an English
summary, selection parenthetically that "BAFOMETZ" had appeared
in the leading French (HE HAD RENDERED IT AS "MOHAMMED" as if
this had somehow proved his concept). To the same degree Correlate had
involuntarily done was corroborate that a) Baphomet was a household article
past the passing of the Templars, and top figure real a participate with
spiritual power, first-rate of working miracles (other than Islam
never credits Muhammad with any "Incredulity" other than clarity
the Qu'ran), and b) that Baphomet was household as well as non-Templars
(other than Correlate aimed the ballad's compose was an ex-Templar,
that troubadour's send away unquestionably had non-Templars as well as
them), and if Shah is exercise in his assertions about Sufic
influences on the troubadours, with we bear in the ballad Correlate
quoted that you can imagine exoneration of a link along with Sufism and Baphomet. (As
for the Templars and the Sufis, not straightforwardly were represent regular
much-admired links along with Templars and Sufis [as well as other
lopsided Muslims such as the Ismailis] from side to side their time in the
In-between East, but represent were also opportunities for links in
Europe. France, as soon as all, borders Spain, and from side to side the Crusades
Sufism flourished in Muslim-ruled Spain and positive the to the lead
Qabalistic Jews and other mystics on whichever sides of the border;
Robert Graves, in his introduction to Shah's book, even claimed
that Templars fought anti Sufi warriors in Spain. And regular
Masonic added extras, such as the tartan overpower and the freethinking
of all monotheistic religions, are at negligible Islamic in origin if
not outstandingly Sufic.) But in my reaction the strongest footing
for Baphomet as abufihamet is the problem of Arabic sobriquets
which begin with abu which belonged to earlier period population
somewhat than esoteric principles.
One such dissimilar was the tenth century Sufi sufferer Husayn ibn
Mansur al-Hallaj, who died in 922CE. A pantheist, an assumed
marvel machinist, and a top figure precisely lopsided Muslim, Hallaj
was put away and tried for sacrilege for his government
metaphors of his mystical meeting with God. Convincingly convicted
as soon as a nine meeting suspect, Hallaj was maimed, crucified,
beheaded, and his torso was cremated. Quite a few of the stories
about his death cuddle an tumbledown of the Caliph's Queen
Blood relation having Hallaj's run sealed as a olden days (SINGH, 1970).
Manifold Sufi sects bear rituals commemorating Hallaj's death, and
Shah claimed that Hallaj was the scheme for the "Hiram Abiff"
dignitary in the Master Mason initiation ritual. However Shah
cited other reasons connecting Hallaj to Hiram Abiff and the categorization
of Sufis household as "THE BUILDERS" (who built the Al Aqsa Mosque
and the Auditorium of the Sparkler on the site of Solomon's Memorial in
Jerusalem, which was the Religious Maintain build for the Templars
and the make-believe setting of Masonic initiations), Hallaj beam some
gaudy parallels to the Old Testament's metaphors of
Hiram the artificer: firstly, whichever men were sons of widows; second,
whichever men had "SONS OF DAVID" pick at key roles in their lives (Hiram
worked for Solomon, and one of Hallaj's prosecutors was named Ibn
Daud ["Massignon, 1994"], which is Arabic for "Son of David"), and
third, the Old Shrine Hebrew for "ABIFF" is abyu
(KOHLENBERGER, 1987). Having otherwise encountered writers who
hypothesized a society along with the Templars and Freemasonry
(which, other than open, is nowhere strict as warm or
expand as some, such as John J. Robinson in" in "bear claimed), I had otherwise found the firstly two top figure
gaudy, and forward assessment of Hallaj, who, according
to the medieval Islamic playwright and historian Farid al-Din Attar,
turns out to bear been household by several titles beginning with
abu-, brought the third providence to my care. And beginning,
as noted best quality, some of the Templars may definite bear been
participants in much-admired Sufi practices, can the charge that
the Templars "WORSHIPPED A Be winning CALLED BAPHOMET" not bear had
some proper affect, namely the in memory of a decapitated
Sufi sufferer whose run became a olden days and who had been feature the
sobriquet abufihamet? The straightforwardly harness featuring in is that not considering all
the other abu- titles belonging to Hallaj, represent is no household
do well connecting him to abufihamet. Perhaps this
do well does occur (it would be hopeless to gall that
"perhaps it whilst existed, but no longer does"), but has not yet
come to my care, and want someone who knows of it ever
read this term paper, I would be top figure harmony to draw together of it.
Until with, the best quality newspaper, other than open in my reaction,
and eagerly gaudy to the reader, rest organically
speculative. But if it does turn up, with at concluding we apparition bear
exoneration good that the Templars furious a custom of knowledge
that would ensuing become household to the Freemasons, regardless of
how Freemasonry came to be.
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