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| Baphomet, Dogme et Rituel de la Haute Magie (1856) |
Baphomet is an image rich in symbolic import, perhaps uniquely so among the occult figures most commonly invoked in popular culture. Although originating in accounts of pagan worship dating back to the First Crusade, the popular image of Baphomet is the sole work of 19th century occultist Eliphas Levi, who illustrated the "Goat of Mendes" pictured above, appearing in his opus Dogme et Rituel de la Haute Magie. After the fashion of alchemical illustration, Levi's figure is a representation of totality, and so consists of numerous binaries joined in one form: human and beast, man and woman, sun and moon etc.
