Baphomet the Sabbatic Goat by Michael W. Ford

Baphomet is a symbol of balance and Apotheosis (becoming a god or goddess) whose origins have a syncretic fluidity associated with it. In 1856 Eliphas Levi created the illustration of Baphomet the Sabbatic Goat. 

From 1098, during the Siege of Antioch, Baphomet was first named in a letter from a crusader. Later on, the mystical one was written of by later medieval authors.

"Gauserand de Montpesant, a knight of Provence, said that their superior showed him an idol made in the form of Baphomet; another, named Raymond Rubei, described it as a wooden head, on which the figure of Baphomet was painted, and adds, "that he worshipped it by kissing its feet, and exclaiming, 'Yalla', which was", he says, "verbum Saracenorum", a word taken from the Saracens. A templar of Florence declared that, in the secret chapters of the order, one brother said to the other, showing the idol, "Adore this head—this head is your god and your Mahomet."— Thomas Wright, "The Worship of the Generative Powers"

In Hermetic and Ceremonial Magick, Baphomet stands as a symbol of the Luciferian Spirit of alchemical self-transformation:

"The Baphomet has diverse etymologies… the three phonemes that constitute the denomination are also said to signify, in coded fashion, Basileus philosophorum metaloricum: the sovereign of metallurgical philosophers, that is, of the alchemical laboratories that were supposedly established in various chapters of the Temple. The androgynous nature of the figure apparently goes back to the Adam Kadmon of the Chaldeans, which one finds in the Zohar -"Pierre Klossowski in Le Baphomet 

In Luciferianism, Baphomet is identified as a model or symbol of the Luciferian and Black Adept: Leviathan (Serpent Ouroboros), Samael and Lilith conjoined to beget Chioa, the Beast or Cain the First Satanist and Witch. Satanism reflects balance and the Sabbatic Goat is thus a powerful symbol of the Satanic Archetype. 

Idries Shah points to the origins of Baphomet also from Berber and other obscure witchcraft traditions: FHM, the Arabic root meaning 'wisdom' also is 'black', the two horned one bears the Torch of Illumination and Wisdom. The Sabbatic Goat is thus the symbol of both Satan and Lucifer rising through the Adept; balance in perpetual Apotheosis. 

Luciferian Apotheca carries many Sabbatic Goat, Baphomet and Goat of Mendes statues, pendants, altar cloths, and goblets / chalices. Check out our selection here.