What does the Baphomet stand for?

Perhaps I should be more specific. What does the inverted pentacle with baphomets head inside of it represent?

 

"The inverted pentacle with a goat's head is called the Sigl of Baphomet. The term may have come from two Greek words, baphe and metis, meaning "absorption of knowledge." from http://www.religioustolerance.org/wic_pent.htm

Which has a big description of pentacles and pentagrams if you want to look it up.

 

Apply a certain cipher to Baphomet - and get "widsom"

 

The order of Knights Templar were accused, among other things, of worshiping Baphomet, believed to be an androdgynous or bi-sexual deity. Some scholars suggest that Baphomet may be a mispronunciation or changed form of Mohammed.

 

Do keep in mind that the Templars had an awful lot of money and an awful lot of influence, and this upset the church hierarchy, that really wanted its hands on Templar gold.

 

I think the so called charges against the Templars were false. There were political reasons for which the French in particular wanted the order crushed. As you say, they had become extremely rich, and also, had an autonomy from control by church authorites which existed nowhere else. There are many reasons for the disolution of the order, but I don't personaly believe the black magic allegations had much real basis.
Nonetheless, the Templar trials seem to have been one route via which the name Baphomet has come to be known, and many modern occultists, such as Crowley, claimed links to both Templars and Baphomet.

 

I'd like to know just what it was they found in that temple.

 

So let me get this straight. The Baphomet and its sigil represent wisdom, but later came to be associated with satanists and other followers of the "left handed path"?

 

If it was truly a temple, I suppose you might find God in there.:sunglasse
With the templars it's all a bit mysterious. But from what I've read, Jaques de Molay, the last Master of the Temple and a number of other knights endured severe torture and death at the stake refusing to admit any deviation from christianity. Some Templars did 'confess' to all sorts of things under torture, but their confessions are not very convincing.
I doubt the full truth will ever be known.

 

It was my understanding that after finding whatever it was they found in the temple they went from unflinching unfailing minions of the Pope to disbelieving Christianity.

 

I'm being ignored on my own thread....thats sad....

 

I don't know. It's hard to see why De Molay would die proclaiming his faithfulness to the church, and incidentally, cursing the French monarchy, if they'd turned away from christianity.
BTW - there is another semi legend that the Templars took the shroud of turin during the sack of constantinople during the 4th or 5th crusade. One allegation made at the trials was that they worshipped 'a face'. It has been speculated that this face may have been the face on the shroud.

 

Not ignored - just don't know.

 

The link I provided you should give you the answers you seek. After that, if you have new questions, fire away.

 

Yes, it was a good site to give me a base. I'm just the kind of person that wants all the details when I get curious about something. I found some useful information at churchofsatan.com It gave its history and how it became incorperated in various practises etc...

 

"The goat on the frontispiece carries the sign of the pentagram on the forehead, with one point at the top, a symbol of light, his two hands forming the sign of hermetism, the one pointing up to the white moon of Chesed, the other pointing down to the black one of Geburah. This sign expresses the perfect harmony of mercy with justice. His one arm is female, the other male like the ones of the androgyn of Khunrath, the attributes of which we had to unite with those of our goat because he is one and the same symbol. The flame of intelligence shining between his horns is the magic light of the universal balance, the image of the soul elevated above matter, as the flame, whilst being tied to matter, shines above it. The ugly beast's head expresses the horror of the sinner, whose materially acting, solely reponsible part has to bear the punishment exclusively; because the soul is insensitive according to its nature and can only suffer when it materializes. The rod standing instead of genitals symbolizes eternal life, the body covered with scales the water, the semi- circle above it the atmosphere, the feathers following above the volatile. Humanity is represented by the two breasts and the androgyn arms of this sphinx of the occult sciences." - Eliphas Lévi