My Review of Baphomet Revealed by Heather Lynn, PhD
From New Page Books, via Red Wheel/Weiser, I received a review copy of Dr. Heather Lynn’s latest work, Baphomet Revealed: Mysteries and Magic of the Sacred Icon. I had previously read her Evil Archaeology, a terrific book with an unfortunate name, and was thus excited to read her take on one of occultism’s more intriguing subjects.
Before I reveal my thoughts, let’s see how the publisher presents the work:
What is Baphomet? This comprehensive and accessible history sets the record straight on a captivating icon of the occult.
“Baphomet Revealed lifts the veil covering the most enduring occult symbol of our age. Heather Lynn approaches Baphomet as a scholar who is not afraid to include hints of esoteric wisdom in her research, revealing the androgynous, horned beast not as a devil, but as a pathway to spiritual perfection.”
—Travis McHenry, creator of Occult Tarot and Angel Tarot
Baphomet, often misunderstood and cloaked in misinterpretations, has left an indelible mark on our collective consciousness—standing at the crossroads of the occult, religion, and the quest for arcane knowledge. Baphomet’s origins are as elusive as their symbolic form, yet we begin our inquiry with the Templars, where the name was perhaps first uttered. We trace Baphomet’s course through history, their intersections with Gnostic thought, Freemasonry, the teachings of Aleister Crowley and Eliphas Lévi, and the myriad occult groups that have drawn upon Baphomet’s potent symbolism.
Baphomet Revealed will take readers on a journey that weaves together the threads of history, symbolism, and esoteric philosophy, unraveling the tapestry of Baphomet’s enduring mystique. This provocative entity exists simultaneously as myth, magick, and symbol. Over the years, Baphomet has been called a demon, deity, and the devil himself, but Baphomet is none of these—the figure is, in reality, a symbol—a complex cipher holding within their form the keys to profound philosophical and esoteric truths.
Author Heather Lynn draws extensively from primary sources, including historical depictions and magical seals associated with Baphomet, inviting readers to engage with the symbol directly. By melding rigorous academic inquiry with a spirit of open-minded exploration, Baphomet Revealed aims to shed new light on this shadowy figure, illuminating Baphomet’s proper place in the annals of human thought and spiritual endeavor.
The Eliphas Levi image was burned into my brain as a kid, from a volume of Man, Myth, and Magic, which I recognized as The Goat of Mendes from The Devil Rides Out. It is an enduring icon, with centuries of baggage attached to it. The author takes on the unenviable task of approaching this particular Gordian knot and, for the most part, is able to unravel the mysteries that surround the figure.
It is presented in an odd mix of scholarly research and speculative interpretation that is all very reasoned and approachable. While I don’t always agree with the author’s conclusions, I appreciate her dissection and methodology. If the book has a shortcoming, it’s that we don’t spend enough time with each subject. We are left wanting more from chapter to chapter. Nowhere is this more clear than in Chapter 5: The Intersection of Thelema and Baphomet: Aleister Crowley’s Great Beast. At a painfully scant 12 pages, Dr. Lynn barely scratches the surface of the importance of Baphomet to the philosophical heart of the movement.
Thankfully, there is a comprehensive bibliography attached that invites you to delve further down the proverbial rabbit hole.
As a symbol of autonomy. personal freedom, and creativity, Baphomet is a complex iconoclast, defying the labels put upon it and becoming far more meaningful, especially in the modern age, to occultists of all stripes. Through Levi and Crowley, we are presented a layered and serpentine work of art and innovation, the summation of magical thought. The Baphomet is what we need it to be, a means toward free will, woven into a symbol that embraces masculinity, femininity, and all points in between, within the polarities of the profane and divine.
Ultimately, this is a book that serves as a terrific introduction to the concept of Baphomet, laying the groundwork for you to delve further should you desire. It is designed for mass consumption, and that’s not a bad thing. That the adept’s road meanders elsewhere should not be some grand revelation.
Heather Lynn’s Baphomet Revealed is ultimately worth the price of admission and I recommend it without reservation. You can order a copy HERE for less than $20 (considerably less if you catch it on sale). That’s money well spent.