We have all seen an inverted pentagram with a goat’s head on it, haven’t we? It shows up all over, on TV shows or movies, video games, music videos, album covers. And what Witch hasn’t heard stories that Witchcraft comes from the Devil?
Now the question is: do we know how this goat came into being to begin with?
Enter Baphomet: History, Ritual & Magic of the World’s Most Famous Occult Icon, by Michael Osiris Snuffin with a foreword by Kate Freuler, a book that explores the origins of this well-known, highly spoken about symbol. Not only does it teach us its origins, but also how to work, heal, and perform magic with Baphomet. (Spoiler alert: it’s easier than one would think, and it comes with amazing art!)
Cover to Baphomet: History, Ritual, & Magic of the World’s Most Famous Occult Icon by Michael Osiris Snuffin [Llewellyn]
- Publisher: Llewellyn Publications.
- Publication date: April 8, 2025.
- Print length: 256 pages.
- Tags: History, folklore, mythology, spirituality, witchcraft, nonfiction.
Explore the History and Mysteries of Baphomet
Discover the identity of Baphomet, how They have evolved through history, and how to work with Them in your occult practice. Michael Osiris Snuffin traces the evolution of Baphomet through the works of Éliphas Lévi, Aleister Crowley, and other diverse practitioners to document how a mysterious name associated with the trial of the Templars became a modern Pagan deity in the late twentieth century.
Snuffin introduces us to the three symbolic faces of Baphomet: the Spirit of the Earth, the Outsider, and the Transmuter. He also shows you how to build a relationship with Baphomet through meditation, ritual, and invocation. Most importantly, Snuffin reveals the true purpose of this enigmatic deity: to influence us to change our ways and heal the planet instead of harming it.
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As I mentioned before, folklore and myths fill the air all around during this time of the year, but it also true that there is a lot of fear, a lot of anger, a lot of grief as well, and many of us have fallen into despair more than once. Add to it the slow collapse in the planet due to climate change and you will wonder no more why some people are so hopeless and nihilistic about the future.
This book is precisely for people concerned about these topics: about injustice, about corruption, uncertainty, and the biosphere. Although I don’t believe the author intended to write a book of shadows or grimoire when he worked on this project, that’s pretty much the result: a thorough exploration of one of the most famous, if not the most famous, symbols of occultism, followed by a starting point to work with them.
Snuffin keeps the language simple and easy to follow to make the content available to everyone who wants to access it, and that is to be appreciated in an age so contaminated with misinformation and manipulation. He was sure to cross every t and dot every i as he took me through time and space to understand what Baphomet means, comes from, and represents for this new time. While the tone can feel a bit more distant than you’d expect, you still devour this book chapter by chapter.
Speaking about chapters, I must also celebrate the illustrations at the beginning of each! So many styles, and such a diversity in expression, can easily be seen as a reflection of what Baphomet stands for: the diversity on this Earth, the many types of lives, identities, energies, and events surrounding us all the time.
What I saw in these interpretations of Baphomet is that, like with any other deity, appearances are just a vehicle for the same goal: connecting with those who work with Them. Rordan Brasington, from the Llewellyn Art Department, truly went above and beyond! I can only ask for prints of these illustrations, especially those for chapters 9, 10, and 11.
Of the three parts, History, Ritual, and Magic, I found the first and last to be the most fascinating. I wasn’t that engrossed with the middle one, but it was more because of my own interests, as I have always been more into the origins of myths than anything else.
As much as I love to say “I recommend this title for everyone,” that’s not the case here. Readers with an interest in the darker side of Paganism, with a sweet tooth for history books, obscure symbols, and who are not afraid of getting out of their comfort zone, are the targeted audience here. Baphomet is not an easy book, even if it explores easy concepts. It’s a tome that goes deep into the uncomfortable, the traumatic, the private, the sexual, the obscene, which one could say is the essence of Jung’s Shadow self.
Baphomet: History, Ritual & Magic of the World’s Most Famous Occult Icon, by Michael Osiris Snuffin, is a book for those ready to take a step towards a more specialized, perhaps riskier topic to explore the uncomfortable and taboo. If that sounds like your cup of absinthe tea, then take a seat. I know it will be a wild ride for me to do these exercises, but I’m here for it.
Thanks to Llewellyn Worldwide, Ltd. for the review copy!
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As always, our deepest gratitude to everyone who has brought us this far.
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