Famous or Infamous? — Éliphas Lévi

The Occultist Who (Re)Invented Baphomet

Éliphas Lévi (born Alphonse Louis Constant, 1810–1875) was a French mystic who helped shape modern ceremonial magic. Trained for the Catholic priesthood, he left seminary life, moved through radical politics and mystical study, and emerged as one of the 19th century’s most influential occult writers. His books—especially Dogme et Rituel de la Haute Magie (1854–56)—blended Kabbalah, Hermeticism, astrology, and Christian symbolism into a vivid, controversial synthesis. The image that made him immortal (and infamous) is his drawing of Baphomet.

From Seminarian to Magus

Constant’s early life was steeped in Catholic devotion and classical learning. Leaving the seminary, he wrote on religion and social justice, then turned increasingly toward esoteric study. Recasting himself as “Éliphas Lévi,” he argued that the ancient prisca theologia—an underlying, primordial wisdom—ran through Moses, Plato, Jesus, and the magi. Magic, for Lévi, was a sacred science of will, symbol, and imagination.

The Books That Sparked a Revival

Dogma and Ritual of High Magic: Lévi’s best-known work, pairing theory (Dogme) with practice (Rituel), illustrated with talismans, pentagrams, and the now-famous Baphomet.
History of Magic and The Key of the Mysteries: sweeping narratives arguing that true religion and true magic mirror one another, each aiming at moral transformation.
Core ideas: the magician as moral philosopher; “as above, so below” (correspondence between spirit and matter); the will disciplined by faith, imagination, and symbol.

What Does “Baphomet” Mean?

The name Baphomet first appears in the early 1300s during the trials of the Knights Templar, when enemies accused the order of worshipping a mysterious idol. Many historians think it was a smear or a distorted form of “Mahomet” (Muhammad). Centuries later, Lévi repurposed the word and—crucially—reimagined the figure not as a devil but as a symbol of sacred balance.

Lévi’s Baphomet: The Symbol, Not the Devil

In Lévi’s illustration, the goat-headed, winged figure is an alchemical emblem of reconciled opposites—the unity behind apparent contradictions:

Goat’s head / human body: nature’s raw vitality joined to reason and conscience.
One hand up, one down: the Hermetic axiom “as above, so below,” linking heaven and earth.
Androgyny: female breasts and the caduceus (intertwined serpents) signify the union of masculine and feminine, active and receptive.
Torch between the horns: the light of intellect—illumination crowning instinct.
Pentagram on the brow: the human microcosm ordered by spirit.

To Lévi, Baphomet summarized the Great Work: purify desire, balance opposites, and elevate matter by spirit. Later culture often misread the image as “Satanic,” but Lévi’s intention was philosophical and moral, not diabolical.

Controversies & Misreadings

Religious backlash: Critics saw blasphemy in Lévi’s borrowing of Christian symbols and his claim that magic and religion reflect one truth.
Public myth: Pamphleteers and later pop culture equated Baphomet with devil-worship, detaching the emblem from Lévi’s nuanced commentary.
Politics & the occult: His earlier radical writings and later magical work made him suspect to both churchmen and rationalists.

Influence and Afterlives

Lévi’s ideas fueled the occult revival from Paris to London. The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, A. E. Waite, Papus, and—even while disagreeing—Aleister Crowley all drank from his well. His synthesis helped seed modern ceremonial magic, Tarot symbolism, and the popular language of esotericism.

Symbols & Associations

Colors: Black and white (duality), gold (illumination), deep indigo (mystery).
Objects: Pentagram, caduceus, chalice and sword (reconciled elements), the Baphomet emblem.
Motto: “As above, so below.”