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Description
The core principle of Freedom
Is the only notion to obey

If I have to name the core principles of Satanism, that sentence may as well be one of them. It's a poetic variation of one of the most important values I can name.
Hi, I am Lapis L'Azuri and I am a freelance Satanic artist today. Meaning, today I'm freelance, I'm a Satanist and perhaps even an artist in general.

Having that said, I'd lie if I say this was a commission. It was a request - and since it was for a very dear friend and since it's a work for the cause, I decided to do it properly, like a full commission piece.
So, instead, this is a gift. A very special and meaningful one. Also, one I enjoyed drawing to the fullest and I've rarely meant these words any more than this.
A possible reason is that it's a remake of a classical piece of art in my own style and take. Turns out I very much enjoy doing that. And especially when it holds such a deep meaning to me.

So, if this curiously looking creature up there is puzzling you, you can read on to learn a little about it.

The Baphomet is a mythical creature and symbol, to some even a deity, of ancient Pagan origin. It was made popular into Occultism and magick practices by Éliphas Lévi in the XIX century, and in later times it was adopted by Satanism as a central symbol and a patron of sorts. However, perhaps due to its uncertain and wavering origin or perhaps because of popular culture being such an ignorant bitch when it comes to anything Pagan, Occult or Satanic, the misconceptions about the Baphomet and what it stands for exceed actual knowledge about it by far. So I'll try to explain some basics. For a start, The Baphomet is a creature made up of symbolic elements and as such it carries a deep spiritual meaning. In fact, that's exactly what it is first and foremost - a spiritual symbol. Here is a list of the symbols incorporated and what they mean:
1. The Baphomet is both male and female, which is how it represents the spiritual duality of the soul, the two metaphorical aspects of Life which coexist in all of its forms. Like this, it is a symbol of the soul and the spiritual.
2. The Goat head (and usually hooves to match it) represent Life and its procreation as the Goat is an ancient folklore symbol of fertility. The horns in particular are especially strongly linked to that, though the horns on their own also symbolize spiritual / magickal power. The tail doesn't exist in the original design (if you've ever seen a goat you'd know they have a cute fluffy tail which is far too short to be showing like this), but then I have a thing for tails so I added it. Tails fucking rule.
3. The wings represent the wings of the soul and thus they are symbolic for spiritual power and freedom. In this case I drew Raven wings in particular which adds the symbol of intelligence, wisdom and magick to it.
4. The two Snakes spiraling around a rod (which is a variation of the Caduceus by the way) strongly represent Life. The Serpent has been a symbol of Life since the dawn of time, the Caduceus shape in particular is a representation of the main energy pathways of the soul and thus it symbolizes the Lifeforce. Nowadays a more modern take also links this particular shape of the two serpents to the double spiral of the molecule of DNA.
5. The hand positions represent the spiritual link to both the Earth and the Cosmos, which is essential to all Life on a spiritual level, as well as to achieving spiritual power. In the classical design there are inscriptions on the forearms of the Baphomet reading solve and coagula. However, since these are, to me, a reference to a wrong interpretation of the concept of alchemy I decided to not include them. Alchemy is about spirituality, not about chemistry.
6. The Pentagram on the forehead is an ancient symbol of many meanings. Generally, in spirituality it is symbolic of the five elements of the spirit. In this case, "inversed", it is also a welcome connection to the philosophy and symbolism of Satanism.
7. The torch between the Baphomet's horns represents intelligence, knowledge and spiritual enlightenment. I've seen people, notably Satanists, remove it from there, possibly to match the head to the pentagram form, but this is a huge mistake. Intelligence and wisdom are one of the most important symbols in the Baphomet, not to mention it's one of the core values of Satanism.
8. Finally, the Crescent Moon and the Eclipsed Sun are a symbol I altered a little more. In the classical design there are two crescent moons instead - one black and one white. I gather they probably symbolize the phases of the lunar cycle, which is rather relevant in magick. However, I wanted to make them represent Light and Darkness instead as this is much more fundamental and essential to the philosophy behind this piece. So I changed one of the Moons into a Sun. Then I eclipsed it as courtesy to my friend's strong taste for Darkness rather than Light. Plus, eclipses are mystical and totally awesome and I bet they are highly magickal as well. The star I added was a bonus.

Finally, I will dedicate a line to the inscription below.
In case it's not entirely clear, it reads: Nullus est deus præter me ipsum. This is Latin and it translates as follows: "There is no god but myself."
These are the words of Satan Lucifer I quote on every occasion I get because they are probably His most important message for you: Freedom. Freedom to all.
Freedom, however, can only be born within. That is the hidden and equally important part of the message.

Speaking of which, there are subtle deviations from the original design which are, indeed, a connection to Satanism I've incorporated, and also personally to Lucifer. One is the Pentagram which is "inversed" (in other words, as it should be), in honour of our faith, though quite frankly it downright looks and fits better like this anyway. Besides, this makes it into a much more powerful and pure symbol. The star beside the Eclipsed Sun is no other but the Morning Star (technically a planet, but hey), which has been perceived as an allegory to the Lightbringer - Lucifer. Finally, the Serpent, the Goat and the Raven - all 3 are among Lucifer's sacred animals. So that was the true reason for me to make these wings to be the wings of a Raven. In His honour.

IMPORTANT
Like I said, this is The Baphomet and The Baphomet is a mythical creature and an ancient symbol of Life.
The Baphomet, however, is NOT a Demon nor a Demonic creature, and it is definitely ***NOT*** a representation of Satan.
I cannot emphasize this enough.

__________________

Original design by Éliphas Lévi, 1854: gnosticwarrior.com/wp-content/…
2B - 8B pencil on 36 x 40 cm paper.
Time elapsed: 10 hours.... quite unbelievable, and it's possibly even an underestimation. Time flies when you're enjoying your work.

Featured:
Art Exposure
Artist Feature!

Ave Satanas

Description
The core principle of Freedom
Is the only notion to obey

If I have to name the core principles of Satanism, that sentence may as well be one of them. It's a poetic variation of one of the most important values I can name.
Hi, I am Lapis L'Azuri and I am a freelance Satanic artist today. Meaning, today I'm freelance, I'm a Satanist and perhaps even an artist in general.

Having that said, I'd lie if I say this was a commission. It was a request - and since it was for a very dear friend and since it's a work for the cause, I decided to do it properly, like a full commission piece.
So, instead, this is a gift. A very special and meaningful one. Also, one I enjoyed drawing to the fullest and I've rarely meant these words any more than this.
A possible reason is that it's a remake of a classical piece of art in my own style and take. Turns out I very much enjoy doing that. And especially when it holds such a deep meaning to me.

So, if this curiously looking creature up there is puzzling you, you can read on to learn a little about it.

The Baphomet is a mythical creature and symbol, to some even a deity, of ancient Pagan origin. It was made popular into Occultism and magick practices by Éliphas Lévi in the XIX century, and in later times it was adopted by Satanism as a central symbol and a patron of sorts. However, perhaps due to its uncertain and wavering origin or perhaps because of popular culture being such an ignorant bitch when it comes to anything Pagan, Occult or Satanic, the misconceptions about the Baphomet and what it stands for exceed actual knowledge about it by far. So I'll try to explain some basics. For a start, The Baphomet is a creature made up of symbolic elements and as such it carries a deep spiritual meaning. In fact, that's exactly what it is first and foremost - a spiritual symbol. Here is a list of the symbols incorporated and what they mean:
1. The Baphomet is both male and female, which is how it represents the spiritual duality of the soul, the two metaphorical aspects of Life which coexist in all of its forms. Like this, it is a symbol of the soul and the spiritual.
2. The Goat head (and usually hooves to match it) represent Life and its procreation as the Goat is an ancient folklore symbol of fertility. The horns in particular are especially strongly linked to that, though the horns on their own also symbolize spiritual / magickal power. The tail doesn't exist in the original design (if you've ever seen a goat you'd know they have a cute fluffy tail which is far too short to be showing like this), but then I have a thing for tails so I added it. Tails fucking rule.
3. The wings represent the wings of the soul and thus they are symbolic for spiritual power and freedom. In this case I drew Raven wings in particular which adds the symbol of intelligence, wisdom and magick to it.
4. The two Snakes spiraling around a rod (which is a variation of the Caduceus by the way) strongly represent Life. The Serpent has been a symbol of Life since the dawn of time, the Caduceus shape in particular is a representation of the main energy pathways of the soul and thus it symbolizes the Lifeforce. Nowadays a more modern take also links this particular shape of the two serpents to the double spiral of the molecule of DNA.
5. The hand positions represent the spiritual link to both the Earth and the Cosmos, which is essential to all Life on a spiritual level, as well as to achieving spiritual power. In the classical design there are inscriptions on the forearms of the Baphomet reading solve and coagula. However, since these are, to me, a reference to a wrong interpretation of the concept of alchemy I decided to not include them. Alchemy is about spirituality, not about chemistry.
6. The Pentagram on the forehead is an ancient symbol of many meanings. Generally, in spirituality it is symbolic of the five elements of the spirit. In this case, "inversed", it is also a welcome connection to the philosophy and symbolism of Satanism.
7. The torch between the Baphomet's horns represents intelligence, knowledge and spiritual enlightenment. I've seen people, notably Satanists, remove it from there, possibly to match the head to the pentagram form, but this is a huge mistake. Intelligence and wisdom are one of the most important symbols in the Baphomet, not to mention it's one of the core values of Satanism.
8. Finally, the Crescent Moon and the Eclipsed Sun are a symbol I altered a little more. In the classical design there are two crescent moons instead - one black and one white. I gather they probably symbolize the phases of the lunar cycle, which is rather relevant in magick. However, I wanted to make them represent Light and Darkness instead as this is much more fundamental and essential to the philosophy behind this piece. So I changed one of the Moons into a Sun. Then I eclipsed it as courtesy to my friend's strong taste for Darkness rather than Light. Plus, eclipses are mystical and totally awesome and I bet they are highly magickal as well. The star I added was a bonus.

Finally, I will dedicate a line to the inscription below.
In case it's not entirely clear, it reads: Nullus est deus præter me ipsum. This is Latin and it translates as follows: "There is no god but myself."
These are the words of Satan Lucifer I quote on every occasion I get because they are probably His most important message for you: Freedom. Freedom to all.
Freedom, however, can only be born within. That is the hidden and equally important part of the message.

Speaking of which, there are subtle deviations from the original design which are, indeed, a connection to Satanism I've incorporated, and also personally to Lucifer. One is the Pentagram which is "inversed" (in other words, as it should be), in honour of our faith, though quite frankly it downright looks and fits better like this anyway. Besides, this makes it into a much more powerful and pure symbol. The star beside the Eclipsed Sun is no other but the Morning Star (technically a planet, but hey), which has been perceived as an allegory to the Lightbringer - Lucifer. Finally, the Serpent, the Goat and the Raven - all 3 are among Lucifer's sacred animals. So that was the true reason for me to make these wings to be the wings of a Raven. In His honour.

IMPORTANT
Like I said, this is The Baphomet and The Baphomet is a mythical creature and an ancient symbol of Life.
The Baphomet, however, is NOT a Demon nor a Demonic creature, and it is definitely ***NOT*** a representation of Satan.
I cannot emphasize this enough.

__________________

Original design by Éliphas Lévi, 1854: gnosticwarrior.com/wp-content/…
2B - 8B pencil on 36 x 40 cm paper.
Time elapsed: 10 hours.... quite unbelievable, and it's possibly even an underestimation. Time flies when you're enjoying your work.

Featured:
Art Exposure
Artist Feature!

Ave Satanas