At every Gnostic Mass, we voice this phrase as part of the Gnostic Creed: “And I believe in the Serpent and the Lion, Mystery of Mystery, in His name BAPHOMET.” Much has been written about Baphomet, some positive, and some less so. Most Thelemites are at least familiar with Baphomet as described by Eliphas Levi in Dogme et Rituel de la Haute Magie (Dogma and Ritual of High Magick).
For a more modern take, Ruth Addams brings us A Gift Of Maggots: A Devotional For Baphomet. Compiled collaboratively with Galina Krasskova, the 158-page paperback features writing by kink educators Lee Harrington and Raven Kaldera, among others, as well as cover art by Wintersong Tashlin.
The cover text tells us: “Baphomet is a controversial deity. No one seems to know whether he existed in ancient times, or appeared in the early medieval era, or something else entirely. In spite of all this mystery, he has a small following of worshipers who find inspiration and challenge in the track of his hoofprints. One of these is devotee Ruth Addams, who has compiled the results of her devotion, and that of many others, in A Gift Of Maggots. This is everything that you ever wanted — and perhaps never wanted — to know about Baphomet. It will give you more than you expected, and be an opening onto the Mysteries for the seeker of transformation.”
