From: locklin@titan.ucc.umass.edu (Lupo the Butcher)
Subject: Re: Pentagrams
Keywords: Pentagrams
Organization: Campus Crusade for Cthulhu
Date: Sat, 19 Dec 1992 03:28:10 GMT
X-Posted-From: titan.ucc.umass.edu
NNTP-Posting-Host: sol.ctr.columbia.edu

In article <1992Dec18.171823.8367@uumeme.chi.il.us> sfoley@uumeme.chi.il.us (Sean M. Foley) writes:

> I read a post concerning the meaning of pentagrams(inverted) and wanted to
>"explore" this topic abit more. First off, the inverted pentagram has as
>much to do with satanists as a cross has to do with christianity; belonging
>to neither originally, yet adopted by both. The premise that I'm refering to

Right.

> To quote The Beast "Any Devil that is worshipped is no longer a Devil; it is
>a God", and this idea makes perfect sense in the in the proper light that
>a Devil is an agent of strife and not conformity. The silliness of the whole
>matter makes light when one reads an unaltered version of the bible and sees
>that there is no hell. Back to the matter of the inverted pentagram; The 
>"Goat Head" is the silliest symbol I have seen yet, and the worst distortion
>of a symbol as well. 
>   1> What does the goat head have to do with the inverted
>pentagram, besides perversion and glamouric attraction?

It is my understanding that the "Goat of Mendes" or "Baphomet" is a symbol
borrowed from the knights templar. I could be wrong here; it could have more
to do with pagan fertility-cults (it could be both). I do not think that
the goat & pentagram were combined this early in time (templar days), if they
were, my question is answered... The perversion & glamoric attraction has more 
to do with pop-culture hype and xtian paranoia than any symbolic meanings they
may have...

>   2> What is the meaning of the goat head? It's a symbol, remember..

See the above comment. Fertility perhaps. A remnant of a pagan god. (Shub-
niggaroth?)

>   3> What are these symbols used for?

Perhaps to establish a link with previous fraternal orders who used these 
symbols.

> I myself lay no claim to knowing the answer to any of these questions, but
>I am again inquisting the symbols. I only feel this is of relevance when

Er, I do not understand this statement.

>I take some consideration of how my youth in religion was.. I was born
>a catholic; and kept ignorant of the meanings of all the symbols my whole
>life. I felt disgusted when I soon learned that these symbols were all
>borrowed from other "despised" cultures as a means for saying "Hey! we do
>the same as you do, join our religion!", thank the divine that that never
>happened. My personal feeling is that most "satanic" is an opposition to an
>already illusionary system(christianity), and therefore makes it questionable
>, however, in this case I make no claim to be an authority; I only want to

Only because christianity is pervasive in our culture. Church of Satan, in any
case, seeks to "root out the sacred lies" in our society that trap people. Just
happens that christianity is one of the more fruitful sources of these "sacred
lies". In the "Satanists Bible" LaVey says that parody of christianity is like
the beating of a dead horse. A modern "Black Mass" would parody & ridicule
various "humanist" philosophies, the psychedelic movement & etc...

See alt.satanism FAQ for more. This really is not the proper forum for a 
discussion of "satanic" philosophies & practices...

-Scott