Eliphas Levi, whose drawing of Baphomet is shown here, intended this image to represent "the god of primitive Gnostic

schools," a version of Pan. I think we can see, though, that this Pan is very different from that of the Greeks. Baphomet is like Hermes a magical teacher who unites in himself male and female, but Baphomet also unites the Four Elements and symbolizes the raw power or Prima Materia of magic itself. Where Hermes is typically connected to high, fast-vibrating smells like dill and lavender, this is a slower, smoother scent, in keeping with Baphomet's seated stance, and it is much more subtle than any scent I might craft for Pan. I tend to use lots of resinous scents in my oils, but this one is dominated by a warm muskiness with a bit a zing. The scent of lemongrass comes charging out at first and then settles down and hums along with the other ingredients, which work together to provide a slow, deep musk. You can smell sun-warmed fur, which is actually the scent of bees, not mammals; I use a propolis tincture in jojoba as the base. This scent combines well with the valerian, cumin and other musky herbs and is smoothed out with some nice ethically harvested white sandalwood. It is a steadying scent that yet allows awakening of the intellect--a good combination for magical work.

The Goat of Mendes, which is generally taken as the image of Baphomet, was popularized in the esoteric

world by the French mage Eliphas Levi. He mean it to be a version of Pan that represented a deity of primitive Gnosticism. This deity, however, differs quite a bit from the Pan of ancient Greece. He has much more in common with Hermes, to my mind. He is a teacher of magic, and like Hermes he is a hermaphrodite, uniting male and female within himself (or hirself?). The Four Elements are also unified in him; he symbolizes the Prima Materia of magic. The scents associated with Hermes tend to be quite zingy--lavender and seeds of the Umbelliferae, like celery--but because Baphomet has a strong animal aspect, this incense is a much smoother scent and does not have the high vibration rate one would expect from typical Mercury. After all, not only does Baphomet lack wings on his heels, but he is seated. The incense has some muskiness to it from fenugreek, darkness from juniper berry, and smoothness from anise. The freshness of intellect is transmitted through the use of mastic here and lemongrass. Several other herbs, resins and spices combine to make this a nice spicy, smooth incense that evokes the spirit of Baphomet, particularly for aid in magical work, and is helpful in awakening the intellect