3 things we think are evil because the media told us they were.

Horror movies and shows are a staple in today’s society.  The horror genre has always had its niche, but in 2016 it has received enough embrace to have multiple horror themed television shows and movies pouring out simultaneously which lets face it, is awesome.  However there are some common things that many of them share and it is absolutely confusing to me.  You probably only took it at face value or assumed if it is used enough times then they can’t be wrong can they?  Well friends, I’ll let you know a little secret.  The Media has been lying to you.  Shocking I know.  In my pursuit of purifying these misconceptions I have created a list of three things we think are evil because the Media told us they were and the actual things they are impersonating, join me in discovering the truth, starting with…

3. St. Peter’s Cross.

We’ve all seen it, often used in occult related films or possession films.  At some point if it involves a satanic cult, you’re going to see this.

“Evil.”

It isn’t hard to make the assumption this symbol is evil, the Anti-Christ is supposed to be the opposite of Jesus Christ, whose emblem is the right side up cross he was crucified on, making the upside down cross an instant contestant in the “Symbols that represent Satan” game.  However hardcore you cross flipping, black wearing, misunderstood and angsty folks are, if you sport this symbol you’re simply giving props to good old Saint Peter.

This Guy.

St. Peter, whom you may have heard of was in pretty good with Jesus, even being appointed the first pope and in some instances being referred to as the guy who sits at the gates of Heaven with The Book of Life.  When he died he requested to be crucified upside down because he saw himself unfit to be crucified in the same manner as his great Lord.  Although the various multitudes of other dudes crucified right side up didn’t seem to care as much.  In recent times, we’ve adopted and changed the cross to be anti-Christian and anti-authority, but some where deep down we all know that St. Peter’s cross isn’t an evil or satanic emblem and we’re all living a lie behind our manscara and Death Metal T-shirts.

So what is it impersonating?

This, probably.

The Leviathan Cross, sometimes called “Satan Cross” is the symbol used by modern-day Satanists, the problem is that despite the unfortunate phallic like shape, the symbol isn’t likely to show up as a decoration on any walls that belong to someone most likely to be plagued by possession or demonic forces.  It is much easier to do a quick flip of the cross to get your point across, but it is unlikely any demon worth his salt is going to voluntarily invoke the symbol of one of Jesus’ top saints.  However given that modern Satanists believe less in gods and demons and more in themselves than anything it wouldn’t really make much sense for them to brand their surroundings with the Leviathan Cross either.  Really St. Peter’s cross is just the easiest and or laziest way to praise the Dark Prince and get your point across without a PC explanation behind your symbolism.

2. The Pentagram.

Ahh the Pentagram, what a marvelous design.  It practically screams “Symbol of very bad things” doesn’t it?  Yeah you’d like that wouldn’t you?  Well I’ve got some bad news for you.  It’s totally innocent of all crimes associated with it.  The pentagram was an unfortunate series of angles that form a star, and because of that, it was adopted into symbolism by many cultures.  It was a silent victim abducted into becoming a mascot for many puzzling things.  The earliest use of the pentagram was as a logogram for the word “Ub” meaning corner, angle, or nook.  The five points have always held some form of symbolism but in Western Culture it represented the five senses, or The Five Wounds of Christ.

Christians love them some symbols.

Of course Western Culture weren’t the only guys to see this and think “Ya know, there might be something to this.”  The Wiccans use it to symbolize the five elements, in East Asian Culture, it is used to represent the five phases or elements in the Chinese tradition.  The symbol just seems to resonate with importance and when placed decoratively in a scene involving wizards or witches, (the evil kind not the Wiccan) we don’t even question it.

So what is it impersonating?

Ta-Da!

The “Sigil of Baphomet” sure it is easy to see  how a mix up could take place since it is only a pentagram flipped upside down, but it is what it is.  Also adopted by the Satanic church the inversion has its own significance, representing the carnality and earthly principles.  It also represents the shape of a goat’s head, which is a popular mascot of Satanic followers.  The Sigil of Baphomet ultimately gives praise to matter over spirit, which is frowned upon by most religions.  It could also be misused in place of a Pentacle, which is used in evocation.

1. The Ouija Board.

This is a good one, the original spirit communicating device which, when used can create enough chaos to be considered the “Jumanji” of its time.  While everyone knows the Ouija board isn’t going to suck you into it until someone rolls a three or a ten, it is viewed by those who know nothing of the occult as the end all be all where talking to the dead is concerned.  The truth is actually a lot less spooky and a lot more business and greed.  The Ouija Board was first invented in 1890 by Elijah Bond and was released as a parlor game.  The concept of the “Talking Board” also known as planchette writing was not a new one but outside of use for giggles it wasn’t really considered occult or spiritual.  The idea that the Ouija Board was a tool used to truly communicate with the dead was introduced by swindler, sorry spiritualist Pearl Curran who claimed that a similar talking board which was used in 1886 was a tool to enable faster communication with the dead.  Pearl popularized the concept and it has been plaguing us ever since.

So what is it impersonating?

“Ooops, dropped my spirit ink.”

Fuji (Planchette Writing) was considered the first known practice of communicating with the dead.  Starting out in 1368 around the Ming Dynasty, Fuji was the original Ouija board.  Used by respected spiritualists of the time to communicate with “Spirit gods” and “Immortal transcendent.”  The purpose was less to speak with loved ones and more about reaching enlightenment and knowledge through the gods and immortals.  The system used two people who held a sieve one of which was possessed by earlier mentioned gods or immortals.  There was also a guy who leveled the sand and another to translate and record the written symbols.  So while there is no proof that a plastic and cardboard  board game intended for harmless fun can communicate with the dead, its clear that it is only a bastardized version of Fuji which to be fair is also questionable in its authenticity.  Sadly it seems the use of Ouija boards will always be popular among prepubescent teens at sleep overs and swindlers alike.

I hope I was able to teach you guys some of the finer points in horror symbolism and help you to point out when you’re being handed a boat full of lies and when someone did their homework before filming an on the edge of your seat horror flick, have a good night and stay scary guys.