The Inverted Cross

       

 
               Possibly one of the oldest known symbols associated with Satanism, many people believe it to be the cross of the anti-Christ.  Specifically, that is not true, but it does hold very misunderstood and forgotten history of blood, heresy and ritual.

Starting at the assumed conception St. Peter... The impulsive. 

               He, specifically, is one of the Apostles that I like to call the troublemaker. I would go into detail, but it is unrelated to this subject, so I'll start with his death.  Legend has it a crowd of people hurled rocks and spit as Peter was taken to his death, and then he refused to be crucified right-side-up like Jesus, preferring to be upside-down. Supposedly this was intended to say he was unequal to Christ.

But where does this come from?

               The first record of St. Peter being crucified upside-down is written in "The Act's Of Peter". But St. Peter's death is between 64-68 AD,  "The Act's Of Peter" was written 180-190 AD. So the possibility for credible accounts is not likely. On top of that, in "The Act's Of Peter", the humility in the request of Peter is not shown clearly. In Sean McDowell's book, "The Fate Of the Apostles", the cross is in that position as to say "The world  has been turned upside-down by sin", and  being upside-down lets him see the world for what it is. Additionally, the "upside-down state symbolizes that fallen humanity has now been restored through the cross." The real meaning of the downward position is a imitation of Adam, who entered the world "headlong". It represented a skewed human perspective asserting a flawed human nature, most of which is described in his extremely long speech given while hanging upside-down and dying.  To add insult to injury, there is only one piece of verified archaeological evidence that gives any proof that Romans crucified people at all, and it doesn't conclude whether it was a cross, post or X.  Some sources say that Romans commonly hung people upside-down, and that the position means "death to the traitors of Rome," but I can find no real documentation on this besides hearsay.

So How Did It Become Associated With Evil And Satanism?

Eugène Vintras wearing white robes with a red inverted cross coming down from the collar.

                  Eugène Vintras was a Criminal for most of his life, up until November 1839, when he declared that St. Joseph, Arch Angel Michael, Jesus and the Virgin Mary spoke to him on multiple occasions. He also began to claim he was a reincarnation of the prophet Elijah, and went on to found two cults, the Work of Marcy and Eliate Church Of Carmel, both of which sported the inverted cross as a symbol of new dispensation. It was said to be inverted because the reign of the suffering Christ had been replaced with the reign of the Holy spirit of love.  Occultist Eliphas Levi conversed with a follower of Vintras, who told an intriguing story recounted in a 1886 The Mysteries of Magic: A Digest of the Writings of Eliphas Levi: “Thousands of Hosts appear on altars where there were none; wine rises in empty chalices, and there is no delusion, it is wine, a delicious wine; celestial music is heard; the fragrance of another world diffuses itself, and, finally, blood – truly human blood which doctors have examined – oozes and sometimes flows copiously from the Hosts.” Levi also considered the inverted cross that Vintras wore as "indicative of Satanic influences". So after all of this, it's not hard to imagine that rumors of Satanic rites spread about, which lead to condemnation by the Pope. Two of his followers accused him of homosexuality, conducting Black Masses in the nude and masturbating at the altar.  Instead of being convicted for that, he was sent to prison for fraud charges.

           Skipping a few years to his death, Abbé Joseph-Antoine Boullan, once a correspondent turned rival, became a successor to Vintras. With this obvious power grab, many of the followers refused to follow him, but he took what he could and plunged the church into a pit of sexual magic, telling his members that having sex with angels was the quickest way to redemption, but anything else could help too.  This led to more accusations from former members once more, notably De Giatia, who, with a partner, accused Boullan of incest, bestiality, and adultery.

             De Giatia, feeling attacked by Spells and Curses went public with a Book called  The Temple Of Satan 1891 (linked here in original French writing)
An account of Boullan's Black Mass is told in a 1891 Novel The Damned which depicted De Guaita a Satanist wearing the inverted cross Vintras once wore.

Guibourg performing his Black Mass with the naked Madame de Montespan for an altar, depicted in The Guibourg Mass by Henry de Malvost, 1903.

            So during these time periods and all the years after the inverted cross became a common factor in Black Masses and all manner of supposed demonic rites.

The Inverted Cross in Amarica 

Photo by Dale Ernsberger / The Tennessean

           1896, The architecture of the Brushy Mountain Tennessee State Penitentiary was designed into a Inverted cross as to say all prisoners that came there are not worthy of heaven. The prison having been constructed by the prisoners themselves.

         1968, Rosmary's baby possibly the godmother of all Demonic horror films cemented lots of specific imagery for future film's.

             1960, On the Original release of Black Sabbath debut Album in the inner gatefold sleeve designed by Keith McMillan (credited as Marcus Keef) featured an Inverted cross with a Poem inside it.

In Conclusion 

               The Inverted cross meaning has traveled through history much like the swastika in the sense that it once had a sincere meaning that later became deluded in Sex, Sacrifice and Gnostic cults.  Given the information I personally associate the Inverted cross with humanity it's head pointing toward the earth as to say it's one of it there is a duality with it the Cross of Christ being the spirit reaching from the earth into the skies arms out streached somewhat resembling shoulders and The Cross of St. Peter falling from the sky and being driven into the ground the shape could symbolize the spine attached to the hips, But most importantly to me it represents Sin the nature of mankind that makes us all unworthy of Heaven and Christ. When it adorns me or my altar it represents my "flaw of Sin" that makes me human of the world.  When it comes to an anti-Christ or satanic meaning none is present unless the Inverted Possesses a corpus which is real blasphemy However  Inverted cross is a symbol for anyone who resonates with it. 

Side note 

      Lets also mention as a side note the cross is not originally a Christian symbol and that according to Exodus 20:4-6  (NKJV)  “You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; 5 you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, 6 but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments"  meaning the cross is a symbol or likeness of Christ even more so if there is a corpus present And I see the cross associated with nothing but a instrument of death much like a Iron maiden or guillotine.

Sources 


“Sex, Satanism & the 19th Century ‘War of the Magicians'.” Https://Www.historyanswers.co.uk/, 29 May 2015, https://www.historyanswers.co.uk/people-politics/prophets-black-masses-the-magic-war-of-19th-century-france/.

McDowell , Sean. “Was Peter Crucified Upside down?” Https://Seanmcdowell.org/Blog/, 22 Oct. 2015, https://seanmcdowell.org/blog/was-peter-crucified-upside-down.

“Crucifixion .” Https://En.m.wikipedia.org/, https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crucifixion.

“Eugène Vintras.” Https://Fr.m.wikipedia.org/, https://fr.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eugène_Vintras.

“Étinne Guibourg.” Https://En.m.wikipedia.org/, https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Étienne_Guibourg.

Dilley, Paul. “Peter.” Https://Www.bibleodyssey.org/, https://www.bibleodyssey.org/en/people/main-articles/peter.

“Black Sabbath (Album).”Https://En.m.wikipedia.org/, https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Sabbath_(album).

Sargent, Clarence F. “The Cross :The TRUE HISTORY of a Very PAGAN Symbol! THE INVERTED CROSS SYMBOL…It’s NOT WHAT THEY SAY IT IS!”Https://Ministerofblog.com/, https://ministerofblog.com/which-witch-is-which-testimonies-of-deliverance-from-the-darkest-pit/the-cross-the-true-history-of-a-very-pagan-symbol-the-inverted-cross-symbol-its-not-what-they-say-it-is/.