By Robert Mortem
Is the inverted cross truly a Satanic symbol? Many may argue that it is not. The fact of the matter is, as Eliphas Levi wrote, it is quite a demonical symbol. In Transcendental Magic he notes that a "human figure head downwards naturally represents a demon" (i.e. "intellectual subversion").
Some may insist that the inverted cross is the cross of Peter, as if this is a Christian symbol, but actually, the Acts of Peter (where he is crucified) is a Gnostic text. The Gnostics were not "Christian", as Polycarp the early Christian notes in his epistle to the Philippians; he says in Chapter 7 to avoid the Docetae (Gnostics) and considers them to be antichrist. It is the Gnostic text claiming Peter was crucified "with the head downward and not otherwise" (The Acts of Peter, XXXVII). Also, this is not the Christian character "Peter", but according to the Apocryphon of John, he was one of the twelve aeons in the context of demonic spirits. Notice, Jesus even calls Peter Satan in the Bible (see Matthew 16:23)! Left to its Gnostical roots, the concept was entirely distinct.
Finally, be it the inverted cross or the upright cross, both are initially a pagan symbol. Besides the Egyptian Ankh and the constellation Crux, Eliphas Levi in his book The Mysteries of Qabalah lists multiple pagan crosses in his chart on page 105,
