"Speak of the Devil"

Speak of the Devil a documentary on Anton Szandor LaVey highlighting his thoughts in his later years.

Best of "Satanis"

What is Satanism

What Is Satanism?
By Don Webb

Satanism is a protest behavior that may or may not be connected with persons beyond the protester. It uses as a symbol Satan, the bogeyman of Judeo-Christian mythology, who in the Western world is the primary symbol of the revolt against cosmic injustice.

Protest behaviors are brought about when the inner world of a person, henceforth referred to as the Subjective Universe, is completely out of harmony with the conditions prevailing in the other world, henceforth referred to as the Objective Universe. In a healthy individual protest behaviors are a way to make the whole person aware for the need of change in their lives. In unhealthy individuals protest behaviors are obsessive and symbolic only, and are a sign of individuality making its last stand against the Objective Universe.

The figure of Satan is chosen since he represents the revolt from God. Belief in "God" or "Satan" is not the criteria here. "God" is a great symbol for everything that surrounds a person, and conditions them. "God" is the town you live in, the people you live with, the paperwork you have to fill out to do something as simple and healthy as run a small home business, and that velvet-rope maze that you have to go through to get to an airplane ticket. "God" represents all and everything that has accumulated since the beginning of time, that most people in their lives firstly come to accept and secondly to valorize. "God" is easy to hate or love, but like the weather hard to do anything with.

"Satan" is not the only figure that may be used against "God." If you see the patriarchal society as the source of all evil, the "Goddess" is the likely figure of choice for your spiritual dissent. However Satanists avoid this symbol, not because of a fear/mistrust of the feminine, but because the symbol becomes so easily a replacement for the figure of "God."

To make such a revolt, even symbolically, presents four areas of strain in the life of the rebel. Firstly the social matrix in which the rebel finds herself will not be supportive of the revolt. In most cases this is desired on some level. We are deeply aware that we are social creatures and that we have to enlist the help of others in our Quest for freedom. Sometimes the easiest way to get their aid is to anger them, so that we can use the pressure without to aid us in our change within. But beyond the "it's neat to piss people off" stage there is a human want for approval and affection that either ends the revolt, or ends the family matrix. Only those destined to inner strength can manage to revolt and be a family member. Secondly the notion of "good" -- meaning social norms -- has to sorted out from the idea of "Good" -- meaning those things that increase and deepen the experience of healthy humans. Since both "good" and "Good" belong in the constellation of ideas of "God" -- the rebel has to rethink everything, and he will make mistakes. Thirdly since the figure of Satan in the postmodern age is an Image, the material that makes that image so powerful (mainly movies and rock-n-roll) does not offer an adult role model as does the literary Satanism of Anatole France or Mark Twain. Figuring out what to do after you've worn that inverted cross for six weeks is a strain that most can't take due to the paucity and weakness of their own imagination. In fact it was due to that very weakness that they fixated on image rather than thought. Fourthly there is an utter lack of in-depth material on philosophical Satanism. Most of the information about Satanism is either psychological studies of protest behavior, Christian propaganda, or material written to convince an audience that they are already (in some obscure fashion) lord of the earth. This lack of Lore ends the revolt for all but the most self sufficient.

It might be thought that leaders of Satanic movements would find these conditions deplorable. Indeed far from it. By having a situation that encourages certain responses, Satanists -- which include all sorts of the scum of the earth -- will self select to a better sort of individual, UNLESS their bad behaviors are simply enabled by those around them -- giving us the rather sad picture of a thirty-five-year old man in a faded black T-shirt living over his parents' garage and saying "Hail Satan!" a great deal. Each of the four areas of strain provide a strengthening in those that overcome them. In the area of family and job relations, certain things occur. The Satanist must develop inner strength to continue in his practice. He must demonstrate his competence and commitment to the social matrix in which he lives so that his practices are tolerated. He must develop a tolerance for the beliefs of others that does not slip into a weak-minded belief that all systems of human thought are equal. This provides for emotional training. If the Satanist is, however, enabled, or simply deals with the strain by running away for good -- he or she will never have this training and the protest behavior does not lead to a strengthening of individualism, but merely to an infantile acting out of fantasies that cannot effect the Objective Universe.

Secondly the notion of "good," "Good," and "God" provide a useful struggle for the Satanist. On the path of human ethical development, the moment when she realizes that wearing short black skirts isn't on the same moral plane as, say, murder the Satanist realizes that a large part of society is a game designed for the efficient movement of energy and money by unquestioning obedience. This moment of awakening happens in the lives of most people, certainly without the stimulus of Satanism. And in the lives of most people this awakening goes away, long before it can effect the nature of either personal or human affairs. For the Satanist however the image of Satan focuses that attention long enough for it to become part of her personal inventory. This has a positive effect on avoiding entanglements in the world, by shutting off arguments based on sentimentality and thus causing the media of the world to have an Awakening effect, exactly the opposite of what they are designed to have.

Thirdly the strain of lack of direction because of the imagistic nature of Satan provides two benefits. Firstly since an image rather than a text is centralized, the Satanist is forced to make changes in his consciousness based on (hopefully) rational means -- and that any such changes are *individual* syntheses, rather than group think. However since this is hard work -- in fact making changes this way is so hard humanity pretty much dropped this methodology three thousand years ago -- most people make no changes. They merely become Eskimo Pies, "Dark on the outside, light on the inside." Secondly, the Satanist must create personal mythological and aesthetic models for self-guidance. This remains why Satanism has and will have such a great effect on music and the arts. But again this requires a depth or Self (or as the world would say, "talent") so most such products are as uninspired and amateurish as the images which inspired them. Thus a below-mediocre Satanic culture is maintained that drives away people cursed with good taste.

Lastly, the lack of Lore forces four sorts of development on the serious Satanist. He must look to other persons (either historical or of his personal knowledge) to be role models. He must find people that produced both a change in themselves and the world through the mechanism of revolt. This leads to a certain deepening of self as one chooses heroes, whether artistic revolutionaries like Goethe or political ones like Gandhi. Beyond role models the question of practice comes to mind; movie images of Satanist chanting may be great -- but what do they chant? This leads to a certain "Satanic anthropology" that begins for merely aesthetic reason, but broadens into the study of the structures of the human psyche. Again the moment that people have to do something harder than pick up a tome in their local occult store, most of the weak are weeded away. The creation of lore will (at a certain level of development) require that the Satanist speak. This means that he or she must learn certain communication skills on the one hand, and truly have thought about what they are going to say on the other. This self-selects for articulate thoughtful people. The weak, who will always be with us, will have another approach -- getting on late-night radio and quoting the scripture of another person (usually a bald one). Lastly since the dissemination of such material is difficult in a world ruled by vast corporations who have a vested interest in not promoting individuality -- the Satanist (normally an anarchistic lot) -- must voluntarily band together, which provides for both a social matrix and sets up for cultural change. It must be stressed however, that Satanism is not about cultural change as a goal. If one merely identifies with a cultural/political change and one succeeds, one is made redundant and weak -- and if one fails, one is bitter and an object of fun. Cultural change, like muscles gained working in a gym, is not the goal of the individual -- but a pleasant side effect and way of measuring progress.

Satanism, an unorganized social movement, arises out of the protest behavior called Satanism. The nature of that behavior against the grain of the social matrix is one that will of its nature lead to rapid self change (for the few) and rapid self deterioration for the many. It is easy to locate any number of the later to speak on the talk show circuit, but the former seek to give a rather more precise message to the world than can easily be encapsulated in a sound bite.

It should be noticed that there is a fundamentally developmental path in the strains caused by Satanism, which act synergetically on the person with focused attention. These strains -- by the nature of their resistance -- can empower an individual in his or her work with the world; however they are ultimately an exterior pressure which can only take you so far. For an even more select group in this already select group, there arises a need to develop internal (non-reactive) forces for self change. For these people there are Initiatory Schools. These Schools are the most feared part of the Satanic movement, since they can not be easily dismissed as a way to sell more albums, market cool bumper stickers, or get a spot on the Springer show. I simply want to leave you with the observation that the School is no more the object of Satanic practice than social change is. It, too is a by-product, whose excellence or mediocrity reflects the work of those involved with it. The object of Satanic practice is, has been, and will remain the Self.
___________________
Six Satanic Laws:

I. It is not about who you are, or what you do, but what you Become.

II. It is not about some guy with horns and a cape, but remembering your own (forgotten) better nature.

III. It is about becoming the constant in all of your life equations, not the variable.

IV. Its failures are easy to see and describe; each Success is unique, powerful and mysterious.

V. It symbols change, but its essence remains the same -- swim against the stream to be a powerful swimmer.

VI. It can not be accepted by mass culture, but its Nobles can be accepted by people of good will and sharp minds, on a one-by-one basis.

Anton LaVey from "The Occult Experience" LP

To us “Satan” is a symbol rather than an anthropomorphic being, although many members of the Church of Satan who are mystically inclined prefer to think of Satan in a very real, anthropomorphic way. Of course we do not discourage this, because we realize that it is very important to many individuals to ritualistically conceptualize a well-wrought picture of their mentor or tutelary divinity. Symbolically, however, Satan is the teacher: the informer of the whys and wherefores of the world. In answer to those who would label us “Devil worshippers” or be very quick to assume us to be Satan worshippers, I must say that Satan demands study, not worship.

We do not grovel; we do not get down on our knees, genuflect, and worship Satan. We do not plead, we do not implore that Satan give us what we wish. We feel that anyone who is going to be blessed by any god of his choice is going to have to show that god that he is capable of taking care of the blessings that are received.

The Church of Satan is an organization which is comprised of Satanists who, because of their abilities and lifestyles - and I must stress lifestyles - reflect a higher than average human potential. Through this avenue - the Church of Satan - the Satanist will become the prototype for a more rational, certainly a more finely tuned society.

The media have stressed our nude altars. The nude altar is an integral part of the Satanic service, and with good reason: The nude altar represents man’s fleshly heritage - the very Earth, the mother, the womb whence he came. And we feel that there’s nothing “bawdy”, there’s nothing “licentious”, there’s nothing “lewd” about the nude woman who’s employed for the altar. We also feel that there’s nothing wrong with bawdiness, with licentiousness, or with any type of sexual activity; but we feel that the ritual chamber is no place for it, either overtly or covertly. And there’s no need to be surreptitious in our ritual insofar as sexual predilections are concerned.

For centuries both churchmen and laymen have been defining the Devil according to their needs, all the while playing the game of muzzling the enemy. They’ve been inventing the rules of how devils should behave, how Satanists should behave, how Devil-worshippers should act. And they have been in an authoritative position to do this, because naturally they are the men of God, the men of the church. Supposedly they are the men who have been doing battle with this Devil and have been absolving their parishioners of this Devil’s promptings. In this manner they have maintained a convenient means by which to esape the blame for their inadequacies or indiscretions.

“The Devil made me do it” has always been a stock alibi. Once it held, and held very firm. Now, fortunately - fortunately for us - it has become ludicrous to say, “The Devil made me do it.” Yet many, while laughing, still play the old game of self-deceit and blame the Devil in one way or another. So the old game is still going on. This is made amply clear in, of all places, the very world of the occult. “Witches”, who held the Devil’s name for centuries, now refute Satanism with a passion, employing it as the other side of the fence. All manner of occultists, from ESP researchers to faith healers, denounce Satanists as worthless, meaningless, dangerous, ad nauseam. Never is there to be found a positive adjective about Satanists. We Satanists smile at such transparencies - for they are transparent opinions; their motivations are most clear. It shows that even those who now claim emancipation from inquisitors need devils themselves, in order to make their art more palatable to others.

Ironically the masters of the world have always been Satanists. The masters of magic have always practiced Satanic magic - that is to say, magic without the trappings of self-deceit, for self-deceit is always an inhibiting factor in the ultimate success of a magical rite.

The great Devil’s advocates of the past - Friedrich Nietzsche, Mark Twain, Herbert Spencer, H.G. Wells, Shaw, Bierce - were all able to hold a looking-glass up to man. But man, momentarily viewing his self-deceit upon reading the works of these people, could quickly avert his gaze and find solace in his spurious rule-books. The time for an organization of devils had not yet come. Only a strong, organized movement could force the mirror of self-revealing before the world’s eyes and hold it there. And this is what we wish to do: hold that mirror up!

It has been said that the most powerful thing in the world is an idea whose time has come ’round. The idea that the “enemy” might conceivably have something worthwhile to say is now with us. In fact, is that demon within each of us really an enemy, as we have so long been taught? Or will it be recognized as the guiding spirit of enlightenment which it actually is? You must remember that the word Daimon does not imply “evil”, but simply a “guiding spirit”, a “motivating spirit”.

Man must quit kidding himself. Only when he emancipates himself from dubious interpretations of good and evil - when he can truly rise above good and evil, beyond good and evil, realizing that these terms are probably the most relative terms in his existence; when he can accept the long, obscene name of “Satan” [because that is a dirty word, “Satan” - the occult world seems to find it even more so]; when he can accept this word, this name into his vocabulary as a sound to be honored - then he will be free! Until then he will walk in fear of the very scapegoat he has created, and his potential guide will remain his nemesis.

[Interviewer question: “How would Satanism help one to rise to a higher mental level?”]

Satanism allows us to recognize and to realize our own potential, to realize that man is not created equal and that each must make the most of what he has, according to his own opportunity and natural ability. But he must also realize that he can’t force cards into his computer that will not be programmed - that will be rejected. As a Satanist who knows this and who realizes his own potential, he must eventually - and here is one of the essential points of Satanism - attain his own godhead in accordance with that potential. Therefore each man, each woman is a god or goddess in Satanism - but must never make the mistake of assuming that there may not be another god or goddess next door who may be a little stronger.

We feel that Satanism is a religion of life rather than death. I can’t understand why some of our detractors seem so impelled - or compelled - to establish Satanism as a religion of death, because nothing could be further from the truth. Satanism advocates that life should be lived to the fullest - that one should get every drop of enjoyment from this life. We believe that this is the best of all known possible worlds. If there’s a better one, then it will be Satanists - or Satanically inspired scientists - who find it. We feel that life is the great indulgence, death the great abstinence. I’ve made this very clear in the Satanic Bible, and yet there are still many who maintain that Satanism is death-worship.

So you might say that Satanism is a gateway to a new and more vigorous life for the individual who is struggling under the burden of depression.

The greatest misconception about Satanism concerns human sacrifice. People tend to overlook the fact that a curse can be thrown without any blood being shed by the magician or his chosen victim. The Satanist accepts human life as a very precious thing, albeit wasted on some individuals, and we feel that there is nothing inherently wrong with anyone who just lives and allows others to live according to their own dictates. Nevertheless curses have to be thrown. A curse is a symbolic act. This means that it gives vent to one’s anger, one’s emotions. And if it is directed properly towards the victim, that victim then suffers accordingly. Such is the power of ceremonial magic.

On the Lost Dedication to The Satanic Bible

From Wikipedia's page on The Satanic Bible

Dedication
Long since removed from contemporary printings of the book, the first edition of The Satanic Bible contained an extensive dedication to the thinkers who influenced LaVey.

The primary dedication of the book was made to Bernadino Nogara (misprinted as "Logara"), Karl Haushofer, Rasputin, Sir Basil Zaharoff, Alessandro Cagliostro, Barnabas Saul (Dr. John Dee's first Scryer), Ragnar Redbeard, William Mortensen, Hans Brick, Max Reinhardt, the American Sociologist Orrin Klapp, Fritz Lang, Friedrich Nietzsche, W. C. Fields, P. T. Barnum, Hans Poelzig, Reginald Marsh, Wilhelm Reich and Mark Twain.

The secondary dedication included Howard Hughes, Marcello Truzzi, Marilyn Monroe, William Lindsay Gresham, Hugo Zacchini,[1] Jayne Mansfield, Fredrick Goerner, Nathaniel West, Horatio Alger, Robert E. Howard, George Orwell, H. P. Lovecraft, Tuesday Weld, H.G. Wells, Harry Houdini, Togare (LaVey's pet lion) and The Nine Unknown Men.

These are the foundational influences upon contemporary Satanism. Learn their names and their lessons and you will never be sorry.

For many years, particularly since the death of Anton Szandor LaVey, numerous groups and individuals have risen to proclaim themselves "Satanists." Yet time and again a serious investigation into their beliefs, practices and attitudes suggest that they have no grasp at all of even the most basic principles of what being a Satanist are. Many of these groups are little more then personal cults made using the name of Satan. Others are more insidious, looking to warp minds towards their ultimately life-denigrating aims.

This will end.

As the late Terence McKenna was fond of saying, "If the Truth can be told so as to be understood it will be believed." All the more, the truth will out. It is with these idea in mind that I have begun this blog.

I am unconnected to any Satanic group. I am uninterested in their internal politics.

I have no axe to grind nor desire to lay undue praise upon the late Anton Szandor LaVey. I seek only to preserve what was good, expose what was bad and hopefully illuminate the unexplored depths of his thoughts.

By the Horns of Creation and Recreation, and in the name of Satan, let us begin.

In nomine Dei nostri Satanas Luciferi excelsi!

Open wide the Gates of Hell and once more let the Ravens fly forth!