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This version: February 1996. Incomplete and Preliminary. Suggestions, corrections, contributions welcome. Contributions regarding the reading list and existing satanic organizations, largely from Lupo's Usenet alt.satanism FAQ
Feel free to quote -but not change- provided acknowledgment of the author is made.
by Margot Terrell
Introduction.
The purpose of this FAQ is to inform newcomers to satanism or the Undernet IRC channel #satan, about what we consider to be our version of satanic principles. Experience shows that newcomers to #satan besically keep asking the same questions so reading of this document might be useful. If you still have questions, feel free to ask the channel operators in #satan or contact the author at bt492@torfree.net.
It is well known that satanism does not come in a single compact version and major (or less major) differences do exist amongpractitioners. In #satan, we do not identify with a particular group (such as the Church of Satan, the Temple of Set etc) and in fact we do have a dislike for many existing satanic organizations. This is mainly why I wrote this FAQ: Our views on satanism tend to be different from those of CoS or ToS and we do advocate a more occult approach to satanism which we view as a branch of the occult rather than as an attempt to take political power trips, talk nonsense in social philosophy etc.
0. What is #satan? #
satan is an Undernet IRC channel whose purpose is to host serious discussions about satanism, religions and the occult in general. The channel was founded by the author in October 1995. An undernet IRC server is irc.misha.net. Keep in mind that we cannot be found in EFNET or DALNET -although we do plan to see what we can do with the latter in the (hopefully) near future. All discussions and contributions are welcome in #satan as long as proper behavior is maintained and these contributions are intellectual in nature. The author's IRC nick is "margot" -almost all the time.
1. What is satanism
There is no unique set of beliefs that define satanism and as a result practitioners are expected to formulate beliefs for themselves rather than follow blindly and uncritically another person's or order's belief systems. Moreover there are no historical records of satanism and most records are made up by satanism's major enemy, i.e the christian church. Although no unique set of beliefs that defines satanism exists, a few general remarks can be made to define the boundaries:
The average satanist disagrees with much of Christianity, believes in no absolute moral code, and places emphasis on the individual and personal rights. Satanism is definitely NOT a religion and the average satanist thinks low of all religions and the concept of religion itself. Satanism is a philosophy and lifestyle, and certaiinly a branch of the occult -as can be seen in detail in what follows.
2. Is satanism blind devil worship?
Satanism is most definitely not devil worship, and satanism is not bases on the biblical figure of satan, the horned god of evil that christians chose to represent god's major enemy and install fear in society in order to accomplish their own goals. Since satanism is not a religion satanists do NOT worship gods (as there is no god superior than human beings) and as a result they do not worship Satan. For a satanist, the highest ideal is his Self and s/he knows that all gods and daemons are we.
A satanist strives to live life to its full potential and as a result s/he refuses to have a rigid moral code: Living life fully means that one should have a full experience and this is simply impossible if one adopts the view that certain things are sinful or "bad". Good and evil are simply theological conventions or conventions imposed by society in order to control the individual. A satanist does recognize the fact that insticts exist, and as a result they must be explored fully instead of overemphasizing denying their importance by labelling them as "good" or "bad". For a satanist everything is permitted and there is no law or rule beyond do what thou wilt.
3. What is satan?
Satan is not considered to be a god in satanism. Instead Satan is an archetype of power and Self. Satan stands for what religions consider to be "sin", all moral barriers that religions have imposed upon mankind during thousands of years of history. The use and significance of archetypes should be clear: Archetypes are used to identify with, in order to accomplish a purpose -the purpose being to realize better one's self, live life to its full potential and achieve balance between the various forces that one encounters in life. From another perspective, Satan is a powerful force of nature, a well of "energy" that one hopes to find, identify with and draw from. Clearly there is no point in "worshipping" this force or archetype. Instead much of a satanist's work is based on identifying with the archetype.
Satan does represent the self as different forces that must be balanced out in order to live a full life: love/hate, good/evil etc constitute the forces that one must explore fully and eventually balance out via a personal formula -a formula that explores the insticts and signifies the "right way" for a person to know thy self and live life.
4. What does a satanist do?
The average satanist is expected to identify with the satanic archetypes or forces, these powerful wells of "energy" in order to understand the Self better and live life more fully. The way this is expected is usually through the use of magick. Magick is the art of inducing change in accordance with Will, one's "inner" or "real" Self to which the ancient proverb "know thy self" refers to. Magick typically consists of acts known as rituals: Rituals are are acts whose purpose is -typically- to invoke personifications of various forces or powers (knows as deities). The magician's purpose is to personally identify with these deities in order to understand better an aspect of reality or his/her self. Magick's purpose is definitely not to gain matterial wealth, harm or help another person etc. This is simply idiotic and impossible. Magick's purpose resembles a lot the art of acting. The magician invokes a deity that represents various forces, powers or characteristics via a "script" (rite) which is considered to incorporate elements that must be favorable to the particular "deity'.
The magician's purpose is to literally identify with the deity, become one at the highest point of the ritual, understand the deity (personification of powers) and evolve a step beyond. A ritual is simply acting out the magician's will to invoke this deity and the various means used -which often appear strange or weird to the uniniated- serve only one purpose: Excite the mind and emotion of the emotion and induce passage to special mental states where identification with the deity becomes possible. From another point of view, rites are simply approapriate triggers of the right psychological points, triggers that can induce these special mental states that the magician is after.
Magick does not deal with reality as we normally know it -if that would be the case, it would mean that the magician can alter physical reality via the use of rites, which is simply not true and (at best) food for people's idiocy. Magick is simply an induced journey into the sub-conscious, a series of steps taken methodically and carefully in order to explore this terrain, build a personalreality (where these deities might manifest) and understand better this terrain, which is nothing but the real Self, the place whereinsticts and other powerful forces reside, waiting to manifest themselves and be explored.
5. How is a ritual conducted?
Like it has been said before, a rite is simply supposed to excite the emotion and induce certain mental states that can help in identifying with the particular force invoked. One typically needs a physical area where the rite is to take place - an altar forexample. One is supposed to know what the particular deity invoked is all about, what is favorable to the deity for example. The altar should therefore be "devoted" to the deity using symbols that are favorable to the deity. Symbols, colors or the whole script of rite should be constructed using whatever is favorable to the deity. The magician is expected to live symbolically the life of the deity -mythology usually is of great value provided one thinks that a given mythological entity is well suited to represent the forces and archetypes that must be represented- and at some point "identify", become one with him/her.
This illustrates a major difference between magickal rites and the rites that one encounters in the christian church or various light-hearted pagan circles: A rite is not simply a theatrical act where the participant is a simple watcher; the participant is expected indeed to personify the highest force involked (deity) and thereofore his/her role is indeed active. Ideally one should conduct his/her own rites and experiment with what works and what doesn't. At the starting phases this is not always possible and standard rites -conducted by others previously- should most likely be used.
A good introduction to ritual and magick theory is A. Crowley, "Magick in Theory and Practice", where a set of standard rituals and liturgies may also be found. Various serious or less serious rituals are available in the internet but I would recommend against them, as any child can come up with similar ones. It is IMPORTANT to keep in mind that the ritual per se is NOT important. There is NO single way to invoke Bacchus for example; Bacchus is not a real being with a given but secret phone number (rite) which one must know in order to invoke him.
Bacchus is a set of given forces and powers that reside in our sub-conscious and a rite is expected to be something that MUST excite a GIVEN person's emotion in order for the personification of Bacchus to be successful. From that point of view, one should study the life and death and resurrection of Bacchus carefully (from available mythological sources), understand how Bacchus is represented in ancient Greek tragedies, understand what symbols and powers pertain to him and use them, realize what the god is all about, and at the end invoke him, talk with him and identify with him at the most exalted point of the rite.
Although this is a personal work -and most certainly not an easy one- various standard rites are available that should be able to help the beginner. For example banishing techniques are used widely -in almost every rite- and standard banishings are available in A. Crowley's work mentioned above. Some banishing rituals are also available in the WWW. The interested person should do a search at http://www.yahoo.com for "magick" in case more information on this subject matter is required.
Specific satanic rituals include the Black Mass -a rite of breaking away from christianity and established beliefs at the individual level, by expressing the individual's anger and determination to do so- and invocations or rites devoted to particular deities such as Baphomet, or deities that have to do with balance/duality or specifically the dark side.
6. Do satanists commit murder in in their rituals?
Some misleading reports exist about Satanists: they are organized into nationwide cults; they commit ritual murders on a grand scale; they raise their children with psychological disorders; they kidnap people for blood sacrifice; they organize day-care centers and abuse the children placed in their care. A whole class of books exists detailing the exploits of these Satanic groups. The problem with all these works is that they are fictional rather than truthful accounts.
Much is claimed based on scanty evidence that would be better explained by another scenario. Claims of involvement with Satanism are made by patients under hypnosis (hypnotized subjects are notorious for their suggestibility and tendency to produce fictions). Other "former Satanists" distort the truth in search of attention and money. These sensationalists never go to the police regarding the criminal activities they allegedly took part in, which calls the veracity of their claims and the sincerity of their remorse into question.
Evidence does not exist to support what is said to occur. If the number of murders said to be committed by Satanists was accurate, some bodies should have been found by now. While means have been suggested by which bodies could be concealed, it stretches the imagination to believe that every body has been successfully hidden thus. Evidence in other areas is similarly lacking.
Individuals investigating suspected Satanic crimes misinterpret what they find to fit their expectations. The "Necronomicon", published by Avon Books, is used as an authoritative guide to Satanic practices. Yet few Satanists take the book seriously in any way, and none follow it to the letter. This and other things lead some non-Satanists to see what simply is not there. The observant reader may note that there have been a few crimes linked to Satanism. In all cases the criminal(s) worked alone with no connections to other groups. Some cases have been publicized by the media as being related to Satanism when in fact they involve another religion, as in the Matamoros case, which involved some elements of Palo Mayombe (an African religion), and some rituals taken from popular motion pictures.
The lesson to be learned is that although a book may appear in the Non-fiction" section of a bookstore, that doesn't make it so.
There is a copy of an FBI report on "occult crime" archived at ftp.lysator.liu.se pub/religion/satanism/Crime/satanic"crime which shows what the FBI thinks of the claims of fundamentalists. There is also a good file on the subject at the same site pub/religion/satanism/General/general
The most definitive book to date on the topic of rumors of Satanic cults involved in ritual murder/abuse is "Satanic Panic; the Creation of a Contemporary Legend" by Jeffrey S. Victor. Open Court Press, 1992
7. How do I learn more about magick? Some good introductory and intermediate works on magick are:
* A. Crowley,"Magick in theory and practice" --available online. Definitive work on magick for beginners.
* A. Crowley, "Magick without tears" --available online. A series of letters to a prospective magick student. Well written, it does deal with important questions.
* P. Carroll, "Liber KKK" --available online. Useful introduction to practical chaos magick.
* P. Carroll, "Liber Null and Psychonaut", Weiser Co. Practical introduction to chaos magick, highly recommended.
* S. Michaelsen, Portable darkness, Harmont Co., a very good introduction to Crowley's work, basically a collection of important parts from his writings, including "Eight lectures on yoga" and "Liber AL".
* A.O. Spare, "The book of pleasure" --available online. Very good introduction to what magick exactly is.
Crowley was an occult genius -by any standard- and his works are to be recommended without hesitation. Much of his work is contained in the 10 volume set known as the "Equinox of the Gods", a periodical published in England at the turn of the present century. The "Equinox" is also available online from http://www.winternet.com/~robin. Many other works by Crowley are available in this homepage.
Carroll is a leading author in the field known as "chaos magick". Chaos magick is basically ceremonial magick with the ceremonies kept to a minimum and based on the belief that there should be no pre-set rules in magick but practitioners should be able to discover things for themselves.
I am sorry to say that most satanists do not appreciate these authors as much as they should but instead they focus their attention on politics, social philosophy and pseudo-occultism.
8. How do I learn more about satanism?
There is extensive bibliography written by satanists about satanism. Of course common beliefs typically do not exist but beginners may find the following books and web sites of interest:
http://www.marshall.edu/~allen12/index.html (Hell- the online guide to Satanism. Contains resources from many groups.)
TOKUS FAQ; ftp.portal.com /pub/ss/usenet/FAQs/FAQ.tokustn.9052 (Interesting & relevant theoretical document) Recommended Reading:
(technical stuff on satanism)
* The Satanic Bible, by Anton Szander LaVey, Avon Books, 1969. Presents the Satanic views and doctrines of the Church of Satan, along with an introduction to its rituals.
* The Compleat Witch" (the new edition is called "The Satanic Witch), by Anton LaVey, Lancer Books, 1971.
* The Satanic Rituals, by Anton LaVey, University Books, 1972. More books discussing LaVey's brand of Satanism.
* The Black Arts, by Richard Cavendish, Perigee Books (Putnam), 1967. An objective introduction to magic, demonology, and classical views of Satanism.
* The Necronomicon [by the Mad Arab], Avon Books, 1977. Purported ritual book of great efficacy. Generally regarded as fiction interspersed with translations of Mesopotamian texts. Mileage may vary, depending on how seriously you take babble. This is included mainly because of its availability and popularity; I actually strongly recommend that you do "not"buy this. Much information on books of this name is available in the Necronomicon FAQ written by Kendrick Chua, allegedly chived at io.com & alt.horror.cthulhu.
* The Necronomicon, edited by George Hay 1978. This is a more "Lovecraftian" Necronomicon which closely follows what Lovecraft said was contained in the famous book of the Mad Arab. It is, of course, fiction, but much more fun than the Avon book in that it does not take itself so seriously. Scoob publishing is supposed to have a R'lyeh text in the works as a sequel to this.
(Satanic history)
* The Secret Life of a Satanist by Blanche Barton, Mondo Press. The authorized biography of Anton LaVey, and a basic guide to Satanic philosophy. This book has been largely discredited as a serious biography by an article in the 9/5/91 issue of "Rolling Stone" "The Church of Satan" by Blanche Barton The CoS authorized book on the topic.
* The Second Coming, by Arthur Lyons, 1970 [out of print] A history of Satanism through the Middle Ages and the modern era.
* Do What You Will by Geoffry Ashe A history of philosophers & groups who use this thelemic motto. Especially nice history of the "Hellfire Clubs"
* The Prince of Darkness by Jeffrey Burton Russell, Cornell University Press, 1988. Historians work on the history of Satan from earliest history through the twentieth century. A summary of a four-book series (The Devil, Satan, Lucifer, and Mephistopheles, by the same author) which may be too much reading for casual interest.
* The Old Enemy, by Neil Forsyth, Princeton University Press, 1987. Another history of Satan focusing on the Middle East and early Christianity.
* Satan Wants You, by Arthur Lyons, Mysterious Press (Warner), 1988. Presents an overview of Satanism and the history of Satan, plus an in-depth look at popular misconceptions.
* The Occult by Colin Wilson An excellent objective introduction to the history of the subject.
* The History of the Church of Satan, by Michael Aquino Probably the definative work on the topic; it is unavailable to the general public due to various copyright laws. It may be available to historians and scholars through the Temple of Set.
* The Devil in Legend and Literature" by Maximillian Rudwin. Open Court Press, Chicago 1931. (on and pertaining to Xtian fictions of Satanism)
* Satanic Panic; the Creation of a Contemporary Legend" by Jeffrey S. Victor. Open Court Press, 1992. This book is an excellent debunking of the many "evil satanist" rumors and legends that abound in rural and mainstream America. It shows the similarities between these rumors, and those of the inquisition, European anti-semetism, and the McCarthy red-scares.
* The Satan Seller, Mike Warnke's imagination, Logos International, 1972. A Christian presents his alleged experiences in a Satanic cult before his conversion to Christianity. Has been exposed by fundamentalist journalists as a fraud.
* Cornerstone, Volume 21, number 98, "Selling Satan," Jon Trott & Mike Hertenstein, 1992. This gets *highest* recommendation. From a Christian magazine which does a great job of discrediting Mike Warnke's accounts mentioned in "The Satan Seller" and elsewhere.
* Satanism: The Seduction of America's Youth", Bob Larson, Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1989. The facts on the *conspiracy* now coming to a lonely town near you!!! (You're reading the FAQ, so it's already here!)
Following are a number of works recommended dealing with Satanism's links with crime, multiple personality disorder, etc.
* The Satanism Scare, ed. James T. Richardson, Joel Best, and David G. Bromley (NY: Aldine, 1991): 145-172.
* Battle for the Mind, by William Sargent, Harper & Row, 1957.
* In Pursuit Of Satan, by Robert D. Hicks (Prometheus Books)
* Satanism In America, issued by the Committee for the Scientific Examination of Religion.
"Occult Crime: A Law Enforcement Primer" [To obtain a copy of this report, write to
California Office of Criminal Justice Planning 1130 K Street, Suite 300 Sacramento, CA 95814
(Phone: (916) 324-9100). Request the "Research Update, Special Edition, Winter 1989-1990, Volume 1, Number 6" issue. No mention is made of a donation, but it may be useful to inquire beforehand.]
* Snapping; America's Epidemic of Sudden Personality Change, by Flo Conway & Jim Siegelman. An interesting work utilizing information theory in the study of sudden personality change as occurs in religious cults, and the "Born-Again" phenomenon.
(Satan in art and Philosophy)
* Paradise Lost by John Milton. An epic poem telling the tale of Lucifer from when he is thrown out of heaven, to the Fall of Adam and Eve. It makes Lucifer into a heroic figure, whilst God is made out to be a little vague and weak.
* The Divine Comedy by Dante. Another epic poem in three parts (Inferno, Purgatorio and Paradisio) covering the author's pilgrimage through them.
* La-Bas (Down There), by J. K. Huysmans (1891?) translated by Keene Wallace. Semi-fictional novel of the occult and the black mass in late nineteenth century Paris.
H. P. Lovecraft, collected works. Classic horror fiction that has served as inspiration for many Satanists.
Frederick Nietzsche, various works Nietzschean philosophies form the core of Satanism. Much of the "Satanic Bible" owes its philosophical and literary roots to works such as "Thus Spoke Zarastrutha" and "The Anti-Christ" by Nietzsche.
* Man and Technics by Oswald Spengler An extension of Nietzsches philosophy to the modern age; Spenglers philosophy is condensed into this small book; a must read. (Study of the voluminous "The Decline of Western Civilization" may prove useful to those interested in theories of history and politics)
(Biblical debunking)
* Who Wrote the Bible?, by Richard Elliott Friedman, Harper & Row, 1987. A biblical scholar attempts to answer the question of the title, and in the process comes up with some interesting reasons for events in "The Bible" (why does Moses have horns? Why the scene with the golden calf?). An interesting read, and possibly amusing for the cynic.
* The Dead Sea Scrolls There are many good books on this subject for those who need to debunk Christianity historically as well as philosophically. Among them:
* Dead Sea Scrolls & the Bible, by Roland E. Murphy (a Roman Catholic at that) 1968
* A Crack in the Jar; What ancient Jewish Documents tell us about the New Testament" by Niel Fujita (also a Christian scholar) 1986
* The Dead Sea Scrolls and the Christian Myth" by John Allegro (one of the original Dead Sea Scholars) 1984
Note than all of the above scholars are of the old school of scroll study. While all do a good job of debunking Christianity, the latest generation of scholarly works is even more damning.
* Testament" by John Romer (Henry Holt, NY 1988) Considered an excellent
and well balanced work on Biblical history -also a
PBS mini-series available on video cassette.
9. What is "The Satanic Bible"?
"The Satanic Bible" is a book describing the philosophy of Anton LaVey, founder of the Church of Satan. This organization holds the view that there is no higher god than oneself, and that one should worship accordingly. Life is the Great Indulgence and Death is the Great Abstinence, as there is no afterlife. The basic ideas of "The Satanic Bible" are laid out in the Nine Satanic
Statements:
1. Satan represents indulgence, instead of abstinence!
2. Satan represents vital existence, instead of spiritual pipe dreams!
3. Satan represents undefiled wisdom, instead of hypocritical self-deceit!
4. Satan represents kindness to those who deserve it, instead of love
wasted on ingrates!
5. Satan represents vengeance, instead of turning the other cheek!
6. Satan represents responsibility to the responsible, instead of concern
for psychic vampires!
7. Satan represents man as just another animal, sometimes better than,
more often worse than those that walk on all fours, who, because of his
"divine spiritual and intellectual development," has become the most vicious
animal of all!
8. Satan represents all of the so-called sins, as they all lead to
physical, mental, or emotional gratification!
9. Satan has been the best friend the church has ever had, as he has
kept it in business all these years!
"The Satanic Bible" can be found (in America) in most chain bookstores in the New Age, Philosophy, or Religion sections. Members of a certain group have noticed that much of the Satanic Bible is plagiarized from various sources; the above-quoted "Nine Satanic Statements" are condensed from a passage in Ayn Rands "Atlas Shrugged" and the "Book of Satan" is PLAGIARIZED from Ragnar Redbeards "Might is Right".
10. Satanic Organizations?
Some may be interested in joining some kind of organization of like minded individuals. Most Satanists will agree that organizations are best when least intrusive on the individual, and would recommend caution in joining or associating with any group, including (and perhaps especially) those mentioned in the FAQ. Some useful "common sense" cautions for the potential neophyte Satanist;
Don't let anyone tell you what to believe, or what to do.
Advice or recommendations are one thing; orders or commands quite another. Remember that you are a free being, not a pawn in someones power fantasy. Trust your feelings; if you feel you may be the victim of a working of Con Artistry (oft referred to as Lesser Magick), you probably are, at least in some sense.
It is important to realize that all organizations, Satanic and otherwise, are "dangerous"; by their very nature they have more available physical, economic and psychological resources than the individual who would interact with them, hence one should exercise caution in ones dealings with any organization or one could find oneself with less freedom, a destroyed reputation, legal troubles, or worse.
With this in mind; several of the more populous Satanic organizations:
3.1 The Church of Satan
The Church of Satan can be contacted at:
Church of Satan
P.O. Box 210082
San Francisco, CA 94121
$100 will get you a lifetime membership.
Some people question whether the term "Satanism" is appropriate for the Church's beliefs, due to its atheistic stance. Since the Church has been in existence for over 20 years its definition is probably here to stay, although it isn't the only definition.
The ideas and philosophy of the Church of Satan may be best discerned by reading "The Satanic Bible" by Anton Szandor LaVey (Avon Books, New York, NY).
(From Peggy Nadramia:)
In modern parlance, the Church of Satan may be called a user-driven organization. Members are involved and advanced exactly as their own desires, abilities and accomplishments dictate. There are no set activities, meetings or contacts. The new member comes to the organization, ideally, with his own goals and plans for achieving them; he presents them to us and is directed in the way that would be most mutually beneficial. The CoS is not looking for people who join and want us to "put on a show," taking them by the hand, introducing them to their new friends, telling them what time to show up for the weekly get-together and what to wear. Satanists are not put in contact automatically, or by geographical proximity; this has been tried and found a failure. True elitists are by their nature very individualistic and neighboring members won't necessarily have anything in common; "just being Satanists together" isn't enough. When we observe members making advances on their own in their chosen fields of endeavor, we will put them in contact with other members running on the same track; we've watched this happen many times and we're pleased and proud to say the results are magical. There are also members who are satisfied simply to join and be counted among the adherents to a philosophy that best embodies their own true nature.
An excellent introduction to the philosophies of the Church of Satan is available at ftp.lysator.liu.se in pub/satanism/General/what"is
nadramia@panix.com is the CoS online representative.
3.2 The Ordo Sinistra Vivendi
The Ordo Sinistra Vivendi (OSV), formerly the Order of the Left Hand Path (OLHP), is a non-sectarian, non-dogmatic forum of philosophers and occultists. It was started in New Zealand a number of years ago by Faustus Scorpius. Recently many changes have occured within the Order, giving it new direction, under the new Magister: Jovis Draco.
The purpose of the OSV, as per the Order's constitution, is as follows:
1. The OSV is an elitist Satanic Order existing to: (a) Develop and actualize the full potential and inner qualities of each indiviual initiate; (b) Herald the dawn of human Self-godhood, within the context of a Faustian Civilization.
The official magazine of the OSV is "Suspire" and is published twice yearly. It is available from the main OSV address. Another magazine affiliated to the OSV is the "The Heretic", published quarterly by Realist Publications. It's predecessor "The Watcher" is archived at various places on the net. Realist Publications publishes a wide variety of literature and various other items. For a complete catalogue, send a I.R.C. to P.O. Box 38-262, Petone, Wellington, New Zealand.
A great deal of emphasis is placed on the Nietzschean concept of 'Self-Overcoming' as the basis of individual self-realization. The OSV welcomes all sincere seekers after wisdom undefiled and students of those hidden depths of the human psyche and cosmos which may properly be called 'occult'.
For all enquiries write to:
Ordo Sinistra Vivendi
P.O. Box 83
Paekakariki Wellington New Zealand
Or send netmail to: gwilson@earthlight.co.nz
[
Note: The OSV has archived material at ftp.lysator.liu.se pub/religion/satanism/OLHP and earthlight.co.nz pub/users/graemew/*]
3.3 The Order of Nine Angles The Order of Nine Angles (ONA), based in England, are probably the most controversial Satanic group that is around at present. Their aims and intents, and indeed their teachings, seem to be misunderstood and perhaps feared by many people, including some other Satanic groups. The ONA claim the title of 'traditional Satanists' and claim to have been around for well over one hundred years. The system they advocate is knownas the Septenary tradition, 'the seven-fold Way'.
'Physis' is divided into seven stages, which represent the varying degrees of insight attained; the stages representing Initiation, Second Degree Initiation, External Adept, Internal Adept, Master/Mistress (or High Priest/Priestess), Magus, and Immortal. Much of the work is very practical. A great and refreshing aspect to ONA is 'The Star Game' which has three main functions: (1) Development of higher levels of consciousness. (2) A new form of magickal working for the 21st Century and beyond. (3) Development of certain 'magickal' skills, aiding mindfullness, concentration and visualization.
Whatever rumours are told about the ONA one should check them out for themselves. Whether you agree with them or not, they certainly live up to the name 'Satanists'.
Anyone interested in the above should contact:
Order of Nine Angles
PO Box 228, York
Y01 2GZ
England
[Note: the ftp site ftp.lysator.liu.se has two files written by the ONA; pub/religion/satanism/General/introduction and ~/t21sp, these & other ONA files are also archived in earthlight.co.nz /pub/users/graemew/ona/] 3.4 The Fraternity of the Jarls of Balder. Balder's goals and aims may be basically summed up as follows: 1) "Western Magick and the Way of the Warrior"; 2) "Reviving and understanding Europe's ancient heritage and regions".
Although at present Balder is a male fraternity, it has encouraged the feminine principle in its work by recruiting as members "Earth Matrons": ladies of occult renown from various countries. Also Earth Sisters: sisters, wives, girlfriends, mothers, etc of Balder members.
"Balder was founded on the Autumn Equinox of 1990 to answer the historical need of pan-Europe for re-discovering of the lore, traditions and magick of our Great Family of Nations. ". . . "Our Order does not conflict with or restrict an Individual's personal beliefs, status, occupation/lifestyle or religious/political preference or sexual orientation, or indeed it has no axe to grind with other groups."
Some things Balder has to offer are:
* 12 Issues of the Journal (36 pages, post-free, bi-monthly, free to
members)
* Membership to The European Library
* Correspondence, study and contact facility
* Grade degree studies
* Possibility of contact with individuals worldwide
* Special Course on magick, history, esoterica, training, etc.
* International network of Sportsmen, Musicians and Artists
* The Balder Emporium
* Prisoner Sponsorship Scheme
* Fraternatis Loki (a dark and sinister section for the dedicated...)
The European Library
A non-profit educational initiative (like Balder itself) aimed at providing a modern equivalent to the Great Library of Alexandria. Over 45 publishers donate copies of all their published books etc to the library, including Llewellyn, Weiser, Ashgrove, Airlift, Gateway, New Falcon, Nicholas Hays, Kramer, Phanes, Spring, factor, Parabola, Bear & Co. + small publishers & secret societies.
New Spartans Sports Club
An international sports and friendship society dedicated to male identities, ethos, bonding, sports friendship and warriorship. Members are not necessarily members of Balder, but Balder members get free membership. 3.5 Others...There are several other groups with online resources;
The Luciferian "Order of the Morning Star" may be contacted at jpoirot@usa.net or http://www.usa.net/oktober/infernal.html
There are several CoS sub-groups and little known Satanic groups represented at http://www.marshall.edu/~allen12/index.html
11. Is the "Satanic Bible" the definitive satanism work?
The answer is emphatically negative. The "Satanic Bible" is simply a book written by LaVey in order to promote his own version of satanism. We consider LaVey's satanism to be the next best thing to Hollywood satanism. As a matter of fact, LaVey's work is NOT original at all (as mentioned before) and LaVey was just a successful businessman, not a reputable occultist or magician. Although LaVey did bring about a separation of satanism from its media-created inverse christianity image, his work lacks depth and essence. We believe that satanism should be based on a rigorous occult and magickal basis, not a set of behavioral rules -as those described in the satanic bible- or political preaching of dubious quality -as in the Church's "pentagonal revisionism" for example. From that point of view, a thorough study of magick and mythology (especially the balanced/dual or dark gods/goddesses) is to be recommended.
12. What about politics and social philosophies and all that?
Many satanists seem to adhere to elitist cosmo-theories and social darwinism which basically preaches the law of the jungle and survival of the fittest. Although we do respect Nietzsche's work we fail to see why politics and social philosophies become relevant in a branch of the occult, such as satanism. One explanation may of course be that certain leading satanists such as LaVey are on a political power trip.
Satanism is above all and foremost, an occult philosophy and a lifestyle for the individual, and has ideally nothing to do with how society should be organized or what people should or shouldn't do at the aggregate social level. This is simply not relevant. If individual satanists want to adhere to a specific social philosophy, they're certainly free to do so. At this point we are still waiting for rigorous and serious treatments on a social philosophy from a satanic viewpoint: The fact that we haven't seen it yet, is a proof of the fact that satanism is above all INDIVIDUALISTIC and cannot fit in the limited boundaries of sociology or politics; satanism simply has nothing to do with these boundaries. Of course nonsense and naivete abound, as can be seen from various "contributions" in the field.
13. What are the various branches of satanists that exist out there?
1. The Dabblers: adopt Satanic trappings for a brief period of time, usually for entertainment rather than serious purposes. Many modern youths fall in to this category.
2. Churches of Satan: are patterned after the teachings of Anton LaVey. These groups believe in individualism, gratification of the ego, self-reliance and the ideal of the Nietzchean Superman. These groups use Magick as a tool for earthly power. They see Satan as the driving force behind achievment in mankind.
3. Gnostics: can be divided into two major categories:
3a. Promethian Gnostics: Believe in a literal "Satan", but believe that the creator of the world (Jehovah) is the evil deity. Satan is seen as the "bringer of light"; a beneficient god. This is an old "heresy" seen in groups such as the Yezidis or the Ophites.
3b. Dark Gnostics: Worship the dark force in nature. These groups follow the whims of a capricious god, which most westerners would see as being "evil." There are a few historical christian heresies which would fall into this category. Kali worshippers could also be categorized here.
4. Secondary Satanists: follow a faith outside the Christian mainstream. Most would not consider themselves as being "Satanic" and strictly speaking should not be defined as satanists (as per se with some of the Gnostic groups), but the ignorant often categorize them as Satanists. Voodoun and Santiera could be grouped here, as could medeaval witchcraft (if it actually existed). Certain forms of Tantric Buddism could also be placed in this category.
5. Hellfire Clubs: Were a phenomenon of the 18th century. The first of these was founded by the Duke of Wharton in the early 1700's. Most infamous was sir Francis Dashwood's Medmenham club (Often incorrectly called the hellfire club). Dashwood was a close freind of Benjamin Franklin, who may have been a member of this group. Franklin's description of the Medmeham club's secret chambers is one of the few we have, so his membership seems likely. In any case, Dashwood and Franklin co-authored the "Franklin Prayer Book" (often called the Book of Common Prayer) which is commonly used in America. Another famous member of the Medmanham club was the Earl of Sandwich, inventor of (guess what) the Sandwich. Hellfire clubs were exclusive groups dedicated to much political intrigue, partying, and some occasional occult activities.
6. Romantic/Promethean Satanists Literary/historical "Satanists" -William Blake, Charles Baudelaire, Maupertin, Lautremont and Gabriele D'Annunzio.
7. Left-Hand Path Pagans: There are several European groups, most of
them consisting of small "covens" of several people, that are or could
be considered Satanists. Two of the larger of these groups are The Fraternity
of Baelder and the Order of Nine Angles (ONA). These groups allegedly have
longer traditions, and "more authentic" origins (whatever that might mean).
ONA is especially fond of calling itself the "traditional Satanists." These
groups tend to have more "extreme" views than the others mentioned, and
have little, if any authoritarian structure.