The Cloven Hoof, Issue 81

The Cloven Hoof

Volume XI, #5 September/October XIV A.S. 81st Issue

Nonconformity: Satanism's Greatest Weapon - by Anton Szandor La Vey

An individualist must always live in his own world, not one created by others' standards. Insofar as selfishness is concerned, it doesn't matter. There will always be plenty of others who will gladly share a nonconformist's world with him and be just as happy for it as the maverick would be unhappy to share theirs.

The very essence of Satanism is in the semantic meaning of the word. The Other. A person who comfortably accepts the dictates of popular culture can be sympathetic or. even enthused about Satanism, but cannot be termed a Satanist. It is the true Satanist, even if unspoken, who is responsible for reaction and change.

It has been argued that conformity is comfortable, and so it is--if it agrees with one's digestion. Some individuals cannot eat whatever is placed before them, however. Unfortunately, a starving person will usually eat anything, and once his belly is full, even begin to like it. Most people, being the emotionally starved animals they are--lacking imagination and personality--readily accpt whatever is imposed upon them and are quite content for it. Except when they are told they must worry or be angry over certain issues. That breaks the boredom. Planned protest is no different than programmed complacency to a real Satanist.

A Satanist should not allow himself to be programmed by others. He should fight tooth and nail against it, for that is the greatest enemy to his freedom of spirit. It is the very denial of life itself, which was given to him for a wondrous, unique experience--not for an imitation of the colorless existence of others.

If the definition of magic is "The change in situations or events in accordance with one's will, which would, using normally accepted methods, by unchangeable," it would seem that any successful magical working would be an act of nonconformity. Reasonably, the greater one's natural degree of nonconformity, the greater one's magical powers. If one's will enters into magical success, it is an important commodity. But strong-willed should not be confused with willfulness. Just about everyone nowadays is an extremely willful zombie, but blustering along on wills not their own. Grim determination abounds, but it is second hand. Its motivation is not in the thinking or creative areas of the brain--only in the response centers.

A person devoid of special abilities must work harder to be special." This often results in an abrasive pretense of infallibility. Combine pseudo-specialty with an infallible hauteur, and all that's lacking to complete the profile of contemporary cool" is freeze-dried nonconformity. If nonconformity is Satanism's strength, planned nonconformity is its greatest weakness. The predictable antics of heavy-handed "Satanists" are fun to watch and profitable to exploit-mostly for non-Satanists.

I foresee a return to slavery, once money becomes worthless. In fact, it will become more desirable to be a self-realized, pleasing slave than a silly, incompetent master. Now, the ratio of masters to slaves is an unrecognized lampoon On the surface, with everyone a big shot and everything a big deal, it doesn't look like slavery exists, but it does, in a half-assed way. Only the term is taboo, therefore: out of earshot, out of mind. When there is no buying power, only barter and human desirability will be of value. Then, those who can do will be in demand, rather than those who can simply be there, and collect their checks.

Part of any true nonconformity is a reversal of sacred or tiresome standards, whether they be attitudinal or sensory. That's why the reverse status of the slave is coming into its own. When it is realized how puffed-up inadequacy without buying-power is a liability, the following will become a slogan: "It is better to be used than to be useless."

Anyone's identity rests upon recognition, appreciation-- in short, the knowledge that he or she has a reason for existing. We know that there are multitudes of people existing without reason other than to keep money circulating. The things they, in turn, can buy with the money give them an illusory identity. They actually believe that they are important. Or do they? Is And that there a demon within each of them jabbing a pitchfork of doubt? I believe there is. is why "there is something wrong," but they don't quite know what it is. They are smugly pleased that the jobs they goldbrick through, which could be done in a fraction of the time by fewer people, pay such good wages. And that more leisure time is available than ever before (to engage in leisure activities with products payed for in money and planned, according to economic flow). Still, there is "something wrong," and that something wrong is despondency based on in- adequacy, compounded by illusions of worthiness and pretensions of importance.

In the future, human beings will be barter; and there's nothing wrong with that. It's just getting used to it.

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Means of Construction of Artificial Human Companions

The means by which a humanoid may be constructed are as diverse as the choice of materials will allow. In the past artificial human beings were fashioned of metal, the sections of the body being joined as in a suit of armor, or else they were formed of rubberized cloth or actual rubber stretched over a skeletal framework. The mechanism actuating the robot was contained within. In a new industry there is no immediate need for planned obsolescence, as the opportunity for constant improvement is fresh and untapped. Its to be expected that as competition between humanoid-producing factories develops, so will greater elaboration and intricacy ensue.

The most rudimentary android need be nothing more than convincingly visual and tactile substitutes. There is nothing wrong with this, as the prime appeal of the humanoid lies in its approximation of the purchaser's "other half." As nature has intended us to fall in "love at first sight," what will be most enthusiastically seen will be accepted. To a lesser degree, that which is compatibly heard, smelled, and felt constitutes positive selling points. There- fore, it is most important that an artificial human companion look right, then feel right. Audible and olfactory persuaders present much less of an initial project regarding construction. As will be explained, programming of speech and odors is rather easy.

The element of concealability must be considered in the initial development of androids. In the beginning there will be some reluctance to admit to the use of them, especially' on the part of the persons who need them the most. Hence many humanoids must be able to be easily concealed when others are around. Despite the enticing ads one sees of actually grotesque inflatable dolls accompanying gentlemen to the swimming pool, to parties, on motor trips, etc., it is questionable whether the needs or egos of the purchasers who are reached by such ads have actualized that type of public fraternization, practical jokers excepted. Many early-developed androids will be relegated to bureau drawer, foot locker, or under the workbench in the garage when not in use, to be brought out "when the coast is clear."

Before one embarks upon the project of building a humanoid, consideration should be given to the maker's requirements, needs for secrecy, and available talent and materials. If you want companionship of a purely visual third-dimensional nature, techniques employed by modern sculptors can be utilized. Figures may be carved of wood, styrofoam blocks cemented together, or cast or molded in the many varieties of plastics available. If you choose this method several good books are on the market that cover the subjects of carving figures in wood, and sculpting with various plastic resins and fiberglass. Papier-maché, plaster, and other methods are easily learned. The main disadvantage of making your android from such materials is lack of pliability and softness, plus a limited degree of bodily movement. At worst, you will spend a great deal of time on a creature that is essentially a display mannequin when completed.

If your requirements are largely voyeuristic, however, you will save much time by obtaining a discarded or damaged mannequin to use as a base upon which to build. Mannequins are generally. constructed from living persons, but it is unlikely that you will find one ideally suited to your esthetic demands. Most are extremely, thin, so as to best display clothing, and many are abnormally lengthened in the torso, legs, arms, and neck. Male mannequins are invariably thinner than normal to facilitate dressing them. Women's faces tend to be aquiline or sterile, and men's bland. No store wants a seductive-faced woman or compelling-faced man in its window, detracting from the clothing hung upon them. Unless your taste runs to string beans in women and fashion plates in men, you will have to modify any mannequin.

Though a mannequin makes a suitable base, its movements are usually limited to rearrangement of arms and hands. I have found that because parts are interchangeable (arms, hands, upper and lower halves of the body), spare parts add to the flexibility of positioning. My earliest humanoids were constructed from mannequins which I sectioned, cutting pieces out of legs, arms, necks, and torsos, rejoining them with fiberglass or Celastic, and then adding a compound of resin and talc over areas built up with various materials. In this manner I created some really grotesque and beautiful people--just like real folks.

If you are content to limit your artificial humans to purely visual companionship, it doesn't matter how stony their surface. It can be painted, depending upon your ability, as realistically as any living being might appear.

If you want to shake hands with your creation or give it a little squeeze, however, you'd better have a highly developed imagination or your bubble will burst. The obvious improvement on rigidity is flexibility and tactile realism. There are three basic methods I have employed to achieve these ends: a skin filled with air, a skin filled with stuffing, and a molded sub- stance which is soft to the touch.

Let us consider the first, as it is the type purveyed by sex-aid mail order firms through advertisments depicting what appear to be ravishingly glamorous creatures. The purchaser excitedly opens his package to discover a thin vinyl (PVC, not BVD) suit of long, pink underwear with a stiff mask attached to its top. He tremblingly unpacks the plastic leotard and discovers a valve into which he proceeds to blow until dizzy from hyperventilation. Presently he is reward- ed with what appears to be a thalidomide hydrocephalic glamor girl. Any resemblance to a voluptuous damsel is purely mental. Some models have a vaginal orifice (or plastic watch-pocket) between the thighs--or other "improvements."

If you want to make your own inflatable companion you can do a better job by cutting vinyl sheeting with a combination tool that both slices and electrically welds a seam in the desired location. To get a reasonable figure, pin the vinyl on a live model much as a dressmaker would, marking where the seams, joints, and darts will be. Remove the pins (make sure they are outside the lines you have marked or you'll have leaks) and cut and weld the vinyl. The problem areas of this type of construction are head, hands and feet. The head and neck must be constructed separately, then fitted as snugly as possible into the neck opening of the vinyl skin and glued. with plastic cement to insure an airtight seal. If you attempt to make the head by the same method as the rest of the figure, it will look like either a hydro- or microcephalic. The same with hands and feet. They will either resemble picnic hams or tiny flippers. Stop construction at the wrists and ankles and insert rigid ankles and feet, in addition to separate hands fitted and joined at the wrists. These can be cast from life or salvaged from a mannequin. Seal the joints as you did with the neck. If you're careful; the joints will be barely detectable, as vinyl sheeting is extremely thin. In a convenient place (I prefer the back of the neck, as a wig will cover it) place the valve used for inflation, either by electric welding or plastic cement used to repair beach toys. Any toy department will yield an inexpensive inflatable toy from which the valve may be removed.

Don't be discouraged if your first attempts don't meet with your expectations, as experimentation and innovation will be your best teachers. The main disadvantage of the inflatable android is its inability to remain in any fixed position due to the equal distribution of air within. The human body is comprised of diverse degrees of density and muscle tone, not to mention an ingenious framework known as a skeleton. Tendons hold limbs and surfaces taut and weight is suitably distributed for human actions. The next method of construction allows for some of these factors. It is a skin filled with stuffing. Its main disadvantage is its lack of concealability. An inflatable doll can be stored in a small box, drawer, or carried about in a shopping bag until needed--an attribute real people lack. A stuffed figure takes up as much space as a bonafide human. Unlike the hard surfaced mannequin type, it is flexible enough to compress somewhat, but nonetheless must be reckoned with if you are worried about storage facilities, A stuffed android can be constructed with or without a skeleton, though an internal framework will eliminate the unnatural stasis inherent in an inflated product.

A basic skeleton may be constructed from dowells or metal or plastic tubing. Joints for hips, elbows, knees, etc., may be fashioned by slotting and pinning or with' commercially available ball and socket joints. Two hangers approximating shoulders and pelvic region may be cut from wood, from which arms and legs are suspended. Marionette construction techniques are invaluable and should be studied, as should, of course, human anatomy. I have found that the most easily obtained and efficient substitute for a spinal column is a length of flexible tubing such aş is used for goose-neck lamps or electrical conduit. One end is fixed to the pelvis board and the top end goes through the shoulder board right up into the head. Thus the torso and head may be positioned in any manner desired.

The outer skin may be any type of material that can be sewn or glued,or electrically welded vinyl sheeting. Vinyl lacks the resiliency of human skin, however, that either rubber sheeting or stretch fabrics provide. Cut the pattern for the upper torso separate from the lower torso and legs. As with the inflatable doll, forget about the head and hands until later, as these can be problem areas. Close the neck and wrists with a sleeve-like extension to which will be added the head and hands. As with inflatable humanoids, I have found it best to insert rigid preformed feet and ankles. When constructing a stuffed figure, this must be done before the stuffing is inserted, pushing the feet, which are attached to the ends of the calf "bones," into the outer skin which has been formed much like the feet of children's sleepers. I have used a zipper to fasten the two body sections together at the waist. This method not only allows greater ease of stuffing both sections, closing the sipper gradually until the proper amount of stuffing has been inserted, but provides access to the innards of your creation, should you wish to add various "organs," either simple or sophisticated. It is amazing what can be accomplished using a little ingenuity.

Faces can be cast from live persons, using established moulage procedures. A flexible latex mask can be laced to a faceless head, the wig concealing the laces. Thus if you tire of one face or basic expression, you can simply replace it with another as easily as tying your shoes. If your dream man or woman is not available for casting, sculpt him in clay, make a cast, and search no more. Wigs can either be pinned to the head or fastened with double-sided adhesive tape.

Plastics, which are highly toxic if worked by a hobbyist with limited facilities for ventilation, may be employed under industrial conditions. However, open or closed cell flexible polyurethane foam is easily available in sheet or block form, and can be realistically employed as "flesh." Either wrap your armature or skeleton with it or laminate entire blocks and carve with an electric knife. The finished body can be given a "skin" of PVC applied with double-sided tape or covered with a suitable body stocking.

Electronics can easily be incorporated. Voice mechanisms are no challenge whatsoever. have concealed small recorders into heads with the speaker opening under the wig. Pre-recorded cassettes inserted into a slot under the hairline provide a convincing audible effect.

Odors associated with humans are simple to provide, using perfumes, colognes, or worse.

The most tabooed aspect of all--genitals--is most ironic. An entire congress of penises, vulvas, vaginas, scrotal sacs, breasts, nipples, etc., may be found in any sex goods store or catalogue. With few exceptions, they are all disembodied. Let us rejoin them to the human forms from whence they came.

For those who pioneer with their own artificial human companions, crude as they might initially be, I have great respect. They will have come a small step closer to playing God and creating man or woman according to their desired image. With a creative outlet as cloaked in age-old taboo as this, innovation may now run rampant--more so than any art-form man has yet known.

The bizarre twilight world of the ventriloquist, the puppet-master, and the doll-maker can perhaps be understood through other than the minds of psychologists. The acceptable schizoid element in all of us--that which selects our mates--has a fresh, new, open portal through which to pass. Through surrogates the race will survive.

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