The Black Flame Vol. 2 No. 3
Full uncorrected text (3/17/25) of The Black Flame Vol. 2 No. 3.
THE BLACK FLAME
VOLUME 2, NUMBER 3 $3.00 AUTUMNAL EQUINOX, XXV A.S.
THE QUARTERLY FORUM FOR SATANIC THOUGHT. AFFILIATED WITH THE CHURCH OF SATAN
APOCALYPSE NOW
Peter H. Gilmore, ye Editor
I have recently spent some time with the media acros our country, from taping a two hour version of Cristina in Los Angeles to working with our High Priest in the southwest, among other locales, as well as chatting with evangelist Bob Larson (Miss Blanche Barton did so on the show the prior day) and one particular point presented itself in crystal clarity: the fact that we are truly in the "End Times," though things are not going according to white light prophecy. Christianity, now in its last gasp, is like a star about to end its existence, swollen with the consumption of the fuel that had kept it going. No longer the arbiter of Western thinking, it has been replaced by the new God, Television, which holds most of the herd in the thrall of its hypnotic single eye. Today's true believers are videodrones.
As the new millenium draws near, we see about us the signs of a world teetering on the brink of vast changes. The old order has become a chaos of factions and fanaticism, no longer capable of meeting the demands of a globe festering with more humans than can be comfortable supported, many of whom are simply parasites battening on the blood of the producers and achievers. The Earth is subject to natural laws and the rule of nature is both just and harsh. The beast is awakening, throwing off two thousand years of slumber to once again clear the dross and re-establish the rule of fang and claw. Fenris' chains have been shattered and his jaws shall crush the feeble crucifix to splinters.
The Christian hysteria at their continuing loss of power has in the past decade fastened on Satanism as a scapegoat, bringing a remarkable return to the same tactics used in the late 1400's with the publication of the Malleus Maleficarum. "Official" statements create a popular picture of "evil" Satanists who are merely reversed Christians involved with worshipping the Devil, committing sacrifices (human or other) and promoting the use of drugs to enslave people to their cause. But things have changed since those dim and blood-drenched times.
Satanists now exist for real, and we talk back. The Church of Satan demonstrates a rational philosophy consistent with Man's nature, making Satanists truly dangerous to those who would enslave one with guilt for following his natural inclinations. We have exposed the so called "prince of peace" as the agent of decay, through his championing of the weak at the expense of the strong. The pendulum is now swinging in the opposite direction. Ragnarok is witnessing an influx of extremism to work towards the re-establishment of meritocracy. Satanists are the accusers, not passive straw-men used to frighten the stray sheep back into the fold.
The bloated star of Christianity is about to implode, forming a black hole of vileness sucking down into its depths the human refuse that has held back the evolution of our species. As James Blish said in his novel, Black Easter, regarding Biblical prophecy, "Each of the opposing sides in any war always predicts victory. They cannot both be right. It is the final battle that counts, not the propaganda." The rules of the earth are on our side. We are already the victors for they, and their God, are dead.
Any and all articles, letters, essays or commentary submitted to this publication yet demonstrating an ignorance of the principles and ideas in The Satanic Bible by Anton Szandor LaVey will be ignored.
THE SATANIC JUSTICE OF SPILLANE
by Reuben D. Radding
In a world without heroes, there are few places to turn for a good sense of justice. In this age of "sanction of the victim," it's easy to feel that justice never existed. When I get to feeling this way, it's time to read a novel by Mickey Spillane.
Spillane's brand of justice is as Satanic as it gets. There's no such thing as mercy, no turning the other cheek, no love of enemies. Spillane's world is one of black and white when it comes to justice. When Spillane's hero/detective character, Mike Hammer, is tracking a killer, it's not to bring him to the authorities to be slapped on the wrist; he's going to die, and he'd better know it.
Virtually every Mike Hammer novel is a story of personal vengeance. "Satan represents vengeance, instead of turning the other cheek!" (The Satanic Bible, pg. 25). You don't even have to pick up the obvious Satanic titles like I, the Jury, or Vengeance is Mine, to feel the noir justice seeping from every page. You could start with Kiss Me Deadly, and still do just as well.
One thing that really shines about Hammer's dispensing of Lex Satanicus is the fact that we almost never hear of someone hiring him. He's always hiring himself. He'd take years off from the job if it meant catching up with the scum who shot his friend, or kept his town full of corruption, or caused an innocent child to be orphaned. Hammer, irresistibly, sees nothing wrong with humans killing humans per se. His problem with killings is the injustice of the circumstance. In numerous novels, Hammer tells us that he hates the killer he's after, and that when he catches up with him, the killer is going to get a bullet from Hammer's own gun. Someone who holds Judeo-Christian non-values would find this attitude abhorrent. In Spillane's world, this is never questioned, not for one second. It all makes perfect sense. Hammer sees the police as on the side of justice, but he doesn't find them to be as able as himself to deliver it properly. The cops are too restricted by regulations and rules. Witness this quote wherein Hammer is speaking to Captain Pat Chambers:
"...and I'm not letting the killer go through the tedious process of the law. You know what happens, damn it. They get the best lawyer there is and screw up the whole thing and wind up a hero! The dead can't speak for themselves. They can't tell what happened. How could Jack tell a jury what it was like to have his insides ripped out by a dumdum? Nobody in the box would know how it felt to be dying or have your own killer laugh in your face... You have to follow the book because you're a Captain of Homicide. Maybe the killer will wind up in the chair. You'd be satisfied, but I wouldn't. It's too easy. That killer is going down like Jack did!"
If, as Nietzsche said, a worm curls up when trodden upon, then Hammer is anything but a worm. When Hammer is trodden upon, he rebounds like a cat and hunts like a wolf in the fold. In Kiss Me Deadly, Hammer has been sapped, framed, his car wrecked, and pushed off a cliff. Does this keep him off the job? NO!! As soon as he's back on his feet there's a job to do. He'll know when he's found who he's looking for when he hears their voices. And then they're going to die, and they'd better know it.
It makes little difference to Hammer whom the killer is. Once they're identified as the killer, that's all they are to him. In numerous Spillane novels, Hammer ends up finding that the person whom he had condemned before the fact is someone to whom he becomes close during the investigation. Instead of feeling destroyed by this, Hammer seems to see it as just another disgusting element of a disgusting world wherein the killer usually gets away because someone didn't have the guts or the attitude to do the right thing: justice!
How could we not empathize with such a sentiment? In our present world we far too often see the criminals receiving little more than the inconvenience of going to a trial. Look at the cases of which the media have been focusing of late; Mayor of Washington, DC, Marion Barry, will very likely be re-elected after having been video-taped while smoking crack, the "Central Park rapists" receive pathetic sentences while the media cried "racial discrimination," a tourist is killed by a mugger whose cries of "I had no choice" are met with a receptive ear. The list goes on and on. It makes me want to unleash the fury of a carnal God like Mike Hammer. As long as these and similar injustices are sanctioned by the victims, US, it's hard to imagine any possibility of living in a world where anything of value will ever be recognized. Listen, as it becomes clear that even the law enforcement agencies don't care to see to it that the proper punishment is dealt to the perpetrators of crimes, where can you turn, and what does your law abiding behavior get you? Is it valued by anyone? We who value honesty and succeed by our own abilities and minds are left to feel that the world around us sees our achievements and lawful conduct as pointless, meaningless, and undeserving of reward.
Are you tired of the made-for-TV "war on drugs"? What about the phony excuse of the criminal that he's somehow not responsible for his actions? Well, I say WE are responsible if we let ourselves be taken advantage of by those who would try to vampirize us of our vital existance. If someone wrongs me, they're playing with a loaded gun pointed at their own face. I don't find myself able to feel pity or mercy for my enemies plight. I downright refuse! Many people just sit back and feel safe in the fact that they are "innocent." But, as Orson Welles' character said in The Lady from Shanghai, "...what is innocent? Stupid is more like it." The philosophy of Satanism doesn't account for being a passive victim. "Be dangerous even in defeat..."
My exasperation is prefigured constantly in the works of Mickey Spillane, a man whose sense of Satanic justice is sorely missed and needed today. While I'll concede, speaking as an enthusiast of the genre itself, that there have been better writers of detective fiction than Spillane, none of them convey the sense of personal Satanic justice and defiance that Mickey Spillane honed down to a razor-edged science.
Hail Spillane!!! Hail Satan!!!
ABRASAX
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One-Way Love
(To Honey LaSalle)
Is it not wonderful how we live, love, laugh and scream?
We endure hardships as we attempt to acheive our ultimate dream.
Your name resounds of Nature's sweet innocence,
Untapped resources surviving in the wilderness,
Salty sweat drenched into hot satin linen in the French Quarter
I can hear you arriving, your heels click over cobblestone and mortar.
You knock, my senses are dashed to the heights and your face is flushed.
Opening your mouth to protest such impetuousness, my finger traces your lips, your words forever hushed.
The candlelight flickers, horse's hooves on wet stones can be heard.
To end such a romantic passion now would be absurd.
The warm southern breeze moves the branches of the willow.
I awake, the bed half-empty, beside me is a scented letter and...a rose...on your pillow.
Andre T. Soly
Too much of a good thing is wonderful.
Mae West
T.O.P.Y. AND SATANISM
by Eden 162, for T.O.P.Y. Europe Station
Thee Temple Ov Psychick Youth was founded in Great Britain by Genesis P-Orridge in 1981 e.v.. Since then, this interesting Magickal Order has developed into a wide-spread Occultural Network for those individuals who seek enlightenment without the need of a dogmatic structure.
Thee Temple now has offices in England, the United States and in Sweden, with various connected Access Points all over the U.S. and Europe. On this level, T.O.P.Y. is very concerned about an efficient exchange of information, and seeing to it that the individuals who want to become involved get the proper inspiration and encouragement.
There is no elaborate structural hierarchy, but the T.O.P.Y.-Initiates, Edens (male) and Kalis (female), are given a suggested course of study and experimentation, based on individual research on Magickal Sigilising à la Austin Osman Spare and IX⁰ O.T.O. Initial Work with this makes most Edens and Kalis stronger, fiercer and more efficient and active human beings, within as well as without Thee Temple Ov Psychick Youth. They are set free to their own Great Work, and are encouraged to exchange their ideas, thoughts, feelings and experiences with fellow Initiates. And this, the way it works today, after several years of administrative and other trial-and-errors, is functioning very well.
We are extrovert in our aims, the Holy Mission of Manifestation of the Strong Individual Will, as we believe this is the only truly human way to go in this chaotic state of the world we exist in today. However, there is always a risk present when opening one's arms to the world and many of us have come to realize the beneficial value of a certain extent of esotericism. We welcome intelligence only, and it seems to be a very natural development when the not-so-pure-at-heart, in terms of eagerness and of dedication to themselves, fall from the grace of our directed energy.
We encourage the Individuals to be strong, in Will and in Life, to indulge in those activities and philosophies that are useable and applicable to them in their own strivings. Here we find a healthy portion of Satanism! But it's always hard to speak for everyone in a non-"dogmatic" Network, such as T.O.P.Y.. The Order is always the sum total of its active members. I can only speak for myself, being a life-loving Satanist and student of the fantastic forces of Eternity. As a T.O.P.Y.-administrator, I can notice a great deal of interest in the writings of Dr. LaVey among those in our tribe, something I feel is very healthy. In my opinion, there is no better introduction to western Magickal philosophy than Dr. LaVey's The Satanic Bible, and this is why we have it included in our "recommended reading"-list, together with The Satanic Rituals and The Satanic Witch.
Put Liber AL in the hands of an un-experienced and "naturally" confused teenager, and it's likely that he or she will become even more confused. The Satanic Bible, on the other hand, is perfect and concise in its aims and presentation, something the sales-figures over the years have proved excellently If one wishes to go on to become a more scholarly classical Magician, in Thelema or Chaos or any other tradition, this is naturally fine and encouraged. "The Kabbala of Satanism," however, should always be applied to the needs and desires IMMANENT in the young student. It is for them to seek "The Beast" or "The Devil" first, to reach profoundly deep inwards and drag out the core of the soul, the morals of (one's own) Nature. Then they'll acquire that potent focusing beam needed for a healthy selection among traditions and schools, and will naturally become Satanists of the inspirational and infectiously glamorous kind so badly needed in this kindergarten of witless "human" morons we all have to confront in some way each day.
The word is Magick, and Magick is in the Word. One must never forget that most serious Magickal Orders/groups/societies differ only through the use of terminology, a sometimes often well needed terminology of uniqueness and Individuality. T.O.P.Y. has long since realized the potency of communicating with the like-minded, and we aim to increase the production of public sources (spells) of inspiration (books, magazines, records, cassettes, cinema, video) for this purpose. Not just our own, but also the information of our allies and brothers-and-sisters in arms. Hence 1991 will see the publishing of The Satanic Bible in Swedish, an eagerly awaited release for us all over here. It truly is a step in the right direction!
Fraternal greetings in the name of the just cause. Take care, stay strong and Work hard! Vade Ultra!
For those interested in more information on the Occultural philosophies, aims, activities, events and products of Thee Temple Ov Psychick Youth, please contact: T.O.P.Y.U.S., P.O. Box 18223, Denver, CO, 80218, U.S.A., T.O.P.Y.U.K., c/o Rapid Eye, P.O. Box 23, Brighton BN2 4AU, England, PSYCHICK RELEASE PCP, P.O. Box 26067, S-10041, Stockholm, Sweden.
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THE MAGICIAN'S DICTIONARY
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THE SATANIC WITCH
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A rich soufflé of erotic gamesmanship, Social Darwinism, and sybaritic indulgence."
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THE SECRET LIFE OF A SATANIST: The Authorized Biography of Anton Szandor LaVey
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APOCALYPSE CULTURE
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MIGHT IS NOT ALWAYS RIGHT
by Nemo
WARNING: The contents of this article may be hazardous to your emotions without first switching on your mind and using reason. Please read carefully.
Our attackers and detractors commonly find that they cannot or will not distinguish between an opinion and a fact. They want to portray all Satanists as bloodthirsty, rabid killers whose only desire is to rape, torture and destroy. That's okay as long as at least we understand the truth.
However, there seems to be altogether too much confusion about a pretty fundamental issue involving ethics. I feel it is time to set the record straight once and for all.
First of all, contrary to some misquotes and misunderstandings, Satanism does have a clear universal standard of "right" and "wrong," "good" and "evil." Before I explore exactly what this is, let me dismiss what it is not.
History is written by the victors. Literally "history" is his story, the story of the victor! The Greeks wrote the history of the conquests of Alexander the Great, not the Babylonians. The Allies wrote the history of World War II, not Italy, Japan or Germany.
Victories are obtained by force of arms, what we call might. However, the concept that the story which is told is told by the one who won, extends all the way from international warfare to the privacy of the bedroom. In the case of two people who have a conflict in a court of law, the trueor right story results from the court judgement. Plaintiff wins and he is right or defendant wins and he is right. (If you think that a court of law is not based upon force, by the way, please note the guns in the holsters of the attending police officers).
The problem here is not one of ethics. It is one of semantics. When we speak of "Might makes right," we Satanists are describing the fact that winners get to record their version, and, as is consistent with human nature, their version is always the "right" one. "Tell it to the judge" is another way of saying, "We'll find out who is right when the judge decides it!" Who is the the avoidance of pain and punishment has no place in judge? The judge is he who has the power!
(It is worth noting that the contemporary mass media network of "news" is therefore one of the most powerful determiners of "right" in our culture today. By their selecting and editing of "stories" to be "covered," the "gatekeepers" of the news media are the modern creators of truth such that even presidents of the United States can be threatened, as in the case of Richard Nixon.)
In this context, "Might is right" is correct. The histories, those records we read and learn about, come from those who have control over what is written, who have the power, in other words, the victors.
However, there is another context and meaning for the word "right" which involves ethics. In order to understand that we Satanists do have absolute standards of "right" and "wrong," "good" and "evil" it is necessary to go beyond the mishmash of blurry, indeterminate meanings attached to these words by the Judeo-Christian culture. We need to understand and define the meaning an purpose of ethics.
Now in the white light religions, the standard upon which they have based their ethics is whatever their supernatural God says is right or wrong. In certain ideological movements it is what the leader said was right or wrong. What Hitler said was right for National Socialism just as what Marx or Lenin said was right for communism. These codes of ethics are not necessarily rational nor internally consistent and you can always find their flaws in those areas that demand that individuals make "sacrifices" for the cause. What is "right" for the state or God can be very "wrong" for the individual's personal happiness or physical survival. This is the result of holding some "greater" force, be it God or the State, to be of higher value than the individual.
However, the standard of Satanic ethics is not some otherworldly judgement from a big ghost in the sky (through the mouths of its "representatives" on earth), nor the pronouncements of a fascist dictator. Our standard is simple and fundamental. Our standard is life. Further it is life which is desirable to the individual.
It is not life under any circumstances. It is not life at any cost. No, the standards of life we Satanists endorse is one which has meaning and offers the possibility of indulging in the pleasures of carnal, physical existence.
Therefore, for the Satanist, an individual life proper to a pleasure-seeking, pain-avoiding human animal is "good." Concomitantly, death is "bad." "Life is the great indulgence, Death the great abstinence. Therefore make the most of life HERE AND NOW!" proclaims The Satanic Bible.
The manner in which we determine what is right and wrong, good and evil for the Satanist is always from the standard of carnal life. We utilize reason to determine these judgements. Unlike the courtrooms, the battlefields and the churches, it is the individual Satanist who determines in each individual case what is right and wrong for himself based upon this universal standard of carnal life.
We should be very proud of this philosophical heritage. Only Satanism takes man "as he is" rather than demanding he live by some other, external standard...including reason. Reason is the tool by which we make judgements. Carnal life is the standard by which we make those judgements. Assuming the role of God in our individual lives, each of us is our own personal "judge." And since we assume this role we are also prepared to accept the full consequence of our actions. Satanism demands total responsibility of the individual for his decisions.
Thus, the vital meaning and message of the ethics of Satanism is that the individual, carnal human life is the standard by which we determine good and evil, right and wrong.
Historically, "Might is always right."
Ethically, individual LIFE is the standard of right. Don't confuse the two!
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How the Devil Got Much More Than His Due
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THE BIG FINISH
by Max
"Self-sacrifice is not encouraged by the Satanic religion. Therefore, unless death comes as an indulgence because of extreme circumstances which make the termination of life a welcome relief from an unendurable earthly existence, suicide is frowned upon by the Satanic religion."
Anton Szandor LaVey, The Satanic Bible
Have you ever seen an excellent Satanic film entitled The Seventh Victim? The heroine's sister (a Satanist) keeps a locked room with only a chair and a noose inside. The lady's philosophy was that life was only worth living if she had the final say on when it was to end. I have to say that I couldn't agree with her more.
If there is any philosophy that embraces life to its fullest, to squeeze out the very essence of life itself, it's Satanism. What happens though, when something fatal like cancer or AIDS apears in the picture? The end becomes painful and the death humiliating.
This is the time for the Big Finish. Not just a messy bathroom explosion of blood and brains but a time for bravado and showmanship, a time of choice! Write a final farewell that will be stunning and maybe even wryly humorous. Why not, you still have the faculties and the strength to accomplish it, and this is your moment! Make up a joke in your final letter and fail to include the punchline. Tell the recipient of your letter that you know where a certain treasure is buried and then fail to give further instructions. Even a simple "Fuck you all!" would give a "last tag" flavor to sum up all of it.
The cowardly way out, you say? Quite the contrary. To only attempt suicide is to attract attention, but to accomplish the task takes the greatest amount of courage and imagination. To find a proper end, you should consider your lifestyle. A person who has led a quiet life should find a quiet end, such as an overdose or a warm tub and a sharp blade (Roman style). A person who gravitates toward violence should take the opposite tack, but always keep the level of pain to a minimum. After all, this act is for the avoidance of pain and punishment has no place in a Satanic suicide.
As I say, enjoy your life for all that it's worth, but if it becomes worthless, remember that we have no desire to be interred in so-called holy ground. The last card is yours - play it!
Superstition is the religion of feeble minds.
Edmund Burke
LEONARD BERNSTEIN (1918-1990)
by Peter H. Gilmore
On October 14, the world of music lost not only a star, but an entire constellation, with the death of Leonard Bernstein. Composer, conductor, teacher, showman, egoist, libertine - all were facets of this extra-ordinarily talented man who lived to suck the very marrow from the bones of life. He made his own way, developing his talents to the fullest and using his own mind as the arbiter of his direction, resisting those who would put him off his goals, from his father who opposed Lenny's desire to be a musician, to colleagues who wished for him to limit his scope to one element of music.
He is an example of a de facto Satanist in his concentration on enjoying the present to its fullest. As a conductor, Bernstein was known as one of the most charismatic and Dionysian of podium personalities, having won his way to a status that had previously only been available to Europeans. I was fortunate enough to have witnessed several of his performances and can vouch for the pure ecstatic galvanism of the experience. He would completely identify with the composer of the work as he conducted, whipping the orchestra into a performance that would be filled with blood and fire, bringing the printed notes to life as if one were experiencing the music for the very first time. We are enriched by the legacy of recordings he made over the entire span of his conducting career. Indeed, everyone reading this will almost certainly have been introduced to some classical music via one or more of Bernstein's recordings. He excelled in works that gave reign to emotion on a grand scale, particularly the symphonies of Gustav Mahler, which are titanic musical monuments meant to embrace the entire world.
As a conductor alone, Bernstein carved out a niche as one of the very greatest, but he also found time to compose original music as well, ranging from symphonic works to ballet scores and Broadway musicals. Again, I'm certain that all of you will certainly have been touched by some of these works at some point in your lives. He gains immortality from West Side Story, an updated Romeo and Juliet set amidst rival gangs in Manhattan. The milieu isn't that important, but the responsive melodies he crafted matched the words to perfection, and shall remain perhaps his greatest legacy.
For sheer Satanic satire, one can turn to Candide, which tears apart the "Best of all possible worlds" bunk by revealing the brutality of existence, the callous monstrousness of hierarchies, both religious and governmental, and in the end, the need to create your own meaning through what you yourself can do. The score sparkles with musical witticisms and the libretto is equally wry. Bernstein had a lifelong struggle against the idea of faith in external figures. He composed pieces which constantly turned the focus for meaning back to man himself. His Mass, though dated with many rock elements, was written as a condemnation of organized religion.
One of my favorite works is the Symphonic Suite derived from the score to the film On The Waterfront. Here we find a truly Satanic symphonic poem which captures the breadth of the struggle of life itself. It begins with a haunting, searching theme, then segues into an aural depiction of violence and brutality of existence. Later we are embraced by a sweepingly romantic love theme. Throughout the work, these ideas are developed and combined in a way that signifies the struggle of existence, full of tragedy, but ultimately of triumph. The final peroration includes a combination of the opening searching theme with the love theme, passion united with purpose to achieve the chosen end. Life as a struggle, to stand above the herd and derive your own ends. Truly a masterpiece. Another noteworthy aspect of Bernstein's work is his depiction of New York City, for its full range of majesty and terror. He even penned the famous, "New York, New York, a hell of a town," tune, certainly a Satanic gem.
In his personal life, Bernstein didn't stint his enjoyment of anything. Known for having a mighty ego, and his talents certainly justified it, he also was reputed to be generous to his friends and lovers (of either sex). His desire for success and the magical events that shaped his life prove that he knew where best to direct his energies.
Yes, he certainly had his flaws which included a certain vapidity concerning socio-political issues. Here he often followed the liberal herd. His infamous party for the Black Panthers was justly satirized by Tom Wolfe. But such things are minor when compared to the musical legacy that remains. He truly lived a Satanic existence, having flamed and tossed the fires about him, igniting passions in those whom he touched. He shall remain immortal in the brains and sinews of those who respect and admiration he has gained.
Hail Leonard Bernstein! Bravissimo!!
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The reign of humanism and mediocrity will not last forever. There will come a day when the individual will achieve his revenge against the society of humanists; there shall arise men sufficiently endowed by nature to shake off and break through and escape the chains of mediocrity and the deception of humanism - men who will tread underfoot our tests and our spells, our incantations and unnatural laws and by an act of revolt reveal themselves to be masters instead of slaves.
Callicles
ODDITORIUM
by Peggy Nadramia
We begin this issue's installment with a series of guest reviewers.
The Church of Satan by Blanche Barton. (Hell's Kitchen Productions, New York, 1990; perfect bound paperback, 167 pages, 8 photographs, $8.95). Reviewed by Nemo.
When someone seriously wants to know about modern Satanism, what do you do? Do you sit them down and try to explain what Satanism isn't? Do you just end up arguing with them? Or scaring them? What do you do?
Now you can simply hand them a copy of Blanche Barton's The Church of Satan. That's all. If they do read it they will either agree or hate it, but they will no longer be able to claim that they don't fully understand it.
Miss Barton has accomplished something by writing this book that I didn't really believe possible. She has captured the allure, the fascination and the dark interior of modern Satanism on paper! Perhaps it is the extensive commentary from Anton LaVey that communicates the power and immediacy of this history. Perhaps it is due to the distillation of years of work from the mind and pen of the author as the long-time administrator of the Church of Satan. In any case, this is a book which anyone with the slightest interest in Satanism must have!
From the early years of Anton LaVey's childhood, to the creation of his Magic Circle, to the birth and present world goals of the Church of Satan, Miss Barton leads us through the fascinating history of the world's only religion of rational self-interest and self-preservation. This book is a ritual, beginning with the traditional invocation to Satan and concluding with a chapter directly devoted to starting your own Satanic grotto or study group. This is a history of pacts with the Dark Lord, of infernal contracts made with that dark force of justice and power which Satanists call Satan.
Within these pages you will find not merely a history of Satanic events but a history of Satanic theory, philosophy, magic and politics. If you, too, were confused by the different groups who spread wild rumors about the "demise" of the Church of Satan or claimed to be the "true" Church of Satan, you will be pleasantly surprised to discover that nothing could be further from the truth. In this book, names are named and liars brought to account! You will find here a validation of reason over mystical nonsense, power over weakness, and magic oversuperstition.
The chapter on "How To Perform Satanic Rituals" contains five critical elements necessary to the successful production of Greater Magic which have never been revealed before. This chapter by itself makes this book a must for the serious witch or warlock. If your rituals have not been productive enough to suit your tastes, try super-charging them with these vital ingredients...then stand back!
The Church of Satan degree system is definitively explained as well. Yes, there most certainly isa living Priesthood of Mendes in the Church of Satan. Nothing ever stopped. It merely became occult, hidden from the eyes of the fools. Read this book and find out what your degree actually is in the Church of Satan today!
If I sound enthusiastic over Miss Barton's latest book, you're right! I went to the most cynical and taxing Satanist I know and asked him what he thought overall. "Well," he replied after some silence, "on a scale of one to ten...it's a ten."
No greater praise could be made.
Buy several copies of this book and give one to every important person you know in your life. But beware! You may suddenly find yourself surrounded by new Satanists!
The Gospel Singer by Harry Crews (recently out of print). Reviewed by Reuben Radding.
The title may not conjure images of demons, devils, and pentagrams, but The Gospel Singer is one of the most Satanic books I've ever read. Although the brilliantly written first novel by Mr. Crews contains many parallels to real life situations and personalities, it also has an other-worldly quality that makes it quite the roller-coaster ride through the world of illusions and deception.
The title character is, at the beginning of the story, on his way to make a singing appearance in his home town of Enigma, Georgia, a very small town in the middle of nowhere wherein everyone knows and reveres him. The girlfriend he left behind has been murdered by a Negro laborer named Willalee Bookatee Hull. The people of Enigma believe that Willalee raped poor Marybell and are itching to hang him, despite the fact that there hasn't been an opportunity for a trial yet. Everyone is waiting for the Gospel Singer's arrival.
He himself despises Enigma and his family, and has made every possible effort to stay away, even though he is revered as Enigma's greatest son - a holy man who, aside from being the epitome of Gospel Singers, is also believed to have the power to heal. He knows that he cannot help the afflicted, yet has never tried to set the people straight. He knows that his massive wealth has been accrued through the people's belief that by hearing his beautiful songs they will be healed or blessed.
The Gospel Singer is in reality a sinner. Not just your average I've-had-nasty-thoughts type, but a major leaguer who's exploits would send his fans into shock. He's fond of boozing, whoring, and tooling around in his Cadillac, insulated from the repugnant exterior world. The murdered Marybell, believed to have been a saint, was introduced to the pleasures of the flesh by the Gospel Singer who soon found her to be even more than he could handle.
He has one confidant, his chaffeur and road manager named Didymus. His role is that of conscience, dishing out penance at the Gospel Singer's demand while chronicling his exploits in a blank book.
A striking element of the book is the Freak Fair which follows the Gospel Singer wherever he goes. Led by a freak named Foot, they follow from town to town, revival to revival. The Gospel Singer is horrified by their presence and can't understand why they follow him. These freaks are one of the most purely Satanic elements of the novel with Foot spouting a philosophy of creative natural alienation. They display no shame at their afflictions. Rather, they are proud of their differences and see the "normal" people as strange.
There is much humor in this book, despite its heaviness. The townspeople of Enigma are a scream, and their exaggerated small-town mentality will amuse the reader as as much as it frustrates the Gospel Singer. He remains internally enraged that the people are so gullible as to believe in his powers, yet he remains unsure as to whether or not to let the truth be known.
The result is a Satanic stew of misdirection with the Christian attitude of the town being made into a splendid mockery. Crews uses this concoction to show the inevitability of human nature, and what happens to those who feel guilt over it, versus those of us who own up to our nature in a rational way.
The real heroes in this story are those who turn their liabilities into advantages. The freaks are quite satisfied with their situation in the fair, adopting the age old freak show heirarchy of natural freaks over self-made freaks. But even a self-made freak such as a geek is respected in their realm. They respect the Gospel Singer in a unique way, for they feed off of the crowds he attracts and consider him to be part of their organization, almost one of them, not for his non-existant healing powers, but for his actual worth. Very telling.
I won't give away the ending, which is a kicker, but will just say that The Gospel Singer is Satanic from the first to the last of its 248 pages. It is a novel rich in literary brilliance that shines with a sense of balance that is purely American in its voice.
Mr. Crews has a number of great novels still in print including The Knockout Artist, Body, and AFeast of Snakes. Seek these books out. Sadly, The Gospel Singer went out of print this year, but check your local library. Books this good are worth the effort required to have them on hand.
Unholy Sacrifices of the New Age by Paul de Parrie and Mary Pride. Reviewed by Andre T. Soly
This new book is occupying shelves under the "New Age" category and is summed up by its title.
Its contents are teeming with hysteria regarding the coming of eugenics into America's culture via hospitals and programs for the termination of the non-productive personnel of today's society. Parrie and Pride appear to take Satanophobia on the level of the Bob Larson Ministries quantum leaps into a truly paranoid and frenzied modern witch-hunt.
The authors attempt to compare primitive, dogmatic cultures such as the Aztecs and ancient Teutons with modern America. Who would be silly enough to argue until they were blue in the face that bananas are the same as oranges? No one. Except perhaps these two. A great deal of finger-pointing happens on the pages of this "novel" as they offer the pathetic solution of Christian "enlightenment" to the need for primal survival and depopulation of stupid people.
I am often asked by Satanists and even non-Satanists why I bother to read such anti-Satanic drivel and if I harbor doubts about being a Satanist. I reply that cold facts will always overpower ignorance. How can one dispel or fight ignorance and stupidity without knowing the cause of the problem? Christianity is dying, slowly but surely, and its last futile effort is taking the form of propaganda like that used in World War II by the Nazis against the Jews. We are the alienated insurrectionists who have finally gained the upper hand in society; the undeserving tyrants are reluctant to relinquish the throne to the supreme heir.
In truth, if the pulpit pounders had used Dr. LaVey's literature to demonstrate the temptations and "evils" of Satan, their congregations would empty the pews before the last hymn book hit the floor. It won't be long before the final stages of Pentagonal Revisionism will be implemented and former guilt ridden Christians will be rebuking Christ as they laminate their Church of Satan membership cards!
Shemhamforash!
Peggy Nadramia returns with the following reviews.
Geek Love by Katherine Dunn. (Warner Books, New York, 1990; trade paperback, 355 pages, $9.95).
Not since Gresham's Nightmare Alley has an author been able to create a piece of fiction pathetically beautiful enough to rival the reality of carnival life, which has always seemed almost too strange to fictionalize. Dunn went on the road with a carny for several years, and has been forming the story of Al Binewski and his family of freaks, since 1979. It was a story worth waiting for.
Crystal Lil was the geek of the carnival, unusual because she was a woman, a hit because of her blond good looks; who ever heard of a pretty geek? She marries Al and they decide his carnival needs a shot they in the arm, some real money-making attractions...and how convenient if they could also be members of the Binewski family! They embark upon a program of drugging and carefully poisoning Lil during her ensuing pregnancies -- and they're not disappointed. First comes Arturo the Aqua-Boy, armless and legless but possessed of prehensile flippers and the gift of seeing too keenly into the human heart. Next born: Elly and Iphy, Siamese twins sharing a body from the waist down, musical geniuses. Then Olympia, our narrator and protagonist, a disappointment to the rest: a mere hunchbacked, albino dwarf, but possessed of a beautiful speaking voice and a helpful, winning personality. Lastly arrives Chick, from all appearances normal and therefore dead weight to the traveling Binewskis; he is almost left on a doorstep before the family finds out about his startling telekinetic abilities.
All would have gone swimmingly except for the greedy, jealous Arturo who begins bilking the crowds through his phony prophecies and proselytizing; more and more lost souls flock to his tent and want to "be like him," so he instructs them to begin removing digits, then limbs, as they transfer more and more of their worldly goods to his "cause." His grip on the whole thing si purely Satanic; he knows religion is the ultimate scare, a thrill-ride to salvation. As for his deformity, he tells another freak who hides his leglessness with inventive prosthetics, "You're just going along with what they want you to do. They want those things hidden away, disguised, forgotten, because they know how much power those stumps could have."
Dunn's prose is beautiful, mesmerizing, impossible to break away from; don't pick up Geek Loveuntil you've got lots of time to read, because you won't want to put it down. This novel is the result of exhaustive research; Dunn's obviously read her Gresham, Mannix and LaVey, but the final product is all her own.
They Call Him Mr. Gacy, compiled by C. Ivor McClelland. (McClelland Associates, Brighton, Colorado, 1990; 8.5" X 11" softcover, 200 pages approx., 1989).
Produced in cooperation with John Wayne Gacy. and without any financial remuneration for the convict, this is simply a compilation of several hundred photo-reproduced letters both to and from Gacy. While many of the signatures are effaced or deleted, a few famous letterheads, such as those of Oprah Winfrey and Truman Capote, are in evidence. Gacy's paintings are afrequent topic of discussion, as many of the correspondents are obviously writing to find out how they can obtain one of these momentos macabre. The more interesting letters, however, cross back and forth between the prisoner and "just folks," simply kind-hearted or curious people who regularly write to convicts for something to do. Here J.W.'s manipulative skills become quite evident. One of the most chilling letters was from a young man in his later teens who describes himself in minute physical detail to the alleged boy-killer; was the writer trying to taunt Gacy or simply branching out on a fantasy of his own? A fascinating afternoon's reading for those who read between the lines. Contact the publisher directly at P.O. Box 563, Brighton, CO 80601.
The Novels of James Ellroy.
Ellroy's hardboiled cop novels are an intriguing amalgam; he makes use of historical crimes, such as The Black Dahlia, and real characters from 1950's L.A., like Mickey Cohen, but then throws in a sexual frankness and almost gratuitously gory murder scene that set the reader back on his heels. Try a noir hero who comes out of the closet, in The Big Nowhere. Try any of Ellroy's books for a look at Hollywood's seamiest side, along with gripping psychological suspense.
For Your Listening Pleasure...
Music, Martinis and Misanthropy by Boyd Rice and Friends, NER Records, England, 1990, BAD VC CD1969.
There's nothing more relaxing at the end of a long, hard day, or night, than flipping this CD in the machine and hearing Boyd croon to you: "I want to do something...cruel...to these people." Pairing softly jangling chords and devastating lyrics indicting the zombie mobs outside our doors for everything that's gone wrong on this planet, these thirteen selections invoke not hatred but Love, "one that doesn't squander itself or spread itself too thin, A precious vital Love that's never wasted on the weak, the botched, or the lowly." You'll find yourself humming these tunes at odd moments: "I'd hunt down and kill/The Good Humor Man." It's hard to find; call at your local avant garde/underground record dealers.
SOURCES Where to Find It
If you're tired of the soup du jour at Ethan Allen, Sears and Seaman's and are looking for something a little more interesting to decorate your lair, we've got a couple of suggestions.
Museum Replicas Limited: "Battle-Ready Swords, Daggers, Axes, Shields and Helmets, Plus Period Clothing, and Accessories, Jewelry, Sculpture, Books and More," or so Catalog #13 describes itself. While I recommend you leave the Robin Hood outfits to fantasy role-playing geek conventions, the weapons here are top-notch. In addition to many, many swords, lances and daggers, they sell unusual hammers of war, maces and even a falcata, the inward curving blade of which is said to have split right through the helmets of Roman centurions. And you can have one for your very own! Many of the swords are based on historical designs of Celtic and Viking origin, and range in price from $200.00 to $300.00 -- reasonable for such beautiful workmanship. Call for a catalog: 1-800-241-3664
Ancient Futures: "Finely-crafted sculptures by master horror artist James Cook." These are hydrastone reproductions of various skulls, vampires, bats, and includes in the line a picture frame, a skull cauldron and candleholders. They look and feel like gray stone, darkened in some areas to deepen the effect; we handled many of these and can vouch for their beauty. The Werewolf Skull (other skulls includea fanged Vampire Skull, horned Demon Skull and a Dragon Skull) is 11" high and $39.95; the Vampire Bat, with 13" wingspan, is $29.95. Send a regular self-addressed, stamped envelope for their photo brochure and order forms: P. O. Box 84, Shoreham, NY 11786.
The Black House is now under new management. They carry items of interest to Satanists and those interested in the Satanic lifestyle. Inquires may be addressed to The Black House c/o Aes-Nihil Productions, P. O. Box 93982, Los Angeles, CA 90093.
E.J. Brill: "Catalogue of Books and Journals on Religion, 1990." Obscure, scholarly and hard-to-find publications from many and varied cultures. Handy and indexed. Lists in-depth books intended for the serious student of religion. Call 1-800-962-4406 or write to 24 Hudson St., Kinderhook, NY 12106.
The Wild Places: A New Journal of the Paranormal. Their first issue reviews The Black Flameand covers the myth of Satanic child abuse. A neat little homespun journal that packs in lots of information regarding what's happening on the UFO, Fortean and (I guess that's why we're in there) whackball religion fronts. USA subscribers may send $20.00 for four issues or $5.00 for one to 20 Trembear Road, St. Austell, Cornwall, PL25 5NY England.
Protecting the Predators:
One of the many ways the death-cult Christianity has pushed our planet into the long slide to destruction, is by trying to imprint their egalitarian morality on the very laws of nature itself; when they talk about the lion lying down with the lamb, they mean it! Consequently, while the environmentalists worry about birds, fish and bison, the wolf has been forced to near extinction. The wolf's natural prey, deer, moose and caribou, have thus overpopulated, ruined forest areas and halted evolution by preserving sicker and weaker herd members. Currently a controversy rages around plans to place wolves back into Yellowstone Park; politically powerful area ranchers have fought this so hard that wolf preservation activists have been banned from even passing out information about the wolf at the Park itself.
Wolves aren't "nice;" they chase and eat Bambi. Even Green people aren't crazy about them. But their social structure is rigid, ordered, a perfect way for them to preserve themselves and the best of their species. They're beautiful, intelligent and Man could learn much from their way of life. Once he did; we have dogs today because ancient Man tamed wolves to help him hunt.
To learn more about wolves and to help preserve this natural predator, write to Wolf HavenAmerica, 3111 Offut Lake Rd., Tenino, WA 98589. You can adopt one of the wolves there, or just become a member of the organization and receive Wolftracks, their newsletter, for $20.00. They offer wolf pins, tee shirts and other merchandise, and if you're ever in that area of the Northwest, you can visit at sunset and listen to the wolves howl. Tell them the Order of Fenris sent you.
If you know of other organizations that support the reintroduction of wolves into their natural environments and would like to share this information with other Black Flame readers, please send it along.
The Bat is another creature of the night that herd members have a superstitious fear of and destroy at every opportunity. Luckily, there are also people who care about these little hunters. Bat Conservation International, Inc., protects bats and their unique habitats worldwide, educates people and supports scientific study about the importance of bats in our environment. They send out a beautiful color catalog of unique products, such as decorative bat sculptures, pictures, jewelry and books about bats. Their address: P. O. Box 162603, Austin, TX 78716-2603.
I can hear them now; when faced with the overwhelming evidence that real Satanists are by-and-large responsible, loving pet owners and not dog's-blood-drinkers or cat-skinners, what will the alarmists say? "You Satanists care more about animals than you do about people!" Well, yeah. We respect animals; as someone else has said, they don't lie awake at night and weep for their sins.
We also received a catalog from a company called Arkane (120 S. Duluth, #1, Sioux Falls, S.D., 57104) which features a collection of crystal objects ranging from the traditional crystal balls to even animal figures made of crystal. While the overall tenor of this catalog is rather "New Age," there still remain some items that could prove to be worthy additions to one's lair. If a shining trapezohedron is what you seek, it might be lurking amongst the unicorns and pewter dragons.
Another source for finely crafted rings and amulets is MARSH (P.O. Box 534, Captiva Island, FL 33924). These folks offer some nifty rings featuring the inverse pentagram, ram and devil heads, demons, and even Lovecraftian imagery ("Cthulhu Fhtagn" on a wedding band style ring!) Prices range from $15- $50 for sterling silver, but will quote prices for gold (white or yellow). Write for further information.
CRY OF THE RAVEN
Quarterly Satanic Journal
$15.00 per year
THE RAVEN, Box 321, Meredosia, IL 62665
MAGIC LANTERN SHOW
by Peggy Nadramia
The Cook, The Thief, His Wife and Her Lover (now available on videocassette).
A surreal film set around the nightly dinners of the gross Thief in the Parisian restaurant he owns. His Wife, much more cultured and sensitive, begins a liason with another regular diner, and they make love in strange locations all over the restaurant. A boy soprano dishwasher, a pack of ravening dogs outside the kitchen door, the steamy interiors of the skullery, pantry, meat locker all make for an incredibly dark and bizarre atmosphere. When the Thief enacts his revenge, the lovers escape, nude in the back of a van filled with rotting meat; they huddle together as the slimy haunches and entrails swing and slap against them, leaving streaks of blood and putrescence. The film's climax is amazing, breathless, as the wife serves the Thief a last meal no viewer will forget.
Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer.
A pathetic working-class girl from what they now call a "dysfunctional family" goes to Chicago to live with her adult brother, whose roommate is Henry. She develops a thing for Henry, but Henry has a thing for killing strangers. This style is almost documentary and therefore frighteningly realistic -- gritty rather than gory. Henry shows his friend how easy it is to pick prey off the highways of America, because no one watches, no one cares, no one knows that people like Henry are out there. You'll know it, after this film, which was inspired by the exploits of Henry Lee Lucas. The little white-trash girl eventually goes off with Henry, but does her "love change him?" No; he leaves her in a suitcase at the side of the road, in the rain. Memorable, dark; they wanted to censor this film, not due to specific content, but because of the unrelentingly grim message it contained.
THE SORCEROR'S APPRENTICE
The Aladdin's Cave of genuine magical equipment, books, oils, incenses and regalia.
Many hard to find items in stock.
For information write:
The Sorcerer's Apprentice
1 The Crescent, Hyde Park,
Leeds LS6 2NW, U.K.
THE BLACK FLAME
is published quarterly.
Copyright© 1990 C.E.
by Hell's Kitchen Productions, Inc.
All rights reserved.Opinions expressed herein are those of the authors alone.
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Please send check, bank draught, or money order in U.S. funds only.Address all correspondence to:
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What is wanted is not the will to believe but the wish to find out, which is the exact opposite.
Bertrand Russell
Take My Wife, Mr. Goodwrench...Please?
I saw her in the window, her covering looked just like skin
Her measurements, the woman of my dreams, would tempt Blaise Pascal.
Drooling on the sidewalk, my heart full of contempt, a salesman waved me in
Singing his sales-pitch he assured me, quite sincerely, that she was the top-of-the-line gal.
Hesitant to part with my cash, my hand moved slowly.
The man narrowed his eyes, wondering if he had mistaken sexual preference.
Pressing closer to me he said in a dull whisper, if it didn't make my juices flow, he could probably interest me in a model named "Joe."
I adamantly declined as he pressed her switch, she was full of life as we walked back to my residence.
She cooks, she cleans and obeys all my wishes without so much as a whimper.
I was stricken with grief as she threw out a sprocket while we did positions from the Kama Sutra.
She was the best girl I ever had, my lewd sexual behavior she did not hinder.
I dashed out to my driveway, trying to fix her with parts from my Supra.
I hauled her away to the repairman, Mr. Goodwrench was his name.
Despite all his expertise, he couldn't fix my machine that was tall and lean.
I wonder if I'll ever get to go on The Dating Game?
I now have to resort to rejection with slaps and drinks thrown in my face, à la the singles bar scene.
Andre T. Soly
THE CHURCH OF SATAN
by Blanche Barton
A History of the World's Most Notorious Religion!Where Satanism has been, its present state, and where it is going, plus a guide to ritual magic and formation of groups and grottos.
Order Now
Send $8.95 plus $1.50 shipping and handling ($5.00 for overseas orders) in check, money order, or bank draught in U.S. funds to:
Hell's Kitchen Productions, Inc., P.O. Box 370, Times Square Station, New York, NY 10108-0370, U.S.A.
Hell's Kitchen Productions presents
PRINTS OF DARKNESS
BLACK FLAME SHIRTS
Black shirt with Baphomet sigil in white and lettering in red with graduated flame texture in inner circle. Sizes SM, M, L, XL, XXL
T-Shirt: $15.00, Sweatshirt: $25.00
BAPHOMET BANNER
20 inches in diameter
White or "Blacklight Red" on Black cloth
Suitable for rituals and rallys!
Only $8.00
MENDES GOAT BELT BUCKLE
2 inches in diameter
Solid Brass
Hand finished, "antiqued"
$15.00
TRAPEZOID CANDLE HOLDER
7 x 7 1/2 inches
Hand-crafted base of marble and granite with brass cap to hold candle base.
A handsome accessory for your altar!
$28.00
Send checks or money orders in U.S. Dollars to:
"Prints of Darkness" - P.O. Box 499, Radio City Station, New York, NY 10101-0499, U.S.A.
Overseas orders add $5.00 for shipping and handling, per item
(NY residents add 8.25% sales tax) Please allow 6 to 8 weeks for delivery
COMING SOON
FROM
The Asylum of Satan
Fine Art Prints
by
Diabolos Rex
You've seen his blasphemous imagery in our pages, soon you will be able to own a print of your very own!
These signed, limited edition pieces, created specially for the readers of The Black Flame, will quickly become collector's items.
For ordering information, send a self-addressed stamped envelope to:
ASYLUM of SATAN
P.O. Box 699
New Haven, CT 06503
Keep following these pages as well for our new line of items from
HELL'S KITCHEN PRODUCTIONS
for XXVI!
These will include amulets, posters and other items of interest to Satanists.
CREEPING PESTILENCE
by Reuben Radding
"The lie that is known to be a lie is half eradicated, but the lie that even intelligent persons accept as fact - the lie that has been inculcated in a little child at its mother's knee - is more dangerous to contend against than a creeping pestilence!"
Anton Szandor LaVey, The Satanic Bible
This morning I was riding the subway to work and something happened that got my blood boiling. Sitting across from me were a man and his two sons. The boys appeared to be bright, though suggestible, as are most children. At one stop, a clean looking man boarded the train and began passing out to all passengers little cards which stated that he was in a financial plight and needed help. I noted that he was obviously not in deep enough trouble to prevent him from being able to pay for the printing of those little cards. The fellow across from me handed each of his sons some coins to give to the beggar and also put some in his cup as well. After the pan-handler left the vicinity, Daddy began to tell his sons why they did what they did.
He pointed to one of the cards. "You see, boys, it says here that he's very poor and needs money to feed his wife and five children. That's sad. We've got to help people like that."
I had to suppress the scream inside me. I wanted to shout at those kids, "Don't listen to him! You haven't heard all of the information!"
Here's altruism in action, being programmed into children's minds. Altruistic statements such as the one that man made to his sons are devastating to their faculties of reason. First we can address the issue of belief. What reasons did they have to believe this beggar? I think it's safe to logically assume that he needed money. That makes sense. Don't we all? However, as for the wife and five kids, how do we ascertain that he really has this family? How do I know what got him in this predicament? Who forced his wife to give birth to these five hungry little mouths? How do I know he isn't lying?
How about the more basic moral question? The father said to his sons, "We've got to help people like that." Why? Why do you have to give away your money to someone just because you have it and they don't? If so, why only give small change? Why not give a ten dollar bill or a hundred, or a blank check? Where do you draw the line?
This is a case of the weak demanding that the strong lift them up to a better situation. Not because they have anything to offer, but because they have less than those who went out and earned and achieved for themselves. Their need is used as a gun pointed at your head, demanding a share of your productions.
Parasitism, not so pure, but quite simple.
In our present system and prevalent mindset fostered by the reign of Judeo-Christian thinking, those who naturally fall to the bottom due to weakness of mind or body are kept alive, usually in a state of torture and near death. If these people were alowed their natural fate they would drop off and not only cease to be a burden to the strong, but they would have to endure less undue misery. It is not to these people's advantage to keep them merely "alive."
But, they'll tell you that themselves. If you or the government are keeping them alive but not providing anything more, they will demand more! As the number of people kept alive unnaturally due to altruism increases, we are made to feel somehow responsible and guilt builds up to the point where we aid and abet our own destruction. Why should you feel guilty for having money? Only if you stole it. Only if you forced it out of the hands of someone who earned it.
Certainly it is wise to help usually productive individuals who have fallen on hard times due to unusual circumstances, but again this is a matter of personal choice. If the government persists in stealing our hard earned money through taxation, the least it can do is spend it wisely on aiding those whose "down time" will be minimum and who will soon rejoin the ranks of the producers.
In The Satanic Bible, Dr. LaVey writes, "Blessed are the strong, for they shall possess the earth - cursed are the weak, for they shall inherit the yoke!"
I am not saying that these weaker people should be exterminated, or that you shouldn't give money to someone if you really want to. But never let anyone tell you it is your moral duty to support others.
It is the same with religion. For instance, the religions of the east such as Islam require that one be willing to die for their beliefs and philosophy. We Satanists refuse to recognize the doctrine of self-sacrifice and believe it is more honorable to live for our chosen philosophy. Live for your ideals. Here you will find self-esteem and virtue. No one's praise of you will mean anything to you, if you do not have your own worth upon which to build as a foundation. You will tell those who would praise you "you're wrong," and slip into the murky grave of guilt and self contempt. Free yourself! Hail Satan!
FLOWCHART OF THE GODS
If I've heard the complaint once, I've heard it a dozen times: "I don't know what's wrong with my magic. I say all the right incantations; I perform my workings at the cortect times and on the correct days and at least twice a week...maybe I'm mis-pronouncing the Enochian Key or something?" My reply: "Flowchart of the Gods."
What does that mean? Simply this: all workings have a beginning, an end, and a middle, and a true black magician devotes all of his or her energies to the use of both greater and lesser magic to achieve the exact goal that was desired. The cycle of a spell is then this:
BEGIN: THE GREATER MAGICAL RITUAL is performed with a specific goal and a plan for the achievement of that goal (this may even be worked out in detail). A sense of reassurance washes over the practitioner which says that the initial energies have been expended well and that soon the game will be afoot.
MIDDLE OR LESSER WORK: The first signs of the spell begin to show promise and it is now time for the Mage to control the working through direct influence, misdirection or whatever it takes on the physical plane to throw in the gaff (a prestidigitator's word for "the fix") so that there is damned little left to chance.
FINAL CYCLE: The magician simply lets the working cure to perfection and reaps what was sown until all that was wished for has been accomplished. When the dice stop throwing your way, you know that you may now perform another working.
Now this is what a true black magician will do. On the other hand, the magical fool will always make two fatal magical errors. They are OVEREXTENSION and OVERLAP.
OVERLAP: Most insecure magical practitioners perform workings at least twice a week (sometimes once a day) in the hope that their wish will be fulfilled by some sort of miracle by remote control. The fallacy of this is that, as with many other things, you can overdo a magical working until everything becomes cause with little or no effect. This is very much the twin of worrying about the success of a ritual. Insecurity plus a change in attitude (nobody feels the same everyday of his life) can cause a reverse in the accomplishment of that goal. Another form of overlap is when the practitioner does a successful ritual for him or herself and for someone else, and they are vying for the same goal or position. Or consider a Mage who does two workings for separate situations with opposing energies, e.g. a lust ritual and a destruction ritual. The two mental buildups alone will nullify each other.
OVEREXTENSION: This is mostly symptomatic of a messianic complex, and effects poor fools with ego problems who perform workings for relatives, friends and just about every other parasite who wishes for something magical to happen for them without doing the work or taking the responsibility. Everyone knows that the human mind is only capable of truly concentrating on one thing at a time and to try to do more only dissipates the Herculean effort that must be expended to see a ritual to fruition.
Of course, a magical fool never follows through with the middle part of the working, he never has the time! The final cycling with so much energy being thrown around at one time resembles a freeway pileup. Now I know that I'll catch a lot of criticism for this rule from magicians who are of the Shit Throwing school of magic (throw enough shit and some of it will stick) but I like to make my shots count. So good workings to you, and may you celebrate a truly successful solstice!
SATAN or LUCIFER: Identical or Opposite?
by Tani Jantsang
Let us begin by looking to the sources of both names. Satan is Hebrew and is not a name at all, but a word which means "adversary." To use the word in this manner then, "I am the satan of injustice," would mean "I am the adversary of injustice" and would be a correct use. In the Hebrew Old Testament, the satan seems to be a tester, a nit-picker, the one who finds the rotten apple in the batch. In Kaballah however, "the satan" is a principle of chaos (and of the Great Dark) that is many things, yet one thing, all called either Samael, or Sam-Moveth-Az, or Aur, or Ob. It is a principle of chaotic darkness that existed before anything light existed. Goethe used it in this manner When he wrote Faust, which has been explored in The Black Flame (Vol. 1, #2).
Lucifer is a Latin word which, as a noun, means "morning star" and as an adjective means "light bearing." It was also the name of a Bishop of Cagliari, Bishop Lucifer (353-370 C.E.), Legate for the Roman Catholic Pope Liberius. Lucifer was against the Christian sect called Arians. In Sardinia, 362 C.E., he formed a sect of his own called the Luciferians who were extremely anti-heresy. We later find a different sect called Luciferians in 1227 C.E. whom the Pope sent Conrad of Marburg to root out. These later Luciferians were reputed to be inverse Christians who would attend Mass to secure a consecrated host, to be later desecrated. Their supposed ideal was to reverse all Christian doctrine, to kiss the anus as a sign of homage, to revere a statue of a man called "the shining man" whom they referred to as Master, to believe that Lucifer would join God in Heaven. Later still, in Bohemia, further mention of this sect exists including similar accusations.
In the section of the New Testament called Revelations (chapter 22, verse 16), we find Jesus speaking. In Greek this reads, "Ego eimi he riza chai to genos David, ho aster ho lampros ho proinos." This means, "I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright star of the morning." Ergo, Jesus is quoted as saying that he is the morning star, Lucifer! Confused yet?
In the Old Testament, Isaiah 14,12, we find translated a word, "Lucifer," which means "spreading of brightness." The Hebrew is "heilel." "How art thou fallen from heaven (oh Lucifer) Heilel, son of the morning! How art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations." From the context of the passage, the author was not referring to the "satan" at all since heilel does not signify "the satan." He was referring to the oppressive and now ruined King Nebuchadnezzar. Ruined - i.e., he fell from his throne as King. This has nothing to do with the apocryphal tales of "fallen watchers" or other myths from previous religions which relate to the concept of a fallen opponent to the reigning diety. This is one of many examples of illiterate, early Christian misinterpretations of prior texts.
Jerome, an extreme anti-semite and woman hater, followed the typical early Christian practice of making up theology and decided that Lucifer was the name of the angel who was later driven from Heaven to then be called Satan. The actual link, however between Lucifer and Satan was created by Origen through a misreading of the Hebrew. This confusion was perpetuated by later writers of fiction and poetry such as Spenser (The Fairie Queene), Milton (Paradise Lost), Vondel (Lucifer), and Meredith (Lucifer in Starlight) among others.
Other occultists and theologians have run into this confusion as wel. They wondered how a being made of light could become one of darkness. I would say that Satan is a principle of the dark which preceeded the light. Thus the concept of transformation is erroneous. The Satan is the Satan, it never became anything other than what it is!
Eliphas Levi apparently tried to remedy this confusion by stretching it. "Too much light can destroy like the fires of Hell." He then calls Lucifer he astral Light! Rudolf Steiner has it that Lucifer is a being of light that lights the way towards Christ "who is the true Light." He has Lucifer as the antagonist of dark Ahriman, a name for the adversary from Zoroastrianism which is far closer to the original meaning of Satan as Samael, Ob, and so on. Steiner states that Ahriman seeks to pull man ever deeper into enmeshment with Nature (which he feels is not man's proper home!). He sees Lucifer as seeking to lift man upwards into the realms of light where spirit has freedom (and one can fly away into fantasy-land with other-worldly self-denial garbage). Steiner thinks that it is through the inspiration of art and such that elevates man. I would remind Steiner that the inspiration - passion is the Black Flame at work - is totally the dark Dionysian principle. He then launches into the typical dualism but also seems to be speaking of a type of balance wherein Ahriman is a dark, Satan type of principle and Lucifer is a bright, Jesus type of principle. It seems as if he was groping towards the Apollonian and the Dionysian here, but not making himself clear.
Finally, we find Lucifer in the legend of Diana. Diana is Leucothea (later Hecate), a dark, feminine, passive "mother" deity concept. Out of this darkness, Diana then divides herself into dark and light; the emerging light is the masculine Lucifer. What happens next is interesting: Lucifer flees from Diana and tries to be a unity in himself. This is a common pre-Christian theme, also reflected in the tale of Socrates being cursed, resulting from his flight from the "female." This is clearly the Apollonian trying to exist without the Dionysian, as Nietzsche correctly used these words. In simple terms, this would be akin to a person trying to create a great work of music or art with no inspiration. The Apollonian person refuses even to allow himself to be inspired. Yet, he seeks to create - and creates nothing. He sees a Dionysian person brimming with creativity, composing, drawing or sculpting like "magic." Creativity seems to flow out of the Dionysian person like water from a full well. And so the Apollonian looks on in wonder, becoming more watchful of himself, more rigid and controlled in his behavior. Still, he remains a dry well. Meanwhile, the Dionysian is having a good time of life, dancing, partying, playing while the creativity continues to flow. An excellent example of this dichotomy is to be seen in the film Amadeus, with the joyful,Dionysian Mozart always besting the rigid Apollonian Salieri. Note that Salieri tries to please God, instead of himself, and finally curses his God when he realizes that Mozart is truly an embodiment of the forces of life and creativity, which had always been hisambition. He then plans on ires and despises. In genius whom he still both admires and despises. In the end, Mozart's wife takes the unfinished Requiem, which Salieri planned to usurp as his own, and locks it up. This provides a fascinating parallel with the ancient legends along this theme.
In conclusion, Dr. LaVey defined a dark force in Nature, all pervading and balancing, which causes change. Goethe understood this. There are many names for this principle over the course of human history: from the Hebrew Satan, and Persian Ahriman, to Aeshma-devi, Mahakala, Shiva, Pan, To Apeiron, as well as ideas of aspects of this force such as Hecate, Tiamat, Kali, Ophioneus, Callirhoe, and so on. Many names from many cultures all refer to the all-pervading dark force in Nature, infused in everything, balancing, changing and notably existing before the Light. Lucifer is not one of these names. I prefer to call the dark force Chaos, my number One.
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NED-PLATONISM Plato's academy existed for over .Y ars before.the Christian Emperor
by Philip Marsh
LaVey's principle, "Say unto thine own heart, ï1 am mine own redeemer.'" (LaVey, op. cit. p. 33).
diety alone. For example, Christia f suppressed the then popular story Wh_ns J> is to.day little known, that Plato's fat ch {
Turkish Empire with soldiers and rninisters that were the wonder and despair of Christian Europe." (Ffre Dialogues of Plato, translated by B. Jowett, intro. by Louise R. Loomis, p.
2.5). So far did this Christian theft of
peaks. Mingling with and invoking daimones or demons continued. Porphyry and others, like Celsus, wrote of the need to exercise caution when consorting with demons, who, they said, enjoy bloody
sacrifices and incense burning, their
t. And such possibly lethal metals were not too difficult to locate if one knew about what one was seeking. Most readers will be familiar with the reports of drug use among witches by the Inquisition. With just the practical knowledge of chemistry
Ju tm1an closed 1t in 529 A.O. Hence a b ef survey of Neo-Platonism covering tins long span o time cannot be in depth. The duahsm that prevailed in the West after Christ died existed in its most extreme form in the teachings of Mani founder fManich eism, who taught that
Plotinus' biographer and disciple, Porphyry, was the most dedicated enemy the early C rist an ever met, though when cast rn this hght, one is apt to overlook the fact that he was a Renaissance-man prototype who also wrote cientific works, like "On the
re eived a dream from a demon while t "'.ife was pregnant with Plato, telling hits his son would be an avatar ofA Ill ( Conversion, A.D. Nock, p. 232). (io lo J such tales of "divine" births areq o : common in the an.cient world both eUattset !i
Plato go, that many ecclesiastics came to believe that Plato had been taught not by Pythagoreans, but by the Hebrew prophet Jeremiah in Egypt. They thought Plato had a soul "naturally Christian." (loc. cit. p. 27).
motives being a selfish desire to "feed." (Nock, op. cit. p. 224) The Corpus Hermeticum stated that demons "drive the evil to fresh sins." (ibid.)
Christians were required to
renounce all commerce or contact with demons. The obsession with demons one
and metals alone, with the Christians in ignorance, sorcerers could have been a real threat. It is not possible to ascertain whether these sorcerers really had the knowledge and cloaked it in myth and symbol or believed in superstitious nonsense, or if it was all fantasy extracted
e matenal world is evil. He enj;>ined on his followers the need to free themselves from their flesh through asceticism and self denial. Mani taught that Christ was crucified to save Man.
In direct contrast was Ammonius s:icca of Alexandria (170-241 A.O.) and his followers, who were philosophers and mighty champions of freedom as a con.sequence of their philosophical ideas, which were a revitalized philosophy based on Plato. Nothing Ammonius wro e survived the Christian book≠ bummg (the reader will tire and anger at hearing this as we go along and the charact rs and incidents get more extraordmary). Ammonius' followers
advanced historical studies medicine and logic. ' '
∑ Plotinus was a student of Arnmonius for about one decade and is regarded as the founder of Neo≠ Platonism. He rejected all dualisms in ke ping with the spirit of Plato, nd reJe.cted_ both Christianity and Ma01chaeism, then,separate religions along with their arguments that th; material.world is evil. He taught instead th t a hierarchy of beings and values exist from lowest to highest, and that the bod_y !s not evil, as Mani held. The
!2hnstians feared Plotinus, though his mtellectual attacks on them were far tamer than some later Neo-Platonists we shall meet. In Porphyry's edition of Plotinus, Plotinus describes the Christians as .t ose who have gone to the bad to solicit others to be their saviors or to sacrifice themselves at their behest."
He disagreed with the Christians saying that it is not right "for them t demand _of th gods that they should ord r their affairs for them, laying aside their own (the god's) existence to do so or that good people, leading another kind of life superior to the common human rule, sho_uld do as much for them." (quoted 10 The Death of Classical Pag!'-nism, J hn Holla d Smith, p. 16). Plotmus considered askmg for salvation
instead of saving yourself, to be weak and wron (ibid.). Com are this to Dr.
Formation of the Embryo." The reader sh ld be aw re of the danger of embryo≠ logical studies to Christianity: it was ba_sed on embryology, not fossil evidence, that Haeckel, Darwin, and others rediscovered the theory of human evolution, inasmuch as the human embryo, developing in the womb recapitulates or retraces the forms of of its biological ancestors, passing through states wherein it looks like a polyp, fish, reptile, and lower mammals before it looks human. ï
Porphyry was the first to demonstrate that the Book of Daniel of the Old Testament was not an ancient prophecy, as Christians and Jews c aime . Porphyry proved, on literary and historical grounds, that this book was written in the time of Alexander the Great's successors, a critical judgement
accepted as virtual fact today by Bible scholars.
Porphyry beleaguered the Christians by pointing out contradictions in their scriptures or so-called "word of God" in a book called "Against the Christians," showing how one passage of the New Testament contradicted another. He stated simply and clearly that Christ's apostl s were }iars, especially in regards to their narratives of Jesus' infancy. He gave reasons why Jesus himself was not a g?od man, nor his followers (Smith, op. cit. p. 17). Porphyry's denial of Jesusï infancy narratives was a mode of attack calculted to vanquish the Christians as th y had no history, tradition, or philosophy to back up anything they said. They could not rely on the Hebrew tradition because existing Jews denied Jesus as Messiah and would not cooperate with the Christians in "sharing" their scriptures , which later became the Old Testament of the Christians. Since these early Christians did not have a theological or historical leg on which to stand, their primary effort was directed towards destroying traditions and tales of divine biI"!hs ot er than Jesusï, so they could claim u01quely extra-ordinary phenomena to be associated with their
and west, Genghis Kahn for exam 1 r hen such individuals prove to b: importance, such stories circulate)
. or_phyry's Neo-Platonic attack on f Chnstia01ty was considered so dead! that no parts of it survive. His work w/ solemnly burned by imperial decree is 448 A.O. All that survives are reference { to these lost works. One scholar dates th begi!lning of the Dark Ages with thi:
bummg (John Holland Smith op c1∑tp 226). ' ∑ ∑ ∑ It was Porphyry's student I Iamblichus' <:rsion of the "Religion of !I e Hellenes, !.e., Pythagoreanism, that mfluenced Juhan the Apostate, the last gr at pagan emperor, and the latter's fnends, this "religion" of miracle mongering and sorcery so bitterly condemned by Byzantine Christians (Smith, op. cit. p. 56).
Julian the Apostate was surrounded by Neo-Platonists, whose spirit and intellects he relished. He appeared to be aware of a dangerous situation: the Christian Church Fathers were osmotically absorbing and assimilating Plato and Hellenism to bolster their vacuous and absurd theology, so Julian passed laws forbidding Christians to read or teach Hellenic texts. Prior to Julian,
Plat w sre:interpreted dualistically by ,ï duahstic mmds, who considered the realm of the Forms to be some sort of "Kingdom of God," and Plato's Republic { to be a kind of "City of God," a view perpetuated by St. Augustine. Numenius 1 (160 A.D.) called Plato "a Moses 1 speaking Attic Greek." In a fashion all too typical of his caste of mind, Numenius read Plato as saying that the soul becomes involved with the body because of guilt. This was an effort to theoretically justify the completely untenable and insane Christian doctrine
of "original sin."
While the Christian Church Fathers busied themselves with converting Plato's Republic into the "City of God," the Ottoman Turks' social system began
to approach Plato's Republic in reality, ;) becoming a strict meritocracy which, as one historian put it, "for two hundred
So Julian attempted to set a barrier to Christian absorption of Platonism with his edict. He wrote, in "Against the Galileans," "If the reading of your scripture is sufficient for you, why do you make such a fuss about the learning of the Hellenes? It seems true that you yourselves must be aware of the very different effect of your writings on the intellect compared to ours, and that from the study of yours, no man could achieve excellence or even ordinary goodness; whereas from studying ours, every man can become better than before. Now this would give you clear proof: select children from among you and train them up and educate them in your scriptures, and if when they come to manhood they prove to have nobler qualities than slaves, you may believe that I am talking nonsense." (quoted in Smith, op. cit. p. 109). Julian agreed with Nietzsche: Christianity is a slave religion (Nietzsche, op. cit. pp. 85-146).
Julian was assassinated by a Christian, and a story about his deathbed conversion to Christianity is faked. In a cover-up, a Christian historian named (oddly enough) Socrates, employed Julian's Hellenic ideas to explain his death, claiming a demon killed Julian, "an avanging Furie" (Smith, op. cit. p. 114 and ff). One is reminded of Arthur Koestler's novel Darkness at Noon, which shows the common thread connecting Christians, Communists, and witch-hunters: it is not enough for these persecutors to kill their enemies; they must also fake stories about conversions, confessions, recantations and admissions of error or "slacking," which are extracted before death by torture if they are not forthcoming voluntarily.
Jerome, a vicious woman-hater and issuer of the complete Vulgate Bible, wrote in triumph, "How many as much as
,know Plato's name?-- to say nothing of his works! Even old men sitting in comers with nothing to occupy them can scarcely remember them." (quoted in Smith, op. cit. p. 223). He was partly fantasizirig: a form of Platonistic magic called Theurgy remained alive and well,
finds during the later Inquisitions was already evident at this earlir time. Julian the Apostate wrote of these Christians, "For the high point of their theology consists of these two things, hissing at demons and sketching the cross on their foreheads."(quoted in Smith, op. cit. p. 97). Knowledge through demons, something Socrates could not obtain, and the "binding of souls," a theurgic practice, all had to be renounced.
The theurges taught that the most powerful names are the secret titles of the Demiurge, the maker and ruler of the world. The concept of the Demiurge was taken from Plato's "Timaeus," which was the only dialogue of Plato that existed in the Latin-speaking Christian Empire. Speaking such secret names of power could be fatal to the uninitiated, but these names were taught by Hermes Trismegistus (Thrice-Great Hermes) to full-fledged theurges. Theurgy was a grand synthesis of all the forms of magic that remained from the pre-Christian world, supported by a Platonist philosophy and metaphysics. Theurgy was considered "deeply disturbing and menacing to the well-being of individuals and the state." (Smith, op. cit. p. 19). Christian Emperors made laws which distinguished between pagan worshippers and the Platonist theurges for purposes of arrest and punishment. Christian authorities were carefully and accurately separating two disparate groups of "occultists" that one still finds today: the Satanists as opposed to the Wiccans, New Agers, etcetera.
A part of theurgy was alchemy (chemistry) and metallurgy. Recall that Plato spoke about atomic number. Modem readers can find many amulets that are engraved with a particular symbol that might mean "harm to your enemy" for example. Give this amulet made of just any metal to your enemy and nothing is likely to happen. However, if you were to inscribe it on thorium, your enemy would sicken and perhaps die. The symbols were created to tell the initiate what the amulet really was. Knowledge was lost and it came to be
under torture. Well poisoning was a common accusation and with knowledge of uranium and thorium ores, one could easily accomplish this goal and cause the family, cattle and so on to sicken.
Due to singling out the theurges for special persecution, theurgy went underground and flourished among tavern-keepers, dancing girls, players, prostitutes, gamblers, and circus performers. The only respectable class of people among whom theugy flourished were practitioners of medicine, leading to their exclusion from the Christian world. One is reminded of Dr. LaVey (who had been an animal-handler in a circus) when one discovers that in later Rome, in the reign of the Christian Justinian, circus performers were regularly accused of being theurges. Examples are Theodera, a bear-keeper's daughter, and Antonina, the wife of a performing charioteer. (Smith, op. cit. p. 225, p. 233). The prevalence of theurgy among such performers and life-styles could also have been due to the fact that such people really know how much of their lives depend on good-luck, a blessing Christianity, in its denials of reality, could not confer and did not even recognize. These Inn-keepers, circus acrobats and others lived life to the fullest. They feared neither life nor death. Theurgists were, at one time during Justinian's reign, easily recognized by their dress which was called "Hellenic." They were called, as one contemporary writer said, "priests of the old faith, which people nowadays generally call Hellene, who repeat unholy words." (These are the words of Procopius, quoted in Smith, op. cit. p. 234). These unholy prayers were actually Orphic
hymns (ibid.).
Finally, mention should be made of the last great teacher of the ancient Western world, Proclus, a Neo-Platonist philosopher and theurgist. He revered and regularly made sacrifices to the "All-Mother" in the form of Hecate. Plutarch taught him a version of Platonism, and Plutarch's daughter Asclepigenia taught him the lost Orphic
emigrated to the other half of the Christian empire in Constantinople in a daring attempt to overthrow Zeno, the Christian Emperor. They failed; one was executed, the other disgraced. (Smith, op. cit. pp. 231-232).
The strength of the theurgist underground is attested to by the fact that whenever draconian laws were enforced to round them up, as in Justinian's capitol, they could immediately round up their own massive bodyguard, along with plenty of sorcerers to threaten and curse their persecutors (Smith, op. cit. p. 234).
From here on, "Hellene"
building techniques and structural technology.
It seems too common that many Satanists, while being aware of the frauds
and atrocities perpetrated by the Christian religion, seem to have overlooked the Hellenes, who remained free of Judeo≠ Christian pollution. Other eastern cultures can also be found who celebrate the "Great Black" dark force in Nature who have also been buried beneath the onslaught of Christian propaganda, explanation, exegesis, and absorption. The time has come to_ throw off the blinders that the Christian dominance has
THE ARTIST WHOSE CANVAS IS THE SOlJL
Honorable Christian, please } forgive me this, But I require a little of your time For, honorable Christian, I must know your soul, To know what my Satanic Art Will I make of you. So are you weak or strong, Unseasoned or mature?
degenerated purely into an insult hurled
foisted upon the West, to truly see the
Degraded all your life, I
at any enemy of the Christians, real or imagined, regardless of his dress or beliefs.
It should be mentioned that not all sorcery and magic at the time was theurgistic. Many magicians, scholars, witches and warlocks sought refuge in the woods and outbacks, and one can easily find church councils of the era frothing about prohibiting witchcraft and devil-worship in the countryside, which was much Jess easy to police than the cities. And so it is today.
Today, as in the Christian Empire, the study of the occult, magic, Satanism, and demonology is associated in the prurient, "akathartic" minds of Christians with depravity and perversion.
What Dr. LaVey said in The Satanic Bible can be said of the gods and demons of the Hellenes: "The old gods did not die, they fell into Hell and became devils demon meant a guardian
spirit or source of inspiration, and to be sure, later theologians invented legion upon legion of these harbingers of inspiration-all wicked." (LaVey, op. cit. pp. 56-57).
Not all of the mathematical and architectural genius was lost during the days of the Christian persecution. People were hired to build magnificent cathedrals for the Christians, people who still had the mathematics and excellent
past for its nature and embrace it as part of a genuine Satanic tradition and cultural heritage that belongs to all born Satanists. (Conclusion of Series)
Or arrogant and vain?
Tell me your dreams -- what do you most desire? What is your deepest fear -- and am I worse? You think your God made you to go to Paradise; The truth is, you were meant for this -- for me! My pristine canvas waits f Behind your anguished eyes. I Your senses are my brush, Your rage and fear my paint. And when I go, and you resume your life, Your remade spirit never will escape; Your soul will hang transfigured in my gallery While bodily you roam the dreary world. Jeffrey Deboo
CHURCH OF SATAN
FOR INFORMATION: send a
self-addressed, stamped envelope or four IRCs to: P.O. Box 210082, San Francisco, CA 94121