The Cloven Hoof, Issue 119

The Cloven Hoof

First Quarter, XXII Anno Satanas Copyright © 1987 C.E. by the Church of Satan, P.O. Box 210082 San Francisco, Ca 94121 U.S.A.

Vol. XX, #1 11.9th Issue

THE NINE SATANIC SINS

Anton Szandor La Vey

For years, people have asked Church of Satan representatives, "Well, okayyour philosophy is based on indulgence of human instincts but do you have any sins like other religions?" Our answer has always been "No." But the time has come to amend that response. We have grown steadily over the past 21 years and find that it is appropriate to have some clearer guidelines on, not only what we strive for, but also what we work to avoid--what we disapprove of. The difference is where other religions develop sins that people can't avoid, we consider a number of things "sinful" that people could avoid if they worked a little.

1) Stupidity --The top of the list for Satanic Sins. The Cardinal Sin of Satanism. It's too bad that stupidity isn't painful. Ignorance is one thing, but our society thrives increasingly on stupidity. It depends on people going along with whatever they are told. The, media promotes a cultivated stupidity as a posture that is not only acceptable but laudable. Satanists must learn to see through the tricks and cannot afford to be stupid.

2) Pretentiousness.--Empty posturing can be most irritating and isn't applying the cardinal rules of Lesser Magic. On equal footing with stupidity for what keeps the money in circulation these days. Everyone's made to feel like a big shot, whether they ⚫can come up with the goods or not.

3) Solipsism--can be very dangerous for Satanists. Projecting your reactions, responses, and sensibilities onto someone else who is probably far less attuned than you are. It is the mistake of expecting people to give you the same consideration, courtesy, and respect that you naturally give them. They won't. Instead Satanists must strive to apply the dictum of "Do unto others as they do unto you." It's work for most of us and requires constant vigilence lést you slip into a comfortable illusion of everyone being like you. As has been said, certain utopias would be ideal in a nation of philosophers, but unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately, from a Machiavellian viewpoint) we are far from that point.

4) Self-Deceit.--It's in the Nine Satanic Statements but deserves to be repeated here. Another cardinal sin. We must not pay homage to any of the sacred cows presented to us, including the roles we are expected to play ourselves. The only time self-deceit should be entered into is when it's fun, and with awareness. But then, it's not self-deceit!

5) Herd Conformity. --That's obvious from a Satanic stance. It's all right to conform to a person's wishes, if it ultimately benefits you. But only fools follow along with the herd, letting an impersonal entity dictate to you. The key is to choose a master wisely instead of being enslaved by the whims of the many

6) Lack of Perspective --Again, this one can lead to a lot of pain for a Satanist. You must never lose sight of who and what you are, and what a threat you can be, by your very existence. We are making history right now, everyday. Always keep the wider historical and social picture in mind. That is an important key to both Lesser and Greater Magic. See the patterns and fit things togethers you want the pieces to fall into place. Do not be swayed by herd constraints--know that you are working on another level entirely from the rest of the world.

7) Forgetfulness of Past Orthodoxies--Be aware that this is one of the keys to brainwashing people into accepting something as "new" and "different", when in reality it's something that was once widely accepted but is now presented in a new package. We are expected to rave about the genius of the "creator" and forget the original. This makes for a disposable society.

8) Counterproductive Pride!--That first word is important, Pride is great up to the point you begin to throw out the baby with the bathwater. The rule of Satanism is: if it works fr you, great. When it stops working for you, when you've painted yourself into a corner and the only way out is to say, "I'm sorry, I made a mistake, I wish we could compromise somehow," then do it.

9) Lack of Aesthetics--This is the physical application of the Balance Factor. It is important in Lesser Magic and should be cultivated. It is obvious that no one can collect any money off it most of the time so it is discouraged in a consumer society, but it is an essential Satanic tool and must be applied for magical effectiveness. It's not what's supposed to be pleasing--it's what is. Aesthetics is a highly personal thing, reflective of one's own nature, but there are universally pleasing and harmonious configurations that should not be denied.

This is the first doctrinal proclamation in over a decade and outlines some important rules for Satanic practices. It should be understood that this in no way supersedes the Nine Satanic Statements or the Eleven Rules of the Earth, but is intended to augment these principles even further.

The Foundation of Feminism, or, The New Girdle of Chastity Blanche Barton

Have you ever begun to think that there is more to feminism than meets the eye? Anton La Vey has taught us all a lot about looking beyond the surface of an issue into the deeper motivations. When you apply that same ruthless method to the avid followers of feminism some strange echoes may start resounding in your mind, Feminism is infused with the same kind of familiar fervor, that we, as Satanists, have been consistently subjected to by "concerned Christians". They are convinced we haven't let God into our heart yet, and until we do we are damned to an eternity of torment in the fiery pit. They corner us, preach to us, try to convert us to "the Truth", and finally pray for us to be redeemed. Consider these parallels, matching them to your experience of both Christians and feminists:

1). The first experience comes through a conversion--an enlightenment that occurs when someone else (even through books or magazines or television indoctrination) explains to you how women have been enslaved and put down throughout the centuries. Suddenly it is clear to you. As with a religious revelation, you get that feeling of, "Oh, it was there all the time and I was so blind to it. I've been duped." An evangelical zealousness ensues.

2) A new body of literature is introduced--Just as Christians have their Holy Bible, so feminists have Sisterhood is Powerful, and other books, magazines, movies, all geared to reinforce and further explain what a terribly unfair situation women are in and have always had. These must be read, discussed, re-read and given to others who are not yet. initiated so that they will not live forever in the darkness of complaceny. You learn a new lingo which replaces the language of your opressors (men). Any reading outside. of the prescribed subjects and authors is suspect, and discouraged by your fellow feminists ("Sisters"). It would no doubt be written by someone supportive of the chauvinistic society and would confuse you.

3) Encouraged to proselytize--once you are indoctrinated, it is important to let other women know of the terrible oppression they are complying with through their unawareness. You can only pity the poor women who continue to live with their husbands, work in the home, dress in skirts and high heels, and wear makeup. They must be told how, by doing this, they are only encouraging the oppressors (men) to remain chauvinistic. This can be done on an interpersonal level or a wider political level.

4) Support groups--the equivalent of attending church to reaffirm your faith. This is usually a time set aside for women to air their gripes about men, discriminatory situations at work, and to encourage each other on how wonderful it is to be independent (independent of men but dependent on the approval of other women, and, most importantly, the commercial machine that is making oodles of money off of independent women by telling them exactly how to dress, where to work, what to think. and how to vote). It is not wise for initiates to socialize with non-feminists, as it would threaten their indoctrination--the initiate might find out that the "unenlightened" women are not so stupid and unaware as they are led to believe.

5) Mind-bending, unarguable spiel--the Christian argument boils down to faith. You must have faith that God exists, along with a lot of equally unprovable premises. As any Satanist has seen, Christians cannot be approached with rational arguments because their whole world-view is based on irrationalities to begin with. It can start to sound convincing because it suspends or warps any outside perspective--the only way to attack Christianity is to challenge the insanity it is based on.

Feminism's basic premise is that men have oppressed women from the beginning of time and if you are someone with a sense of equality, you must make things right by leaning over in the opposite direction. What if women have not been oppressed all these years? I know this is as blasphemous as proposing there is no God. They can show incidents of repression throughout history--enough books have been written to prove it in the last twenty years (and we all know how easily history can be re-written). The Christians point to a sunset or a rose and say it is evidence of the existence of God--how can you argue? But if a feminist did not "prove" this supposed repression, the responsibility for the individual's power, or lack of it, would rest squarely on her own shoulders.

6) Creation of sins--just as the Christian church makes money by prohibiting man's natural instincts, insuring transgressions and consequent contributions to buy back their holiness, feminists make the natural interplay between men and women sinful. Like it or not, there are differences between men and women. Masculine characteristics are (and have always been, both in humans and the rest of the animal kingdom) dominance, protection of home and family from intruders, providing food and shelter, a tendency toward polygamy, fierceness, a cloaking of emotional response, etc. Feminine characteristics are receptivity, tractability, creating a comforting home environment, being flirtatious, applying glamour and other wiles to exercise their unique power, etc. Feminists go to great lengths to cite examples in nature where these roles are inverted, but this is simply adopting the exception as the rule. The female may do the hunting, but the male still rules. We have been carefully taught there are liabilities attached to roles commonly assigned to women where, in truth, no liabilities exist. These are archetypical interactions between men and women--and feminism makes all these things sinful. The natural inclinations on both sides are judged unacceptable, insuring compliance with the New Order provided for them.

7) A new Devil--"men" have replaced "Satan" in feminist doctrine as the one who leads you from the "Truth" the unholy one, the lord of this world (ar mainstream society which is patriarchically oriented), the oppressor, the one who will tempt you into submitting to his will (or wrongfully expect you to do so), "Chauvinistic" men (ie. masculine men) must be avoided like the Devil himself. (Lesbianism is best for "aware" women as it pushes men out of the picture completely.) Women can gain sympathy by "witnessing"--telling dreadful stories of how they were once possessed by dominating men, just as Christians relate their terrible experiences with demons who forced them to do all manner of nasty things they never would do in their right minds (stories, in both cases, engendered more from a fertile, repressed imagination rather than from facts). It's similar to the alcoholics who get up in a roomful of people and confess the awful things they did while they were drunk. 2

8) Big business--"Who stands to gain?" We all know what a multi-billion dollar enterprise Christianity is thanks to the application of the Ninth Satanic Statement. There are plenty of people making big bucks off the women's movement too. The fashion designers are pleased, convincing women they shouldn't dress in ways that make men happy--they should dress in the ways the designers tell us to instead, to express your independence, no matter how dumpy it makes us look and feel.

When you're independent, you have your own job, your own money to spend. Two can live twice as expensively as one. Instead of having one household where two people share cars, televisions, housing, insurance premiums, etc., we have two separate households which need to buy duplicates of everything--two cars, two homes, two sets of insurance, and more income tax. As long as people are kept apart, twice as much money is kept in circulation, more is invested than saved for the future, and the economy stays afloat.

As a bonus, with the associated emotional turmoil caused by everyone trying to survive alone and not depend on anyone else, the government can provide counseling clinics, crisis centers, shelters for abused women, and all manner of social services which keeps them spending the money they need to. Family counselors, psychologists, and analysts are kept in business. Divorce lawyers are kept fat and happy. Everyone wins. As long as there's enough money to be made, feminism will flourish.

Wicca and "white witchcraft" is, as we have seen, mostly Christianity in a new package. They still subscribe to the same Good vs. Evil battles instead of taking the Nietzchean plunge beyond that. Considering the above parallels between feminism and Christianity, perhaps we can better understand why feminism and Wicca have gotten so inextricably bound together in the last few years. They are both within a stone's-throw of Christianity anyway. It also explains why, consequently, Wiccans are so threatened by Satanists on more than just a doctrinal basis. Men are the devils now, and we certainly wouldn't want to have anything to do with them, would we?

A final comment from the So-What-Else-Is-New? Department:

Eventually, says Edward Cornish, president of the World Future Society...fear of sexually transmitted diseases will be a strong factor in the development of robotic substitutes for people. who want a safe sexual outlet. The old science- fiction fantasy of sex with a machine-a germ- free machine- may come true.

-From a Washington Post story

Have an indulgent Walpurgisnacht!

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