The Cloven Hoof, Issue 95
The Cloven Hoof
Vol. XIV, #2 95th Issue
March/April XVII A.S.
Copyright 1982 C.E. by the Church of Satan; P. O. Box 896 Daly City, CA 94017; U.S.A.
Entire contents by Anton Szandor La Vey
Whenever someone, after getting to know me slightly, proclaims redemptively, "You're not really a Satanist," I react accordingly. First of all, the statement indicates the closed-minded superstitiousness of the speaker, who prefers his cherished misconceptions to rational enlightenment. Secondly, it indicates an insidious form of patronage best described as "convenient acceptance." I am at once cued to the speaker's fears of what he thinks I am not, and to his eagerness to dismiss my beliefs and principles as ill-defined. I redefined Satanism from a Satanist's viewpoint because it was historically imperative to do so. When some idiot comes along and announces that I'm not a "real" Satanist, or that the Church of Satan is not a body of "real". Satanists, he is practically begging for atrocious proof that we are. Sort of like a masochist handing someone a whip, bending over, and saying, "Bet you couldn't think of anything to do with that thing in your hand."
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Looking back over the past fifteen years provides an interesting view of the rise and fall of the pop occult scene. The peak years, based on media saturation, were 1971 and 1972, with a rapid decline since 1975. All but a handful of occult books remain on dealer's shelves in contrast to the predominant sections once encountered in bookstores. Proof that the Devil perennially sells is more evident than ever, largely because He fills many more cultural needs than the "occult" per se. Not so with assorted witches, sorcerers, druids, mystics and the like, who surfaced in art and literature quite a distance behind the Infernal One. Probably the main reason other occultic groups and individuals have dropped out of sight is because they have gained social acceptance, with only rejection from hard core fundamentalists. This has homogenized most occultists into the mainstream and in so doing has diluted the very identities of those who bore previously outrageous labels. And we all know that social acceptability has been gained for "good" occultoids because they have consistently harped on how fine and good they are, in direct contrast to "evil Satanists."
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Most people are Devil worshippers without even knowing it and perform many everyday rituals which are relevant. Any book on superstitions contains more examples of ways to appease the Devil than space here permits. The fact that these little rituals have found their way into everyday life and are practiced on an unconscious level indicates why the type of ritual or ceremony pertinent to practicing Satanists is particularly blasphemous. It is actually more a breaking of ritual than it is a practicing one, in being a Satanist.
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When all is said and done, most people are much more "Satan fearing" than "God fearing" and show it in countless ways. It's amazing how often I encounter a new acquaintance who is supposedly "not at all religious," and he or she is suddenly sporting a token little cross around the neck. Sort of like they got it out of mothballs for the occasion and really no different from the corny old vampire movies. They believe in the power of the Devil, all right. Or when others, when in your presence and knowing of your diabolical beliefs, go out of their way to proclaim their otherwise dormant religious persuasions. We, by our very identity as Satanists, are able to break the bonds of unreason which hold others in fear and influence their daily lives. Their foolish rituals which sustain often irrelevant values of "good" and "evil" only insulate them against the realities of life.
MESSAGES AND ERUDITION: To those who have written regarding Michelle Remembers (cited in the last issue): The authors, Michelle Smith and Lawrence Pazder, M.D., are definitely on our shit list. Any bad luck which may befall these parasites is justified.
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ZZZ964, The Augustinian/ Manichaean dilemma you mention is finely dissected in Norbert Wiener's The Human Use of Human Beings. SZZ668, The exercise is called akunchanam. LZZ773, Logic requires a frame of reference or context. A successful deception baffles logic by providing a false frame of reference. RZZ893, The "cattle mutilation" scam has been laid to rest several times as a hoax, but continues to surface. It seems that no matter how rational natural explanations have been, myth-needs pre- vail. The last explanation ever offered (but the most valid in my experience) concerns the human element involved. Not the psychotic behavior of cultists, but the neurotic machinations of the reportees, "investigators," and propagators. As in all related phenomena, the first thing to consider is, "What's in it for the story teller." Invariably, if the reportee is sufficiently investigated, the need to further investigate is eliminated. WZZ544, Many behavior changes are influenced by drug changes, in a society where drug use is as much subject to fashion as cloth- ing. Consider what a user is currently on when negotiating. AZZ696, Contact ASAP. RZZ999, Thanks. No merit to item. Have a nice relax. CZZ861, The correct name for the pipes that Pan plays is the syrinx, and the instrument is still played with great skill in Roumania.
Renewals: If address label reads 3/XVII or 4/XVII send $10/$15couples renewal. ¿NOV SHMOZ KAPOP?