Fact or Fiction; You Decide! As for me, its all kewl. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This article has been reprinted without permission from: "Encyclopedia of Occultism and Parapsychology, 2nd Ed." Necronomicon, The A fabled grimoire or textbook of black magic for evoking demons, supposedly compiled by the "mad Arab Abdul Alhazred"-in fact, an invention of H.P. Lovecraft, writer of supernatural and fantasy fiction. The name "Abdul Alhazred" was adopted playfully by Lovecraft around the age of five, after reading an edition of The Arabian Nigths, and was used in later life in Lovecraft's fiction. It may also contain a reference to the name "Hazard," an old Rhode Island family. In 1936, Lovecraft wrote a pseudo-scholarly essay titled A History of the Necronomicon, which claimed that its original title was Al Azif, deriving from the word used by Arabs to designate nocturnal sound of insects resembling the howling of demons. There followed an account of various editions of the Necronomicon from A.D. 730 onwards. Lovecraft had claimed that there was a copy of the work in the library of Miskatonic University, in Arkham (a city invented by him in his fiction). Lovecraft's essay was published in leaflet form by Wilson H. Shephard, Alabama, 1938, and has since been reprinted. The Necronomicon was cited in various stories by Lovecraft, and gradually acquired a spurious life of its own. Someone inserted an index card for the book in the files of Yale Library. A New York bookseller could not resist inserting an entry for a Latin edition in one of his sale catalogs. Eventually a group of writers and researchers headed by occult scholar Colin Wilson solemnly presented The Necronomicon : The Book of Dead Names as a newly discovered lost masterpiece of occult literature. In an introduction to this publication, Wilson suggested that Lovecraft's invention may have had some substance in fact, perhaps revealed through Lovecraft's subconsious mind. Wilson told a story as fabulous as that of the origin of Golden Dawn cipher manuscript, concerning a Dr. Stanislaus Hinterstoisser, president of the Salzburg Institute for the Study of Magic and Occult Phenomena, who claimed that Lovecraft's father was an Egyptian Freemason, that he had seen a copy of The Necronomicon in Boston, U.S. (where Lovecraft senior had worked), which was a section of a book by Alkindi (died A.D. 850) known as The Book of the Essence of the Soul. Science-fiction writer L. Sprague de Camp (who published an excellent biography of Lovecraft in 1975) is said to have acquired an Arabic manuscript from Baghdad titled Al Azif. The British occultist Robert Turner, after researching in the British Museum Library, claimed that the Alkindi work was known to the famous magician John Dee (1527-1608) who had a copy in cipher manuscript. This book, known as Liber Logaeth, was recently examined by computer analysis, and so The Necronomicon : The Book of Dead Names has now been published, edited by George Hay, introduced by Colin Wilson, researched by Robert Turner and David Langford (Neville Spearman, U.K., 1978; Corgi paperback, 1980). No doubt other recensions of The Necronomicon will be discovered in the course of time. Meanwhile, librarians need no longer be embarressed by requests for this elusive work. Satan and His Empire by David R Ondrejko aka VonDraco -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Satanists do not believe in Satan. On the other hand, Satanists do believe in Satan. It depends on what you mean by "believe in" and what you mean by "Satan." Do I believe in a funny-looking creature in red tights with horns and a tail? No. Neither do I believe in the literalist Christian lie that He is a former angel of Jehovah thrown out of Heaven for being too uppity. What I believe in is a Satan that represents the so-called "dark side" of humanity. He represents selfishness, anger, lust, hatred, pride and all the allegedly negative emotions. He represents getting whatever you want. He is not "real," in the sense that you and I are real, or the President is real, or the shopkeeper around the corner is real. What He represents is very real, however. I do not believe in Him the way that Christians believe in their pathetic deity. I do not worship the Dark Lord, nor do I look to Him for a diabolic stamp of approval on the way I live my life. I am the only being whose opinion ultimately matters. I am a Satanist because it pleases me to be so, not because I have been threatened or coerced or deluded into the religion. Satan is as real as I am. What I mean by this is that insofar as I manifest the Satanic ethos, Satan becomes real through me. I am, at my best (worst?), the incarnation of Satan Himself. What is the Satanic ethos? At its simplest, it is pure egoism: total and exclusive concern for myself. I am nice to other people on occasion because I want to be, not because someone is telling me that I "should." I could just as easily be cruel to them, with just as much moral foundation -- I was cruel to them because I *wanted* to be cruel to them. More on this idea in a later chapter. Satan is real because I am real, and we are one. His empire is my empire and it grows daily, giving us greater power and influence. The only "worship" that I do involves pleasing myself by doing whatever I want to do. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Satanism: The Feared Religion by Magister Peter H. Gilmore -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- When Anton Szandor LaVey shaved his head and created the Church of Satan on April 30, 1966, he knew that soon he would be the focal point of attention for people throughout the globe. Now that the thirtieth anniversary of that fateful night has passed, has the world begun to understand the real meaning behind the only organized religion in history to take as its symbol the ultimate figure of pride and rebellion, and to many, of Evil? And are there truly some grounds for people to feel fear at the ever growing phenomenon of contemporary Satanism? As a priest in the Church of Satan and media representative, I can candidly say, Yes! However, what the general populace has decided to fear is a ludicrous portrait that has been painted in lurid technicolor by media hypesters intent on titillation, evangelists struggling to fill their coffers and keep their mistresses in jewelry, and most distressingly, by a segment of the therapeutic community who have found a gold-mine in the treatment of so-called ritual abuse survivors who provide no evidence of their tales of terror (remarkably similar to stories told by women labelled by Freud as hysterics), save for their fervent belief that they were victimised. I shall not waste time in refuting the absurd claim that there is an international conspiracy of generational Satanists bent on enslaving the world through drug use and sacrifice of babies bred for that purpose by emotionally unstable women. That mythology has been thoroughly exploded by other sources (The FBI's National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime: "Investigator's Guide to Allegations of Ritual Child Abuse," January 1992; the Committee for Scientific Examination of Religion's report "Satanism in America," October 1989; the British Government's Department of Health report: "The Extent and Nature of Organised and Ritual Abuse," HMSO, 1994 ). Let us instead look at contemporary Satanism for what it really is: a brutal religion of elitism and social Darwinism that seeks to re-establish the reign of the able over the idiotic, of swift justice over injustice, and for a wholesale rejection of egalitarianism as a myth that has crippled the advancement of the human species for the last two thousand years. Is that something to fear? If you're one of the majority of human mediocrities merely existing as a media-besotted drone, you bet it is! The philosophy of Satanism is delineated in the writings of Anton Szandor LaVey. His books include _The Satanic Bible_, _The Satanic Rituals_, _The Satanic Witch_, and _The Devil's Notebook_. All are currently in print and should be consulted by anyone interested in a complete picture of the views held by the Church of Satan. One can obtain further information by reading two books by Blanche Barton, personal secretary to Mr. LaVey and an administrator of the Church, _The Secret Life of a Satanist, the authorized biography of Anton LaVey_ (Feral House) and _The Church of Satan_ (Hell's Kitchen Productions). These works have a great deal of material regarding the history and contemporary practices of the Church of Satan. For those who have yet to study this literature, there are three sets of brief guidelines* issued over the years by the Church and authored by LaVey, which can give the uninitiated a capsulized version of Satanic philosophy. The first are the "Nine Satanic Statements" (copyright 1969) which open _The Satanic Bible_ and give a firm foundation for the Satanist. They are: 1. Satan represents indulgence instead of abstinence. 2. Satan represents vital existence instead of spiritual pipe dreams. 3. Satan represents undefiled wisdom instead of hypocritical self-deceit. 4. Satan represents kindness to those who deserve it instead of love wasted on ingrates. 5. Satan represents vengeance instead of turning the other cheek. 6. Satan represents responsibility to the responsible instead of concern for psychic vampires. 7. Satan represents man as just another animalsometimes better, more often worse than those that walk on all-fours--who, because of his divine spiritual and intellectual development, has become the most vicious animal of all. 8. Satan represents all of the so-called sins, as they all lead to physical, mental, or emotional gratification. 9. Satan has been the best friend the Church has ever had, as He kas kept it in business all these years. The next statements, "The Eleven Satanic Rules of the Earth" (copyright 1967), were written at about the same time, but were then considered too frank and brutal for general release and issued only to the membership. Here is the "Lex Satanicus," a law of the jungle for social interaction: 1. Do not give opinions or advice unless you are asked. 2. Do not tell your troubles to others unless you are sure they want to hear them. 3. When in another's lair, show him respect or else do not go there. 4. If a guest in your lair annoys you, treat him cruelly and without mercy. 5. Do not make sexual advances unless you are given the mating signal. 6. Do not take that which does not belong to you unless it is a burden to the other person and he cries out to be relieved. 7. Acknowledge the power of magic if you have employed it successfully to obtain your desires. If you deny the power of magic after having called upon it with success, you will lose all you have obtained. 8. Do not complain about anything to which you need not subject yourself. 9. Do not harm little children. 10. Do not kill non-human animals unless you are attacked or for your food. 11. When walking in open territory, bother no one. If someone bothers you, ask him to stop. If he does not stop, destroy him. Since we have been issuing statements of what we are seeking, it was considered time to make a list of behaviors that we wish to see avoided in the Satanic community. Satanists acknowledge that we are human and work towards perfection, but can sometimes fall into negative patterns of action. Thus was born the list of The "Nine Satanic Sins"(copyright 1987), guidelines for what Satanists consider to be non-productive behavior to be recognized and eliminated from one's daily existence. 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 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 vigilance lest 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 standpoint) 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, every day. 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 together as 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 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 for 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. Aesthetics is important in Lesser Magic and should be cultivated. It is obvious that no one can collect any money off classical standards of beauty and form most of the time so they are discouraged in a consumer society, but an eye for for beauty, for balance, is an essential Satanic tool and must be applied for greatest magical effectiveness. It's not what's supposed to be pleasing--it's what is. Aesthetics is a personal thing, reflective of one's own nature, but there are universally pleasing and harmonious configurations that should not be denied. This basically sums up the rudiments of Satanic philosophy. It certainly has nothing to do with the prevailing Judeo-Christian outlook of altruism and self-sacrifice, and can thus seem quite alien and frightening to one brought up in that world view. Realistically, the Satanic code of behavior is based on human nature as it is and thus comes naturally to most people who have not been deeply indoctrinated in anti-life and anti-rational belief systems. It is a fact that many people today call themselves Christians but really have no clear concept as to what that philosophy fully entails, so they generally behave in a Satanic fashion. We think that it is high time that this is recognized and that people call themselves what they truly are, not what is socially convenient for them. As you can see, there are no elements of Devil worship in the Church of Satan. Such practices are looked upon as being Christian heresies; believing in the Christian world view of God vs. the Devil and choosing to side with the Prince of Darkness. Satanists do not believe in the supernatural, in neither God nor the Devil. To the Satanist, he is his own God. Satan is a symbol of Man living as his prideful, carnal nature dictates. The reality behind Satan is simply the dark evolutionary force of entropy that permeates all of nature and provides the drive for survival and propagation inherent in all living things. Satan is not a conscious entity to be worshipped, rather a reservoir of power inside each human to be tapped at will. Thus any concept of sacrifice is rejected as a Christian aberration--in Satanism there's no diety to which one can sacrifice. Satanists do have experience of the super-normal in their practice of ritual or Greater Magic. This is a technique for influencing the outcome of human events to desired ends via reaching an extreme emotional state in the context of a ritual, sending forth a vision of what you want to occur (the Is To Be), which, if your levels of adrenaline are high enough, will permeate the unconscious minds of those you wish to influence, causing them to behave as you Will when the time is right. This does not mean that anything is possible, for it takes a great deal of energy to make a strong sending, and it is often difficult to influence events from the inertia of their present directions. Awareness of your abilities and what is possible to achieve is the hallmark of a successful Satanic magician. Satanists also practice Lesser Magic which is basically the day to day manipulation of your fellows to obtain your ends. Detailed techniques are given in _The Satanic Witch_. Recently we have seen certain evangelists and even academics calling Satanism a neo-Nazi movement. This is an innacurate label. The Nazi movement drew much of its power from a racist doctrine of Aryan superiority. Satanism is far more discerning than that. While there are provable biological differences between the races and statistically demonstrable performance levels in various activities, it is quite irrational to think that someone can be elite or not simply because of the color of their skin. Even if one comes from promising genetic stock, and by that we mean from ancestors who have proven their abilities to be superior in performance, this does not guarantee an individual's advancement. No, we Satanists only recognize an individual as elite if they prove it by cultivating their natually endowed abilities to the highest extent possible. This is something that requires the Satanic virtue of discipline, a quality we try to instill in our own iron youth. There are elite individuals from all ethnic backgrounds, and they are embraced by Satanism for the superior beings that they are--creating a uniquely Satanic ethnic. Satanists treasure individualism, hardly something to be gained goose-stepping down the "strasse." Yet we do not embrace an "anything goes" atmosphere wherein all values are relative and nothing rises above a sludge of commonality. Satanism encourages a return to more traditional values in art and literature such as mastery of technique and emotional communication, of form and function, design and execution. Satanists find a wealth of material in Western culture to be treasured for the pinnacle of human achievements that they are, and not to be buried under the swill of multiculturalist attempts to displace them with dubious achievements simply because they are non-Western as has become rampant in some academic circles of late. We call to each individual to seek human greatness wherever it can be found, from the vaults of history and from the talented producers of the present, and to deride the trendy sham for the shallow facade that it is. Since Satanism stands for acceptance of Man as an animal, there have often been creators in many past cultures who embraced this insight and explored it in the context of their society, thus we seek out these artisitic and philosophical expressions and see them to be the roots of our current awareness. Satanists see the social structure of humanity as being stratified, thus each person reaches a level commensurate with the development (or lack thereof) of their natural talents. The principle of the survival of the strong is advocated on all levels of society, from allowing an individual to stand or fall, to even letting those nations that cannot handle themselves take the consequences of this inability. Any assistance on all levels will be on a "quid pro quo" basis. There would be a concommitant reduction in the world's population as the weak are allowed to experience the consequences of social Darwinism. Thus has nature always acted to cleanse and strengthen her children. This is harsh, but that is the way of the world. We embrace reality and do not try to transform it into some utopia that is contrary to the very fabric of existence. Practical application of this doctrine would see the complete cessation of the welfare system, an end to no-strings attached foreign aid and new programs to award and encourage gifted individuals in all fields to pursue personal excellence. A meritocracy will replace the practice of such injustices as affirmative action and other programs designed to punish the able and reward the undeserving. Satanists also seek to enhance the laws of nature by concentrating on fostering the practice of eugenics. This is not some exotic doctrine hatched in the brains of Third Reich medical madmen. It is the practice of encouraging people of talent and ability to reproduce, to enrich the gene pool from which our species can grow. This was commonly practiced throughout the world, as even a text on eugenics endorsed by the Women's Christian Temperence Union can prove, until it was given a bad name by Nazi excesses. Until the genetic code is cracked and we can choose the character of our offspring at will, Satanists seek to mate the best with the best. Satanists who know that they are defective refrain from reproducing. Satanists are particulary disgusted by the extraordinary level of criminal activity which abounds today and thus advocate a return to the Roman "Lex Talionis"; let the punishment fit in kind and degree the crime. To achieve this, we would be pleased to see the institution of an elite police force, of men and women in peak physical and mental condition, trained in advanced techniques of crime fighting who would be truly equipped to handle the vermin that make so many of our cities into little more than concrete jungles. Man is by nature a social creature and makes his social contract with his fellows, thus rules of conduct are established to allow maximum freedom for individuals to interact. Disobey those rules and punishment must be swift and sure, and most probably public as well. This does not mean the incarceration of individuals in institutions at the expense of the victims for so called rehabilitation. No, these criminals must be put to some use, perhaps as forced labor to even clean up the environment that has so carelessly been soiled under the dominance of Christian spiritual philosophy that sees man as superior to other living creatures with a God-given right to abuse them at will. Man is an animal, and must go back to acting like one--not soiling his own lair as only twisted humans do. The Church of Satan pursues a five point plan to move society in directions that are considered to be beneficial to Satanists. The first point is the advocation of general recognition and acceptance of stratification, which is no less than the elimination of egalitarianism wherever it has taken root. Mediocrity shall be identified and despised. The stupid should suffer for their behavior. The truly beautiful and magnificent are to be cherished. Each individual must choose for himself his own aesthetic standards, but we think that there are certain elements of achievement that are undeniable, even if they are not satisfying to everyone. For example, one cannot deny the superior accomplishment inherent in a Beethoven symphony, a Michelangelo sculpture, a DaVinci painting, or a Shakespeare play. Many Satanists are working to create their own citadels of excellence outside of the cultural mainstream and have preserved the worthy from the past and continue to create new works of power to be unleashed to those who will be appreciative. The second point is the enforcement of strict taxation of all churches. This would remove the government sanction of religion and force these parasites to live off of their own members alone, and if they can't, then they will perish as they should. The Church of Satan has never pursued tax-exempt status and challenges all the rest of the world's churches to stand on their own feet. Let us expose the vampiric nature of the organized religions and see if they can withstand the light of day. Third, we call for the re-establishment of Lex Talionis throughout human society. The Judeo-Christian tradition which exists secularly under the guise of liberal humanism has exalted the criminal over the victim, taking responsibility away from the wrong-doer with their doctrine of forgiveness. Such thinking is a disgrace towards the ideal of justice. This must stop! Individuals must be held accountable for the consequences of their actions, and not be allowed to scapegoat society, history, or other supposed "outside" influences. It should come as no surprise that many Satanists are part of law enforcement agencies, and a large number of people throughout this and other criminal justice systems who fully agree with Satanic philosophy on this point. If the law is not being enforced, Satanists advocate the practice of seeking personal justice, but you are warned to be fully aware of the consequences of such actions in today's corrupt society. With the present state of affairs, the outcry may yet come to welcome justice back to stay. Fourth, Satanists advocate a new industry, the development and promotion of artificial human companions. These humanoids will be constructed to be as realistic as possible, and available to anyone who can afford one. Recognizing that the human animal often raises himself up throught the denegration of another, this would provide a safe outlet for such behavior. Have the lover of your dreams, regardless of your own prowess; every man a king who can purchase his own subject; or contrarywise, buy the master you wish to serve. Freedom of choice to satisfy your most secret desires with no-one to be bothered is now at hand. What could be better for blowing-off the tension that exists throughout our society, and promoting healthier interaction among true humans? Finally we advocate the construction of total environments, technologically up-to-date but theatrically convincing, to be literal pleasure domes and places of amusement and delight. We have seen the beginnings in some of the major theme parks, but let us take them on to the heights depicted in films like _Westworld_. Here you will be able to indulge in whatever environment you can imagine. Re-creation of past history would not only be ripe for these constructions, but science fiction and fantasy will provide fertile sources for many of these playgounds. Even now such projects are gearing up. Would the average person be able to spot a member of the Church of Satan? Since Satanists cover the total spectrum of economic and professional achievement, unless someone is sporting a sigil of Baphomet medallion, or wearing the Baphomet lapel pin signifying an official representative, you really can not pin down a Satanist by appearance and behavior alone. In their daily practices, Satanists are individuals who are enjoying their lives in the here and now. They eat what they please, dress as they please, and generally follow whatever life style suits them best, so long as it is within the laws of their country of residence. There is no requirement for participation in ritual activity. The techniques presented in our literature are for members to make use of as they so desire. Some Satanists enjoy the social atmosphere of group ritual and seek out others for this purpose. Many Satanists find their ritual activity to be very personal and prefer to remain solitary. Either path is acceptible to the Church of Satan. Indeed, there are no rules for frequency of ritual activity. Some celebrate the equinoxes and solstices as holidays, but of course one's own birthday is the highest Satanic holiday of the year. The ritual process is often used as a cathartic, to cleanse the individual of desires that could turn into compulsions if they remained unfulfilled, thus such practices take the place of therapy. Satanists cherish their individuality and do not try to conform to others' standards of normality. Also, Satanists do not proselytize so you will not find yourself approached by someone in a black cloak waving tracts in your face. We have our literature readily available, and should someone find the philosophy to be to their liking, they may approach us to investigate the possibility of affiliation (Church of Satan, P.O. Box 210666, San Francisco, CA 94121). The general public would probably be surprised to find that they have been interacting with Satanists for many years, and that these Satanists will be some of the most interesting, fair, trustworthy, and enjoyable people that they know. The world, when fully permeated by Satanism, will provide a challenging environment wherein you can achieve much, or little, based on the level of input you can muster and the extent of your natural abilities. Yes, this is frightening to the masses who wish to sit back and be herded from one media-hyped product to the next. Our world challenges you to think, and do something with those thoughts! As ulimate realists, we do not expect a large percentage of the human population to have the energy and discipline needed to excell, nor would a Satanic society attempt to force people to do that which is beyond their capabilities-- but we will not refrain from judging these people by our standards. Those who wish to lead a drugged existence, whether the addictive element is chemical or media, shall be recognized for the slaves that they are and held in contempt. They can continue their self-destructive paths if so desired, but they shall not be allowed to hold back those who want to achieve greatness. Don't worry, you who have been fooled into believing the paper tiger displayed by today's media; we Satanists aren't after your children, for they are probably as hopelessly mediocre as their parents. But we are moving the world towards a state wherein the freeloaders will either work or starve, and the parasites will be removed to wither and die. So, you need only fear real Satanism if you are a criminal, a parasite, or a wastrel. Are _you_ afraid? * The "Nine Satanic Statements," "The Eleven Satanic Rules of the Earth," and "The Nine Satanic Sins" are copyrighted by Anton Szandor LaVey and may not be reproduced without pemission. Are you a Satanist? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This is a bit of a loaded question, since there are several different conceptions of what Satanism really is. Most pagans do not worship Satan or practice Satanic rites. Some pagans practice something called Satanism, but it is a far cry from the Hollywood image of Satanism. These people tend to value pleasure as a primary motivation, or to find meaning in images which the repressive Christian churches attacked. For some of these folk, reclaiming the word "Satanist" is an act of resistance against oppression. For more information on Satanism as a religion, please check out alt.satanism. If what you're really wanting to know is do we sacrifice babies and worship an evil incarnate, the answer's no. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- BLACK ORDER -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Should the subduing talisman, the Cross, break then will come the roaring forth of wild madness of the old champions... The talisman is brittle, and the day will come when it will pitifully break. The old stone gods will rise... and rub the dust of a thousand years from their eyes. And Thor, leaping forth with his giant hammer, will crush the Gothic Cathedrals!" So wrote the poet Heinrich Heine in 1834. A century later the ancient berserker force was unleashed from the restraints not only of Christianity, but the whole liberal/rationalist/materialist complex which had stricken Europe for so long. National Socialist Germany saw the resurgence of Man as an instinctive animal, a part of nature, in contrast to the Christian dogma of man distinct and apart from nature. Man's animal self was repressed by the Nazarene creed, and the political dogmas it gave birth to. These anti-life forces, including Marxism, Christianity and capitalism, repressed the instinctive nature of Man. Repression causes neuroses which seek outlets, and Germany exploded as the repressed forces of man's primal nature were unleashed with the appeal to Life made by the NSDAP. The Swiss psychologist Jung saw National Socialism as necessary for making whole the German volk, which had been split off from its "Shadow" Self, that dark path of the collective unconscious of a people which is repressed from consciousness. He saw this Shadow Self of the Germans embodied in the archetypal dark god Wotan. In late 19th and early 20th century Germany and Austria there were many flourishing esoteric orders which sought to establish a reborn Germanic identity and to reconnect the volk with its repressed archetypes. One of the most significant of these Orders was founded in Germany in 1912 - the German Order. From this sprang the Thule Society whose driving force was Rudolf von Serbottendorff. He had been schooled in occultism, Islamic mysticism, alchemy, Rosicrucianism and much else, in Turkey, where he had also been initiated into Freemasonry. Thule served as the recruiting and political action front of the German Order. Serbottendorff bought a failing Munich newspaper, the Beobachter which he renamed the Volkische Beobachter and it became the official newspaper of the NSDAP. A movement to promote Thulian ideas among industrial workers and to offset Marxism, was formed in 1918 - the Workers' Political Circle - with Thulist Karl Harrer as chairman. From this came the German Workers' Party in 1919. A year later this became the NSDAP under the leadership of Adolf Hitler. Serbottendorff himself stated: "Thule members were the people whom Hitler first turned and who first allied themselves with Hitler." The Thule society was active in efforts to overthrow the Barvarian Communist Government. Their propaganda effort was aided by a journalist, poet, and occult student Dietrich Eckart, who was the major intellectual influence on Hitler in the early years. The swastika flag adopted by the NSDAP was the brain-child of another Thulist, Dr Krohn. With the victory of the Nazi Party, the occult tradition was carried on in the Third Reich mainly by the SS, who Reichsfuhrer, Himmler, was an avid student of the occult. An SS occult research department, the Ahnernerbe (Ancestral Heritage) was established in 1935 with SS Colonel Wolfram von Sievers at its head. Occult research took SS researchers as far afield as Tibet. Sievers had the Tantrik prayer, the Bardo Thodol, read over his body after his execution at Nuremberg. National Socialism and the Third Reich represented a major attempt by high esoteric Adepts to re-establish a Culture based on the Laws of Nature, against the entrenched forces of anti-Life. Nothing that ambitious had been tried since the founding of the American Republic by Masonic adepts. BLACK ORDER ARTICLES OF FAITH 1. We believe in Uralten - the Original or Ancient One of Germanics as representation of the creative/destructive force that permeates the cosmos, the Entropy of physics. 2. Our creed is therefore based on the Laws of Nature, as revealed by science. 3. Feelings of oneness and attunement with Nature and the Cosmos as manifestations of the Uralten-Force is "good". That which weakens is "evil". 4. Our morality is: that which strengthens the individual as a manifestation of the Uralten-Force is "good". That which weakens is "evil". 5. We hold that Nature, and therefore history, is cyclic, governed by cycles of life-death-renewal, and that these principle governs the rise and fall of Civilizations. This is the ancient wisdom of the esoteric schools of both East and West. 6. The cosmos operates on the basis of polarities, a doctrine common to the ancient cosmologies of the Norse, Eastern Taoists, Pythagoreans and the Hebrew Kabbalists, and that the interaction of these polarities causes evolution. 7. Man need not be a passive spectator or victim of the "gods" or "Fate", but by understanding the laws of the cosmos can, through his will, be an active agent in the evolutionary process. 8. Those attuned to the Uralten Force flowing through Nature have the essence of the Force within, and are links in an evolutionary chain toward the "Nietzschean Over-Man". 9. Man's destiny is to play amongst the stars; the destiny of his evolution into the foreseeable future : Homo Galactica. * * * Dealing with Other Satanic Organizations -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- There are a number of different Satanic organizations oper- ating in the United States and across the world today. It can be truly said, however, that most of them derive the core of their philosophy from the Church of Satan, founded in A.S. I (1966 C.E.) by Anton Szandor LaVey. The Ordo Templi Satanis is no exception to this. The major differences in the various Satanic groups would seem to lie in two areas; cosmology and organization. Cosmologi- cally speaking, for instance, the Church of Satan is a materially oriented group which does not believe in a literal Satan, but which does profess belief in the powers of ceremonial magic. In these respects the Church of Satan is much like the Ordo Templi Satanis. Other groups, however, such as the Temple of Set, do indeed believe in a literal figure, which they name Set (from the Egyptian deity) and have a very involved cosmological explanation of the universe, drawing on the works of Crowley and a purported "infernal revelation" from Set to Dr. Michael Aquino, founder of the Temple of Set (and a former member of the Church of Satan). Organizationally, however, groups such as the Church of Satan and the Werewolf Order (founded by Nicholas Shreck and Zeena LaVey, daughter of Anton LaVey) are decentralized to an extreme, saying that no organization is necessary or desirable. Each Satanist, they claim, should follow his own Satanic path, and eventually the goals of Satanism will be achieved by a con- fluence of individuals working separately, but with a common mind set. Other groups, such as the Ordo Templi Satanis and the Temple of Set, have retained a much more organized structure (the Ordo Templi Satanis is perhaps the most rigidly organized among them), stating that such organization fosters the growth and development of the membership along Satanic lines of thought, and that commu- nication between members strengthens their commitment to Satan- ism. This very diversity among Satanists is indicative of the depth of the Satanic philosophy, which is a big enough tent to harbor many diverse groups. No group should claim any sort of spiritual, moral, or political superiority over the others; such claims are self-defeating and such dissension only plays into the hands of Satanism's enemies. How then should the Ordo Templi Satanis deal with these other Satanic groups? Obviously we have much more in common, philosophically, cosmologically, and politically, than we have differences, and we are certainly closer to one another than we are to any other religion. The Ordo Templi Satanis should there- fore attempt to cultivate friendly and cooperative relationships with the various Satanic groups and the major individuals who represent the shining stars among Satanists today. All groups have little to lose by such association, and everything to gain. However, there will always be groups and individuals that will, for whatever reason (usually pride) refuse to have anything to do with others, claiming an exclusive lock on the truth or some sort of inherent position of leadership which sounds more like Christianity than Satanism. If such individuals and groups persist in their hostility towards the Order, then by all means the Order should react if necessary. In this (as in all things) we should strive to apply the Fifth Satanic Rule of the Earth: "If a guest in your lair annoys you, treat him cruelly and with- out mercy." -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- THE OCCULT-FASCIST AXIS -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Fascism arose as a revolt against the rationalism of the 18th and 19th centuries. The First World War struck at the depths of the psyche, and plunged the rationalist world view into disarray and a retreat that saw its grand vision of a "League of Nations" dashed. The spread of occult societies during the end of the 19th century and beginning of the 20th centuries was likewise a response to the sterility of the rationalism and materialism. It is not surprising then that the ground for Fascism was largely prepared by esoteric societies which arose in Europe. Among these were the New Templars of Von Liebenfels, the Runic order of Von List, and the German Order. The latter gave rise to the Thule Society, which was to establish the NSDAP as its political front. It was Thule which provided the fledgling party with its own newspaper, the Volkische Beobachter, many of its officials, and the swastika flag designed by Thulist Dr Krohn. SHADOW OF THE SOUL Fascism reached to the Shadow of the European soul that had been repressed over a century of materialism, liberalism, rationalism and cosmopolitanism. It awakened the Berserker rage, the Spartan ethos, the martial spirit of the Roman Legions. It sought to bring balance back to a world that had been made lop-sided with the inversion of Nature, and of instinct by the Nazarene creed, and its Marxist and capitalist offshoots. In German National Socialism, Carl Jung (founder of Analytical Psychology) saw the embodiment of the repressed "Shadow" of the German soul, which he named the Wotan archetype after the ancient Germanic god. Nazism and the fascist variants throughout Europe were a cathartic release from repression, a smashing of the very thin veneer of "civilization" that had held back the tribal, warrior ethos flowing through the veins of Europeans from the mists of creation, waiting to be reawakened and released. Jung had written of such matters: "We cannot possibly get beyond our present level of culture unless we receive a powerful impetus from our primitive roots. But we shall receive it only if we go back beyond our cultural level, thus giving the suppressed primitive man in ourselves a chance to develop. ... We need some new foundations. We must dig down to the primitive in us, for only out of the conflict between civilized man and the Germanic barbarian will there come what we need: a new experience of god." DARK FORCE Despite the phenomenon of Neo-Paganism (properly so called to distinguish it from Paganism per se), of wicca and New Age pacifist, cosmopolitan, internationalist creeds, there are today today a plethora of genuinely Pagan societies which remain true to the tribalist, warrior ethos of their ancestors. They are "Satanist" or "sinister" in that they recognise the dark, entropic force of Nature, the cyclic ebb and flow of history, and the creative act of destruction. These "sinister" esoteric societies proclaim the "Daemonic revolution", to usher in the New Order on the collapse of the Old; a New Order that will reawaken the Dark soul of man, that he might live as a totality with the Light and the Dark returned to balance. These esoteric societies recognize Fascism (whether called by that name of not) as the political expression of primal truths. They include The Black Order of Pan-Europa, Fraternity of Balder, Order of Nine Angles, Abraxas Foundation, Blood Axis... All such groups are playing their part in the unfolding of Aeonic destiny and the approach of Ragnarok. Fenrir is about to be unleashed!