Hail Satan!
REACH OUT AND TOUCH YOURSELF
I tried to define Satanism
there's the start of your problems. the reason that Satanism
cannot be defined is that it is escapist, reactionary, and
proceeds from individual motivations that cannot truly be
limited except for social elitist purposes (not realistic).
in terms of either orthodoxy, (particular
beliefs) or orthopraxy (particular practices), and found both failed.
good findings. liberative and helpful.
My current idea is that Satanism is symptomological. In laymen's
terms, if you have the cold or flu, you have certain symptoms. They're
not all present, but a certain combination of them helps to
differentiate which illness you have. That's how I view Satanism, as a
certain grouping of beliefs and practices that may not all be present,
but enough are present to determine Satanic qualities.
observations on what you are seeing in Satanism. this is comparable
to how good dictionaries are constructed. the practice of attempting
to "define" rather than to "describe" is problematic for individual
authority, autonomy, and beauty. people who take dictionaries as
definitive are ignorant idiots, and should be compared with those
who conduct their spiritual/religious affairs according to definitions.
What I find goofy is the problems of Satanism are that it is the leper
colony of occultism.
LOL -- it presents on the edge of Western religion to which
the wart of The Occult has been relegated.
Perhaps leech colony would be a better phrase.
For example, the ranks and grades are taken straight from other occult
organizations without reference to them.
correction: certain limited occult orgs. not all occult orgs have
rankings, some are anarchic, some are networked but
not hierarchic, some are recognizing but no defining.
The grades like Magister, Ippissimus, and Magus
Hermetic > Rosicrucian > Golden Dawn
the term is Ipsissimus. these are often splayed onto a map
made of sefirotic ladder-schemes.
1.) People who are reincarnated Buddhas, who forsake parinirvana to
guide those that are left behind.
LOL especially amongst those with a Buddhism-fetish. the
Buddhists themselves do *not* acknowledge this condition
and there is little evidence that *anybody* ever achieved
any of these things.
2.) People who sacrifice their elemental self and go into complete
communication with the Higher Will, Holy Guardian Angel, Godhead, etc.
the Matrix of Hermetic magic, self-destructive and enslaving to the
cult of the wannabe mage. pay attention to who is the target of this
rhetoric and how it is used to secure a workforce and creative
reservoir.
That means a revocation of individual will (not capitalized) for
Greater Will.
watch how these are changed and switched out for self-destructive
and enslaving alternatives through time, locating the special
"Will" (true!) outside the person and body of the individual
who is targetted as the receiver of the memes. it's a trap,
made to get the cult more converts and the leaders more Herd.
Given the range of occult practices in the world, it's
easy to construct ranks and grades from a number of sources,
most of these based on castles in the clouds and without any
kind of supplementary validation as to the condition of the
recipients of these 'august offices'.
why use
ones that are based on Kabbalah and the idea of self-sacrifice?
depends on who you are asking.
Hermetics and Christians:
competition with Jews (whose God's favour they seek)
austerity-contests (after Indian yogis and Persian fakirs)
subversion to the cult (in a general religious trend)
Satanists:
competition with Hermetics and Christians
not admitted, attention-grabbing,
and twisting original materials
toward ridiculous ends
inverted accomplishment values (ascetic)
self-sacrifice is usually understood
to represent *Christian* standards,
and since many Satanists are both
former Christians (like the bulk of
Neopagans pre-1980s) and anti-Christian,
this idea will not sit well with those
cannot sacrifice ideals of individualism
subversion to the cult (misguided)
if we have a bigger Herd to back us this
must mean that we are more Correct; even
if it means we completely lose sight of
the ideals upon which Satanism proper
are demonstrably based
Seems antithetical to me.
totally. the idiots replicate the Herd-religion of the past and
hope by doing so that they may fabricate a glorious vehicle for
the 'restitution' of Satanism -- something which has never
existed overtly until this century. they will fail and make
again a futile social shell masquerading as something helpful,
and from which, if successfully creating a new improved Herd,
Satanism may crawl.
This makes genuine occultists think Satanism is more or less
a social fad that leeches from other systems when it can't
create something of its own.
that's because most religious movements are precisely that,
and require innovative construction in order to seem valuable
on the surface. Neopaganism and its step-child, Satanism, are
not the host of many intellectuals and writers (many are anti-
intellectuals and anti-book due to past involvements), and so
must sometimes make do with the creations of others which they
will attempt to use for their own purposes (as did LaVey, whose
text was passable but whose later presenter and partner, Barton,
was his superior).
if this seems unconvincing, it should, but it should not
be dismissed merely because the proponents aren't bookish
nerds who like ladder-climbing schemes in mystic hoo-haw suits.
that's the route taken by ToSsers, whose Goldawnian echo is
not Satanism even by their own admission (except as competition).
Worse, what's called "ceremonial magick" requires a basic
the terminology breaks down at this point, primarily because
the term 'ceremonial has acquired a kind of traditional mark
of common structure and steam from repeated publishing efforts,
while the term 'magick' is usually the system offered up by
Crowley, himself a post-Goldawnian reject.
Additional System Study (Gnostic, Lucifierian, Hermetic,
Thelemic, Typhonian, and Egyptian Magick)
helpful but not necessary.
Natural History
extremely helpful for those who put stock in the
Doctrine of Signatures, but otherwise of variable value.
Religious Study/ Philosophic Study/ Social Study/ Psychology
Yoga and Kundalini
supplemental, not necessary in the slightest except
for particular cults involved with promoting it.
The Elemental Properties (W, A, E, F)
Astrology
Tarot
generally divination, which is the other main category of
occult study aside from magic.
Language, (Greek, Hebrew, Latin)
helpful but not necessary at all.
Extensive knowledge of Qabalah
this should be up there under "systems" and isn't necessary
outside certain structures or traditions of ceremonial magic.
for solitary, or individual practice, for example, it can be
completely disregarded except as an optional method to gain
self-confirmation outside the rational mind (and this of
arguably imprecise value).
Math Theory & Gematria
unnecessary as above. that it may be used (as "qabalah" above)
does not indicate its essentialness to the art).
Invocation and Evocation
imperative.
Creating Sigils and Pendants, using Sigil magick, etc.
valuable and helpful.
Kamea, mantras, mudras, and assorted Magickal square making techniques
valuable, but not essental.
Magickal Tools: The Robe, the Altar, the Temple
helpful but not essential. these last 4 are better than previous
in order to hit on the necessary elements for practice.
The list goes on but that's a fair synopsis.
it isn't surprising what was included given what is usually passed
off as "ceremonial magick" in text like "Modern Magick" and "Magick
in Theory and Practice". the cult wants to constrain to its form
and shape and craft the mind of the aspirant to its cosmologies.
That's not even for the higher ranks of teaching, that's just
for the lower grades.
in matricular orders a great deal of knowledge may be required
and tested. why is it of any value to Satanists, especially to
those who are ostensibly atheists and non-occultists? we should
pay close attention and ask why the Enochian Calls and quasi-
Wiccan rituals were introduced to Satanism early in its history.
The
closest group that comes to this is the Temple of Set, and this can be
seen in the quality of even their ex-members. The ex-ToS'ers on
alt.satanism were some of the most intelligent commentators....
you're trying to establish standards within Satanism so as to beef
up the substance of posts to alt.satanism??!! that'd be silly.
So, do you want lots of members or a few high quality ones?
Take your pick.
organizations are for the exploitation of membership in pursuit
of agreed goals. individualism is always sacrificed for this,
which is why "Satanic church" is an oxymoron. those who haven't
yet understood the farce and fiction of a Satanic church aren't
cut out for solitary practice or integration into Satanism proper.
1974: "Their racist ideals are also worn on their sleeves, and, I
believe, as removable as their armbands... The C/S must be O.K., like
the Hell's Angels. The colors are similar..... My Satanic amulet
gives me power. I'm not the misfit anymore, with pimples and a heart
murmur and flat feet. What does it matter anymore that I can't play
baseball or don't spell too good? So what if I can't get a girl?
I got my armband. You see, we are dealing with a level of intelligence
on which imagery and ideals are easily interchangeable." (personal
papers)
excellent! correct. because we may be dealing with this level of
intellect, this doesn't mean that it must remain there. however,
this level of intellect brought to bear on the problem of a lack
of clearly-delineated authority will always fail to crack it.
if you want to construct something helpful, it will be for the
individual to do on their own with or without the help of their
fellow Satanists, and won't cement into a hierarchic structure.
blessed beast!
HUMAN-BURGERS ARE PEOPLE FOOD
boboroshi at-sign satanservice.org: Satanic Outreach Director
Church of Euthanasia: http://www.churchofeuthanasia.org/
TOKUS WEBLINKS: http://dmoz.org/Bookmarks/B/boboroshi/
Ninth Scholar's Library (Satanism Archive): http://www.satanservice.org/