Myth busting in Satanism is a problem.

Hold on, I don’t think you read that correctly, because you’re agreeing with me. Let me try again: MYTH BUSTING is the problem, not the “lack of myth busting.” Yes, myth busting itself. (Okay, now we’re on the same page.) It’s true. I don’t feel comforted to know that people are trying to “explain Satanism.” In fact, some days I’m afraid it may give me an ulcer. I know that something is about to be shared that isn’t true. I know that someone’s going to walk away feeling educated, even though they are more than likely farther from their target than before. Even Satanists who accurately identify as Satanists often say the wrong thing when they’re trying to “help dispel misconceptions.” It’s horrible. You wouldn’t think this would be an issue since it’s not an issue in other belief systems, but no, it is, and it’s entirely unnecessary because the authorities in Satanism have made it very clear:

I have concerns.

In the years that I have been a member of the Satanic community overall, I have seen many things, but one thing I am not seeing is something so important that its absence frightens me... Am I the only one that noticed the Satanic population's tribalistic absolution of our own hypocrisy here in Satanism? Or, am I simply one of the few who knows it to exist? I tremble to imagine it's tribalism, and plea to all that is good that it's only simple ignorance, and therefore not hypocritical in itself. I choose to believe that the problem we have here is lack of awareness toward the hypocrisies of Satanism, and I choose to believe that it is not willful.

But, why should Satanism stand alone against the same trials that we use to mock other religions? Is it somehow better, just because it's ours? Does something only deserve to be put to the test when it pisses us off?

Everything burns in January. It’s not only furnace flames that lap at the dried timber and kindling, but the way the icicles pop and snap from their rooftop perches when the shattering cold mercilessly bullies even them. It’s the way the forest sings in creaks and sighs, and the way its pine needles bristle against one another, as if the trees whisper dark secrets to one another about an unstoppable impending doom. Animals gently leave their mark in white beneath the glassy branches, suffering the oppressive gnaw of chill upon their noses, ears, and other sacrificed tips, all under the pale torch of a moonlit sky. This is the season of Belial.

​Satanists get a bad rap when it comes to self-prioritization. I’ve gotten into my fair share of “debates” regarding the selfishness of Satanists as a whole, and they never really resembled a “debate” as much as a chilling exposure of how preconceived notions and half-assed understandings can so deeply wound a person’s impression of us. Left unchallenged, it steeps like a rancid odor, and before anyone can notice, a full-fledged and completely misdirected prejudice evolves from the mold. One conversation regarding “What’s best for the group vs what’s best for the individual” comes to mind. The person I was speaking with was adamant that the group’s needs should always win-out in such conflict. I continue to disagree with their position. Just because the herd wants something doesn’t mean it’s good for them. Hello, have we heard of the Holocaust? How about politics in general?

​Panic! Panic, panic, panic! Panic, panic—when we panic not only have trouble thinking of anything else, we stop thinking entirely. We enter a fight-or-flight mode that once upon a time probably was quite helpful to motivate us out of a dangerous situation, but in the modern era we war against a threat that we can’t outrun. It stays with us then, and it lingers like an odor that we can’t quite wash from our minds. In times like these it’s a daily struggle to evict it from that dark corner of our brain, and all the while it grows like a stubborn black mold over our logical processes, hiding them from us completely. What hope can we have to successfully work through a problem if we can’t reach the tools to solve it with? How can we defeat our internal fears when external ‘validations’ are only feeding the issue? I’ll tell you what: you’re better than this cycle. You’re much better. You’re stronger, and you deserve more than to feel insecure about what’s going to happen in the next few weeks, in the next few months. Let’s put an end to that line of thinking right now… Solid ground isn’t so difficult to find when you know how to go about finding it.

This blog is dedicated to “Satanic styled” self-care during the Coronavirus pandemic, specifically with respect to handling stress and anxiety about the uncertain nature of the situation. I’m not a doctor, this isn’t medical advice, I am just a friend. I am writing these words because I want to inspire you to take control of your situation. As helpless as you feel, you aren’t. You’re a god. You alone are in charge of your fate, and you’re doing the right thing by seeking a different perspective on the matter. Let’s not let you down.

To my knowledge, I have never been a consumer of conspiracy theories. I’m sure that maybe here and there one or two of them have a solitary lick of truth to them, but aside from that I just don’t see the point in putting all of that suspicious energy into something intangible when you could purpose that energy into something productive and useful. That said, there are indeed some outrageous tales of truth out there that if not for the undeniable evidence in support, we’d all prefer to write off as myth, hoax, and simple defamation. There’s a fine line in this. We all have our own, it’s that point where we accept responsibility for ourselves instead of harboring the expectation that other people will always have our best interests at heart instead of theirs.

There are some topics which I know I could go on for decades, for centuries about. I’m going to do my best here to prevent this from turning into an endless rant, because I know what goes into a good story, and there is nothing good about this one. This is something that all Satanists, I boldly propose and declare, have encountered. This is something that makes us all ball our hands (even in our minds!) throw them into the air, and bellow a loud “No, you stupid fuck!!” Stupidity, as you may be aware, is one of our sins, and so you can feel assured at the degree this subject grates on us. A rant is overdue. A rant is far overdue.

I just went toe-to-toe with a vampire who insists on returning to my life. Here's the trouble: I love her (platonically or professionally; this is NOT romantic love/about my wife), and I do feel that her disturbing unwellness does not reflect the butterfly within, sort to speak. It gets in her way. Aside from her professionally diagnosed disorders, I consider this to be an additional type of sickness, and I despise the sickness, not the person. I think of it like a behavioral disability which she cannot currently control with the life-tools in her arsenal. I find her responsible for her actions, but I don't hate *her* for her sickness. I really want to make it clear that they're separate in my book. Illness doesn't need to define us, and it's clear when the sickness is talking vs when it's her. That sickness though...

You may or may not be aware, but one of the reasons I made this blog was as a way to keep the blogs that I posted on Satanists Amino. Satanists Amino is an unofficial platform where Satanists, Luciferians, allies, and curious minds gather where we can be ourselves and express ourselves in a little corner of the internet outside of the public eye. I was a little surprised at the reaction of my sharing it, and I am still surprised that it continues to be linked to, read, and commented on. People like this piece, but that wasn't why I wrote it. I wrote it for a personal reason: as a reaction to an outrageous interaction I had in early December 2018 with a chubby snot of a woman at a family restaurant. It was basically an Applebees or a Chiles, if you have either such place near you. It doesn't really matter where it happened, what matters is that it happened, and it angered me enough to do something about it.

It’s around this time of year that I think back on an especially fond memory that wouldn’t have been possible without Satanism. It feels strange to declare that. It feels strange to say it like that even, but it is, nevertheless, true. I suspect that I’m not the only one who feels this way: Satanism isn’t like other religions. While it isn’t something which can be used as an excuse for any particular behavior (personal responsibility is paramount!), it doesn’t change that the religious perspective embraces certain aspects of human nature that other religions seek to suppress; and specifically Christianity comes to mind since it’s the belief system I was raised within. I was raised to militantly observe the values of that faith, and that includes acknowledging the major sins and virtues, even though it was never really fully explained to me what those sins and virtues were beyond a surface level—something I feel likely happens on a mass scale with the general Christian public.

Written in 1969 by Anton LaVey and published by Avon Books after several refusals from other publishing houses due to nature of its content, the Satanic Bible is revered as the central doctrine of Satanism, and is a required read for any person looking to understand the religion in general or for their own purposes. The book itself is not written as other religious texts are, but presents more as a philosophical manifesto that includes everything from commentary in essays on critical concepts that make up the religion to occult resources dating back as early the 17th century.

I get a lot of questions about my Satanic magic, and it’s no surprise: I tout myself as a successful witch because I am one. Still, I’ve never crawled in bed with psychology, and I certainly haven’t studied hypnotism or the occult in any capacity beyond mere passing curiosity. What makes me a successful witch is that I’m willing to try things that others aren’t; and that includes advanced magic practices that combine the different types of magic in Satanism. If you haven’t familiarized yourself with the two types of magic in Satanism at this point in your research you should probably do so before going any further to avoid potential confusion or misunderstanding of what I refer to when I describe my personal magical practice.

Undoubtedly you are familiar with the elements of the Satanic Ritual, and I may have said on more than one occasion explained that I find them therapeutic, not supernatural, so I’ll refrain from saying so again, but it doesn’t mean that the elements that I choose to perform my ritual aren’t chosen with precision and care. The tools I use are selected for an exact purpose, and if something isn’t right with one of them it drives a wedge into the process and for me at least: will impair me in trying to achieve my goal. Ritual props are important. Let’s talk about Ritual props and just how important they are, and I’ll tell you about why I decided to make my own Book of Brimstone from scratch with these two hands of my own.

Satanism has been called many things. Some people say it’s a cult. Some say it’s a religion. Others say, “no way! That’s not a religion! It’s just a philosophy!” But do we know what these words really mean, or do we only know how they make us feel? Are we assigning a definition and label to something based on our comfort level alone or are we being true to the meanings of the words we use? The definition of religion and theology in general is something that will never be out of fashion to debate academically: as culture evolves, so will the way we define our world, but that doesn’t mean that the definitions themselves will change because definitions don’t change (the words we use to describe a concept will though)! So let’s talk about actual definitions, and let’s talk about definitions used by the authority figures in our world instead of what we heard our best friend’s cousin use on Tumblr. I bet you’ve wondered what the difference between these words are, so let’s find out together, one brave step at a time.

Whatever your reasoning for doing so be, if you’re reading this blog you have released your ship from the dock of “rumor” and are investigating Satanism for yourself. The ocean is vast, and it can be hard to know where to start with so many different ports in the world. Some of them are dangerous, some of them pretend to be something they’re not, and some of them speak complicated languages that pull you down a rabbit hole of mysticism, esotericism, and all that—not something you really have time to do just yet when you’re only just now deciding to get your toes wet. So where do you go? Unlike Abrahamic traditions there aren’t people standing on every street corner looking to convert you to the religion. That in itself, coming from the world you have been raised in, may be a bit intimidating, and that doesn’t help you steer to a destination you don’t know. Want a hint?