LaVey-satanism-class

Welcome to LaVey-satanism-class!

Teacher: [Maurer's conclusions]

Students:

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Brief Outline:

1. Abbreviations
2. What is the Church of Satan?
3. Who was Anton Szandor LaVey?
4. Satanism as seen by the Church of Satan

Abbreviations

CoS, C/S - Church of Satan
TSB - The Satanic Bible
TSR - The Satanic Rituals
TSW - The Satanic Witch
DN - Devil's Notebook
ASL - Anton Szandor LaVey
Statements - The Nine Satanic Statements
Sins - The Nine Satanic Sins
RotE - The Eleven Satanic Rules of the Earth
LHP - Left Hand Path

What is the Church of Satan?

Established in 1966 by Anton Szandor LaVey, the High Priest, it's purpose was to start a revolution to smash the hypocrisy and unreason which has dominated mankind for the past 2000 years.

The CoS is a user-driven organisation, since members are involved and advanced exactly as their own desires, abilities and accomplishments dictate. There are no set activities, meetings or contacts. The new member comes to the organization, ideally, with his own goals and plans for achieving them; he presents them to the Church and is directed in the way that would be most mutually beneficial. The CoS is not looking for people who join and want the Church to "put on a show," taking them by the hand, introducing them to their new friends, telling them what time to show up for the weekly get-together and what to wear. Satanists are not put in contact automatically, or by geographical proximity; this has been tried and found a failure. True elitists are by their nature very individualistic and neighboring members won't necessarily have anything in common; "just being Satanists together" isn't enough. When the Church observes members making advances on their own in their chosen fields of endeavor, they are put in contact with other members running on the same track; and the Church reports success. There are also members who are satisfied simply to join and be counted among the adherents to a philosophy that best embodies their own true nature.

Who was Anton Szandor LaVey?

Anton Szandor LaVey was born in gangland-era Chicago on April 11, 1930; but his parents moved to California soon after his birth. After a restless youth, where he made his first supernatural experiences, he dropped out of high school at the age of 16, deciding to become second oboist for the San Francisco Ballet Orchestra. Later, he decided the circus was a good place for an energetic young man with his talents, and so he signed on with the Clyde Beatty Circus.

At 17, LaVey was taming eight Nubian Lions and four Bengal tigers alone in the big cage and developed a close relation with and an affection for the big cats. But his musical talents were not wasted, either, and he played the calliope regularly, accompanying circus greats from the Flying Wallendas to Hugo Zachinni.

LaVey extended his knowledge of the outdoor entertainment industry by joining the carnival and amusement park circuit, working some of the biggest traveling shows on the Pacific Coast. Playing calliope, Wurlitzer band organ, or Hammond along every midway, LaVey also worked with famed freaky in the "Ten-in-One." He was in his element among the loners, drifters and marginal types who have always been attracted to the cynical carnival atmosphere. It was here LaVey learned how much people will pay to be fooled -- how desperately they want to escape their own dull lives.

After a short career as a photographer for the SFPD and an investigator in occult affairs, LaVey completely devoted himself to exploring the occult and magic. He founded the "Magic Circle" and held magical lectures on various subjects. Finally, on Walpurgisnacht 1966, his life work came to an unmatched culmination when he founded the Church of Satan, proclaiming the Satanic Year I.

As a lot of (false) rumors and even more lies have been spread over the net (and they still are), here is a short fact account of Dr. LaVey's death.

Having a long-standing valvular problem associated with rheumatic heart disease, Anton LaVey had some kind of massive cardiac arrhythmia after several internal bleedings in late summer of 1997 C.E. had been treated in hospital. He died on October the 29th, in St. Mary's Hospital, a Catholic hospital associated with the University of San Francisco. He was brought to St. Mary's because it was the closest; he had never been treated there before. Although there has been some confusion with his funeral records, some listed Halloween as his death date, rumors that his death has been caused deliberately by a Christian nurse are grossly false. He was being given a Satanic funeral, attended only by his closest relatives and was cremated afterwards.

Satanism as seen by the Church of Satan

Philosophies

The following Five-Point Program reflects attitudes which allow others to decide whether they wish to align themselves with Satanism or not. Each is necessary for Satanic change to take place.

1. Stratification
The point on which all the others ultimately rest. There can be no more myth of "equality" for all--it only translates to "mediocrity" and supports the weak at the expense of the strong. Water must be allowed to seek its own level without interference from apologists for incompetence. No one should be protected from the effects of his own stupidity.

2. Strict Taxation Of All Churches
If churches were taxed for all their income and property, they'd crumble overnight of their own obsolescence, and the National Debt would be wiped out as quickly. The productive, the creative, the resourceful should be subsidized. So long as the useless and incompetent are getting paid, they should be heavily taxed.

3. No Tolerance For Religious Beliefs Secularized And Incorporated Into Law And Order Issues
To re-establish "Lex Talionis" would require a complete overturning of the present in-justice system based on Judeo-Christian ideals, where the victim/defender has been made the criminal. Amnesty should be considered for anyone in prison because of his alleged "influence" upon the actual perpetrator of the crime. Everyone is influenced in what he or she does. Scapegoating has become a way of life, a means of survival for the unfit. As an extension of the Judeo-Christian cop-out of blaming the Devil for everything, criminals can gain leniency, even praise, by placing the blame on a convenient villain. Following the Satanic creed of "Responsibility to the responsible," in a Satanic society, everyone must experience the consequences of his own actions -- for good or ill.

4. Development And Production Of Artificial Human Companions
The forbidden industry. An economic "godsend" which will allow everyone "power" over someone else. Polite, sophisticated, technologically feasible slavery. And the most profitable industry since TV and the computer.

5. The Opportunity For Anyone To Live Within A Total Environment Of His Or Her Choice, With Mandatory Adherence To The Aesthetic and Behavioral Standards Of Same
Privately owned, operated and controlled environments as an alternative to homogenized and polyglot ones. The freedom to insularize oneself within a social milieu of personal well-being. An opportunity to feel, see, and hear that which is most aesthetically pleasing, without interference from those who would pollute or detract from that option.

The Nine Satanic Statements

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 animal -- sometimes 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 has kept it in business all these years.

The Eleven Satanic Rules Of The Earth

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.

The Nine Satanic Sins

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 bath-water. 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 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.


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