Recently I was a guest on The Devil’s Salon; a Satanic talk podcast for Satanic gentlemen. This was the Novemver 26, 2023 episode, titled “Comedy and Masculinity for the Satanic Gentleman with Magister Bill M.”. The show is available on a variety of platforms, including the links below.
To those who would try to use the dictionary to discredit Satanism: Fine, let’s play the dictionary game. Also, Bill answers some questions about Satanic altars and selectively dealing with trolls on-line.
What is the Satanic significance of the trapezoid? Hear an explanation of the Law of the Trapezoid as well as the Order of the Trapezoid.
The topic of Satanic ritual continues in part 2, with answers to questions on the standard 13 Step ritual, the use of archetypes and ritual mudras, the psychodramatic mindset, and Satanic group rituals.
Despite ritual being an integral part of Satanism, misconceptions still persist, even among some Satanists. Enjoy part 1 of a special two-episode exploring Satanic ritual. Happy Halloween!
Despite the claims of some illiterate devil worshipers, Anton LaVey was an atheist. Meaning, he did not believe deities to exist. That includes Satan as an actual deity. There are multiple, independent sources where he states this position. You can read many of these in the article “What, The Devil?” at https://www.churchofsatan.com/what-the-devil/ .
Here is an additional quote, from 1971, from his “Letters from the Devil” column: “The Satanist fully recognizes that Satan is nothing more than a symbolic entity representing man himself; his carnal and physical desires, his freedom from enshackling doctrines, and his intellectual capacity to reject those elements of man-made law which prevent him from engaging in life to the fullest. To suppose that Satan is a substitute for the Christian “God” is entirely erroneous. Man himself is the God; Satan is merely the symbolic representation of the WHOLE man and is given a place in Satanic ritual as a strengthening device to affirm one’s own convictions.”
The topic of atheism and non-theistic religions is also thoroughly covered in Satansplain #016:
In 1973, a double-record set called “The Occult Explosion” included an interview clip of LaVey, explaining Satanism. He explicitly states at the start, “Satan is to us a symbol, rather than an anthropomorphic being.” Some devil worshipers try quote-mining the next parts where he explains that any members of the Church of Satan “who are mystically inclined, would prefer to think of Satan in a very real, anthropomorphic way. Of course, we do not discourage this because we realize that to many individuals, a picture — a well-wrought picture of their mentor, or their tutilary divinity, is very important for them to conceptualize, ritualistically. However, Satan, symbolically, is a teacher: the informer of the whys and wherefores of the world.” He then goes on to explicitly state that Satanists are not Satan worshipers. In any case, using anthropomorphic images of Satan for ritualistic purposes and to help conceptualize concepts still isn’t “theistic Satanism”, and LaVey stresses that Satan is only a symbol.
Another tiresome claim is that LaVey claimed to believe in Satan in a 1974 Cloven Hoof newsletter. The letter in question was written by Michael Aquino, whose conflicting theistic beliefs led him to his exit from the Church of Satan. Anteater-worshiping Aquino of course spent the rest of his life trying to discredit LaVey and the Church of Satan. Read LaVey’s words from his essay Hoisted by His Own Patois.
Yet another lame argument is that Magistra Blanche Barton “confirmed” LaVey’s belief in a literal Satan in “The Barton Letter”. But rather than answering the question “Did Anton LaVey believe in Satan?”, she chose to answer a different question: “Did Anton LaVey believe in Satanism and the Church of Satan?” He certainly did.
Additionally, keep in mind that an atheist who personally eschews the term “atheist” for themselves is still an atheist. George Carlin for example didn’t like using the term for himself, even though he undoubtedly was an atheist. The same with Tom Lehrer, Bill Gates, and many other famous atheists. A lot more people who don’t believe in a deity, however, became more comfortable with using the term by the 2000s with the New Atheist movement. The fact that the Church of Satan has likewise become more open with using the term still doesn’t change the fact that we’ve always rejected the notion of gods, thus making us atheists by definition.
Another common argument we hear is, “You can’t be an atheist if you say you are your own god. Because that means you believe in a god and are thus not an atheist!” This argument stupidly overlooks the fact that saying “I am my own god” is symbolic. When a Satanist says, “I am my own god”, it does not mean, “I believe myself to literally be a supernatural deity.” Rather it means, “I put my own self in the role that most other people put ‘God’ in. Meaning, I am the one whom is most important in my life. I am the one I ultimately aim to please. I am the one most responsible for my life, for better or worse. If I run into problems in life, it is ultimately up to myself, not an actual deity, to find a way out of those problems.” An analogy I use is that it’s similar to how an entrepreneur can simultaneously say, “I don’t have a boss” and “I am my own boss”; only an illiterate would call this hypocrisy.
In summary, people claiming to be “Theistic LaVeyan Satanists” seemingly can’t read, or at least lack the mental capacity to comprehend metaphors. Anybody claiming that Anton LaVey “really” believed in a literal Satan and that the Church of Satan’s position somehow changed later, is simply lying. Don’t take my word for it; look at the documented evidence instead of going by hearsay, anecdotes, or by poetic waxing misread by people who can barely type.
Recently I was a guest on the Reaper’s Underground podcast, this time to rant and rave about my favorite movie, Clive Barker’s “Nightbreed” (1990). I also talk about some of the Satanic significance of this film, read an excerpt from an essay written by Church of Satan High Priest Peter H. Gilmore from a rare reprint of the novel “Cabal”, show off my Nightbreed merchandise collection, and also read a bit from the original novel.
The Church of Satan has a long history of being a legally-recognized religious organization. From weddings, to funerals, to the armed forces, to court cases, we’ll look at some examples and what they mean. Also answering listener mail asking for Satanism’s take on astrology and also the Furry phenomenon.
Relevant Articles/Links:
How should Satanists properly navigate future technological advances in human indulgence? “Capitol of Conformity” is a short dystopian film which may be of interest, as it relates to Pentagonal Revisionism and potential future of technological indulgence. Also, Bill reads listener mail on several topics including a Church of Satan music list and, ironically enough, critiquing commentator podcasts.
A look at Satanic Rules of the Earth numbers 1 and 10. Also, Bill celebrates 20 years of The Devil’s Mischief, and shares some thoughts on a recent Satanic baptism performed, his returning appearance on Reaper’s Underground, and answering questions on criminal records, Satansplain’s theme music, and a hair-raising Satanecdote.