Amina Olander Lap - Categorization of Modern Satanism PDF

Categorization of Modern SatanismAn Analysis of LaVey's Early Writings Page 1
Categorization of Modern SatanismAn Analysis of

LaVey's Early Writings
by Amina Olander Lap, 2008
Abstract
Researchers have classified Anton LaVey's so-called modern Satanism as a self-spirituality (as
defined by Paul eelas! "e# A$e $roup% and as a uman Potential &ovement $roup' (his paper
analy)es LaVey's vie# of human nature and the human e$o in his early #or*s #ith respect to
these classifications by identifyin$ similarities and differences bet#een the characteristics of
these classifications and the early #ritin$s of LaVey' (he analysis concludes that it is reasonable
to cate$ori)e LaVey's Satanism as both a self-spirituality "e# A$e $roup and as a uman Poten-
tial &ovement $roup+ ho#ever% this paper proposes that LaVey's modern Satanism is more accu-
rately described as a member of the prosperity #in$ sub-classification of self-spirituality "e#
A$e'
Table of Contents
1. Introduction........................................................................................................................................2
2. Research in Modern Satanism............................................................................................................2
3. Categorization of Modern Satanism...................................................................................................3
4. Humanistic Psychology and the Human Potential Movement.............................................................4
5. Self-Spirituality..................................................................................................................................4
6. Primary Sources.................................................................................................................................6
7. LaVey's View of Humans....................................................................................................................7
7.1 The Damaged Self.............................................................................................................7
7.2 The Actualized Self..........................................................................................................9
7.3 Liberating Magic.............................................................................................................11
7.4 The Satanic Self..............................................................................................................12
8. Summary..........................................................................................................................................13
9. Recategorization as the Prosperity Wing..........................................................................................14
Sources................................................................................................................................................15
Appendix 1: Bibliography of Significant Research..............................................................................17
Appendix 2: The Nine Satanic Statements...........................................................................................18
Appendix 3: The LaVey Personality Synthesizer.................................................................................19
Amina Olander Lap 2008
1. Introd!tion
The very name Satanism makes it a controversial topic in Christian cultures. It is therefore not sur
prising that Satanism has sparked numerous gloomy imaginations and has been a darling subject in
both Christian gospel literature anticult movements and popular culture. !o"ever in spite of this in
terest sociologists have only recently begun to take Satanism seriously.
The socalled modern Satanism i.e. the form of Satanism that "as founded by #nton $a%ey in the
&'()ies in the *S and "hich is generally accepted as the first genuine organi+ed Satanism has earlier
been classified as a ne" religious movement in the same category as modern occultism or neopagan
ism. ,ore recent research has augmented or replaced this categori+ation "ith -aul !eelas. term self
spirituality "hich refers to the kind of spirituality found in /e" #ge 0/#1 movements or "ithin part
of the !uman -otential ,ovement 0!-,1. !o"ever modern Satanism is a rather ne" field of socio
logical interest and although $a%ey.s "ritings still occupy a key role "ithin the movement only fe"
indepth te2t analyses have been made and virtually no further discussions have been made in terms
of the categori+ation of modern Satanism.
This paper summari+es my analysis of $a%ey.s "riting "ith respect to selfspirituality and !-, "ith
particular focus on his concept of the human nature and self. This focus "as chosen in part because
humans occupy a key role both in terms of modern Satanism !-, and selfspirituality and because I
e2pected that this approch "ould illuminate both similarities and differences bet"een modern Sa
tanism and generic selfspirituality and !-,. This paper thus attempts to ans"er the 3uestion4 !o"
does #nton $a%ey describe human nature5 and ho" does this description harmoni+e "ith general ten
dencies "ithin the !uman -otential ,ovement and !eelas. term selfspirituality6
This paper is organi+ed as follo"s4 firstly research in modern Satanism is briefly summari+ed and ear
lier categori+ations are outlined. This historic information is follo"ed by an introduction to humanistic
psychology !-, and selfspirituality. The analysis "hich is the main focus of this paper is intro
duced "ith a description of the primary sources and $a%ey.s vie" of humans is described and com
pared "ith /# and !-,. The paper concludes "ith a recategori+ation proposal and arguments sup
porting this proposal.
". #esear!$ in Modern Satanism
7esearch in modern Satanism has accelerated only "ithin the last decade. In the &'8)es a fe" anthro
pological studies "ere performed 0,oody &'89 #lfred &'8(1 but other"ise Satanism has mostly
been described by Satanists themselves journalists and Christian countercult movements. In the
&':)es Satanism became interesting to sociologists and folklorists as a result of the socalled Satanic
-anic a moral panic that focused on the supposed e2istence of a subversive Satanic conspiracy. The
public fear of Satanists the ensuing la"suits and the vast amount of literature published by counter
cult and anticult movements triggered a fair amount of academic papers and books on Satanism as
Christian demonology urban legend rumor panic ostensive acting among teenagers media dis
course etc. #cademic interest lay on the use of Satanism as a myth and "ith fe" e2ceptions e2isting
Satanism "as only mentioned in order to reject alleged connections bet"een e2isting Satanism and
myth. ;ven so the mention "as so cursory that in a revie" of perhaps the most important book on Sa
tanism in that period The Satanism Scare 0<romley &''&1 <ritish sociologist =raham !arvey felt
compelled to ask "hether Satanists really e2isted 0!arvey &''>1. ?escriptions of modern Satanism
"ere usually limited to brief summaries of $a%ey.s books uncritically supplemented "ith information
from $a%ey.s partially fabricated biographies.
This lack of contemporary sources and sociological data is not necessarily indicative of superficiality
or lacking interest but may be e2plained other"ise4 in &'8> modern Satanism had become a splin
tered and disorgani+ed movement and from the mid&'8)es until the mid&'')es Satanism seemed to
e2ist in such relative obscurity that =ordon ,elton almost declared it e2tinct 0,elton &''8 ():1. This
picture changed in the mid&'')es "hen Satanism began to appear on the Internet "here it became
easier for Satanists to share material communicate and net"ork 0-etersen @))@1. This flourishing
probably e2plains a rene"ed interest among sociologists including papers and books by *S sociolo
gist Aames 7. $e"is and -h. ?. studies in S"eden and /or"ay 0,athisen @)):1. The ne" studies have
mostly been of sociological interest and have mainly focused on minor local groups and interaction on
the Internet and to a lesser degree on the te2tual sources of modern Satanism.
The e2planation of the lacking academic interest in modern Satanism is thus presumably a combina
tion of t"o things4 the small number of Satanists and the fact that Satanism "as a rather decentrali+ed
movement. In &'8& in the early years of the Church of Satan the membership count "as estimated at
9)) to >)) individuals and in &'(:&'(' "hile the organi+ation still conducted group rituals only
about >) to () individuals regularly attended the rituals 0#lfred @)): 9')f1. Bbserving Satanism in its
current decentrali+ed form and ignoring those teenagers that appear to be using Satanism as a part of
a youth rebellion =raham !arvey assessed the number of Satanists in ;ngland in &''> to be fe"er
than &)) 0!arvey &''>1 and sociologist Aesper #agaard -etersen conjectured the number of ?anish
Satanists to be no more than a fe" hundred individuals in @))@ 0<atchelor @))@1 "hich is presumably
still the case. The Church of Satan originally had a centrali+ed structure membership and organi+a
tion similar to those found in contemporary ne" religious groups. !o"ever after $a%ey had ceased
to conduct group rituals "orkshops and other activities in his o"n house in &'8@ and the system of
local groups 0grottos1 had been abandoned in &'8> the group became highly decentrali+ed and be
came organi+ed as an audience cult as it is termed in the /# movement 0#ldridge @))@ @)81 using
the Internet as its primary medium for contact and information e2change 0$e"is @))& $ap @))@1. #p
pendi2 & provides a bibliography of the most important research literature in modern Satanism.
%. Categorization of Modern Satanism
Categori+ations of modern Satanism have been strongly influenced by popular culture and theological
imaginations usually resulting in Satanism being described in terms of medieval concepts of "itches.
Sabbaths and demon "orship or in terms of theological notions about Satanism as inverse Christian
ity. This tendency is e2emplified in Opslagsbog i Religion/Livsanskelse 0a ?anish handbook of reli
gions1 from &':C4
Satanism, Satan clt! "orship o# #orces o# evil, "ith $occlt ceremonies, the so%called $black
masses& S involves a blasphemos attitde to"ards anything sacred, in particlar the 'hristian
"orship o# evil! the (Lord)s Spper* is celebrated by drinking sacri#ical blood, the mass is read
#rom behind, the (Apostle)s 'reed* ses the name o# the $Antichrist& These practices may be
combined "ith elements #rom traditional $#ertility clts, $"itchcra#t, black $magic, and se+
clts& S has primarily been mentioned in the ,S -e&g&, the .anson sect/ and 0ngland, e&g&, as
$e+orcism and as part o# $ne" religios movements&
,ost of this e2planation "hich appears to be an attempt to unite medieval theological concepts "ith
the study of ne" religious movements has been rejected by sociologists that have studied modern Sa
tanism. They have instead described Satanism as a ne" religious movement such as in the book4 1ye
religi2se bev3gelser i 4anmark Di.e. 1e" Religios .ovements in 4enmarkE 0-ade &'''1 and in sev
eral of =ordon ,elton.s papers including .odern Alternative Religions in the 5est. In this paper
,elton includes Satanism in The ,agical Family together "ith Cro"leyinspired occultism and
modern "itchcraft 0,elton &''8 ():1. This categori+ation is some"hat problematic ho"ever be
cause Satanism became strongly decentrali+ed and thus lost much of its structural similarity "ith other
ne" religious movements as early as &'8>. Blav !ammer on the other hand classifies Satanism as
part of /# but !ammer seems to be rather uninformed about modern Satanism4 for e2ample in the
fe" lines he spends on his description of Satanism !ammer "rites about the Temple of Set that they4
"orship a being that is called the -rince of ?arkness "hich is some"hat misleading at best 0!am
mer &''8 &&@f1. ?epating from these earlier classifications today researchers seem to have reached
an agreement that modern Satanism should be categori+ed as !-, andGor selfspirituality 0-etersen
@))> ?yrendal @))8 $a Fontaine &'''1 but fe" researchers clarify this categori+ation. The ne2t sec
tion provides a brief introduction to these terms beginning "ith an outline of humanistic psychology
"hich served as a foundation for both !-, and /#.
&. 'manisti! (sy!$ology and t$e 'man (otential Mo)ement
!umanistic psychology "as originally an objection against the industriali+ation urbani+ation materi
alism and environmental destruction of the &'>)es and &'()es. It "as also intended as an alternative
to the behavioristic and psychoanalytical fields of psychology "hich humanistic psychologists thought
objectified humans or focused only on our illnesses. The ne" approach of humanistic psychology "as
to focus on the healthy human being humans as conscious actors and human strengths and abilities
and options for lifelong development.
#braham ,aslo" "ho represented the movement together "ith colleagues such as Carl 7ogers 7olly
,ay and others believed that every person possesses a huge potential and a natural desire to become
selfactuali+ed. The reason "hy the prosperous Hestern society sported only about &)I selfactual
i+ed people according to ,aslo" "as undesirable influence and upbringing for e2ample "hen a child
e2perienced a conflict bet"een its o"n feelings and the e2pectations of its surroundings. If an individ
ual managed to deliberate himself or herself from undesirable e2ternal influences then not only "ould
this individual be able to reali+e his or her hidden potential the person "ould also reach his or her au
thentic self. This authentic self "as considered naturally good and able to instinctively act properly
and responsibly to the advantage of itself and its surroundings 0Schult+ @))949(&ff1.
!umanistic psychology has been accused of promoting narcissism "ithout social responsibility. This
conflicts "ith the selfunderstanding of humanistic psychology ho"ever as it describes insight love
to oneself and love of others as inseparable and mutually reinforcing 0-uttick @))) @)>1.
The term The !uman -otential ,ovement has been used as an umbrella description for a large array
of groups activities people and techni3ues that are found in the tension bet"een spirituality and psy
chology and "hich have a particular focus on furthering the physical emotional mental creative or
spiritual potential that each individual is believed to possess 0Hallis &':> &@'1. !-, became "hat
;li+abeth -uttick coins the psychospiritual part of the countercultural movement that began to gro"
in the &'()es in the *S "ith inspiration from humanistic psychology. From its onset !-, "as an ob
jection against established psychology organi+ed religion philosophical and theological intellectual
ism and "hat "as considered destructive scientific materialism 0-uttick @)))1. It is more difficult to
distinguish /e" #ge 0/#1 and !-, today and some consider !-, to be a less spiritual branch of
/# "hile others consider !-, and /# to be partially overlapping.
The t"o categories share many traits in content and organi+ation. Structurally !-, resembles /# be
cause of their "idespread eclecticism and loose structures. ,embers participate in many different con
te2ts and each individual selects and combines "hatever makes sense to him or her. Some groups
0e.g. Scientology1 are organi+ed as ne" religious movements that demand strong loyalty or maintain
an orthodo2 belief or ritual system and are found in the periphery of !-, 0Stone &'8( '91. !-, is
typically less spiritual than /# but spirituality is also found in !-, especially in the shape of <ud
dhist or ;astern influence. If a god appears in !-, typically it is not a god in a common Christian
sense but rather a form of cosmic energy the person.s true nature or some shared life force 0Stone
&'8( &)C1.
*. Self+S,iritality
!eelas uses the e2pression selfspirituality as a reference to the shared paradigm or core ideology of
/#. Selfspirituality encompasses three basic elements according to !eelas4 an e2planation of "hat is
"rong "ith life and the "orld a vision of the goal of perfection and a set of methods to achieve it
0!eelas &''( &:ff1. This section outlines these three elements and compares the spiritual self "ith t"o
other perceptions of self that "e find in today.s society.
/# has inherited the e2planation of "hat is "rong "ith society and humans from !-,4 the problem is
first and foremost improper sociali+ation caused by a society that has ruined our authentic selves and
induced in us guilt fear inhibitions poor selfesteem victim roles unnecessary selfrestrictions and a
"ish to impress others. These e2ternal influences are often described as a person.s ego lo"er self in
tellect or consciousness 0ibid1.
-erfection or salvation is believed to be achievable by letting go of one.s ego by "hich one supposedly
is able to uncover one.s authentic or higher self and thus one.s true spiritual nature. There are varying
perceptions of the spiritual self "ithin /# but central to many of the other shared notions is the belief
that it is connected to something greater than man i.e. the divine the eternal or cosmos. This belief is
reflected in the attitude to"ards authority ethics and responsibility.
/# has also inherited !-,.s emphasis on personal e2perience. -ersonal e2perience is the only or
highest authority in /# because the spiritual self promises more direct access to true kno"ledge than
handeddo"n religions gurus scientists or e2perts can offer. This prioriti+ation of authority is re
flected in the practitioner.s ethics "here his or her inner voice or intuition is preferred to tradition
and dogma. The spiritual self makes each individual fully responsible for his or her o"n life because
the relin3uishment of the ego is presumed to also have freed the person from those e2ternal influences
that the person might other"ise have blamed 0e.g. childhood or society1 for his or her shortcomings.
In some /# segments this concept of personal responsibility is e2tended to include responsibility for
the birth of one.s parents or reality as such but in a less radical form it may simply convey a sense of
responsibility to"ards the "orld and one.s fello" man or the vie" that everyone is responsible for his
or her o"n life and that interference "ith the lives of others "ill only impede their ability to relin3uish
their egos and find their true "ays that only their spiritual selves can sho" them.
/# offers a large number of techni3ues for letting go of one.s ego and reali+ing one.s spiritual self or
hidden potential. The breadth of methods and goals are characteristic of /# but they may be arranged
by applying !eelas. distinction 0"hich he borro"s from the study of ne" religious groups1 bet"een
groups that are "orldrejecting harmonial or "orldaffirming. The first category applies to
those segments of /# that are primarily occupied "ith letting go of the ego and reali+ing a spiritual
self and spiritual reality. The second category is the largest one and includes those /# groups that seek
to obtain the best of both "orlds that is to strike a balance bet"een the spiritual and the material or
corporeal. The last category "hich "ill prove to be the most interesting one for this study is the
prosperity "ing segment of /#. This segment of /# is the one that resembles !-, the most and it
is less concerned "ith letting go of the ego and more "ith reali+ing one.s potential in one.s profes
sional life or reali+ing more materialistic goals 0ibid1.
There is a smooth transition bet"een those ideas that are found in /# and those that are found in soci
ety in general. !eelas notes that in some cases /# simply states common tendencies in a more radical
or spiritual form. Such similarities are also found in the perception of self. !eelas borro"s Steven !ip
ton.s distinction bet"een the e2pressive self and the utilitaristic self4 the utilitaristic individualist is fo
cused on satisfying his or her o"n desires and interests and to use his or her po"er "ill determina
tion initiative ability to reason etc. to ma2imi+e "hat the "orld may offer. The self is vie"ed as sep
arate from family religion calling authority duty moral e2emplars etc. The utilitaristic self serves as
a foundation of several assumptions in society such as the belief that there is something po"erful in
each individual that can be utili+ed and improved enabling the person to increase his or her benefit
from the material "orld. This utilitaristic self is most visible in /#.s prosperity "ing for e2ample in
the shape of selfhelp literature and techni3ues employing positive thinking as methods to achieve suc
cess and financial gains. This segment of /# is often found in a gray +one bet"een the secular and the
spiritual by associating psychological mechanisms 0or something that resembles psychological mecha
nisms1 "ith magical effects for e2ample by stipulating that positive thinking alone can alter physical
reality.
The e2pressive self that is radicali+ed by /# to a spiritual self contrasts the utilitaristic self to some
degree. The e2pressive individualist believes that there is more to life than the satisfaction of arbitrary
desires in particular those desires that are stimulated by the capitalist emphasis on increase and mate
rialistic consumerism. Instead one attempts to identify and act out an authentic self. ,aterialistic
goals are avoided as they are assumed to lead to greed envy and superficiality. %alues are found in
side of oneself and one "orks on personal gro"th meaningful relations and the ability to be in touch
"ith oneself 0ibid &()ff1.
-. (rimary Sor!es
The primary sources re3uire a brief introduction because their differences and forms are of interest to
the analysis. The primary sources are $a%ey.s first three books4 The Satanic 6ible 0&'('1 The 'om%
pleat 5itch 0&'8)1 and The Satanic Ritals 0&'8@1. The later books The 4evil)s 1otebook 0&''@1 and
Satan Speaks7 0&'':1 and various maga+ine articles and intervie"s have been omitted as these sour
ces either represent a much later period in $a%ey.s "riting or have reached a much smaller audience
&
.
Bf $a%ey.s three books it is The Satanic 6ible that had a major impact on modern Satanism. Aames
$e"is describes The Satanic <ible as a kind of 8asi%scriptre "ithin the Satanic subculture and
the single most influential document shaping the contemporary Satanic movement 0$e"is @))@1.
<oth $e"is. and my o"n research indicates that it "as $a%ey.s books and in particular The Satanic
6ible that occupy a central position in modern Satanism both in terms of market dominance and sta
tus. In a survey that I conduced in @))@ only a single respondent did not indicate that he or she had
read at least one of $a%ey.s books.
@
<oth $e"is. and my o"n research also indicate that the respon
dents did not consider The Satanic 6ible a <ible in the Christian sense and that most of them kne"
$a%ey.s "ritings and had formed an opinion of them by either supporting or repudiating them.
The Satanic 6ible is divided into four sections. The first section is an antiChristian diatribe that serves
as a po"erful attack on Christianity and Christian morals proposing social ?ar"inism as an alterna
tive. The second section is a compilation of a number of short te2ts that e2plain $a%ey.s attitude to
"ards issues such as love and hate se2 desire versus compulsion the necessity of being able to say
no the black mass etc. These te2ts refer to the socalled /ine Satanic Statements "hich may be
vie"ed as a condensed version of $a%ey.s philosophy 0see #ppendi2 @1. The last t"o sections of the
book describe $a%ey.s vie" on magic and include practical instructions for rituals. The book has been
in print since &'(' "ith varying prefaces and has been published in several languages.
The Satanic Ritals is $a%ey.s secondmost popular book in terms of number of readers "ithin the Sa
tanic subculture. The book includes a handful of rituals that are inspired by both kno"n groups and re
ligions such as the Je+idi religion and freemasonry and the fiction of !. -. $ovecraft. The rituals are
an indistinct combination of borro"ed scripture and the author.s o"n "riting but in most cases the rit
uals are presented as authentic rituals founded in real traditions. This presentation is put in perspective
in the introduction to the book ho"ever "here $a%ey states that the Satanist has access to all the
mysteries of the "orld but as opposed to e.g. Christians the Satanist admits that they are fairy tales
0$a%ey &'8@ @81.
The 'ompleat 5itch or The Satanic 5itch as it "as later entitled "as published in &'8) and &'8&
and then "as not republished until &':'. The book describes the kind of everyday manipulation that
$a%ey terms lesser magic in The Satanic 5itch. It is introduced as an e2tension of the "orkshops
that $a%ey conducted prior to the establishment of the Church of Satan and until around &'8@. The
book is aimed at female readers and e2plains ho" female attractiveness can be used to enchant and
& # cautious estimate of the relative popularity can be gauged via the Internet bookstore #ma+on.com.s list of best
selling books. Bn ,ay @( @)): The Satanic 6ible ranked no. >(): The Satanic 5itch no. &''8' and The Sa%
tanic Ritals no. @(9''. The 4evil)s 1otebook ranked no. 9C@C) and Satan Speaks7 no. 'CC@C. The Satanic
5itch has a higher sales rank than The Satanic Ritals5 it is fair to e2plain this phenomenon by assuming that The
Satanic 5itch is read outside of the Satanic subculture.
@ This survey "as conducted in @))&@))@ via the Internet and 3uestionnaires that "ere included "ith the maga+i
ne Satanisk <ulletin "hich is the only ?anish maga+ine on Satanism. The C' ans"ers is limited statistical ma
terial but since the number of Satanists in ?enmark is usually estimated in the fe" hundreds they can be
e2pected to represent a large percentage of the ?anish Satanists.
manipulate men. The book is based on the premises that females are almost entirely dependent on
men and that men can be manipulated by means of se2ual attraction. The book is also a deliberately
reactionary commentary on the female movement and the unise2 movement of the &'()es and &'8)es
"hich according to $a%ey are misogynist inventions. The book concludes "ith a bibliography "ith
more than &8) entries covering genres such as psychology anthropology folklore sociology biology
etc. many of "hich deal "ith se2uality and body language. There are virtually no references or dis
cussions of sources in the main te2t ho"ever leaving an impression that the bibliography serves to ei
ther pretend a scientific foundation that is to legitimi+e $a%ey as a learned person or to inspire fur
ther reading.
$a%ey.s books are easy to read as most of the contents are "ritten in a clear and direct language yet at
the same time difficult to "ork "ith as many aspects are stated vaguely or ambiguously some "ith
tongue in cheek or in a deliberately occult or blasphemous language in order to appeal to the reader.s
fantasy or emotions. $a%ey focuses on making the Satanic philosophy and rituals accessible so that
each individual can use Satanism to obtain pleasure and success in his or her life here and no". It is
much more difficult to find clear e2planations on ho" $a%ey e2pects magic to "ork "hat he believes
happens after death or "here the divine or demonic fits into the e3uation. $a%ey concludes his pref
ace to The Satanic 6ible "ith a statement that the reader "ill find fantasy and truth and that both of
these must be taken for "hat they are. Hhich is "hich is an open 3uestion that apparently $a%ey
leaves to the reader to ans"er.
.. LaVey's Vie/ of 'mans
7ecall that !eelas operates "ith three basic elements4 an e2planation of "hat is "rong "ith life and
the "orld5 a description of the goal of perfection5 and methods to reach salvation. In the follo"ing sub
sections I "ill sho" ho" these elements can be found in $a%ey.s "riting and I "ill attempt to map
$a%ey.s perception of self to the spiritual the e2pressive and the utilitaristic selves.
..1 T$e 0amaged Self
Keeping tradition "ith /# and !-, $a%ey identifies numerous defects and shortcomings in society
that cause life and humans to function poorly.
$a%ey describes his Satanism as a religion that opposes all other religions considering Satanism the
only religion that celebrates flesh and earthly life and embraces the entire human being "hether good
or evil 0$a%ey &'(' >@1. $a%ey does not only oppose Christianity but also the spirituality of e.g.
;astern religions or neopaganism is considered problematic5 in particular the modern "itchcraft move
ment is critici+ed intensely indicating that $a%ey considers it a contesting movement 0ibid >)ff :9f.
$a%ey &'8) &@ff1.
,ost of $a%ey.s criticism against religion is aimed at Christianity but he aims at its historical impact
on the Hestern culture as $a%ey believes Christianity to be dying 0$a%ey &'(' 9Cff. &'8@ CC1 leav
ing the contemporary ne" religious movements as a more present threat to mankind. Hhen Christian
ity nonetheless receives the most of the blame for the troubles of mankind it is both because of the
Christian teachings and the Christian morals that $a%ey believes have been institutionali+ed and still
guide people even if they have liberated themselves from the dogma of the church. $a%ey believes
that Christianity has demoni+ed human nature by defining natural instincts and emotions as sinful
trapping mankind in a perpetual state of feeling guilty that served to ensure the church its po"er and
influence 0$a%ey &'(' >)ff :@ff1. This demoni+ation and guiltinducement causes a large number of
impediments to human emotions se2uality selfesteem interpersonal relations chances of selfreal
i+ation health etc. The Christian =reat Commandment is reprehended for encouraging uncritical
love to"ards both friends and foes. $a%ey does not only consider this impossible and unnatural but
also highly damaging. To $a%ey both love and hate are strong vital and natural emotions and only
by recogni+ing and accepting both emotions can humans distinguish bet"een them and use them con
structively. Bther"ise humans "ill lose the ability to love those that deserve it and the suppressed
hate "ill lead to both mental and physical problems and diseases or the suppressed hate may be di
rected at innocent people 0$a%ey &'(' (9f. &':' @98f1.
$a%ey also strongly reprehends the attitude of the church to"ards se2uality but also takes opportunity
to critici+e the attitudes to"ards se2uality of ;astern religions society counterculture and psychol
ogy. $a%ey believes that Christianity has made se2uality "rong and sinful and although Hestern
"orld people in the &'()es may have intellectually accepted se2 as natural and healthy they still had
feelings of guilt especially to"ards masturbation and fetishes. $a%ey advocates free se2 but is not
only critical against Christian norms5 also the ne" se2ual morals proposed by the counterculture is
critici+ed. $a%ey considers all kinds of se2 legal as long as the parties involved are adults and respon
sible people and noone is forced to act against his or her "ill. !e also considers it important that oth
ers should not define "hat is natural or healthy se2uality "hich he believes is the case in contempo
rary se2ual liberation. $a%ey does not limit healthy and liberated se2uality to intercourse bet"een t"o
or more partners but also includes ase2uality sadism masochism fetishism masturbation homose2u
ality transse2uality etc. in his definition. This broad vie" of se2uality implies that the celibacy of the
ascetic or the monk becomes se2ually deviant according to $a%ey because it is either ase2uality or
unackno"ledged masochism 0$a%ey &'(' :91. !e believes that it is necessary to deliberate oneself
from feelings of se2ual guilt also unconsciously because other"ise it "ill lead to neuroses and the
passing of guilt to future generations 0ibid ((ff1.
7elin3uishing the ego and uncovering the authentic self are important themes in /# and !-,. The
ego plays a similarly important role to $a%ey but he defines it differently. Some of the influences that
$a%ey "ants to free the individual from such as internali+ed morals "ould be considered undesired
functions of the ego in other groups "ithin /# or !-, and in that sense $a%ey agrees "ith the no
tions of /# and !-,. !o"ever "ith the e2ception of these un"anted influences $a%ey considers
the ego to be unconditionally positive and associated "ith 3ualities such as pride selfrespect and self
reali+ation and he sees the possession of a healthy and strong ego as necessary to treat others "ell. To
$a%ey the ego 3uestion is therefore not limited to the influence of the ego but also the attempts of
Christianity and other religions to sppress the ego or as is the case of ;astern religions the attempts
to eliminate it. $a%ey describes Satanism as a religion that believes in total satisfaction of the ego and
as the only religion that advocates intensification and encouragement of the ego 0$a%ey &'(' '91.
Feelings such as envy greed etc. "hich are found among the seven deadly sins of the Catholic
church and "hich are seen as functions of the ego by /# and !-, are also "elcomed by $a%ey
"ho sees these emotions as both natural necessary and generally human. In $a%eys interpretation
envy and greed become motivating for ambition 0ibid 9(f1 and egoism and selfrespect become the
necessary foundation for a vital life and for loving and respecting others. $a%ey believes that the idea
of dissolving the ego and rejecting material "ealth "as developed in areas "here material success "as
difficult to obtain and that faith could pacify people and make them satisfied "ith "hat little they had.
$a%ey considers this a commendable strategy from the po"ers that be but outright stupid in a society
of plenty 0ibid '@f1. Satanists "ould never "illingly choose selfdenial according to $a%ey and as
"ill be evident later in this paper many of $a%ey.s techni3ues for deliberating and developing the in
dividual are aimed at developing "hat $a%ey considers a strong ego.
#nother topic that is stressed in $a%ey.s books is the problematic interaction "ith other people. ;d
"ard A. ,oody "ho studied the Church of Satan during its early years described its teaching as a kind
of magical therapy that helped the members of the church overcome their social disabilities that
caused them to fail in their relations "ith other people 0,oody @)):1. Solutions to relationship prob
lems "ith other people re3uire special techni3ues that may e2ceed conventional measures according
to $a%ey. -oor human relations may come in the shape of a superior that treats one badly and cannot
be told off5 it may be a crush on someone that is not returned5 it may be a threatening enemy or com
petitor5 or it may be the psychic vampire that is draining energy and mental resources. In each of
these e2amples other people become obstacles that must be con3uered via magic manipulation or
other"ise prevented from taking advantage of oneself. Cooperation is found as the modified golden
rule "hich is a titfortat principle of treating others as they treat you. The human interaction in a
love relationships also seems to become a game to be "on and altruism is displayed as the Satanist.s
acts of kindness to"ards those that he or she appreciates because their happiness pleases the Satanist
0$a%ey &'(' >&1.
$a%ey.s notion of se2uality drives the idea of suppressed feelings the importance of the conscious
and the subconscious the possibility of developing neuroses the reali+ation of potential etc. are
clearly inspired by both the psychoanalytical and humanistic psychology. #s mentioned earlier The
Satanic 5itch includes a long list of books "ritten by psychologists and in a later official reading list
for Satanists $a%ey mentions Freud Aung and 7eich 0<arton &'') &(Cff1. The reason behind this
significant interest in psychology appears to be part an ackno"ledgment of science as authoritative
and part a theory that psychological insight is re3uired because of the human intelligence. $a%ey de
scribes humans as the only animal capable of lying to itself and believing the lie "hich according to
$a%ey forces humans to constantly pursue selfa"areness 0$a%ey &'8@ &>1. The evident inspiration
from psychology is not a loving relationship ho"ever. #rthur $yons "ho "rote about $a%ey.s philos
ophy in the beginning of the &'8)es described the Church of Satan as antipsychiatric 0$yons &'8)
&:(1 and in The Satanic Ritals $a%ey refers to psychologist Thomas S. S+as+ "hen he identifies Sa
tanists "ith the role of the mentally ill as social critics or opposition to society 0$a%ey &'8@ &(f1.
S+as+ became associated "ith the antipsychiatry movement in the *S in the &'().es and &'8).es and
"as kno"n for considering psychiatry a pseudoscientific movement that used diagnostics of mental
illnesses to control the population. Today the antipsychiatric movement is remembered for its postu
late that schi+ophrenia is the healthy reaction to a sick society and S+as+. ideas have found their "ay
into in Scientology. $a%ey.s critical to"ards psychiatry is much more moderate in his books and seems
to be limited to those hangups of fetishes that part of psychology and /# considers problematic or
to be signs of mental illnesses. $a%ey instead considers them natural and more or less human as long
as one is able to control one.s desires because according to $a%ey it is e2actly through liberation of
emotions and drives that one avoids obsessive or selfdestructive behavior 0$a%ey &'(' :&1. $a%ey
does not "ish to eliminate these hangups but instead "ants to transform them to hangons that
is activities that supplement an individual.s personality and contribute to the individual.s satisfaction.
The only problem according to $a%ey is the shame that society attributes to the use of alcohol or
fetishes and the e2ercise is not about changing behavior but in not feeling shameful 0$yons &'8)
&8:1. $a%ey.s criticism of established society and his vie" of human nature is thus based on $a%ey.s
interpretation of contemporary psychology but "ith emphasis on each person.s o"n right to define
"hat is best to him or her.
.." T$e A!talized Self
#s "as e2plained in the previous section $a%ey.s considers the authentic self to be devoid of inhibi
tions and guilt involving a strong and healthy ego. $a%ey.s concept of human nature and the special
status that he attributes to children and nonhuman animals as "ell as his notion of a successful life
provide an indication of his concept of the ideal human being.
The seventh statement of The /ine Satanic Statements $a%ey.s condensed e2planation of Satanism
e2plains that4
Satan represents man as 9st another animal, sometimes better, more o#ten "orse than those that
"alk on all%#ors, "ho, becase o# his (divine spirital and intellectal development,* has be%
come the most vicios animal o# all7 0$a%ey &'(' @>1.
The notion that humans are animals like all others and thus can be understood on the same premises as
other animals combined "ith the assumption that our intellect introduces all kinds of problems is fun
damental to $a%ey.s vie" of humans. $a%ey.s understanding of the human animal is inspired by ?ar
"in among others but it is the sociologist !erbert Spencer that applied ?ar"in.s theory on human in
teractions and ignoring ?ar"in.s objections created the social ?ar"inism hypothesis "ho appears on
the Church of Satan.s reading list 0<arton &'') &(C1 and "ho may have influenced $a%ey more than
did ?ar"in. $a%ey does not attribute any negative 3ualities to the carnal element that might someho"
oppose a spiritual self but it is not the ?isneyes3ue concept that is found on some /# circles. !u
mans are animals according to $a%ey "ith all that implies and as such is an integral part of nature. If
humans are not al"ays kind and gentle but also driven by hate and aggression then it is not because
there is anything "rong "ith humans or because humans are different from other animals5 it is be
cause humans live in a dangerous and brutal "orld. !ate and aggression are not "rong or undesired
feelings but are necessary and advantageous for survival. This brutal interpretation of mankind and the
"orld is emphasi+ed in the first section of The Satanic 6ible "here $a%ey includes an edited e2cept
of the book .ight :s Right. This e2cept declares that4 <lessed are the strong for they shall possess
the earthLCursed are the "eak for they shall inherit the yokeM 0$a%ey &'(' C91. This e2cerpt "as
in part meant to provoke and challenge the reader 07edbeard &''( Cff1 but it also reflects the social
?ar"inism and cynicism that $a%ey gathered from people such as !erbert Spencer Friedrich /iet
+sche and #yn 7and. $a%ey.s social ?ar"inistic leanings are also found in his understanding of the
human evolution "hich he believes is on its "ay to unseen heights4 "here children of the past "ere
born to "ork in the fields and in the factories today human 3uality has become more important than
3uantity and in the future $a%ey e2pects one child that can create to be more important than t"o that
can manufacture and more than fifty that can believe 0$a%ey &'8@ &@1. $a%ey not only supports eu
genics but also e2pects it to be a necessity in the futureLnot to produce a specific race or a specific
look but to create physically and mentally healthy and creative individuals. #ccording to $a%ey.s
daughter Neena Schreck.s preface to The Satanic 5itch the book is in part intended as a guide to eu
genics or selective breeding 0$a%ey &':' II1 a subject that $a%ey himself also discusses and
"hich seems to serve t"o goals4 firstly he encourages "omen to find partners that are their psychical
and mental opposites because he considers the attraction of opposites to be a fundamental mecha
nism of nature to avoid inbreeding and promote healthy individuals 0ibid (@1. Secondly the book is
largely a guide to finding the right husband and according to $a%ey men and "omen come in varying
3uality. 7ephrasing Cro"ley.s statement that everyone is a star $a%ey agrees that anyone may be a
star but Cro"ley and others forget that stars come in different si+es 0ibid &'@1.
In addition to serving as a foundation for an understanding of human nature children and animals rep
resent an ideal that $a%ey refers to as the purest form of carnal e2istence 0$a%ey &'(' :'1 and as
creatures that are sacred to Satanists "hich Satanists "ould never harm on purpose. Children and ani
mals are described as natural magicians that Satanists may learn from because children and animals
do not deny their natural desires and drives and are thus better suited for the pursuit of their goals
0$a%ey &'(' :' &@@. &'8' 891. The special status attributed to children is also illustrated in the dif
ference bet"een adult and child baptisms4 the adult symbolically casts off the falsehoods hypocrisy
and shame of the past but the child is celebrated as a perfect being. The child baptism is only intended
for children under four years of age as older children are assumed to have been influenced by ideas
that are alien to the Satanic philosophy 0$a%ey &'8@ @)>1.
It is also "ithin children and animals that $a%ey finds values such as emotional spontaneity and au
thenticity uninhibitedness fantasy superior senses naturalness in terms of one.s o"n needs and the
absence of socially induced neuroses guilt and shame. ,any of these 3ualities are more difficult to
find among adults than among children because of man.s divine spiritual and intellectual develop
ment "hich accoring to $a%ey has made humans the most vicious animal of all 0$a%ey &'(' @>1.
/onetheless $a%ey appears to be some"hat undecided on his stance to"ards the intellect4 our intel
lect may be the root of many of our problems but our intellect is also the source of rationality and cre
ativity that $a%ey stresses in his deep respect for artists and scientists and in his tribute to the children
of the future that "ill create rather than produce or believe. In addition rationality logic and science
are considered the Satanist.s "eapons against Christianity and other religions and Satan is described
as the spirit of progress the inspirer of all great movements that contribute to the development of civ
ili+ation and the advancement of mankind and is connected "ith 3ualities such as creativity and en
lightenment 0$a%ey &'8@ 881. In addition intellect and creativity are highly present in the successful
human being thatLin departure from the philosophical ideal that is e2emplified by children and ani
malsLis the actual or realistic ideal that is used to measure people.s success. $a%ey declares in The
Satanic 6ible that the philosophy and techni3ues described in the book are the same as those applied
by the most selfreali+ed and po"erful people in the "orld providing e2amples of financial e2perts
industrialists popes poets dictators opinion shapers etc. 0$a%ey &'(' &)91. This referral to earthly
success as a measure of "orth is repeated in several places including The Satanic 5itch "here the
competent "itch is identified by her ability to find the right husband the better job to avoid un"anted
pregnancy and in general to lead a competent life 0$a%ey &':' C1 rather than by her spiritual val
ues. #s "ill be discussed in the ne2t section $a%ey.s religious techni3ues are aimed at attaining these
and other mundane goals.
..% Liberating Magi!
$a%ey refers to his techni3ues for changing and improving people and their environments as magic
and defines magic as DtEhe change in situations or events in accordance "ith one.s "ill "hich "ould
using normally accepted methods be unchangeable 0$a%ey &'(' &&)1. This leaves room for inter
pretation that is not narro"ed by $a%ey.s e2planation of magic as including a portion of applied psy
chology described in magical terms combined "ith a rest that cannot 0yet1 be e2plained scientifi
cally 0ibid &&'1. This description of magic makes it difficult to determine "hen $a%ey believes to be
supported by psychology and "hen he believes to use magic in a more classical sense.
$a%ey divides magic into greater magic and lesser magic. $esser magic is $a%ey.s term for vari
ous types of manipulation such as body language scents looks strategic flashing etc. and it is mostly
this kind of magic that is found in The Satanic 5itch. The use of lesser magic in The Satanic 5itch is
derived from $a%ey.s personality clock 0see #ppendi2 @1 "hich is a model that divides humans into
t"elve different types of people. These types combine body shape "ith various personality traits5 for
e2ample the skinny threeo.clock is associated "ith abstract thinking and asocial behavior "hile the
chubby nineo.clock is associated "ith action rather than thinking and a sense of humor. The model
is intended to aid the "itch to identify the type of her 3uarry. Bnce identified she may apply $a%ey.s
principle of the attraction of opposites to spellbind the 3uarry by assuming the 3uarry.s opposite role
in terms of personality and physi3ue. This role play may imply a change of "eight hair color gait
voice use of colors name etc. For e2ample if the 3uarry is a dominant person the "itch must be sub
missive and if he is loud she must be 3uiet. In addition to this use of the model "here the goal is to
find a partner or manipulate men by attraction to the "itch the personality clock has another function
"ith respect to the personality of the "itch herself4 by finding her natural position on the clock dial
the "itch is able to change her position or perfect it. $a%ey believes that if the "itch perfects her type
so that hair body shape voice scent etc. harmoni+e the "itch "ill gain more interest and hence more
success. #ccording to $a%ey his personality typification is based on models created by the psycholo
gists Hilliam !erbert Sheldon 0b. &:':1 and ;rnst Kretschmer 0b. &:::1. $a%ey appears to be a"are
that these models have been abandoned because of lacking scientific evidence but defends his model
"ith references to personal e2perience and people that have applied the model successfully 0$a%ey
&':' @>f1.
$a%ey subdivides greater magic into rituals and ceremonies. !e describes ceremonies as rites that are
intended to celebrate or remember a particular event an aspect of life a role model or to declare one.s
faith. Ceremonies thus concentrate on the e2isting such as in the baptism rituals "hich differ from
e.g. Christian baptisms in that they are intended only as symbolic acts that are not e2pected to cause
change. 7ituals on the other hand are rites that are intended to cause change 0$a%ey &'8@ &81. It is
difficult to find any clarifications on ho" these changes are e2pected to occur ho"ever. $a%ey de
scribes the rituals both as psychodramas in the psychological sense "here the purpose to change the
practitioner.s o"n psyche and as a "ay to change the outside "orld or other people. This change is as
sumed to be caused by bioelectric energy discharged through strong emotions such as blind hate or
se2ual orgasm 0$a%ey &'(' ::1 og via deeply felt "ishes such as "hen a child strongly desires
something 0ibid &@@1. 7ituals are thus intended as tools that an individual may apply therapeutically
against old problems and as a "ay to obtain future goals on both a psychical and a material level. #n
e2ample of the former is found in $a%ey.s version of The <lack ,ass "hich $a%ey considers a
psychodrama that is intended to free the practitioner from feelings of guilt and religious beliefs or to
free the practitioner from unnecessary faith in contemporary dogma and values. The other type of rit
ual "hich is directed at obtaining specific goals is divided into three types by $a%ey "ho bases them
on feelings of lust hate or compassion. In each type the rituals are used to focus emotion and energy
on the desired goal and in addition to enabling the possibility that the ritual may have the desired ef
fect the ritual is also e2pected to make the practitioner function better after"ards because the pentup
emotions have been released. That is if a hate ritual does not kill the victim at least the Satanist.s ag
gressions have been released and the Satanist can get on "ith his or her life.
$a%ey.s rituals are some"hat difficult to analy+e as rituals in a classical sense. $a%ey himself sees
many similarities bet"een his o"n rites 0and perhaps in particular the ceremonies1 and modern theatri
cal plays and he also feels a need to distinguish them from contemporary encounter groups.
C
$a%ey
believed that Satanism fills an important void bet"een psychology and religion because psychology
did not meet the human need for rituals and dogma 0$a%ey &'(' >@f1. In the conte2t of this goal and
the desired function of the rituals $a%ey.s rituals are perhaps better understood as therapeutic tech
ni3ues than as classic religious rituals. This vie" is supported by the role that $a%ey ascribes to
magic in practice4 magic may be a po"erful tool but $a%ey stresses that success is not achieved by
positive thinking alone5 a combination of positive thoughts and positive action is re3uired 0ibid 9&1. In
addition $a%ey introduces the term the balance factor as an ability to set realistic goals as a key el
ement in magic 0ibid &@8ff1. #n unkno"n and regular person should not e2pect even the most po"er
ful magic to suffice to attract a popular actress and magic is not e2pected to help a person gain suc
cess if the person does not already have tangible talents.
..& T$e Satani! Self
The spiritual self "here the spiritual or divine has fused "ith the self is a central theme in selfspiritu
ality. In $a%ey.s Satanism the relationship bet"een self and divinity is not trivial ho"ever. To begin
"ith $a%ey appears to be using several different concepts of the divine and its relationship to life
"ithout attempting to unify them. The divine is thus described both as none2istent as a kind of force
in nature as a symbol and as a person.s o"n ego. Furthermore the rituals provide ample opportunity
for a theistic vie" of Satan and other beings. This "ide array of options has later been narro"ed by
$a%ey and the Church of Satan after the theistic Temple of Set broke off from the Church of Satan in
&'8> and the Church of Satan felt compelled to clarify that it is founded on atheism. <eyond this clari
fication the Church of Satan has encouraged its members to find each their o"n concept of Satan and
today there are many different interpretations of Satan among Satanists that have been inspired by
$a%ey 0$e"is @))&4:f1.
$a%ey rejects the e2istence of all gods by default. To $a%ey gods are an e2ternali+ation of the human
ego "hich "as created because humans "ould not ackno"ledge their egos and instead placed their
forbidden "ishes in the hands of their gods. The gods are thus created in man.s image rather than vice
versa and by "orshiping the gods of the e2isting religions according to $a%ey one "orships those
people that e2ternali+ed the ego and created the god 0$a%ey &'(' 99f1. In the same vein $a%ey inter
prets religious concepts involving the killing of a god as an e2pression of selfhate 0ibid :'1. $a%ey
believes that dogma and rituals are necessary for humans and $a%ey instead proposes that "e create
gods according to our o"n emotional needs or promote ourselves to gods so that the "orship of gods
becomes egoaffirming rather than egosuppressing. !e believes that the e2ternali+ed gods thus be
come internali+ed and that humans "ill reali+e that there never "as a difference bet"een the spiritual
and the physical "orlds "hich had at all times been physical only 0ibid 99f '(1. The concept of the
spiritual e2isting as something independently of the body is thus rejected and the role as god does not
imply any divine characteristics e2cept the right to define good and evil and as the state of each per
son being the most important person to himself or herselfLthe importance of "hich is sho"n by se
lecting the Satanist.s birthday as the most important holiday 0ibid '(1. $a%ey.s Satanism can thus be
considered a pure veneration of the ego "here gods are not united "ith the ego but rather replaced by
it. #t the same time it is Satan 0and other demonic entities1 that are addressed in the actual rituals and
C ;ncounter groups is a form of group therapy that "as developed by the humanistic psychologist Carl 7ogers.
it is Satan that is associated "ith a set of values and 3ualities in The /ine Satanic Statements that
$a%ey considers material to Satanism. #s such the rituals can be seen both as a celebration of the per
son.s ego and the Satanic values and as a celebration of an ideali;ed self.
Bther concepts indicate theistic leanings4 the gods are rejected as an e2ternali+ation of the human ego
but $a%ey states that it is "rong to believe that Satanists do not believe in god. Instead Satanists be
lieve in god as a dark force that permeates and balances nature and "hich can neither be e2plained
nor used by religion or science and "hich is too impersonal to care about life on ;arth 0ibid 9) (@1.
This dark 0presumably meaning unkno"n1 force appears to be connected "ith Satan but it does not
appear to play an independent role perhaps because the divine is defined as something that has no
practical implications for the earthly life that occupies $a%ey. $a%ey.s Satanism thus includes a vari
ety of characteristics that indicate spiritual leanings but in practice it is the material and utilitaristic
facets that dominate.
1. Smmary
$a%ey believes that his Satanism distinguishes itself from other religions by focusing on the physical
instead of the spiritual. In contrast to /# $a%ey does not consider humans as spiritual beings or as
possessing a duality bet"een body and soul but as an animal for better or for "orse. $a%ey.s under
standing of the divine is open to a "ide array of possible interpretations ho"ever "hich harmoni+e
"ith those interpretations that are found in the less spiritual segments of /# and !-, "here the di
vine is seen as a person.s true self cosmic energy or other forms of immanent perceptions of the di
vine.
Children and animals occupy a special place in Satanism because of their unspoiled nature "hile
$a%ey similarly to /# considers the adult person.s intellect to be problematic. In spite of the intellec
t.s ability to lead humans astray from its carnal nature it is the same intellect that $a%ey cherishes
"hen he stresses man.s rationality and creativity and unlike /# $a%ey sees indulgence material suc
cess and po"er as the highest goals.
*nlike /# and !-, in general $a%ey does not consider ;astern spirituality a viable alternative to
the established religions and is generally highly critical to"ards other religious and spiritual groups
and techni3ues. !e e2plains his o"n use of religious techni3ues instead of psychological methods in
his solution by arguing that these techni3ues are used consciously because humans need rituals and
dogma and that psychology does not meet this demand. $a%ey.s use of magic can thus be seen as
therapeutic rather than religious5 ho"ever this vie" is refuted "hen $a%ey attempts to borro" scien
tific authority for the magical processes5 for e2ample by including theories about bioelectrical energy
to e2plain ho" magic "orks. The tendency to attribute a magical effect to mechanisms that presum
ably are psychological is a characteristic of the segment of selfspirituality that !eelas terms the pros
perity "ing. $a%ey.s Satanism fits into this segment in particular because the goal of magic is non
spiritual and instead seeks to liberate the practitioners from their inhibitions to develop their potential
and thus obtain their goals of po"er and influence.
$a%ey shares /#.s and !-,.s vie" of humans as inhibited and damaged by e2ternal and internali+ed
moral concepts that have been induced by culture and established religions. $a%ey.s vie" of the ego is
uncharacteristic of /# and !-, ho"ever part of the reason being that $a%ey has a different concept
of the nature of the ego. $a%ey "ishes to liberate humans from their inhibitions but it is not the ego as
such that poses a problem as he finds it necessary to maintain a strong and healthy ego. $a%ey.s solu
tion is not to let go of the ego but rather to repair the damages done to it. This vie" lies closer to the
!-, concept of the authentic self than the /# notion of the spiritual self even if $a%ey.s social ?ar
"inistic definition of the authentic self is less peaceful than imagined by the humanistic psychologists.
$a%ey primarily distinguishes himself from the general traits of /# and !-, through his use of sci
ence to legitimi+e his vie"s. This appeal to scientific authority appears to be an nonbinding ideologi
cal argument ho"ever as he often favors personal e2perience and preference. ;2amples of this can be
found in terms of se2ual preferences or in his "eighing of personal e2perience "hen magic conflicts
"ith scientific facts. !e thus shares his use of personal e2perience as the higher authority against sci
entific facts "ith !-, and /# and his use of obsolete or controversial science as authority is also
commonly found in /#.
,y analysis indicates that although $a%ey.s Satanism is clearly consistent "ith general characteristics
of "orldaffirming !-, and selfspirituality /# the ?evil.s in the details in terms of some significant
differences. ,ost importantly $a%ey.s Satanism is largely materialistic and antispiritual and em
braces the ego rather than attempts to suppress it.
2. #e!ategorization as t$e (ros,erity Wing
I introduced my analysis by asking the 3uestion4 !o" does #nton $a%ey describe human nature5 and
ho" does this description harmoni+e "ith general tendencies "ithin the !uman -otential ,ovement
and !eelas. term selfspirituality6 <oth /# and !-, are terms that are applied to a variety of diffe
rent groups activities techni3ues etc. that share certain similarities. Bne should e2pect to find both si
milarities and differences "hen compared "ith #nton $a%ey.s Satanism and this proved to be the
case.
It is meaningful to categori+e $a%ey.s early Satanism as a selfspirituality group based on the general
differences and similarities bet"een $a%ey.s Satanism and /# and !-,. !o"ever it seems relevant
and important to further categori+e $a%ey.s Satanism as the prosperity "ing as this placement e2
plains many of the differences bet"een $a%ey.s Satanism and the general characteristics of selfspiri
tuality. It is also meaningful to categori+e $a%ey.s Satanism as !-, but since !-, largely overlaps
"ith the less spiritual segment of selfspirituality "here the prosperity "ing is also found the catego
ri+ation as a part of the !-, in addition to the prosperity "ing does not offer enough additional in
sights into $a%ey.s Satanism to "arrant a dual categori+ation.
$a%ey.s Satanism has traditionally been grouped "ith modern "itchcraft and occultism. !o"ever the
meaningful categori+ation as part of the prosperity "ing indicates that comparisons "ith related
groups may rather be found in the selfhelp literature and groups that focus on improving human inter
action and psychological techni3ues aimed at meeting material goals. # more thorough e2amination of
$a%ey.s Satanism "ould encompass additional elements of his "orldvie" and "ould take into ac
count the development of $a%ey.s "riting since the early Church of Satan to the period "here $a%ey
"itnessed the decentrali+ation of Satanism changes in the religious landscape and the failing disap
pearance of Christianity that he predicted in The Satanic Ritals.
Sor!es
Aa$aard% ,esper Petersen
@))@ 6inary Satanism! The 'onstrction o# 'ommnity in a 4igital 5orld S<=<>< vol. &&
@))> .odern Satanism! 4ark 4octrines and 6lack ?lames in 'ontroversial 1e" Religions B2
ford *niversity -ress /e" Jork.
Aldrid$e% Alan
@))) Religion in the 'ontemporary 5orld -olity -ress Cambridge.
Alfred% Randall .
@)): The 'hrch o# Satan in Aames 7. $e"is O Aesper #agaard -etersen eds. The 0ncyclopedic
Sorcebook o# Satanism -rometheus <ooks /e" Jork.
-atchelor% .liver
@))@ Satanisterne organiserer sig in 1ord9yske sti#tstidende ,ondag Auly @@ p. >.
-ovb/er$% 0irsten &arie
@))& ?2lsomhedens etik! tilpasning a# personligheden i 1e" Age og moderne management !ov
edland.
-romley% 1avid 2' (3d'!
&''& The satanism scare #ldine ?e =ruyter /e" Jork.
-arton% -lanche
&'') The 'hrch o# Satan !ell.s Kitchen -roductions Inc. /e" Jork.
1yrendal% Asb/4rn
@))8 Satanismens historie i !umanist no. & @))8.
arvey% 2raham
&''> Satanism in 6ritain Today Aournal of Contemporary 7eligion %ol. &) /o. C.
ammer% .lav
&''8 @A 9agt e#ter helheden& 1e" Age B 0n ny #olketroC Fremad Prhus.
eelas% Paul
&''( Chapter & .ani#estations O Chapter ( 'ertainties o# .odernity in The 1e" Age .ovement
<lack"ell -ublishers $td. B2ford.
LaVey% Anton S)andor
&'('Q The Satanic 6ible #von <ooks /e" Jork.
&'8@Q The Satanic Ritals #von <ooks /e" Jork.
&':' The Satanic 5itch Feral !ouse -ortland.
La 5ontaine% ,ean
&''' Satanism and Satanic .ythology in 5itchcra#t and .agic in 0rope! The T"entieth 'en%
try The #thlone -ress $ondon.
Lap% Amina
@))@ 4ansk satanisme Satanisk <ulletin /o. 8.
Le#is% ,ames R'
@))& 5ho Serves SatanC A 4emographic and :deological @ro#ile .arbrg Dornal o# Religion
%ol. ( /o. @.
@))@ 4iabolical Athority! Anton LaEey, The Satanic 6ible and the Satanist (Tradition* .ar%
brg Dornal o# Religion %ol. 8 /o. &.
Le#is% R' ,ames 6 Petersen% ,esper Aa$aard (eds'!
@)): The 0ncyclopedic Sorcebook o# Satanism -rometheus <ooks /e" Jork.
Lyons% Arthur
&'8) The Second 'oming! Satanism in America ?odd ,ead O Company /e" Jork.
&athisen% Stian
@)): 0t helvetes #orskningspros9ekt ,nder 4sken Aanuary @: @)): http4GG""".under
dusken.noGnyhetG@)):G&G9C8:&9GetRhelvetesRforskningsprosjekt do"nloaded on #pril C
@)):.
&elton% ,' 2ordon
&''8 .odern Alternative Religions in the 5est in Fandbook o# living religions Aohn 7. !innells
0ed.1 <lack"ell -ublishers $td Cambridge.
&oody% 3d#ard ,'
@)): .agical Therapy B An antropological investigation o# contemporary satanism in Aames 7.
$e"is O Aesper #agaard -etersen eds. The 0ncyclopedic Sorcebook o# Satanism
-rometheus <ooks /e" Jork.
Puttic*% 3li)abeth
@))) @ersonal 4evelopment! the Spiritalisation and Seclarisation o# the Fman @otential
.ovement in Steven Sutcliffe O ,arion <o"man 0ed.1 6eyond 1e" Age& 0+ploring Alterna%
tive Spiritality ;dinburgh *niversity -ress ;dinburgh.
Redbeard% Ra$nar
&''( .ight is Right ,.!.-. O Co. $td Chicago.
Schult)% 1uane P' 6 Schult)% Sydney 3llen
@))9 A Fistory o# .odern @sychology :. udgave Thomson O Hads"orth <elmont.
Stone% 1onald
&'8( The Fman @otential .ovement in Charles J. =lock O 7obert /. <ellah 0ed.1 The 1e" Re%
ligios 'onsciosness *niversity of California -ress <erkeley.
7allis% Roy
&':> The 4ynamics o# 'hange in the Fman @otential .ovement in 7odney Stark 0ed.1 Religios
.ovements! >enesis, 0+ods, and 1mbers -aragon !ouse -ublishers /e" Jork.
0Q1 These books do not include information on the publication year. !o"ever the edition of The Sa%
tanic 6ible 3uoted in this article includes a preface by <urton !. Holfe that is dated ?ecember &'8(
"hereas the original &'(' edition had a different preface.
A,,endi3 14 5ibliogra,$y of Signifi!ant #esear!$
Chronologically Brdered4
0&'8)1 Lyons% Arthur4 The Second 'oming! Satanism in America&
0&'8&1 Lyons% Arthur4 Satan 5ants <o! The 'lt o# 4evil 5orship in America&
0&'891 &oody % 3d#ard ,'4 .agical Therapy B An antropological investigation o# contemporary
satanism. 7eprinted in The 0ncyclopedic Sorcebook o# Satanism @)):.
0&'8(1 Alfred% Randall '4 The 'hrch o# Satan. 7eprinted in The 0ncyclopedic Sorcebook o# Sa%
tanism @)):.
0&''&1 -romley% 1avid 2' 0;d1. The satanism scare&
0&''>1 Lo#ney% 0athleen S'4 Teenage Satanism as Oppositional <oth Sbcltre. 7eprinted in
The 0ncyclopedic Sorcebook o# Satanism @)):.
-romley% 1avid 2'% o$ Susan Ainsley4 Satanism and Satanic 'hrches! The 'ontemporary
:ncarnations in America)s Alternative Religions.
0&''81 &elton% ,' 2ordon .odern Alternative Religions in the 5est in Fandbook o# living reli%
gions&
0&'''1 7ium-Andersen% 1orit4 .oderne satanisme in 1ye religi2se bev3gelser i 4anmark.
2ads Reli$ionsle*si*on4 ?efinitions of Church of Satan and Satanisme.
2avin% -addeley4 Lci#er Rising! Sin, 4evil 5orship and Rock )n) Roll.
La 5ontaine% ,ean8 Satanism and Satanic .ythology 5itchcra#t and .agic in 0rope! The
T"entieth 'entry.
0@))&1 ermonen% &er/a4 Rationalistic Satanism& The :ndividal as a .ember o# a 'ontercl%
tral Tribe. 7eprinted in The 0ncyclopedic Sorcebook o# Satanism @)):.
Le#is% ,ames R'4 5ho Serves SatanC A 4emographic and :deological @ro#ile .arbrg
Dornal o# Religion %ol. ( /o. @.
Le#is% ,ames R'4 Satanism Today. 0?ictionary of groups people popular cultre etc.1
0@))@1 Le#is% ,ames R'4 4iabolical Athority! Anton LaEey, The Satanic 6ible and the Satanist
(Tradition*. 7eprinted in The 0ncyclopedic Sorcebook o# Satanism @)):.
SYZYGY special edition on Satanism including Petersen% ,esper Aa$aard4 6inary Sa%
tanism! The 'onstrction o# 'ommnity in a 4igital 5orld& Bther articles reprinted.
0@))C1 1rury% "evill4 .agic and 5itchcra#t.
0@))91 1yrendal% Asb/4rn4 0t satans mann#olk! 4en atoriserte Anton LaEey in 4:1 no. @C.
1yrendal% Asb/4rn4 Satanisme B 0n inn#2ring in 4:1 no. 9.
5ibi$er% &arianne 9' :vortrup4 Satanisk ?orm, 0clipse in Religi2s mang#oldighed&
0@))>1 Aa$aard% ,esper Petersen4 .odern Satanism! 4ark 4octrines and 6lack ?lames in 'on%
troversial 1e" Religions.
1yrendal% Asb/4rn4 Satanisme og popl3rkltr in 4:1 no. C9.
0@))81 1yrendal% Asb/4rn4 Satanismens historie in Fmanist no. & @))8 p. 9CC.
0@)):1 Le#is% R' ,ames 6 Petersen% ,esper Aa$aard4 The 0ncyclopedic Sorcebook o# Satanism&
A,,endi3 "4 T$e 6ine Satani! Statements

&. Satan represents indulgence instead of abstinenceM
@. Satan represents vital e2istence instead of spiritual pipe dreamsM
C. Satan represents undefiled "isdom instead of hypocritical selfdeceitM
9. Satan represents kindness to those "ho deserve it instead of love "asted on ingratesM
>. Satan represents vengeance instead of turning the other cheekM
(. Satan represents responsibility to the responsible instead of concern for psychic vampiresM
8. Satan represents man as just another animal sometimes better more often "orse than those
that "alk on allfours "ho because of his divine spiritual and intellectual development has
become the most vicious animal of allM
:. Satan represents all of the socalled sins as they all lead to physical mental or emotional
gratificationM
'. Satan has been the best friend the church has ever had because he has kept it in business all
these yearsM
A,,endi3 %4 T$e LaVey (ersonality Synt$esizer

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Categorization of Modern SatanismAn Analysis of LaVey's Early Writings Page 1

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