THE
ARCANE
ARCHIVE

a cache of usenet and other text files pertaining
to occult, mystical, and spiritual subjects.


TOP | RELIGION | SATANISM

Neopaganism and Satanism

To: alt.satanism,alt.pagan,alt.religion.wicca,alt.magick.tyagi,talk.religion.misc
From: vondraco@pgh.nauticom.net (DAVE ONDREJKO)
Subject: Re: Neopaganism and Satanism (Was Re: Wiccans...alt.mgk (...Sweetness...)
Date: Wed, 6 Dec 1995 04:41:20 GMT

Lee Ann Rabe  wrote:
>The fact that Satanism has a number of meanings really doesn't
>surprise me --- what does surprise me is that none of the 
>people/groups calling themselves Satanists seem to believe 
>in Satan! 
>
>I still don't understand the logic behind the naming.... could
>someone who is a Satanist (of any sort) please explain it
>to me?

First, you're mistaken; there are some Satanists who *do* believe in
Satan.  These individuals are usually either one of two varieties.  They
can be rebellious Christians (usually teenagers) whose idea of Satanism
comes more-or-less from what their pastor or the mass media has told them. 
If not, their concept of Satan is very different from what the Christians
call Satan, as is their concept of Jehovah (if they have one).  (As a side
note, I can conceive of someone accepting the Christian mythology as fact,
reinterpreting the mythology, and still end up siding with Satan.  I have
not yet encountered anyone who actually does this, however.)  If Diane 
Vera is still reading alt.satanism, she might explain her view of Satan; 
it falls into this category.

If someone asks me if I believe in Satan, I'll usually answer "no."  
Usually.  If they seem genuinely interested, and I have the time to 
explain it, I'll answer differently.  You seem at least mildly interested 
and you've caught me when I can spare the time.  So this may get a little 
long. :)

Do I believe in Satan?  That depends on two things -- what exactly you 
mean by "Satan," and what you mean by "believe in."  Let's talk about 
'Satan' first.

I do not accept the traditional Christian definition of him -- ie, an
anthropomorphic devil who gets off on pain, misery and suffering.  I
similarly reject most of the trappings that go along with that notion. 
However, throughout history, there have been several notions and concepts
associated with the image of Satan with which I can certainly identify. 
Chief among these would be Milton's depiction of him as a tragic hero, or
perhaps Cervantes' icon of Don Quixote de la Mancha, whom I have always
claimed as a "patron saint" -- even before I was a Satanist.  (What's
that?  You never realized Quixote was Satanic?)

So while I accept and even identify with the fictional literary 
depictions of Satan, and I grant that the 'morals' (so to speak) of the 
stories are valid, I do not believe that any of them have much of a basis 
in reality beyond that.

I even have difficulty with accepting Satan as a sentient being of any 
sorts.  My view of Satan is that of a principle of nature, the blind 
power behind man's drive for accomplishment -- indeed, it is a *part* of 
the human nature.  When I 'worship' Satan, I recognize that I am 
worshipping an externalized part of my own being.  The monotheistic gods 
of the JCI paradigm are a result of the basic self-loathing of some 
humans; they take the shape of the idealized man, the being who is beyond 
all human desires and weaknesses and who is able to do everything that 
man wishes he could do.  (The sexual manifestations of this are either 
repression -- sexual desire as a weakness, as in Catholicism or Puritanism 
-- or channeled into 'acceptable' expressions and almost glorified -- eg, 
Islam, Mormonism.)

The Satanist (eg, me) accepts hirself the way she is; there is no desire 
to deny the self in any way.  I accept my weaknesses, and also admit my 
strengths.  I recognize my limitations, but strive to work as best I can 
to expand those limits and achieve my desires.

Now, as to the second term, 'believe in'...I don't believe in Satan (as
defined above) as something superior to and separate from myself that
deserves worship and obedience.  Satan is a part of me; I'm not sure if
it's appropriate in this context to say that I "believe" in myself!  He is
not an object of faith; he is a symbol, a part of the way that I describe
what I know to be true. 

So yes, given that explanation and disclaimer, I *do* believe in 
Satan...but in the same sense that I believe in gravity.  I do *not* 
believe in Satan in the same way that the JCI faiths believe in their 
god.  Unfortunately, if I just openly state that "I believe in Satan" 
people are going to assume the latter context.  So I usually don't.

I hope that explains my view a little.  Note that it is *my* view, which 
may or may not be shared by other Satanists.


>"I want to be the victim! I want to be the victim!"
>"All your life."
>--- random preppie girl and Wednesday in "Addams Family Values"

Love the .sig! :)



-- 
%make fire
Make: Don't know how to make fire.  Stop.
%why not?
No match.

The Arcane Archive is copyright by the authors cited.
Send comments to the Arcane Archivist: tyaginator@arcane-archive.org.

Did you like what you read here? Find it useful?
Then please click on the Paypal Secure Server logo and make a small
donation to the site maintainer for the creation and upkeep of this site.

The ARCANE ARCHIVE is a large domain,
organized into a number of sub-directories,
each dealing with a different branch of
religion, mysticism, occultism, or esoteric knowledge.
Here are the major ARCANE ARCHIVE directories you can visit:
interdisciplinary: geometry, natural proportion, ratio, archaeoastronomy
mysticism: enlightenment, self-realization, trance, meditation, consciousness
occultism: divination, hermeticism, amulets, sigils, magick, witchcraft, spells
religion: buddhism, christianity, hinduism, islam, judaism, taoism, wicca, voodoo
societies and fraternal orders: freemasonry, golden dawn, rosicrucians, etc.

SEARCH THE ARCANE ARCHIVE

There are thousands of web pages at the ARCANE ARCHIVE. You can use ATOMZ.COM
to search for a single word (like witchcraft, hoodoo, pagan, or magic) or an
exact phrase (like Kwan Yin, golden ratio, or book of shadows):

Search For:
Match:  Any word All words Exact phrase

OTHER ESOTERIC AND OCCULT SITES OF INTEREST

Southern Spirits: 19th and 20th century accounts of hoodoo, including slave narratives & interviews
Hoodoo in Theory and Practice by cat yronwode: an introduction to African-American rootwork
Lucky W Amulet Archive by cat yronwode: an online museum of worldwide talismans and charms
Sacred Sex: essays and articles on tantra yoga, neo-tantra, karezza, sex magic, and sex worship
Sacred Landscape: essays and articles on archaeoastronomy, sacred architecture, and sacred geometry
Lucky Mojo Forum: practitioners answer queries on conjure; sponsored by the Lucky Mojo Curio Co.
Herb Magic: illustrated descriptions of magic herbs with free spells, recipes, and an ordering option
Association of Independent Readers and Rootworkers: ethical diviners and hoodoo spell-casters
Freemasonry for Women by cat yronwode: a history of mixed-gender Freemasonic lodges
Missionary Independent Spiritual Church: spirit-led, inter-faith, the Smallest Church in the World
Satan Service Org: an archive presenting the theory, practice, and history of Satanism and Satanists
Gospel of Satan: the story of Jesus and the angels, from the perspective of the God of this World
Lucky Mojo Usenet FAQ Archive: FAQs and REFs for occult and magical usenet newsgroups
Candles and Curios: essays and articles on traditional African American conjure and folk magic
Aleister Crowley Text Archive: a multitude of texts by an early 20th century ceremonial occultist
Spiritual Spells: lessons in folk magic and spell casting from an eclectic Wiccan perspective
The Mystic Tea Room: divination by reading tea-leaves, with a museum of antique fortune telling cups
Yronwode Institution for the Preservation and Popularization of Indigenous Ethnomagicology
Yronwode Home: personal pages of catherine yronwode and nagasiva yronwode, magical archivists
Lucky Mojo Magic Spells Archives: love spells, money spells, luck spells, protection spells, etc.
      Free Love Spell Archive: love spells, attraction spells, sex magick, romance spells, and lust spells
      Free Money Spell Archive: money spells, prosperity spells, and wealth spells for job and business
      Free Protection Spell Archive: protection spells against witchcraft, jinxes, hexes, and the evil eye
      Free Gambling Luck Spell Archive: lucky gambling spells for the lottery, casinos, and races