Satanism in My Own Words?

Satanism is a body of ever-expanding rational and philosophical thought yet built firstly on this sort of bricolage of symbols, texts and novels, films, music, and occult imagery.

dictionary

by: Jeffrey X

This has been on my mind a lot lately. Defining Satanism is, at least to me, rather difficult. Of course, I could launch into a lecture about Romantic Satanism, discuss in depth the unholy Seven Tenets, but even that to me falls short of being able to define in words the totality of Satanism. How do you describe the feeling of a thing? Like describing the feeling of friendship, community, the relief of acceptance, the feeling of inclusion –all of this swirls around in my brain when I think of that which has endeared me to Satanism. 

Satanism is a body of ever-expanding rational and philosophical thought yet built firstly on this sort of bricolage of symbols, texts and novels, films, music, and occult imagery. These symbols, which weren’t created explicitly by us but rather appropriated, resonate deeply with how my queer experience folds into that of Temple Satanist. I have been the defeated angel weeping, I have been the seated Baphomet navigating the masculine and the feminine, belonging in neither category being made to feel not quite human, and I have been reminded constantly that I am the damned. All this before I even came to Satanism. All this simply because I am not straight.

Perhaps because it is Pride in NYC, I’ve been thinking a lot about how my queer identity, something which I did not choose but is me nonetheless, coexists with, is linked to, or confirmed by my self-identification as a Temple Satanist. 

On June 12th I led a discussion with my fellow congregants about Pride, Otherness, and Queer Satanism. I was so curious to hear how others contend with these two identifications. I needed to explore, to know. As luck would have it, that week on the streets of Brooklyn I had been harassed for my appearance. The first time a man called me a “faggot bitch” …well, not wrong. Like so many other times in my life I laughed it off. The second time came one day after our discussion. This time a man said, after looking at me in disgust, “the fucking world’s gon’ fucked up”. But this time I wasn’t hurt. Not even scared. I realized in the moment the power I had. I wasn’t the one who was afraid, it was my aggressor. Maybe he hated me, yes, but why? Because I, my mere existence and visage, invalidates his own narrow worldview  –shakes the old order, revealing the foundations of the Straight World to be built on pillars of sand. When he sees me, mighty cathedrals become nothing more than empty buildings. How Satanic. 

I remember how scared and miserable and ashamed I was when I first relalized my queerness. All these feelings were external. Pressure put on me, a child at the time, by the insidious Christian hegemony. Our bodies have been scrutinized, brutalized, politicized. Satanism is the vestments in which I clothe my naked queerness. My armor with its mirror-like brilliance, reflecting back what christian hegemony fears most: people who are no longer afraid of it.   

To quote Lucifer in Anatole France’s Revolt of the Angels:

“‘We have caused the Throne of the jealous God to totter; by our hands it shall fall. Arise, therefore, and be of good heart.’”

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Roe v Wade: Jan 22, 1973 – June 24, 2022

Today we suffer a national tragedy, the ramifications of which will steal many lives and devastate even more.

The Supreme Court of the United States of America
The Supreme Court of the United States of America

Today Was A National Tragedy

By: Seignioress

To everyone heartbroken, angry, devastated, or terrified after today’s Supreme Court ruling,

You are not alone. Today we suffer a national tragedy, the ramifications of which will steal many lives and devastate even more. It is a dark day in this country, and everyone in our Satanic community grieves alongside you.

Those six conservative justices were motivated by the depraved heart of their cruel god. They hid behind a willful ignorance of science and history. They acted with malicious disregard for legal precedent. They undermined the legitimacy of the nation’s highest court.

The post-Trump Robert’s court has once again made it clear that there is no justice, only partisanship and unbridled malice for The People and the rule of law. Their reckless disregard for actual human life is unconscionable. It has become clear that nothing, not even judicial precedent nor the Constitution, can stand in the way of the six conservative justice’s Christian agenda.

You are not alone in your pain, shock, hopelessness, fear, and anger. It might feel like the world is crashing down around you, and there’s nothing you can do. Unfortunately, the federal government is unwilling to protect our rights. The Supreme Court is partisan, and if the Democrats in Congress take action to protect our rights, they lose one of their most important campaign rally cries. Fuck them all. This fight belongs in the states now. But, in the meantime, we must find ways to aid the individuals who need immediate help.

These are dark times, and things will get a lot worse before they get better, but the fight is not over yet. 

Please, remember to take care of yourself, and if you can, check in with the people you love.

Hail You, Hail Lilith, and Hail Satan!

———
TST Tenets to hold in your heart today:

I. One should strive to act with compassion and empathy toward all creatures in accordance with reason.

II. The struggle for justice is an ongoing and necessary pursuit that should prevail over laws and institutions.

III. One’s body is inviolable, subject to one’s own will alone.

V. Beliefs should conform to one’s best scientific understanding of the world. One should take care never to distort scientific facts to fit one’s beliefs.

———

Author’s note:
The Judiciary is the strongest branch of the American government, and the Founders tried to create an impartial and non-political court. Still, McConnell found a way to prevent Merrick Garland’s confirmation. Then, a president who lost the popular vote nominated three partisan judges who were chosen because they wanted to strike down Roe v. Wade. They were confirmed by senators representing a minority of Americans. These judges have lifetime appointments and can reasonably be expected to serve another 25 to 30 years. (Justice Kennedy retired at age 82, and RBG died at 87. Gorsuch is 54. Kavanaugh is 57. Barrett is 50.) And they have proven themselves to be highly partisan. FUCK.

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