Feb. 25 St. Walpurgis Day (DA, SA, EE)
Mar. 01 St. Eichatadt (DA, EE)
Mar. 20 Equinox Feast Day (DA, EE)
Mar. 21 Spring Equinox (S2, DA, SA)
Apr. 21 to 26 Preparation for the Sacrifice (DA)
Apr. 21 to 29 Preparation time for sacrifice (SA)
Apr. 26 Grand Climax (EE)
Apr. 30 Beltane (NA, SS, SA, DA)
Apr. 30 Walpurgisnacht (SS, S2, NS)
Apr. 30 Solstice (UH, TH; Note 3)
May 01 Grand Climax (DA; Note 2)
May 01 Initiation Night (AS)
May 01 Beltane fertility festival (S2)
Jun. 20 No name (SA)
Jun. 21 Feast Day (DA)
Jun. 22 Solstice 1, Summer Solstice (NA, UH, S2, DA, EE)
Jun. 23 No name (SA)
Jul. 01 Demon Revels (DA, SA, EE)
Jul. 25 No name (SA)
Jul. 26 No name (SA)
Jul. 31 Lammas (HS)
Aug. 01 Lammas (SA, DA)
Aug. 01 Festival of First Fruits (S2)
Aug. 03 Satanic Revels (DA; Note 2, SA, EE)
Aug. 24 No name (SA)
Sep. 07 Marriage to Beast Satan (DA, SA, RR)
Sep. 19 No name (LL)
Sep. 20 Midnight Host (DA, SA, EE)
Sep. 20 to 23 Autumn Equinox (NS)
Sep. 21 Autumn Equinox (DA)
Sep. 22 Equinox Feast Day (DA, SA, EE)
Sep. 23 Fall Equinox (S2)
Oct. 13 Continuous High Holiday (SA; Note 4)
Oct. 29 All Hallows Eve (DA, SA; Note 5)
Oct. 31 Halloween (NA, SS, HS, HC, SA, S1, S2,DA)
Nov. 01 Halloween (EE)
Nov. 04 Satanic Revels (DA, EE)
Dec. 21 No name (SA)
Dec. 22 Solstice 2, Winter Solstice (NA, UH, S2, DA)
Dec. 22 Solstice Feast Day (DA, EE)
Dec. 24 Demon Revels (DA, SA)
Dec. 24 Grand High Climax (EE)
Dec. 25 Christmas (HC, MR, NS)
Notes:
1. 13th day of the year
2. Listed by Viser (DA) as the most important holidays
3. No solstice can occur in April
4. Continues to Nov. 4
5. Continues to Nov. 1
Movable Ritual Days
Easter Weekend (HC)
Easter Sunday (MR)
Good Friday (SA)
US Thanksgiving (HC)
Ash Wednesday (MR)
Ascension (MR)
Pentecost (MR)
Corpus Christi (MR)
1st Sun. of Advent (MR)
Periodic Meetings
Every 2nd Saturday at 11 PM (MR)
Every Friday night(S1)
Every 3rd Thursday (S2)
At full moons (TS)
On the Satanist's birthday (UH, DA, EE) An actual Satanic day
Year 2009; year-long Feast of the Beast (EE)
In the above list, codes have been used to refer to the following books:
DA: The Darkness Among Us by William Viser, (Broadman & Holman 1993), P.
134
EE: The Edge of Evil, by Jerry Johnston, (Word, 1989), P. 211
HC: He Came to Set the Captives Free by Rebecca Brown, (Wittaker House
1992), P. 69
HS: "Halloween and Satanism by Philips and Roibie (Starburst 1987) P. 146
MR: Michelle Remembers by Michelle Smith & Lawrence Pazder, (Simon &
Schuster, 1980)
NA: "New Age, The Occult, and Lion Country by Nelson Price (Power Books
1989), Page 76
NS: The New Satanists, by Linda Blood (Warner, 1994) P. 57, 216
S1: Satanism by Ted Schwarz & Duane Empey (Zondervan 1988), Page 41
SA: A handout of unknown origin supplied by a local Sexual Assault Centre
SS: Schemes of Satan by Mike Warnke (Victory House, 1991), P. 132
S2: Satanism by Bob Larson, (Nelson, 1989), P. 107
TH: At the Heart of Darkness by John Parker, (Pan, 1993), P. 256
TS: The Satan Seller by Mike Warnke (Bridge, 1972) P. 35, etc
UH: Undated handout distributed at a seminar given in Dunkirk NY by Detective
Paul Hart and quoted in the book In Pursuit of Satan by R.D. Hicks (Prometheus
Books, 1990)
The Dictionary of Cults, Sects, Religions and the Occult quotes the Satanic Bible
as listing the main Satanic holidays as Walpurgisnacht (30-APR), Halloween (31-OCT),
and the individual's birthday.
Christian authors have written dozens of anti-Satanic books and propaganda with
lists of supposed Satanic Ritual Days. According to the Ontario Consultants for Religious Tolerance, in some cases the authors appear to create information out of thin air, or copy the works of other conservative Christian writers. Few, if any, appear to have any direct knowledge of Satanism and all show a general lack of familiarization with the religion.
For instance, in The Edge of Evil "Grand High Climax" is said to be a major
holiday celebrated by Satanists on December 24. Evangelical Christian author Jerry
Johnston says in this book that it is a celebration meant to juxtapose the Christian holiday of Christmas Eve, when the birth of Jesus Christ is celebrated. He claims that Grand High Climax is traditionally celebrated with a Black Mass, followed by great excesses of food, drink, sex, and merriment, but a rite called "Grand High Climax", and the details of the activities involved, is not a rite acknowledged by the Satanic Chapel or any other Satanic organization, but is part of the Satanic panic and beliefs about the Witches' Sabbath.
LIBER OF BELIAL
The Oath of Fealty
I bind my blood in Satan's hands,
All this that lieth betwixt my hands,
To thee, the Beast, and thy control,
I pledge me; body, mind, and soul.
(Aleister Crowley, Satanic Extracts, 1991)
RITUAL INSTRUCTIONS AND
OTHER IMPORTANT TEACHINGS
[Here you will find all of the instructions you will need to get started. This is very
important! The methods I teach are ones that are standard in any Church of Satan
grotto because yes I was a member. The Satanic Bible, while essential reading for
any Satanist, is NOT the final word on Satanism. The techniques I have given you
are what was standard practice in all the grottos in the past.]
The best way you can understand the rituals is to read The Satanic Bible for
yourself. Anton LaVey throughout the Bible provides the evidence that Satanism is
much more than a mere philosophy; it is a way of life that includes dogmatic,
emotional and ritualistic components that Humanism or philosophy does not and
that only a religion can contain.
There is a basic need in Man for ritual, dogma and Command-obedience, and
the Rituals supply this. Unlike the rituals of other religions, the point is self
expression, the weaning away of taboo's and mental barriers, rather than
indoctrination, suppression or nurturing guilt complexes.
Before any ritual work is approached in any real depth. Practicing the
meditation and visualization exercises is essential, for without some mastery of
these principles all further work whether it be Ritual work or other forms of Mental-
ism and control of the Astral plane would be fruitless. A word to the wise:
meditation and visualization are not options, but must be mastered if further
progress upon the magickal path is to occur.
We will now look at four principles that need to be worked on. These four
principles are known as 'The Pyramid of Magick'. Although they will be looked at
separately, there is a good deal of overlap as all four, when it comes to the
performance of any Magick, will be brought into play simultaneously. The four
principles are. Imagination, Will, Faith, and secrecy.
1. Imagination. It would not be to much of an exaggeration to say that all people
that are drawn to the Black Arts, have the quality of an active imagination. It is the
ability to conjure to the minds eye sights and images to excite and indulge the
desires of the Sorcerer. It is through the ability of indulging in ones individual
desires of the imagination that the Magician will look through when casting forth
the desires of the Magickal will. The Magician should surround themselves with
those things which stimulate this faculty, Bizarre prints, statues, books, music etc.
Anything which gets the 'Dark Juices' flowing .Most traditions of Magick will give
you set examples of how you should construct your personal temple. I was taught
however that one should decorate their private working space according to what
turns them on rather than having for example, a temple furnished according to a
preset traditional format given in a book. Not to say that you cannot have
representations of Deity's or the four elements etc, but rather construct your
magickal working space according to what excites and turns your Magickal juices
on. Bottom line here is to consciously give your imagination free reign to express
itself in whatever way is pleasing to you.
2. Will. The lessons on Meditation and visualization will go a long way in
developing a strong Magickal will, essential for the performance of effective
workings. Will is the medium through which the emotions are evoked and
channelled through your imagination. In your day to day life it is important to
develop a strong and powerful will. Ways of doing this apart from Meditation and
visualization exercises include asserting yourself in situations, where maybe before
you allowed yourself to go along with something you did not agree with. Also of use
is committing yourself to activity's such as the meditation and visualization
exercises, without making excuses and breaking your oath to yourself in respect to
your commitment to doing them. Of course do not make promises to yourself or
others that you cannot keep, this will damage the strong will you are seeking to
develop. A Magicians word is a Magicians word, it is not to be taken lightly. if you
commit yourself to the process of developing your Magickal will you will find many
opportunities in your day to day life to strengthen it.
3. Faith. This may seem a strange concept to many of you on the LHP, but we
are not speaking here of religious faith, but rather faith in ones own Magickal
abilities. Never, I repeat never, try willing anything that deep down you are
convinced is not possible. To do so you risk your work failing, this will prove to be a
serious blow to your faith in yourself. It is far better to progress upon the Magickal
path slowly. As your powers develop you will naturally come to understand what is
possible for you. For now, it is more importent to only perform workings that you
have complete faith you have the ability to see manifest. It does not matter how
small this may seem, it is far better to have your faith boosted by an act of Magick,
than to have your faith dampened by biting of more than you can Magically chew so
to speak.
4. Secrecy. Secrecy about one s Magickal activities is a good idea for a number of
reasons, particularly for the newbie. It is not a good move to blab to all and sundry
that you have an interest in Magick if all you are going to get is mockery and
ridicule. A lot of people sceptical about the whole Occult thing will challenge you to
prove that there is something in all this by asking you to produce a tangible
Magickal effect. And of course, nothing is ever good enough for these types and all
you will end up doing is again undermining your developing faith and ability in
yourself. If you have friends that are open and maybe even on the same or similar
path to yourself this is a different matter. The process of developing a magical
persona is a long and arduous one at times but is well worth it in the long run. The
principles I have outlined should be digested and then utilized on a daily basis until
they become second nature. Through the imagination the will is focused and by
faith, manifests the magicians desire.
The Wiccans tell us that "whatever you cast out comes back to you
threefold." In this they are, as usual, only half right. The truth is actually far less prosaic, and a great deal more simple. It is the prime law of gambling, magic, and
sex. Hell, it's the prime law of life.
-Simply put, "you play, you pay."
Oh yes, we can "philosophize" until the cows come home. We can define
"white magic" as altruistic, beneficial, and benign. We can call "black magic"
sinister, selfish, and brutal. We might--with Crowley--tell ourselves that White
Magic is the spiritual quest for the Higher Self, and Black Magic is the blind and
piggish rolling in the mud of the material world. But all of this mental masturbation
only feels good. It never bears any fruit. The truth that every magician knows in
the pit of his or her belly, whether they have the balls (metaphorically so for our
Satanic Ladies) or not to admit it, is that all magic is black. Black as sin, black as
midnight, black as pitch. And it always, always, has a price.
I have read critics of people like Aleister Crowley and Anton LaVey remark
that if they were such great magicians, why didn't they die rich? Loved? Adored by
all? The instant I hear such things pass the lips of morons I know they haven't a
clue how magic works. They haven't the foggiest fucking idea.
A good magician will tell you, it all comes down to Balance. LaVey called it
the "Balance Factor." And I quote; "...To the Satanist "God"--by whatever name he is called, or by no name at all--is seen as the balancing factor in nature, and not as
being concerned with suffering...the powerful force which permeates and balances
the universe..." In the Book of Belial, he talked a bit about making it work for you.
But here is the thing; every life is a balance of the good and the ill, the ups and the
downs, the smooth sailing and the choppy seas. For the vast majority, the plusses
and minuses cancel each other out. True, some get more of one or the other, but
this is to be expected along any bell curve.
Now, the difference between the "Right Hand Pather" and the "Left Hand
Pather" is a lot more basic than the constant squabbles amongst occultists lets on.
The Right Hand Pather is content to let the balance be. He tells himself that it's all
in God's hands, or if an atheist (and yes, damnit, there are Right Hand Path
Atheists) that it should all be "left to chance." Aunt Emma is dying of cancer. He doesn't like it, but he consoles himself with "it's a part of life."
The Left Hand Pather--and for me, boys and girls, this term has always been
synonymous with "Magician"--is not content to let it be. He's not willing to let dear old Aunt Emma kick the bucket. So he pushes, he pushes hard. The balance shifts,
the universe swings out of whack. Aunt Emma makes her come-back.
But let's not forget simple physics. "Every action is followed by an equal and
opposite reaction." You push, and the universe is gonna push back. The harder you
push, the harder it pushes back.
Little pushes--the spells to get parking spaces or the traffic lights turn
green--only push back a little. Expect to get caught in a traffic jam next week. But
the big pushes can fuck you up.
In this, magic is not unlike gambling. And hell, why not? The Tarot began as
a betting game, and as much as those pompous Hermetic twits might want to
forget it, Hermes was not only the patron god of Alchemists and Magicians but also
gamblers and thieves. Both magic and gambling are about making bets, taking
risks, rolling the bones. Small bets translate into small wins and small losses. Big
bets mean big wins and losses. You don't need to be a brain surgeon to get that.
Back to Crowley and LaVey. Did it ever occur to their obviously armchair
detractors that they were staggering magicians in that they both launched new
ways of thinking, new ways of being? What a small and petty price to pay was their
ends in poverty and quiet ignominy.
Because if you wanna play, you gotta pay. That simple. The difference
between Magicians and other folks is that Magicians pick their battles. Normal
people roll with the blows. Magicians say, "I am gonna win this and pay by losing
that later." Crowley and LaVey knew exactly the DevIl's Bargains they were making.
They chose their wins and paid the price for balance.
Hence the Wiccans are full of shit...and yet somehow not totally wrong. You
play with magic, it will come back and bite you in the ass. It doesn't matter if it's a
curse or a blessing; it doesn't matter how good your protective circles or your
banishings are. What matters is how far you dare throw the universe out of whack.
C'mon, we all know this. There's not a fairy tale or myth in the world that hasn't
warned you. Magic always extracts a toll. The Devil gets his due.
SOME EXAMPLES (For the hardcore who had the stomach to read this far)
1. I first learned the "you play, you pay" law at 15. My best friend and I were at that age, to put it mildly, outcast geeks. But damn if my friend didn't get the hots
for his neighbor, the 17 year old cheerleader. Knowing I was into magic, he dared
me to help him out. So on a midnight in October, he and I snuck off into the woods
with all my Satanic gear to do the Invocation of Lust. Here we were, a couple of
total dorks, one reading The Satanic Bible while another furious jerked off. No less
than three days later, the cheerleader had a fight with her boyfriend and
miraculously ended up screwing my friend. It was more than a violation of the laws
of nature, it was a violation of all the laws of high school.
But of course, if you are real quiet and listen, you can hear the pendulum swinging
back.
In short, while they conducted their secret sex games, the cheerleader started
giving me the signal. Being fifteen, I started sleeping with her behind my best
friend's back. It didn't end well.
2. One of the more dramatic workings in my life came when I received a phone call,
in the dead of night, that my father had suffered a stroke. As he lived alone, he had
been lying on his kitchen floor for three days before anyone found him. The
damage, by that time, was catastrophic. The doctors told me to fly home because
he would be dead within hours.
They obviously didn't know who they were dealing with.
My lover and I performed a ritual to save my father, to restore him to health. We
both pushed hard. In a very "Hollywood" moment, I actually got myself so worked up I got a nosebleed. The next morning, I flew home.
Oh, my father lived through the night. Then they said he would be on life support
forever. He wasn't. They said he would be bedridden all his life. He got up and
learned to walk again. As of now, seven years later, he is almost completely his old
self again.
Wait...here's that pendulum.
The lover I performed the working with was a nurse. A few months later, I got a
new job and transferred to a new city. The plan was, my lover would fly back and
live with my dad for awhile, looking after him for free room and board while i found
a place for us to live. But the lover found a new lover, and decided to remain in my
home town, looking in on my dad and starting a new life with someone who wasn't
me. I lost one of the greatest loves of my life. But I kept my father.
Balance.
I have no patience for these fools who want to serve "Lord Satan." Both God and the Devil are metaphors for a universe indifferent to human suffering. The only
difference is, God doesn't listen and the Devil does. He delivers. But you gotta pay a price. There must be balance, and he doesn't really care how nice you are to him.
He doesn't take bribes, kiddies.
WORKING WITH IT
Look, the best way to avoid the heavy price is to use Lesser Magic instead, Failing
that, place smaller bets. Had my lust spell been fore the equally nerdy and outcast
girl in homeroom, the odds would have been so even that the price was barely
noticeable. I went for the cheerleader, the long shot, and got burned.
But ultimately...and I suspect everyone reading this, as a Satanist, already knows
this...magic is scary. If you need something Really Big, just be prepared to pay a
Really Big Price. If you can't do that, enroll in the Church of your choice, accept
"God's Will," and stop playing with fire.
PREPERATIONS
Before you perform any formal ritual, I recommend that you do the following:
* Obtain some black candles if possible. If not available in any local stores, try
some mail-order distributors.
Alternatively, you may use a can of Sterno in place of a black candle.
Whether you use a candle or a can of Sterno, make sure you have a good, solid
holder for it that won't tip over easily.
* Obtain some comfortable, all-black clothing that you will wear only for ritual
purposes. The clothing need not be a robe. A pair of black pants and a black shirt
are fine too, as long as they are comfortable enough not to distract you in any way.
Just don't wear the clothes for any purpose except rituals.
Alternatively, you may prefer to perform your rituals naked. That's fine too.
* Obtain a small table that you can use as an altar. Ideally, the table should be
used only as your altar and for no other purpose. Ideally too, it should be in a room
that is used for no other purpose too. But, if you lack sufficient room or privacy for
even a permanent altar, let alone an entire room reserved for that purpose, then
your nightstand will do.
* Obtain a piece of black cloth that you can use as an altar cloth. If you lack
suffiecient room or privacy to have a permanent altaar (in whcih case the table you
are using as an altar will also be used for other purposes at other times), then the
altar cloth should be on the table only when you are doing rituals, and at other
times should be folded up and put away.
* It is desirable to decorate both your altar and the walls of the room with a
variety of Satanic symbols, such as a Baphomet. If possible, decorate the walls of
the room with symbols and pictures that are not only Satanic or "dark" but also appropriate to the four elements (west = Water, south = Fire, east = Air, and north
= Earth, transposing north and south if you live in the Southern hemisphere).
However, this is not absolutely necessary. All you really need is an altar and, on
your alter, a cloth and a candle.
* As a gesture of respect and to help avoid distractions, the room in which you
perform your rituals should be cleaned shortly beforehand. In particular, the floor
should be clean, because you will be looking downward to address the the "Dark
One" and the "Legions of the Pit."
* Some people use incense. I personally don't. Whether or not you personally
find incense helpful will likely depend on your religious background. For example, if
you were brought up Catholic, you will probably find incense helpful. On the other
hand, if you were brought up in a non-liturgical Protestant church, you may find
incense to be more of a distraction than a help.
* Try to memorize your invocations, etc. before the ritual. However, it's perfectly
OK to use crib sheets in case your memory falters.
* Unless you have very good eyesight, you may need more than just candlelight
to read your written prayers or other crib sheets. Have a small flashlight handy for
that purpose.
* If you intend to dispose of your written prayers or other crib sheets rather than
save them after the ritual, it is recommended -- as a gesture of respect -- that you
burn these sheets of paper immediately after or near the end of the ritual itself,
rather than just throw them in the garbage later. Reading a prayer and then
burning the paper on which it is written is a common ritual practice among theistic
Satanists. It isn't absolutely necessary. However, written prayers used in ritual
should be either kept or burned, not thrown in the garbage.
To that end, have a ceramic bowl handy. And, if you've never done this before,
spend some time practicing the art of burning paper in a bowl before you do your
first ritual. For safety, practice it in your bathroom or kitchen sink before you
practice it anywhere else.
* For obvious fire safety reasons, make sure there isn't any paper clutter or
other highly flammable stuff anywhere near your altar. Also, make sure you know
where your fire extinguisher is. Fire safety should be a consideration even if you'r