Throughout the thirty years of its existence, the Church of Satan has
continued to expand while its character has undergone a number of
carefully-planned developmental phases. In the process, we have at times
found it necessary to eject individuals who have acted in ways that were
not in keeping with our high standards for social behavior. We have also
had a small number of individuals freely depart from us, finding our
means too challenging to their false images of personal superiority.
Neither types are ever missed, as the true elite of talented,
highly-motivated, productive, creative, and above all independent
individuals still find their way to us.
There have been those who would attempt to imitate us, but they usually
discover that our shoes are far too big to fill. Short-lived spinoffs
have included The Church of Satanic Brotherhood, Ordo Templi Satanas,
Order of the Black Ram, Church of Lucifer, Thee Orthodox Satanic Church
and so on. None of these has prospered or even affected the course of
Satanism, as they have quickly collapsed due to the lack of energy or
direction. One group formed by ex-members of the Church of Satan which
has continued to exist, albeit as a small and fairly clandestine vanity
organization riding on the funds provided by its high priest, is the
Temple of Set. This bunch is significant only in that they continue to
try to ride upon the coattails of the Church of Satan, and indeed even
publicly claim to be the successor to and custodian of the Church of
Satan. You might have come across some advertisements or writing
influenced by these Setians. Don't be fooled; they are not in any way
associated with the Church of Satan and their tales of schism are
convenient diversions. Let us examine from whence this group appeared
and clear away their false claims.
In 1974 C.E. the Church of Satan instituted its fourth phase of
development. The thrust of this phase was to reorient the members at all
levels to proceed on a far more independent course. Previously we had
issued charters for formal Grottos which were small congregations
comprised of Satanists in specific geographical regions. It had been
discovered that these formal Grottos led certain members to confine their
efforts at personal advancement to the realm of the Grotto alone, rather
than towards the success in the outside world which is of paramount
importance to Satanism. Certain members were far more interested in
trying to gain elevated rank yet were merely competing in the Grotto's
social arena. They neglected to develop their talents and forge ahead.
Many other members were strong-willed individualists who did not mix well
with other Satanists. Rather than functioning as bases for the
development of Satanic strategies, these groups often became shields
against true advancement, filled with huddlers who were solely interested
in internecine strife. Not everyone involved fit this picture, but there
were enough to make it obsolete as a system of growth.
The new phase stressed independent functioning, keeping individuals
separated to pursue their own goals. If Satanists used their initiative
to find their fellows and wished to informally create groups for
socialization and ritual, that was most acceptable. But the momentum for
the existence of these informal groups had to come from the social
compatability of the constituent members, not geographical proximity.
This phase of isolation, which laid the groundwork for a much broader
base for Satanism as a movement (seen today especially in the commercial
acceptance of Satanic imagery in the popular Heavy Metal music business),
was upsetting to the pen-pal and coffee klatsch conclave members, whom it
was basically designed to ease out of the way. Michael A. Aquino, at
that time the editor of The Cloven Hoof, had attained the IV° and was
injecting a strongly supernaturalist bent to the Hoof's articles. Mr.
Aquino had a history of creating documents which he claimed to have
transcribed from superhuman entities. These include the Diabolicon (1970
C.E.), a series of statements from Satan, Beelzebub, Azazel, Abaddon,
Asmodeus, Astaroth, Belial, and Leviathan, as well as the Ninth Solstice
Message (1974 C.E.) which declared Anton LaVey a daimon.
Dr. LaVey who, then as now, had a firm grasp on the Church's tiller,
began to implement the phase which had slowly been evolving over the
previous two years. He had even outlined the basic concepts for this
formal phase during the summer of 1972 C.E. in a letter to Aquino,
stating that the social Satanists and their limelight loving priests
contribute nothing to Satanism as a movement, and that they would fall by
the wayside when they didn't receive the attention they sought by
starting their own churches. LaVey wrote that he had far more respect
for his underground clergy who were very productive in the real world.
Aquino did not accept this, especially Dr. LaVey's awarding of
priesthoods to non-esoteric, non-public achievers and thus he would no
longer be privy to even the small amount of information regarding
underground activities that had previously been given to him. LaVey was
determined that the status of Church members should reflect their
standing in the world outside of the organization. Degrees are not
reflective of simple book learning and esoteric knowledge, but the actual
application of Satanic principles towards personal advancement. To this
end, the Church would honor values given to it in kind with degree
recognition as would be deemed appropriate by Dr. LaVey. The achievement
of degrees via written tests was not to be abandoned at this time, but
this additional means of advancement was now open to the above-ground
members. This was formalized by the new phase in 1974 C.E. and outlined
to Aquino in May, during one of his rare personal meetings with Dr. LaVey.
Aquino did not protest this policy at the meeting and later claimed this
alternate route to advancement as a public reason to announce a break
with the Church of Satan, accusing Dr. LaVey of selling degrees. He
wrote letters to his handful of pen-pal cronies, fellow mystics who had
also mourned the new phase, and they too resigned to go off with Aquino
and form their own group. Aquino had wanted to start a Second Church of
Satan but was thwarted by copyright laws. Instead, recalling his
readings of Egyptian history and mythology, he claimed to have invoked
Satan (in whom he literally believed as an entity) and to have been
answered instead by Set, the actual Prince of Darkness who, through a
series of realizations in Aquino's mind, caused him to record as Set's
answer a document which he titled the Book of Coming Forth by Night.
This supernatural revelation supposedly gives him the right to supercede
the Church of Satan. Doesn't that sound familiar?
Aquino would like you to believe that the entire priesthood of the Church
of Satan followed him in departing. This is untrue, especially as there
were many underground members, including priests and higher, of whom he
had no knowledge. The Church of Satan was at that time, and still
continues to be, a large and highly stratified organization with many
discreet individuals placed in positions of power. As Orwell had
envisioned in his classic 1984, it is not an organization in the usual
sense as it is held together by an idea whose time has come, which is
indestructible. The departure of less than thirty members can hardly be
called a schism. This was instead a welcome housecleaning of an element
that had become less than desirable to the future development of the
Church of Satan. And thus the fourth phase functioned as planned and
Aquino became one of those who, as predicted in 1972 C.E., fell by the
wayside.
The ex-Satanists who formed the Temple of Set follow a path quite
different from that of the Church of Satan, which has never veered from
its dedication to rational self-interest, indulgence, and a glorification
of the carnal and material. The belief in Set as an actual entity with
whom followers may commune is in marked contrast to our disbelief in any
external diety figures. They have a consuming preoccupation with rank
and status within their organization, thus titles and medallions of
degree level are eagerly sought by members to affirm their position in
the pecking order of the temple's internal world (particularly evident at
their conclaves). This is not surprising considering Aquino's background
-- a boyhood steeped in military academies and in pursuit of Boy Scout
merit badges. The Church of Satan retains its right to grant degrees,
but these are still based on an individual's achievements in the outside
world and his level of freedom from herd conformity and independence from
forced interaction with the masses. Striving for fancy titles and
rankings is not a part of Satanism. The literature of the Church of
Satan is published and distributed worldwide to any interested
individuals. The Temple of Set prints private literature available only
to members, and some of it is limited to those of the correct rank. To
further learn about these ex-Satanists, you might choose to contact them
for information, but be forewarned that real Satanism is not hiding
underneath their academic exterior. A worthwhile and informative study
by an anthropologist who joined the Temple of Set is The Magicians, by
Gini Graham Scott, Ph.D. (New World Books, 308 Spruce St., San Francisco,
CA 94118). This will give you insights into their beliefs, practices,
and social interactions.
We have dealt here at length with the Temple of Set to lay to rest their
propaganda. They are not associated with the Church of Satan in any
manner. We do not see them as being in any way significant to the future
of Satanism. Dr. LaVey still proudly stands at the helm of the Church of
Satan, the flagship of the movement he launched in 1966 C.E., and shall
continue to oversee the forces he has put into motion. The Church of
Satan is the foundry, forging the iron Will that shall continue to move
the minds and hearts of humanity's elite who are even now reaching out to
claim the future as their domain. They shall be the inheritors of our
legacy as well as the writers of our history for the next thirty years,
and far beyond.
[This article, in a slightly different form, appeared in Dark Lily #13 as a response to the misinformation being spread by TOS in England at that time. This file was occasioned by questions received by our various contacts regarding TOS and its curious, and dubious, claims.]