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Open Letters From …A Psychic VampireA Queer Man A Satanist
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Of course Lucifer is the Prince of Darkness: Even the smallest light will govern the Darkest corners of the Universe.
Thomas Potter, Elder, First Church of Satan. ©13 March 2006
I wonder sometimes about what it is people are thinking. Do they really think that telling a Christian that they are not a Satanist that the Christian will really believe them? Is it really fair to use an Argumentum ad Hominem (argument against the person) to prove you are not a Satanist? Pagans, Wiccans, fellow humans, I will not be the darkness that proves your light.
I am a Satanist. I do not worship Satan, though some Satanists do. What most of us do is honor, respect, and strive to instill within ourselves the Virtues of Knowledge, Power, and Pleasure that Satan represents to many of us. For some of us, Satan is a real personality, for others he is simply an idea to live up to. I am interested in Satan; I see him as an office that any of a number individuals might hold. They could be gods and their daimons, humans and other animals, even the rock in the road that encourages us to look where we are going. Satan makes you stop and think about what you are doing, the more thorough the thought the better. In all events, Satan is merely a myth that conveys truth, personal and universal.
Satanism is not a form of Christianism, though many of us have been reared in that Culture of Faith. I challenge anyone who has been reared near Christians, especially in America, to not be infected with their stories and even some of their prejudices. Satanism is not a form of Christianism, very few of us even believe Christ is more than a myth, or has ever been a real person; few of us believe that much. I am not Christian, I rejected that Culture of Faith long time ago, and have very little in common, with the Literalist flavor, at least. The establishment has demonized and condemned the Gnostic flavor, just as it has anyone else that threatens their coffers or power. The Gnostic Christian would be welcomed in my house. The Literalist Christian … well, lets just say I would be slow to invite them.
I am a Satanist. I have no Saviors except myself, and I have no Scapegoats to blame my short comings on. I am human, and subject to the same fears, hungers, and passions as any animal or daimon, just like any other human. I know what I can be; that struggle to become is part my of evolution. While I might accept the help of gods and humans, in the end I alone can die for me, so I alone can live for me. I embrace pervasive discontent as a gift, and will not settle for yesterday’s pleasures, or hope for tomorrow’s; I will not miss the gifts of this moment. Azazel is gracious, and will remind me that I am human, and that I ought not be so hard on myself, that is, after he has stopped laughing with me.
I have been to Hell: it is not such a bad place, unless you give up, and fade into the background. Sometimes the world does not work the way we would like. Life can be wonderful, mostly it is just not fair. Some humans will make it worst. People will step on you, push you aside, ridicule you, belittle, demoralize, and call you names that will hurt till you are in the grave. When you have lost everything, and have nothing left to lose, that is Hell. That is Heaven, too. With nothing to hold you back, you can step forward and start making changes.
I raise my voice, along side the millions of disenfranchised Bohemians, Civil rights advocates, and civil and spiritual dissidents to make the world a better place for people to express themselves. Let us be an us instead of a them, be ourselves instead of them, be real, instead of being artificial, pretentious, and glib. Let us set the standards, even if no one else agrees with us.
I also raise my voice to say, telling people you are not a Satanist, then belittling, demeaning, and demoralizing Satanism to make you look good will not make you look good. Why ask for tolerance if you are not willing to grant it? Tolerance begins with exposure. Get to know at least one Satanist, or rather twenty, because we are a diverse group, growing, maturing, at different rates. At best, do not place yourself as an expert on Satanism unless you have gotten to know us. Let us define our religion, and we will return the favor.
Before I forget, some of us are Pagan as well. I know, because I am one, honoring Nature and Her forces: I am part of her body. I seek to find myself in a place where nature flows through me, rather than me fighting with her at every turn.
Do not make yourself look good at my expense. And don’t worry about what Christians think of you. You can say, “I am not a Satanist” until Ragnor Rocks the Skies, and they will not believe you. They will think the Devil deceives you, hoodwinks at best; or you are deceiving them in the hope of getting in their good graces to get their soul for your master. The truth will not get in the way of what they believe about you.
It is enough to say, “I am not a Satanist.” The rest damages your soul, reputation, and damages our relationship. Do not make me into the darkness that makes your light look good.
Please visit the following web sites for a better authority on Satanism:
Church of Azazel | First Church of Satan | The Principia Discordia | The Temple of Set
… Anyway, another 2.785¢ into the orphaned dragon fund.
For the Love of Mog Roith and Mhór Rioghain, Devils at the Crossroads.
Warlock Thomas Potter:
Magus, Hoodoo Padawan; BronzDragon; First Church of Satan; The DarkSide Coven, San Jacinto.
Yes, it is difficult. It doesn’t get any easier if you drown. (Tantric Proverb)
Potter, Thomas; BronzDragon; ; March 2006.
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