Temple of Set Reading List

Category 6: Satanism
as of February 26, 2003
Satanism is the Blackest of the Black Arts and until the North Solstice X encompassed
the most advanced - and the most dangerous - school of religion and magical knowledge.
Because its doctrines are intensely personal, hence asocial, conventional societies have tended to
regard it as a threat to the docile, cooperative obedience of the citizenry. This bias against
Satanism as something necessarily criminal will be evident in some of the following
accounts, and it frequently resulted in persecution that drove Satanists even farther from the
social mainstream. In 1966 CE (the year I of the on of Set) Anton Szandor LaVey founded
the Church of Satan, an institution designed to translate the philosophy of Satanism into a
socially- acceptable form. In 1975 the Church of Satan evolved into the Temple of Set, at which
time the philosophical inconsistencies and anti-Judaic/Christian orientation of the older
organization were eliminated. The Black Art has now been raised to its highest form.
6A. La-Bas (Down There) by J.K. Huysmans. NY: Dover Publications, 1972.
[Deutschland: Tief unten. Diogenes Taschenbuchverlag, CH-Zrich, 1987.] (TOS-3) MA:
This is the classic of late 19th-century French Satanism. It contains detailed accounts of
the old 17th-century Black Mass as later practiced in underground Paris. The book
evidences a strong Christian moral bias; hence it is historically unreliable. Nevertheless it
became a model for subsequent efforts at anti-Christian ceremonies. Devil-worship
sequences from most contemporary films, for example, can be recognized as variations on
the La-Bas account. [Appendix 64 of #6N reprints the Black Mass sequence from La-
Bas.]
6B. The Satanic Mass by H.T.F. Rhodes. London: Jarrolds Publishers Ltd, 1968
[available in the U.S. from Citadel Publishers]. (COS-3) (TOS-3) AL: A non-hysterical
account by a criminologist who has researched his subject well. MA: This book, whose
emphasis is criminological, traces Satanism from an underground French revolutionary
movement to organized crime to decadent burlesque to modern cultural offshoots and
influences [short of the Church of Satan, which had not yet been founded when the
research for this book was completed]. Principal emphasis is on the French tradition and
the Dashwood Hell-Fire Club. This was one of the basic sourcebooks for the Church of
Satan during its formative years.
6C. A Razor for a Goat by Elliot Rose. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1962.
(TOS-3) MA: This book was begun as a good-humored effort to debunk the neo-
witchcraft theories of Margaret Murray and Gerald Gardner [which it does rather
conclusively]. Rose went a good deal further and straightened out many misconceptions
concerning medieval witchcraft accounts as well. Yet he argues for the essential value of
the concepts of pure Satanism. This was another book of prime importance to the
original design of the Church of Satan, and it helps to explain the strong anti-
neopagan/Wiccan attitude of that institution. It says something for popular tastes [and the
memory of P.T. Barnum] that Wiccan literature continues to flourish while #6C is usually
found only in university libraries.
6D. Seven Footprints to Satan by A. Merritt. NY: Avon Books #28209, 1942
[reprinted 1976]. (TOS-5) (LVT-5) MA: Written ca. 1928, this novel contains many
passages describing the central philosophies of Satanism, as well as many episodes
exemplifying them. Since the book was ostensibly fiction, Merritt did not have to mince
words. Harmless to non-Initiates, it is a Satanic manifesto for Adepts of the Left-Hand
Path. And the character of Satan in the story bears a remarkable resemblance to Anton
Szandor LaVey ... in more than one way. JL: The image of Satan in #6D is very like
that of Anton LaVey during I-X AES. His expertise as a magician surpasses even
Ayeshas best efforts and is more believable because of the novels contemporary setting.
Although he uses highly sophisticated LBM exclusively, his designs far exceed the grasp of
the other players who, despite their efforts, continue dancing to the tune played by Satan
almost to the end. #6D portrays a world in which the present and future are both
controlled with admirable precision. The acts of theft and violence in #6D may be
deplorable, but we can admire the mind which created and mastered a universe designed
for its exclusive pleasure.
6E. Asimovs Annotated Paradise Lost by John Milton and Isaac Asimov. NY:
Doubleday, 1974. (TOS-4) MA: The creative aspects of Satanism are beautifully
portrayed in Paradise Lost, and this edition has the added attraction of extensive notes by
the brilliant and witty Asimov. [Missing, sadly, are the famous Dore illustrations, which
enthusiasts will have to seek in other editions.] Milton, who lived and wrote during the
Cromwellian Commonwealth, observed due subtlety in his portrayal of the virtues of Satan
and the vices of YHVH. Asimov is under no such constraint, and he overlooks no
opportunities to identify and explain the hidden material.
6F. The Unholy Bible by June K. Singer. NY: G.P. Putnams Sons, 1970 [Harper &
Row paperback edition available]. (TOS-4) MA: This is a psychological interpretation of
the Satanism of William Blake, prepared for the C.G. Jung Foundation for Analytical
Psychology. Included are plates, quotes, and detailed commentary on The Marriage of
Heaven and Hell and The Bible of Hell, as well as a short biography and psychological
profile of Blake himself.
6G. The Hell-Fire Club by Daniel P. Mannix. NY: Ballantine Books #01625, 1959.
(TOS-3) MA: This is an extensive, sensationalistic account of 18th-century Englands
notorious Friars of St. Francis of Wycombe, a Satanic society organized by Sir Francis
Dashwood and including such prominent personalities as the Prime Minister and the First
Lord of the Admiralty. Benjamin Franklin was a noted visitor from the Colonies. [The
Dashwood estate is open to visitors.] See also #6T & #6AC, which are progressively less
colorful but probably more accurate.
6H. Witchcraft: Its Power in the World Today by William Seabrook. NY: Lancer
Books #78656, 1968. (COS-3) (TOS-3) AL: Witchcraft discussed in terms of suggestive
psychology. MA: Originally published in 1940, this book was the forerunner of the
occult revival of the 1950s. Although personally a skeptic, Seabrook admitted the
psychological effectiveness of witchcraft. He was among the close friends of Aleister
Crowley at the time of the latters attainment of the grade of Magus. This book is now
somewhat dated, but it may be acquired for its scholarship and its value as a classic.
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6I. The Magus by John Fowles. Boston: Little, Brown & Co., 1965 [revised edition
1977]. (TOS-4) MA: A novel of an arrogant/selfish/ sensitive/intellectual British
schoolteacher who becomes enmeshed in the schemes of a modern magician. An excellent
illustration of the use of psychological magic as a control device [as opposed to a mere
research tool]. The characters of Nicholas (the schoolteacher) and Conchis (the magus)
exemplify aspects of the Nemo and Aristos, principles in Fowles own brand of
existentialism as set forth in his incisive theoretical work The Aristos (NY: Signet Books
#Q4280, 1964). Fowles describes the revised edition of The Magus as less fantastic/more
realistic than the original edition, but after several readings of comparing the two I am
inclined to favor the revised edition as a richer experience from which the magic has
definitely not been excised. The Magus is one of those books whose every re-reading
brings new impressions and adventures. I was strongly tempted to rate it TOS-1, but feel
that greatest benefit will be derived from a reading of it when the Setian has first mastered
the basics of the included philosophical concepts and of Lesser Black Magic. See also
#F6J.
6J. The Powers of Evil by Richard Cavendish. NY: G.P. Putnams Sons, 1975. (TOS-
3) MA: While preparing #4C and editing #4E, Cavendish was intrigued by certain
recurring themes relative to the notion of evil in cross-cultural contexts involving death,
darkness, sex, disorder, etc. This book is his effort, as an acknowledged skeptic and
agnostic, to deal with these themes. The result is not a full survey of the philosophy and
theology of evil, but it is a good introduction. The books defect is that Cavendish, as a
consequence of his detachment, is forced to rely upon second-hand sources for his data
and so can only report others direct impressions [which can be somewhat less than
objective]. Much of the books 300 pages are weighted down with the usual, tiresome
collection of occult anecdotes and mythological stories.
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6K. The Satanic Bible by Anton Szandor LaVey. NY: Avon Books #NS44, 1969
[hardcover edition from University Books, 1972]. (COS-1) (TOS-3) (TRP-1) (LVT-1) MA:
This book summarizes the social and magical philosophy of the Church of Satan at the
time of its writing, but it is not a compendium of all C/S doctrines of subsequent years.
LaVey was the founder and High Priest of the C/S and Magus V of the Age of Satan
(1966-1975 CE). Included are instructions for a basic Satanic ritual, as well as LaVeys
Satanic version of the Enochian Keys of John Dee [see category 11]. Introduction to the
hardcover edition by M.A. Aquino, then IV C/S. Introduction to the most recent Avon
edition by Burton Wolfe, author of #6M. Chapter 4 of #6N reviews #6K in detail. JL:
Although research by the Temple of Set has shown that the Book of Satan section was
plagiarized from Ragnar Redbeards Might is Right (1896), the Nine Satanic Statements
from Ayn Rand, and the Enochian Keys from Ipsissimus Crowleys Equinox, #6K was
the leading reference volume for Satanists during years V-5/X of the Age of Satan. Just as
Ipsissimus Crowley was faced with opposition from the momentum from the on of
Osiris, Magus LaVey boldly confronted society with a Church in honor of the Devil.
Without the dramatic impact of the Age of Satan, the on of Set would have been longer
coming into being. DW: This book is one of the most effective workings in the English-
speaking world. It set up the path of Satanic initiation, which utilizes the forces of the
world as the resistance necessary for the individual to gain power. It was designed to
produce a solve, a dissolving of the world. As such it will remain a powerful force in the
world; as long as there are 17-year-olds, it will be in print. It failed to provide a new vision
directly, but it is the nature of works of destruction that they carry the seeds of a new
creation. The on of Set is that creation. This book isnt here for inspiration, but as a
model of how to shake things up, if that is what you want to do. But youll have to come
up with a new figure to shake things up with: Satan now sells T-shirts and music albums.
6L. The Satanic Rituals by Anton Szandor LaVey. NY: Avon Books #W359, 1972
[hardcover edition from University Books, 1972]. (COS-1) (TOS-3) (TRP-1) (LVT-3) MA:
Companion volume to #6K, this book contains a discussion of ritual theory and a
selection of rituals (French, German, Russian, Persian, and Church of Satan) adapted
and/or written by LaVey for the Church. The historical claims for the texts are improbable,
although each text does incorporate ethnic and/or historical images of interest to the
magician. A theoretical essay on H.P. Lovecraft and two accompanying Lovecraftian
rituals were contributed by M.A. Aquino. Chapter 21 of #6N reviews #6L in detail, and
#6N also contains uncensored/original/authentic versions of some of the rituals published in
#6L. Performances of early (ca. III/1968) versions of a C/S Black Mass, the Stifling Air,
and other ritual sequences may be seen in the film Satanis [see comments under #6M].
See also #6AA & #6AB. JL: In the on of Set our Understanding and application of
ritual magic have evolved substantially since the Age of Satan. And yet the rituals created
and collected by the original Church of Satan deserve preservation [and application as
appropriate] rather than neglect. Rituals of any religion are an expression of the magical
and philosophical trends of the host society. DW: A good source of ritual texts to be
reworked and redesigned in a Setian context. Of particular importance are: (1) the
Vorspiele, which demonstrates that the laws of consciousness evolve through time and
culture - an excellent reworking of the Eighth Precept of the Emerald Tablet of Hermes
Trismegistus; (2) the Ceremony of the Nine Angles, which demonstrates the GBM
principle that one may attain inner psychic order, the existence of the Xeper of mankinds
most noble heritage [If they did it, I can do it.]; and (3) the Adult Satanic Baptism, which
establishes control of the psyche as the key to power.
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6M. The Devils Avenger by Burton H. Wolfe. NY: Pyramid Books, 1974. (COS-1)
(TOS-3) (LVT-3) MA: A biography of LaVey and an account of the Church of Satans
San Francisco operations from I/1966 to III/1968, including profiles of some early C/S
members. The book brings out the impressive scope of LaVeys exposure to the art,
history, and institutions of occultism and to many colorful personalities on the fringe of
contemporary society. Unfortunately the book is also extremely propagandistic, advancing
many facts which are either questionable or known to be false - for example the chapter
recounting a supposed LaVey/Marilyn Monroe affair, and the final chapter with several
distortions concerning the post-III Church of Satan. Moreover the personality profiles are
unrepresentative of the mainstream of post-III Satanists both within and without the San
Francisco area. Specific details may be checked with III+ officials, or with any II+ Setian
owning a copy of #6N. An interesting photo section is included in #6M. Burton Wolfe also
wrote another book which is of interest, if only as a curiosity, to collectors of C/S
memorabilia: The Devil and Dr. Noxin (San Francisco: Wild West Publishing House,
1973). This paperback is a political-satire play picking generally on Richard Nixon but
incidentally on several other political personalities of that time. Ritual sequences and
philosophical principles from the 1966-68 Church of Satan are included as a running
theme throughout the play, and are favorably/seriously treated. Oddly enough The Devil
and Dr. Noxin was not publicized nor promoted by LaVey at the time of its publication
or, as far as I know, thereafter. JL: Taken with a large grain of salt because of the self-
serving exaggerations and inaccuracies, this colorful portrait of Anton LaVey nonetheless
illustrates the first steps that he and others around him took ca. 1966-68 towards
developing the Church and Age of Satan.
6N. The Church of Satan by Michael A. Aquino. San Francisco: Temple of Set, 1983-
2002. (TOS-3) (TRP-3) (LVT-1) MA: A detailed analytical and documentary history of
the Church of Satan from I/1966 to X/1975. 37 chapters, photograph section, 161
appendices, and topical index, all totalling well over one million words [about the length of
the unabridged Crowley Equinox (#9G)]. JL: Now in its final/fifth edition, #6N remains
the most accurate history of the Church of Satan and its Magus. The Order of Leviathan
designates it with a 1 rating because of its reliability and the wealth of Magical history
and approaches to life documented therein. Available in .pdf format at:
http://www.xeper.org/maquino/index.html
6O. Houses That Kill by Roger de Lafforest. NY: Berkley Medallion Books #425-
02620-125, 1972. (TOS-5) (TRP-5) MA: Anton LaVey originally intended to follow #6L
with a collection of essays entitled From the Devils Notebook. Among these was to be an
essay on Satanic architecture in general and the Law of the Trapezoid in particular
[discussed in #6N]. Mention of #6O was censored from the Church of Satans newsletter
by LaVey because it appeared to preempt the planned FTDN essay. #6O suffers from a
certain amount of sensationalism, but it is a first step into the unexplored region of
negative architecture. Chapters on open/closed air, types of afflictions, cancer, waves and
currents, walls, retention of memories (haunted houses), and remedies & precautions.
Certain infamous case studies are offered. DW: If this one doesnt send you over the
deep end, try his Fate Control.
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6P. Hollywood Babylon (San Francisco: Straight Arrow Books, 1975) and
Hollywood Babylon II (NY: New American Library, 1984) by Kenneth Anger.
[Deutschland: Hollywood Babylon (2 Bnde). Rogner & Bernhard Verlag, Mnchen,
1985.] (COS-1) (TOS-3) MA: Anger is an underground film maker [whose style
anticipated todays music videos by about 20 years] who became fascinated with Aleister
Crowley and with Anton LaVey during the early days of the Church of Satan. [Angers
films Scorpio Rising and Inauguration of the Pleasure Dome contain Crowley themes,
while Invocation of my Demon Brother includes a cameo appearance by Anton LaVey.
The most recent version of Lucifer Rising, despite its title, includes no C/S themes.]
Angers view of Hollywood is characterized by savage, decadent nostalgia - captured to
perfection in Hollywood Babylon I/II. Anton LaVey was gripped by many of the same
emotions in the 1973-75 period, with a resultant influence on the Church of Satan as
discussed in #6N. [For a tourist guidebook to many of the sites discussed in HBI/II, see
Richard Lamparskis Lamparskis Hidden Hollywood (NY: Simon & Schuster, 1981). It
contains capsule biographies, addresses, and photos of the various stars of HB vintage,
among which is a misleading account of Marilyn Monroe derived in part from Anton
LaVey.] [See also The Movie Lovers Guide to Hollywood by Richard Alleman (NY:
Harper & Row/Harper Colophon Books #CN1262, 1985) for an excellent on-site
guidebook complete with addresses, descriptions, photos, and maps. Another good guide is
Ken Schesslers This Is Hollywood (Los Angeles: Southern California Book Company,
1984): Hundreds of exciting and unusual places to visit, including historical sites,
landmarks, murders, suicides, graves.]
6Q. The Second Coming: Satanism in America by Arthur Lyons. NY: Dodd, Mead,
1970. (COS-3) (TOS-3) AL: Discusses our Church from an objective standpoint, shows
how the media have maligned our Order, and gives concise comparisons with the beliefs of
some of the Satanic cults. MA: A lightweight historical survey of Satanism,
concluding with magazine-story coverage of the Church of Satan. Lyons was a I C/S
whose active participation in the Church was limited to San Francisco ca. 1969. In 1988
this book was extensively revised, expanded, updated, and republished (NY: Mysterious
Press) under the title Satan Wants You: The Cult of Devil Worship in America. New
chapters analyze and expose the criminal Satanism scare of the 1980s. The new editions
only drawback is that Lyons, apparently out of personal devotion to Anton LaVey,
significantly misrepresents the crisis of 1975 in the Church of Satan and portrays that
institution as continuing unabated. In a similar vein he distorts the origins and post-1975
development of the Temple of Set. Lyons corrected some of the more blatant errors in the
subsequent paperback edition of this book by the same publisher, but the LaVey-
obsequiousness continues. Although Satan Wants You is the more current and
sophisticated of Lyons books, therefore, The Second Coming remains the more honest
one.
6R. Rasputin by Colin Wilson. London: Panther Books, 1966. (COS-3) AL: An
insight into the workings of a truly Satanic magician. MA: Anton LaVey was strongly
impressed by Rasputin both as an individual and as a social influence. This is most evident
from the Russian section of #6L.
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6S. Pedlar of Death: The Life of Sir Basil Zaharoff by Donald McCormick. London:
Macdonald & Co., 1965. (TOS-3) MA: Zaharoff was a European munitions agent from
1877 to his death in 1936. He was also a behind-the-scenes manipulator of politics
[towards war] and a British knight. Though never included on a Church of Satan reading
list, this book was the primary source of Anton LaVeys fascination with Zaharoff as a
skilled, Machiavellian Lesser Magician. LaVey also admired Zaharoffs Howard Hughes-
like avoidance of public scrutiny - to the point of deliberate sabotage of records concerning
him. McCormicks research is careful, exhaustive, and convincing, making this book the
definitive one on the subject. McCormick also wrote #6T.
6T. The Hell-Fire Club by Donald McCormick. London: Jarrolds Publishers Ltd,
1958. (TOS-3) MA: McCormick (also author of #6S) argues that the long-standing image
of the Hellfire Club as an elite Satanic [in the strict, theological sense] society is erroneous.
His research leads him to the position that the club was neither diabolist nor decadent, but
simply an example of rakemanship common among British clubs of the day. His
evidence and argument are [regrettably] convincing. This thesis is explored in greater
depth in #6AC.
6U. The Family by Ed Sanders. NY: E.P. Dutton, 1971. (TOS-3) MA: The definitive
study of the Manson Family, with extensive treatment of its alleged exposure to such
occult organizations as the Process Church of the Final Judgment [see also #6AD] and the
Solar Lodge of the O.T.O. While the public was quick to brand Charles Manson a
Satanist, his own Family considered him Jesus Christ. In a sense that neither the public
nor his Family understood, perhaps he was [and is] a Satanist. To prosecutor Vincent
Bugliosi, Mansons evil was easy to identify & condemn. This book is by no means an
apology for Manson; if anything, it paints him in even more horrific colors than Helter
Skelter. But the picture also emerges of a far more complex individual than generally seen
by the public. In 1989 this book was reissued by Signet (ISBN 0-451-16563-2). Although
there are five new chapters updating the history of the Mansonites, this new edition also
omits an entire chapter on the infamous Solar Lodge of the O.T.O. as well as several
references to the O.T.O. and the Process. [This is as the result of a lawsuit filed against
Dutton by the Process after the publication of the original edition - won in the United
States but lost in England.] Hence it is useful to acquire both editions of this book. For
Mansons own version of his life and the development of the Family, see Nuel Emmons,
Manson in his Own Words (NY: Grove Press, 1986). In this narrative Manson downplays
the legends that grew up around him and rationalizes his actions in terms of his personal
alienation from and antagonism towards society in general. Another portrait of Manson is
offered by Nikolas Schreck in The Manson File (NY: Amok Press, 1988). This
compendium of Manson documents & memorabilia also includes commentary on
Mansons relationship to the Process and other occult groups/ideas [See also Distant
Echoes of Helter Skelter in Runes #III-3.]
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6V. Rosemarys Baby by Ira Levin. NY: Random House, 1967. [Deutschland:
Rosemarys Baby. Europische Bildungsgemeinschaft, Stuttgart, 1984.] (TOS-3) MA:
Written a year after the founding of the Church of Satan and made into a dramatically-
successful movie in 1968, this contemporary Gothic novel reveals Satanists to be the
people next door - and rather cultured ones at that. Although Anton LaVey gave Roman
Polanski advice concerning the film, he did not, as is rumored, personally play the role of
Satan in it. Rosemarys Baby as both a book and a film touched off a wave of interest in
the occult generally and in Satanism in particular. In the words of Roman Castevet: To
1966 - the Year One! See also #F6E.
6W. The Circus of Dr. Lao by Charles G. Finney. NY: Viking Press, 1935 [reprinted
paperback: Avon #19190, 1974]. [Deutschland: Dr. Laos grosser Zirkus. Klett-Kotta
Verlag, Stuttgart, 1984.] (COS-1) (TOS-3) (LVT-3) AL: A tale that tells it all; every
human foible is dissected. It is the epic of mans desire and futility: Zarathustra under
canvas - an excursion to the highest Llamasery of the Red Monks for those who can read
it. MA: This is the story of a traveling circus which arrives suddenly in a small town in
the Arizona desert. It is a very unusual circus, including among its attractions a satyr,
Apollonius of Tyana, a Gorgon, a mermaid, a roc, a chimra, a sea-serpent, and a
werewolf. Its main show includes such exotica as a witches sabbath, complete with
personal appearance by Satan. Dr. Lao, the enigmatic Chinaman who ringmasters this
show, is one minute a bumpkin, the next an intellectual, and always a magician - in short, a
kind of Chinese ASLV. No turn back on him preeze! See also #F6L. JL: Finneys
book, although not easy to find even in paperback, is a superb trek into the universe of a
Magician highly skilled in ECI, LBM, and GBM.
6X. The Omen by David Seltzer. NY: New American Library, 1976. (TOS-5) MA:
Revelation 13:18. See also #F6M.
6Y. Damien - Omen II by Joseph Howard. NY: New American Library, 1978. (TOS-
5) MA: I John 4:3. See also #F6N.
6Z. The Final Conflict by Gordon McGill. NY: New American Library, 1980. (TOS-
5) MA: Revelation 13:11. See also #F6O.
6AA. Devil Worship: The Sacred Books and Traditions of the Yezidiz by Isya
Joseph. Boston: Richard G. Badger/The Gorham Press, 1919. (TOS-3) MA: This rare
little book was Anton LaVeys source for the Yezidi section of #6L, including the ritual
texts quoted. As noted in #6N, Joseph bases these rituals and his own conclusions upon an
Arabic manuscript presented to me by my friend Daud as-Saig ... a man of culture, in
sympathy with western thought, etc. When Josephs book was assessed in 1967 by Royal
Asiatic Society anthropologist C.J. Edmonds, he noted that it remained unauthenticated.
Fellow R.A.S. scholar Alphonso Mingana considered the ritual texts offered by Joseph as
simple forgeries, based upon Minganas analysis of their grammar & syntax. These
evaluations and objections were apparently unknown to [or ignored by] Anton LaVey
when he included the Joseph material in #6L. The Temple of Sets texts of the Yezidi
rituals in question are included as appendices to #6N, and are based upon current doctoral
papers at the University of California, Los Angeles, obtained through the Anthropology
Library at UC Berkeley. The UCLA papers reveal Josephs account and analysis to be
incomplete and factually suspect. For Yezidi culture, your best starting point is #6AB.
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6AB. A Pilgrimage to Lalish by C.J. Edmonds. London: Royal Asiatic Society of
Great Britain and Ireland, 1967. (TOS-3) MA: This small, concisely-written book remains
the most coherent and reliable published book concerning Yezidi culture to date. It does
not contain any of the Yezidi religious or magical texts, however. The authentic text of the
Yezidi Book of the Revelation [corrected and expanded from the Joseph version contained
in #6L] is reprinted as Appendix 65 of #6N. The other principal Yezidi text, the Mashaf-a
Resh (Black Scripture), is not reprinted in #6N because of its length, but a copy is available
in the archives of the Temple of Set.
6AC. Dashwood: The Man and the Myth by Eric Towers. London: Crucible
(Aquarian Press/Thorsons Publishing Group, 1986. (TOS-4) MA: This is the definitive
account of Sir Francis Dashwood and his Medmenham Abbey, complete with extensive
photo sections. This continues and reinforces the thesis of #6T, offering evidence that
Dashwoods occult activities consisted largely of revels in honor of Apollo and Bacchus
in West Wycombe Park, with the only possible Satanic element being hearsay rumors
about a closed room/chapel in Dashwoods Abbey. This room was reputed to be
accessible only to the monks of Dashwoods group, and to be decorated with obscene/
blasphemous pictures. If, so, the decor was removed later, for the Abbey today shows no
trace of it in any room. An interesting side-note is that the Dashwood group never called
itself the Hellfire Club. That name actually belonged to a club of libertines formed in
London many years earlier (1719) by the Duke of Wharton, which became so scandalous
that the crown shut it down with a proclamation denouncing certain scandalous clubs or
societies of young persons who meet together, and in the most impious and blasphemous
manner insult the most sacred principles of our Holy Religion, affront Almighty God
himself, and corrupt the minds and morals of one another. By contrast the frolics at West
Wycombe seem to have been rather less extreme. Towers book includes an interesting
discussion of how rumors about Dashwoods doings multiplied over the centuries until it
was taken for granted that he presided over every kind of depravity at Medmenham, to
include Dennis Wheatley-style Black Masses. Over the main entrance to Medmenham can
still be seen the inscription FAY CE QUE VOUDRAS from Dr. Francois Rabelais
Abbey of Theleme in his novel Gargantua, which Aleister Crowley would later borrow
for his Do What Thou Wilt Law and for his own Abbey in Sicily.
6AD. Satans Power: A Deviant Psychotherapy Cult by William Sims Bainbridge.
Berkeley: University of California Press, 1978. (TOS-4) MA: The definitive account of the
Process Church of the Final Judgment, a quasi-Satanic movement that existed in the late
1960s-early 1970s. It was more the product of the Jesus Freak atmosphere of the time
than of authentic Satanism, as it was a hippie religion that acknowledged four deities -
Jehovah, Christ, Satan, and Lucifer - in a complementary relationship. Predictably it was
the Satanic component of the Process that attracted the most attention - from aspirants
and external critics alike - and the Process proved unable to come to grips with this
symbolism and its implications. Bainbridge shows how the organization was erroneously
linked to the Manson Family in Sanders The Family (#6U), and how its failure to
successfully dispute and reject this linkage resulted in the breakdown and eventual
dissolution of the group. Theologically/philosophically the Process was ignorant of
Satanism, so the primary value of this account is as an account of the dangers faced by an
unskilled group perceived by society as Satanic in the conventional/evil sense. [Principal
name disguises: Process = Power. Processean = Powerite. DeGrimston = de Forest
Jones.] Bainbridge is Assistant Professor of Sociology at the University of Washington.
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6AE. Satanismus by Josef Dvorak. 1989. (LVT-2) JL: Written in German,
Satanismus deals with Satanskult analyses ranging from Aleister Crowley to Anton LaVey
to the homocidal Manson. The Grand Masters German is less polished than could be
desired; hopefully an English translation will become available.
6AF. Satanic Panic: The Creation of a Contemporary Legend by Jeffrey S. Victor.
Chicago: Open Court, 1993. (TOS-3) MA: Simply the most comprehensive and objective
analysis to date of the Satanic crime urban myth of the late-1980s. Available in both
hardcover (ISBN 0-8126-9191-1) and paperback (ISBN 0-8126-9192-X). This book is not
essential for Setians who are not personally interested in the myth and the scams resulting
from it. But if you are interested, this book is indispensable. An exhaustive bibliography is
appended, as are names and addresses of important specialized contacts, both individuals
and organizations. Victor is Professor of Sociology at the State University of New York
and has an extensive academic background in the study of rumor-panics.
6AG. In Pursuit of Satan: The Police and the Occult by Robert D. Hicks. Buffalo,
NY: Prometheus Books, 1991 (ISBN 0-87975-604-7). (TOS-3) MA: The best book on
the subject of #6AF from a professional law-enforcement perspective. When the Satanic
scare was instigated, law-enforcement agencies were caught off-guard, having virtually no
background or experience in cult-hunting. To make matters worse, some officers had
personal religious biases and agendae that colored their approach to the scare. This book
provides a historical overview of what resulted, together with a methodical presentation of
facts to prevent a similar over-reaction from recurring. Hicks, a former police officer, is a
criminal justice analyst who advises Virginia law-enforcement agencies.
6AH. Lords of the Left-Hand Path: A History of Spiritual Dissent by Stephen E.
Flowers. Runa-Raven Press, P.O. Box 557, Smithville, TX 78957, 1992. (TS-3). Order
directly from Runa-Raven for US$40 postpaid domestic. Overseas orders include
approximate surface or airmail book postage. MA: The definitive survey of the Satanic
tradition throughout recorded history and the worlds major cultures. Flowers is a Magus
V of the Temple of Set, Grand Master of its Order of the Trapezoid, Yrmin-Drighten RX
of the Rune-Gild, and a Ph.D. in Germanic Studies - as well as author of many definitive
books in ancient north European history and esoterica. Chapter titles (& just some of the
subtopics): The Left-Hand Path (defined); The Eastern Traditions (Hinduism, Buddhism,
Zoroastrianism); The Roots of the Western Tradition (paganism, Greece, north Europe,
Semitic, Hamitic, cult of Set); The First Millennium (Gnosticism, Christianity, Islam,
Assassins, Yezidi); The Path of Satan (Middle Ages, dualists, pantheists, witchcraft, Faust);
Lucifer Unbound (Hellfire Club, de Sade, Goethe, modern Devil-concepts); An Interlude in
the Absolute Elsewhere (Nazi occultism); The Occult Revival (Theosophy, Crowley,
Fraternitas Saturni, Spare, Gurdjieff, modern witchcraft); Anton Szandor LaVey (&
Church of Satan); Michael A. Aquino: The Temple of Set; Offshoots & Parallels.
Appendices include a discussion of Satanism as a fundamentalist urban legend.
6AI. The Yezidis: A Study in Survival by John S. Guest. London: KPI, 1987. (TOS-3)
DW: Contains the sacred texts and information on the Yezidi as a living culture from an
anthropologist who has lived among them. Fascinating stuff.
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6AJ. The Fortunes of Faust by E.M. Butler. London: Cambridge University Press,
1952. (TOS-4) DW: This volume, third in a recommended trilogy of The Myth of the
Magus and Ritual Magic, deals with the Faust legend, a Christianized Remanifestation of
the Odhinns sacrifice of himself to himself - in other words, making a deal with your
own psyche, which under the anti-psyche mode of monotheism became Satanic. Dealing
with figures of Don Juan and Faust, Butler shows how the pagan concept of the magus
endured and appealed to artists - an archetype which could not and cannot be banished.
6AK. The Satanic Screen by Nikolas Schreck. London: Creation Books, 2001. (TOS-
3) MA: An exhaustive, incisive, and provocative survey of all films made with Satanic
themes. This is no mere recitation or catalogue, as Schreck (a Magister Templi IV of the
Temple of Set at the time of publishing) possesses both the initiatory perspective and the
film-world experience to bring out not just the entertaining and horrific aspects of each
movie, but its [intentional or accidental] philosophical and magical power as well. Mention
must also be made of Schrecks writing style, which is elegant-yet-slashing in the tradition
of the sthetes and Decadents.
6AL. Flowers From Hell: A Satanic Reader by Nikolas Schreck (Ed.). London:
Creation Books, 2001. (TOS-3) MA: An exhaustive collection of the most elegant and
inspiring writings concerning Satan or Satanic themes by authors Dante Alighieri,
Christopher Marlowe, John Milton, Johann Goethe, William Beckford, Matthew Lewis,
Charles Maturin, Washington Irving, Edgar Allan Poe, Charles Baudelaire, J-K. Huysmans,
Mark Twain, Anatole France, Max Beerbohm, and Aleister Crowley. The Diabolicon is
also publicly published for the first time. At least as fascinating as the classic contents of
this volume is Schrecks extensive Introduction The Luciferian Vision, in which he
examines not only each individual text, but the personality and psychology of each
author.
* * *
F6A. The Devils Rain. 1975. MA: In 1974 CE Robert Fuest, who directed the Dr.
Phibes films, decided to film a horror movie with Satanism as its theme. He took an
anemic novel about Wiccan-witchcraft in New England and hired Anton LaVey as
technical advisor to spice it up, which he did - adding touches of LaVey artwork, Mexican
extras chanting Enochian Keys, and Satanic Priest Ernest Borgnine intoning extracts
from the invocation in my Ceremony of the Nine Angles in #6L. The setting was moved
to Durango, Mexico (Redstone), and the colorful cast included Ida Lupino, William
Shater [just before the Star Trek movie revival], John Travolta [his screen debut - a fight
& fall downstairs], and cameos for Anton (a gold-helmeted Priest) and Diane (Borgnines
colonial-era wife) LaVey. While the film was [and is] lots of fun for those in the know
about all this, it bombed at the box office and is today only rarely shown on television. See
discussion in #6N.
F6B. Asylum of Satan. 1975. Charles Kissinger, Carla Borelli. MA: Around 1971CE,
when I was Priest III of the C/S Nineveh Grotto in Louisville, Kentucky, a local
commercial film company decided to try for the big time by making a Satanic horror
movie - using local theatrical talent. Since they had a Church of Satan in town, they asked
us if we would handle the ritual scene. I wrote the script, Nineveh designed the chamber,
and we imported the Rosemarys Baby devil-suit [with a new head] from Hollywood. The
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result of all this was a turkey of a movie with, if I say so, a rather zesty ritual sequence.
The company is no longer in existence, but somehow this thing survived as a videocassette
- and later, in 2002, as a digitally-remastered, widescreen DVD, complete with a
commentary by the original filmmakers which is at least as charming as the film itself Dry-
ice, rubber snakes & bugs, and plaid trousers on the hero will all scare you frightfully. See
discussion in #6N.
F6C. The Devil Rides Out. Hammer Films, 1968. Screenplay by Richard Matheson.
Director: Terence Fisher. Christopher Lee. (LVT-2) MA: Probably one of the best
Hammer films ever made - now available in a Hammer Collection videocassette. It is a
very accurate screenplay of Dennis Wheatleys first and most famous Satanism novel.
Look for Charles Grays silky-evil portrayal of Mocata, the character whom Wheatley
specifically modeled after Aleister Crowley, an acquaintance of his. [One other Wheatley
Satanism novel, To the Devil a Daughter, was also made into a film, but it is a ghastly
mess which bears no comparison to the book. Wheatleys novels are generally available in
British editions, with occasional American publication. Other novels in his Satanism series
include The Satanist, They Used Dark Forces, and The Ka of Gifford Hillary. JL: The
novel is far better than the movie, but few can resist taking a look at the
cinematographers art turned to the subject of Black Magic. Christopher Lee stars as de
Richleau, the rich mans Indiana Jones, although his IJ exploits are mentioned only in
passing. Of far more interest is Charles Grays portrayal of Ipsissimus Mocata, particularly
in his discussion of the moral aspects of Magic. The film also has in its cast Paul Eddington,
a British actor who has turned for the most part to comedy. It might have been that DB
was a bit too much for him.
F6D. Fade to Black. 1983. Dennis Christopher and Linda Kerridge, Mickey Rourke.
Director: Vernon Zimmerman. MA: In the flavor of Angers Hollywood Babylon books,
this is a horror movie about a young, aliented film buff, Eric Binford, who, in a different
application of lycanthropy, assumes various characters from classic films to give himself
their powers. Readers of #6N will recognize the parallels to the 1974+ interests of Anton
LaVey, to include the presence of Marilyn Monroe as Erics ideal woman and death
angel.
F6E. Rosemarys Baby. 1968. Mia Farrow, John Cassavetes, Ruth Gordon, Sidney
Blackmer, Maurice Evans, Ralph Bellamy. Produced by William Castle. Directed by
Roman Polanski. MA: This film is so well known to contemporary Satanists that little
need be said. After the smash success of the novel, Polanski filmed it with virtually no
modifications whatever. Contrary to rumor, Anton LaVey did not play the part of the
Devil in it, but consulted briefly with Polanski in Los Angeles before the film was shot at
the Dakota building in New York City. Unusual music by Christopher Komeda, who died
shortly afterwards. Chocolate mousse was added to Levins story because of the excellent
CM at the Ile de France restaurant across West 72nd from the Dakota - where the
Priesthood had a dinner meeting at the 3rd Eastern Conclave of the C/S at Halloween
1972. See further discussion in #6N.
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F6F. The Abominable Dr. Phibes. 1971. Vincent Price, Joseph Cotten, Hugh Griffith,
Terry-Thomas. Director: Robert Fuest. MA: A campy horror movie with Price as a
disfigured ex-vaudevillain (nice pun) seeking vengeance against a team of physicians he
believes responsible for the death of his wife. What makes the movie is the lush
atmosphere of Art Nouveau/Art Deco with which Phibes surrounds himself in the magical
universe he has created for himself. See further discussion in #6N.
F6G. Dr. Phibes Rises Again. 1972. Vincent Price, Robert Quarry, Terry-Thomas.
Director: Robert Fuest. MA: The success of #F6F prompted this sequel, even more lavish
than the original. Phibes travels to Egypt in search of the river of immortality, dispatching
assorted inconvenient archologists and policemen on the way. See further discussion in
#6N.
F6H. The Brotherhood of Satan. 1971. Strother Martin, L.Q. Jones. MA: After the
success of Rosemarys Baby, Hollywood floundered around trying to capitalize on the
Satanism theme with a couple of failures like The Mephisto Waltz. #F6H was the first film
to start getting it right, and it was the brainchild of a little-known producer/director, L.Q.
Jones, who also starred as the sheriff in the film. Strother Martin plays a surprisingly
effective Satanic Priest.
F6I. The Black Cat. Universal, 1934. Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi. MA: A remarkable
essay in Art Deco/Satanism starring Karloff as the Satanist and Lugosi as his only-slightly-
less-sinister opponent. The story line, centering on a house modeled after the Ennis-Brown
house in Hollywood [see Runes #III-6], has nothing to do with the Poe version. Included is
a stylized Black Mass - about as close as Hollywood would come to UFA-expressionism.
F6J. The Magus. ca. 1968. Michael Caine, Anthony Quinn, Candice Bergen, Anna
Karina. Director: Guy Green. Screenplay by John Fowles. MA: The Magus, like Lord of
the Rings, is one of those novels which is so subtle and complex that you have to read it
about 2-3 times before you really begin to absorb it. The film was an excellent translation
of the book to the screen - but only for persons who had previously digested the book. To
a first-time viewer it was dreadfully confusing. To make matters worse, subsequent
television showings have butchered the film down to such a mess that it is virtually
incoherent. Nevertheless, if you have read the book, the film is a fine set of illustrations to
accompany it. Perfectly cast, with Quinn as Conchis, Caine as Nicholas, and Bergen as
Lily/Julie. Let us hope for an unabridged video/DVD to surface one of these days.
F6K. Satanis, the Devils Mass. 1970. MA: Satanis was a commercial documentary
of the Church of Satan in San Francisco, filmed in 1968CE and shown almost exclusively
in a San Francisco art-theater. A 16mm print is available for mail-rental from Budget
Films, 4590 Santa Monica Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90029. Satanis includes ritual
sequences, interviews with Anton, Diane, and Karla LaVey, and footage of the premises of
the original Central Grotto house on California Street in San Francisco. An amusing
sequence shows the blessing of Isaac Bonewits penis by Anton LaVey. IB was later tossed
out of the C/S and went on to become a self-proclaimed druid. Whether the spell is still
effective is not known. DW: Sometimes sold with Satanis is an episode of Brother Buzz,
a San Francisco childrens TV show, in which BB, a puppet bee, tells his friends about the
lion Togare and his wonderful master Anton LaVey. A picture of Anton during his pre-
Church of Satan ghost-hunting days, with some shots of his house.
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F6L. The Seven Faces of Dr. Lao. 1964. Tony Randall, Barbara Eden. Produced by
George Pal. (LVT-3) MA: On the whole, a pretty effective film treatment of #6W - a bit
more lighthearted than the somewhat savage novel, however. JL: This film appears
infrequently on cable stations and is also worth watching, particularly for those who have
read the book.
F6M. The Omen. 1976. MA: See #6X.
F6N. Damien: Omen II. 1978. MA: See #6Y.
F6O. The Final Conflict. 1981. MA: See #6Z.
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