[from http://www.geocities.com/go_darkness/god-essence-docs.html ] The Essence of Doctrines Various Forms of "Satanism" By: Guardians of Darkness Some Important Clarifications The newcomer will invariably notice that there are more basic forms of Satanism out there than are represented by Guardians of Darkness. 1. Sat/Tan, the Dark Doctrines type Satanism. This is the type of Satanism we espouse and recognize as legitimate, since this system is from an ancient tradition that is 1. genuinely Left Hand Path, 2. has a Boundless Darkness as the Prime Force, 3. has a "flaming light" within the Darkness that flashes out and becomes all things due to the Urge of the Boundless Darkness, 4. has that Dark Flame as being within people, IF they let it flow. Only people with that Flame within can self actualize, if they choose to do that. Here are examples: Sat: The one ever-present Reality in the infinite world; the divine essence which IS, but cannot be said to "exist" because it is Absoluteness, or Being-ness Itself. Satta: the One and Sole Existence. Sattva: Understanding; quiescence in divine knowledge; a Bodhisattva is a person that possesses this. Satya: Supreme Truth. Satya Yuga: the Golden Age of the age of truth, actually the first Yuga, but often equated with the Trita Yuga (last age). Tan means to "stretch forth" to "become." Words such as Tantra, Tanmatri have the root word "tan" in them. As for Sat and Tan, legitimate words: It is highly possible that the Hebrews committed a cultural inversion on the word Sat, since they did have contact with Persians who definitely DID invert ALL the ancient Sanskrit (Shivaite) concepts. The Hebrews did not invert the word Tan because the Tanaim, in Hebrew, are those who "know what the angels know." The Tanaim are the True Magi. This type of Sat/Tan Dark Doctrines Satanism can be seen in various organizations that run in various ways, localized or loosely connected. Material that defines this type can be bought here, however, there is much free material on the web on this type. The monographs are extensive and detailed. Free Material can be found here and also here. This type of Satanism includes the Pythagorean system on the pentacle (the pentalphas), which correspond to the Five Dharmas, and the pentamychos system, which corresponds to the fearsome or towo aspects that defend the Dharmas or Five Principles. The Five principles, as seen in nature, are parts of what the Dark Force IN Nature does, as it permeates and motivates all of nature. 2. Set. This type of Satanism believes that the Hebrews ran into an adversary in Egypt who was the Pharaoh of the Seti Dynasty, where Set was a Deity. The Pharaoh kicked the Hebrews out of Egypt. From this event, the Hebrew Bible scribes wrote "Exodus," showing that this was one major event to the Hebrew people. However, there are no Egyptian records to back up any of the Hebrew claims except, perhaps, a small mention of the Pharaoh kicking many foreigners out at that time, not just Hebrews. Needless to say, this was a big enough event, to the Hebrews, to warrant their calling the country Egypt and its Seti Pharaoh "ha stn," the adversary. Since the Hebrew word "ha stn" has no vowels, and neither does the Egyptian name Set, the Setian Satanists theorize that "Satan" is a wrong or slanderous label for a legitimate Egyptian God, the God Set. Set plus en or hen. Etymologically, this is incorrect as pointed out in What is Neter; however, it is very possible that the Hebrews could have made a pun with the word Set. Also consider the possibility that Set-heh in Egyptian does mean "Eternal Set," and from Egyptian Heaven and Hell, by E.A. Wallis Budge, Chapter XI - the Eleventh Division of the Tuat, which is called Re-en-qerert-apt-khatu, [pg. 248-9 Vol I], "In the lower register are 1. Horus (description) and 2. A huge serpent, called the 'Everlasting SET,' standing upon his tail." And on "[p 254-5 Vol I] Horus is expounding on those that have been "sent to Hell" more or less, erased from existence, "....and ye shall not be able to flee from the flames which are in the serpent SET-HEH." Budge's commentary [pgs 177-179 Vol III]: "The region to the left of the Boat is one of fire, and representations of it which we have in the Book Am-Tuat and the Book of Gates may well have suggested the beliefs in a fiery hell that have come down through the centuries to our own time. Quite near the Boat stands Horus, holding in the left hand the snake-headed boomerang, with which he performs deeds of magic; in front of him is the serpent SET-HEH, i.e., the Everlasting Set, his familiar and messenger (vol. i., p. 249). Horus is watching and directing the destruction of the bodies, souls, shadows, and heads of the enemies of Ra, and of the damned who are in this DIVISION [of the Tuat], which is taking place in FIVE pits of fire. The texts which refer to the pits of fire show that the beings who were unfortunate enough to be cast into them were hacked in pieces by the goddesses who were over them, and then burned in the fierce fire provided by SET-HEH and the goddesses until they were consumed. In that sense, Set is most definitely something that fits into a more recent Christian (not Jewish) definition of Satan! This type of Set-Satanism is also legally a tax-exempt, bona-fide religion. Set, to them, is the Dark Lord. They also have a concept of the Black Flame. Some of their other practices and doctrines are complex. For information on The Temple of Set: http://www.xeper.org 3. LaVeyan Satanism. This type of Satanism is solely based on the thoughts of one man, Anton LaVey. Theologically, their religious philosophy, what there is of it save, perhaps, in rituals they've done, is seen as inverted Catholicism. Philosophically, it's more or less a mixture of Nietzsche, Ayn Rand and a few others, including a chopped up version of "Might is Right." Their concept of "We are the alien elite" is much akin to the "Chosen of God" or the "Elect of God" in Judaism and Christianity. As far as I know, there are two factions of this type of Satanism: a. that of Karla LaVey, Anton LaVey's daughter, who has the First Satanic Church. b. the Church of Satan run by Peter Gilmore. The two factions are strongly at odds with each other, though they both use LaVeyan material: The Satanic Bible, The Satanic Witch, The Satanic Rituals; books available for purchase in some stores. The LaVeyan organizations are neither Churches, in any sense of that word, legally or other, nor do they believe in any form of Satan. There are many other organizations that are unaffiliated with these three main types who often use material from any three of these, plus their own material. These, however, are the three basic Ideas in Satanism. 4. Traditional Theology. "Satan" is, after all, a word that would be considered the intellectual property of Jews and possibly also of Christians and then, later, Moslems, if copyright laws existed back then! In which case, there is the Judeo-Christian-Islamic view of Satan, which further needs to be broken up. a. Jewish. There are good urges and bad urges; good tendencies, and bad tendencies in Judaism. These are nurtured within the person, by his own free choices in life. Jews do not believe in a devil. They might be seen, secularly, as using the word "satanic" to mean anything that is opposed to LIFE, such as genocide. Conversely enough, due to some very clever strategies in life and in their own survival, many Christians and Moslems have seen, or do see, Jews themselves as "satanic"! They are also seen as the people that killed Jesus and were one of the first groups of people to be thought of as "satanic" by Catholics. b. Islamic. "THE Satan" is any adversary or enemy, be it a person, a leader, or a nation of people. Right now, 2001, Moslems see the United States as "The Great Satan" due to the USA's support of Israel and actions against Islamic nations. In the Moslem sense, it means what TO THEM is an "evil adversary." c. Christian. In Christianity, Satan, also called Lucifer, is a spirit being or physical being or a person (the anti-Christ) that is an enemy of Jesus. Logically, it can't be the enemy of God because their God is omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent! Therefore, if Christians conceive of this Satan as the adversary of their God, they are probably referring to Jesus. Christians usually consider Satan to be a being or entity. The Christian view of God and the Son, and of the Devil (Satan or Lucifer) is a lot more like Paganism than is the view of God or "THE Satan" held by the Jews and Moslems, where God is simply GOD. In both Judaism and Islam, God has no sons, no daughters, and no personal adversaries at all, no images, no forms, no idols. The Order of Nine Angles would be the only form of Satanism out there that would conform to this Christian view, including the view that Satanists engage in human sacrifice and other such panic-inspiring ideas. Among Satanists, they are often referred to as "Nazi Satanists" because their type doesn't like Jews and is pro Fascist. 5. Dictionary, any standard Dictionary in the West. In the dictionary, Satan is the adversary of God and the Lord of Evil. Satanic: cruel and vicious. Satanism: innate wickedness; obsession with evil; the worship of Satan marked by the travesty of Christian rites. Be as it may, the only organization that is NOT using the word "Satanic" or "Satan" as a defacto PUN on the word, and which IS seen by theologians as more or less the dictionary definition, would be the LaVeyan organizations. The Set types are really talking about a bonafide Egyptian Deity. The Sat/Tan types are really talking about a bonafide Left Hand Path, Dark and esoteric Tradition. This is the type that the Guardians of Darkness represents and defends. The Nature of Doctrine A doctrine is, in the simplest terms, a teaching. Anything that is communicated from one person to another in any form or media that is intended to educate or inform the recipient regarding any particular subject, and in which the communicator wishes or intends the recipient to believe or accept as true, may properly be called a doctrine. Whereas dogmas consist of morals and/or ethical matters, such as those taught by a religious institution or group, which are to be accepted by the faithful as absolutely true. Doctrines differ in that they may treat a much wider subject matter and are not set forth as absolute or immutable truths, but merely statements of facts from a given perspective. (E.g.: "Turn on the lights." "Bombard the room with photons." Both are achieving the same thing, they are the same statement, but they are stated from very different perspectives.) Certainly the meaning of this word "doctrine" has undergone contextual changes in usage and varies slightly in particular groups, however, for our purposes we adhere to the original and most widely accepted definition of the word: a doctrine is the explanation of truth as seen from a certain perspective and conveys the facts from that perspective. The individual is always free to form his or her own opinions based on his or her unique and individual view of the facts. Satanism, (Sat and Tan variety) as a philosophical school of thought, has its own set of doctrines unique to itself, which express a view or perspective of the world in words and terms often equally unique. Most casual readers of Satanic literature may discover words and phrases that may at first appear archaic, confusing or even illogical, yet a deeper investigation into their context will invariably reveal a more intimate truth than that of which the reader may initially be aware (see below for Clarifications). Every philosophy, discipline, or belief system has its own language, so to speak, by which it communicates itself to the world, and through which its members understand each other as a whole. (For instance, the word "plasma" means one thing in the discipline of physics. But it does not mean the same thing or anything related in the discipline of medicine.) It is to be expected, then, that if one wished a truly accurate understanding of Satanic philosophy that one will make some effort to familiarize oneself with at least the basic semantics and grammar of the Satanic parlance. Hence this article, which is intended to act as a bridge of sorts between the casual or somewhat inquisitive inquirer and the core philosophy of Satanism, a kind of hermeneutical approach, if you will, to uniting the researcher with the essential basics of reading Satanic literature. The newcomer must also realize that not all organizations professing to be "satanic" are the same, or even have the same definitions of "satanic." Escaping the Judeo-Christian Paradigm If there is one major obstacle to an accurate grasp of the Satanic philosophy, it is the Judeo-Christian paradigm. To employ analogy, one would not ask a male to explain the experience of carrying and giving birth to a child, as only a female could have the necessary wisdom gained from the experience to give an accurate answer. In the same way, while one may ask a Christian for his or her particular definition of Satan, it would not be conducive to real understanding to ask a Christian to explain the Satanic philosophical school of thought, even if that Christian called himself a Satanist and still maintained the Judeo-Christian definition of Satan. The present author has heard the accusation many times, "How can you be a Satanist and not believe that there is also a God?" More important than answering this charge is it to point out that the questioner himself is within the Judeo-Christian paradigm, and has already assumed that his or her view represents the only one possible. For such a one, no answer can be persuasive or convincing, as the person asking already has a preconceived notion of what the answer is supposed to be. The present author usually answers this charge with, "How can you believe in an omnipresent God and yet hold that Satan, a being who in your view must occupy some space, is not a part of that very God?" The Judeo-Christian paradigm is wrought with contradictions, and its adherents have somehow achieved the ability to believe in two opposing concepts simultaneously. As long as this condition remains present in the mind, the authentic Satanic philosophy can not possibly be rightly understood. We do not, however, attack those who think within this paradigm, nor do we have any real desire to change their way of thinking. The single most difficult struggle of the Satanic movement has been simply to be left alone and allowed to pursue its own aims. In our ongoing efforts to educate the world in regards to our unique philosophy we do not attempt to impose our doctrine on any other, and we certainly do not go about seeking converts to our beliefs, rather, we intend only to see our world view allowed to circulate openly and freely, without hindrance, so that those who find themselves in agreement with us may be directed to the resources and groups wherein they can find the most beneficial interaction. Those who find themselves at odds with our philosophy may simply disregard it, much like one would do when an undesirable program comes on the television set - one changes the channel and that is that. When one who is part of the Judeo-Christian paradigm decides that he or she desires a clear understanding of our philosophy and is willing to set aside whatever preconceived notions may be present, then such a one is sincere and is in that sense deserving of our attention and time in explaining these things. As it has ever been in the Esoteric Traditions of the world, the door will always be opened to one who simply has the right knock. The present author knows of not a few so-called occult authors who have been turned away at every step from the doors of the true Esoteric school because their intentions were not pure, a situation easily and clearly perceived by even the most unlearned initiate of our Community, and consequently what has come forth in their writings is often bitter, confused or at best simply incorrect. Satan as a Symbol Satanism as a school of thought has developed primarily in the west and is often immersed in Judeo-Christian terminology, but this should never be confused with being caught in the Judeo-Christian paradigm. It so happens that Satan has always symbolized those areas of nature and humanity that the institutionalized religions shun as taboo or regard as "sinful" in the west. It is also a fact that any philosophy that does not agree with the established norms of western society is ultimately always labeled Satanic, and even the deities of non-Christian religions have been considered nothing more than Satanic minions in disguise, and thus the great wisdom and truth present in many of these religions has gone unlearned by the Christian west, out of fear, piety, or countless other excuses. As such, the Satanic philosophy we represent represents all that is truthful, beneficial and tending towards the evolution of the human spirit within religions that the west often calls Satanic. Satan, precisely because the name is used in the Christian west to indicate those things that are against the Christian concept of the one absolute God, a view already shown to be contradictory in itself, is the symbol of free thought, liberty, true justice, equality and the universal peoplehood of humanity. If Satan is to be seen at all through the Christian paradigm it must be in this way. Satan as an Historical Reality Satan, however, does not have its origins in the Judeo-Christian philosophy. We may point out the fact that Satan is found in pre-Christian literature, such as the Hebrew Torah (Old Testament) as "ha stn," (the satan), but even then we are still only seeing the tip of the proverbial iceberg, since that "the satan" only meant any adversary, anyone opposed to the Hebrews of old. What today is known as Hinduism was in ancient times known as Sanatana Dharma, a term coming from the Sanskrit word Sanat, meaning "ancient" and ana, meaning roughly "without end," in conjunction with Dharma, meaning "way or path of truth/wisdom." Since the earliest monotheistic religions held a linear, temporary view of time, and also that deity was personal and absolute, the view of Sanatana Dharma, that time is cyclical and eternal, and that deity is impersonal and non-centralized, became anathema. Satanism today holds similar views as the Sanatana Dharma in that there is no centralized or absolute, monotheistic deity, and that the individual is responsible for his or her own life and progress. In Vedic Sanskrit, possibly the oldest language known to humanity, also known as Devanagari or the "language of the gods," the word Sat means "eternal truth" or "Being," and the word Tan means "stretching forth or unfolding," or "Becoming." Thus, Satan can be viewed as a kind of catchword for the doctrines of cosmogenesis that convey the idea of an emanated universe rather then one created from nothing, as held by many monotheists. The Cosmos is understood in this way as unfolding, or stretching out, from the Eternal causeless cause, in cyclical (appearing, disappearing and reappearing) activity. It is in this way that many Satanists understand the concept of Satan as being far older than anything Judeo-Christian, and expressive of ideas with which the common western mind is very unfamiliar, the word having changed slightly in pronunciation or spelling, yet still retaining all of its original meaning if rightly understood. Matter and Spirit A central element of Satanism is Tantrika, or Tantra, insofar as Tantra is a doctrine of the flesh in the truest sense, and not in any kind of mytho-poetic, negative connotation. Satanism is a philosophy of clarity, and when we say "flesh" that is precisely what we mean, it is not to us another way of saying "sinful nature" or any other such nonsense. We mean, of course, the body with all its organs and biomatter. In the Satanic philosophy flesh is not at war with spirit, nor is there any kind of dualism wherein we must struggle to overcome some part of ourselves. Satanism holds that if anything is truly known by a person, it is known through the flesh, that is, through actual and physical experience, and not by some method of mystical contemplation of nice ideas, or from dry academic teachings or formula memorized by students. One does not truly know anything until one becomes the object one wishes to know, or to put that in modern slang, "through the school of hard knocks," or "hands on." Only then are all biased or preconceived notions dispelled. It is rather like the old proverb, "never judge a man until you have walked a mile in his shoes." Even more than this, however, Satanism is a philosophy of self knowledge and even self conquest in a certain sense, to experience the world as the person that you inherently are, and no other. To see through your own eyes as opposed to those of another, and to formulate your own opinions and thoughts about everything you perceive and experience. A Satanist, therefore, is always examining, always questioning the why and wherefore of things, seeking to penetrate into the heart of every matter and discover its true essence. Spirit in the Satanic philosophy corresponds roughly to any extended perception beyond what is immediately apparent, the inner substance or force that motivates or impels things to be what they are, to become what they are inherently designed to be by the forces of nature and reality. This is often referred to as the "Dark Force" in nature, and is understood as the impetus behind all things, that which is truly occult and esoteric. This Boundless Darkness is viewed in the Satanic philosophy as the original and primordial source of all that exists everywhere and at all times, the Primum Mobile of Cosmos, the Grand Architect of the Universe, and represents practically the only notion of deity that can be said to subsist within Satanism. It is never centralized or anthropomorphized into some personal being existing outside of nature. It can not be said to have emotions or any attribute other than simply BEING itself alone, it never manifests, and yet it is infused within all things and permeates the entirety of manifested reality. Individual perceptions of this Boundless Force certainly do vary, some Satanists may conceive of it as a kind of personal being, yet if they understand it accurately then they also grasp that this concept is entirely their own personal creation, simply a way of providing the mind with something to represent this incomprehensible idea. The common depiction of Satan as a beast-like entity with horns, cloven hoofs and a forked tail (the image of Pan) is hardly one that authentic Satanism espouses, and if an individual Satanist chooses this particular representation for his or her own purposes it is always with the above mentioned understanding at the forefront, namely that this is not what the Boundless Darkness looks like, but merely a convenient symbol. Summary Briefly stated, the core doctrines of Satanism can be summed up as follows: a.. Emanation rather than creation from nothing. b.. Boundless Darkness as the primordial source of Cosmos. c.. Non-centralized deity infused within and permeating all of nature. [EOF]