Twenty
five years ago today, on October 29th, 1997, the most influential
occult figure since Aleister Crowley passed when Anton Szandor LaVey
died at the age of 67. Born Howard Stanton Levey on April 11, 1930, he
would be responsible for defining the religious and philosophical system
now known as modern Satanism. Though his writings were extensively
derivative of ideas espoused in the pages of Ragnar Redbeard’s 1896
book, Might Is Right, from which major tracts were lifted verbatim,
LaVey’s Satanic Bible nevertheless became the cornerstone of a
distinctive culture and lifestyle which has blossomed over the years to
become a notable force in political discourse as has been seen with the
activism of groups like The Satanic Temple.
LaVey’s history and
background is largely in question as much of it has been mythologized
and little evidence to support his claims is available to corroborate
the colorful background described by himself and his biographers. His
claims of being a lion tamer and police crime photographer may be
spurious, but what is certain is that he was a notable scholar of the
occult, an accomplished musician, an adept public speaker and
entertainer and one of the most idiosyncratic philosophers to emerge
from the 20th century. Alternately reviled and respected, depending on
who you’re talking to, even his children can’t agree on his virtues or
vices, with some denouncing him while others preserve his legacy.
After
spending much of the 1960s conducting research and educational lectures
on occult practices, complete with ritual demonstrations, in 1966 he
founded the Church of Satan and, in 1969, published the infamous Satanic
Bible in order to codify his system of beliefs and set them apart from
popular preconceptions of so-called “Devil worship”, a practice which
was never part of his methodology. Within his views, Satan was not a
deity to be bowed down to, but rather a symbol of natural human traits
feared by the Christian church which LaVey reasoned were humanity’s true
virtues and which should be pursued and emulated. Satan was the symbol
of individuality and self-determination, not a “ruler” to be followed
blindly. His philosophy encouraged rationality, independence and
personal creativity without recourse to gods, demons or faith based
spirituality. His system of “magic” was essentially a theatrical
expression of applied psychology where the drama of the event was used
to focus one’s thoughts and desires in a manner which would help one
achieve self-actualization through visualization.
The effect of
his efforts has been widespread and profound in the years since the
founding of the Church. Initially, it was something of a trendy
celebrity indulgence as people like Sammy Davis Jr. and Jane Mansfield
were seen in his company and he did the rounds on talk shows like
Donahue and The Tonight Show. With the “Satanic Panic” of the 1980s,
his students began to take up the task of defending their religion from
the baseless accusations of Christian fanatics. It’s a tactic which
continues to be used by right wing conspiracy-mongers to this day as we
have seen with entities like QAnon laying accusations against leftists
of eating babies to gain magical powers.
LaVey largely withdrew
from public appearances in later years, but would still occasionally do
interviews and continued to publish books and even released recordings
of his music. After his death from respiratory failure, a small
invitation only secret Satanic funeral was held in Colma and he was
cremated afterwards. His infamous “Black House” in San Francisco was
sold and subsequently demolished. Leadership of the Church of Satan
went through some struggles until it was stabilized by Peter H. Gilmour,
but the aftermath of that saw adherents splinter into factions, a
process which had been happening beforehand with sects like the Temple
of Set lead by former CoS high priest, Michael Aquino. Whereas the CoS
was not known for political activism, The Satanic Temple has become a
notable force when it comes to advocating for the separation of church
and state and has gained major headlines for their activities, even
prompting a documentary feature film which garnered significant
viewership on Netflix.
Because of LaVey, the conception of
Satanism as a legitimate recognized religious system, even acknowledged
and accommodated by the US military, has gained a stable foothold within
western societies throughout north America and Europe. Its
mainstreaming can even be seen by the presence of a self proclaimed
LaVeyian Satanist in the main cast of Mike Judge’s extremely popular HBO
comedy series, Silicon Valley. It has become an antidote to the
fascistic disposition of many Christian sects, especially the
Evangelicals, who have subsumed the Republican party in the US.
Satanism stands as a rare, reason based counterpoint to fundamentalist
faith based attempts to subvert the freedoms of democracy.
I
first encountered LaVey’s brand of Satanism when I heard the 1985 12”
single, Je T'Aime, my Genesis P-Orridge & The Angels Of Light. The
B-side, Supermale, featured a long electronic dance drone which
contained two different voice samples mixed into it. On one side was
Karol Wojtyla, the Pope Johannes Paules II, and on the other was Anton
LaVey. The content of what LaVey was saying intrigued me and,
eventually, enticed me to go out and pick up a copy of the Satanic
Bible. I subsequently read pretty much every book he published and it
was a key influence on my exploration of other occult systems and
authors, including Crowley. I didn’t agree with everything he had to
say and I never felt compelled to become a card carrying CoS member, but
I could be seen sporting a tasteful Baphomet or inverted pentagram
pendant when out and about for many years, throughout the 1990s and
beyond. The basic principals of rational self-interest have remained a
core part of my ethics throughout my life. I have embellished upon
those theories and found different aspects to comprehend, but the core
belief in the primacy of individual freedom sustained by intellectual
integrity remains an unshakeable bedrock for me and LaVey has a lot to
do with that. Those ideas were directly responsible for me finally
coming out as gay at the ripe old age of 27. They gave me the courage
to demand that I be able to live my life as the person I was and insist
on taking the freedom to live as I saw fit.
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