Sinfully Delicious Online Magazine

1. What first attracted you to Satanism? How did you first discover The Church of Satan?

Back in 1999, incident had it that while visiting a friend who I found used to own a copy of The Satanic Bible (TSB), I came to read a few passages. I was supposed to pick up the guy for band practice, but when I arrived at his place he was still busy talking to some girl on the phone which simply didn’t seem to end. A transient glimpse at his bookshelf instantly directed my interest at a paperback copy of TSB. After briefly flipping through the chapters, I started to read The Book of Satan and from then on simply devoured every passage. The very next day I ordered a paperback copy of TSB which I eagerly studied from cover to cover the day I received it. Never before had I come across such an accurate account of how life really works. It was an incredible realization to have my basic understanding of this world basically works spelled out in front of me. Soon the other works of the Doctor’s followed causing a similar ignition.

From this point, discovering the Church of Satan was simply the next consequential step to take and helped me a great deal in deepening my understanding of Satanism. Also, the Church of Satan – website provided the starting point to learn about the manifold projects and creations of the Infernal Empire’s hierarchy. It was in 2002 that I finally became a registered member of the Church of Satan. I still remember the strong feeling of delight that filled me when I first held the red card giving proof of my membership in my hands. Since then my affiliation with the Infernal Empire has been a most enriching and fulfilling addition to my being. A number of doors have been opened and many exciting projects have emerged that have deeply inspired me and considerably enhanced my success in the real world.

2. If you have had or could have the chance to speak with Anton LaVey, what would you of liked to talk to him about, what questions would you ask him?

Unfortunately, I did not have the pleasure of meeting the Doktor in person. More than anything else, I wish I had the chance to make a visit at the Black House and get to know our Founder in person. That would be an absolutely priceless experience to converse with him surrounded by this very prototype of a total environment. There are of course many questions that I would like to ask him and it would be most exciting to exchange personal experiences reflecting the application of Satanic principles. To speak to the Doktor about the collection of oddities he was said to have had as well as about the human companions he had created would be as thrilling as the subject of visual patterns and shapes that influence our behavior. To perceive the named concepts firsthand and to witness their impact on me would be most instructive. I could probably add to this list endlessly and yet it would already be a supreme pleasure to enjoy the Doktor’s presence. One thing that I would definitely do is to express my sincerest gratitude and admiration for what he has created.

3. If you had to name 5 satanic/occult books (outside of the works of Anton LaVey and Blanche Barton) that you would recommend for others to read what would they be? Who is your favorite author?

1.The Satanic Scriptures by Magus Gilmore
2.Essays In Satanism by Magister J. D. Sass
3.Nemo On Satanism by Magister Nemo
4.Bearing The Devil’s Mask by Magister Paradise
5.How To Make Friends And Influence People by Dale Carnegie

A favourite author is certainly hard to name, considering the large number of excellent authors I could name here. As regards fiction, these would include but not be restricted to Shakespeare, Milton, Greene, Nabokov, Zola, Hoffmann such as Poe and Lovecraft in the field of short fiction. When it comes to the wide field of non-fiction, it is clearly the works of the Doktor’s and said high-ranking members of the hierarchy that stand out, as these have had the strongest impact.

4. What would you do if another Satanic Panic broke out in the media and America? What is the biggest threat facing Satanism in our modern age?

Considering the specifics of our contemporary computer and information age, this would be highly unlikely to occur both in the country in which I reside and in the US. Taken together, the vast amount of information available by mouse click and the high degree of networking have led to a situation, in which public assertions and claims can easily be checked for their validity. Nowadays, the whole Satanic Ritual Abuse (SRA) myth has been thoroughly debunked. People are simply not buying that nonsense anymore. Meanwhile, there is vast evidence for the large number of Christian clerics responsible for child molesting and sexual abuse. Magister Svengali and Priestess Graham have created a first-rate blog documenting this phenomenon. Doubtlessly, aside from child pornography networks, the various institutions run by the world religions present the major venue of child abuse today. It must be a real thorn in our most fanatic enemies’ side that Satanism is law-abiding in every regard. Simply inventing obscure horror stories and spreading these over and over at the campfire clearly doesn’t have as much of an effect as it used to have back in the eighties. Let’s nevertheless assume the scenario of another Satanic Panic spreading became reality. Even if that was the case, I doubt that it would personally affect me that much, because only a few close friends and family members are aware of my affiliation. I’m certainly not the type of person to exhibit a Baphomet bumper sticker on my car. Generally speaking, the mere idea of Satanists becoming victims of a strongly restrictive social climate such as that of a Satanic Panic appears to be a contradiction in terms to me.

With respect to the second part of your question, my estimate is that Satanism so to say ranges pretty much on top of the food chain, not only compared to other religions but the scope of schools of thought in general. It is not in any way affected by any of the common confessional mud fights going on out there. Neither does it provide religious fanatics of whatever denomination with a target, since it is only a very small percentage of humankind that thoroughly understands Satanism. And even though, there are some considerable nuisances such as devil worshippers giving Satanism a bad name, but these are far from being a real danger.

5. Artificial Environments. Artificial Human Companions. Both terms invented by LaVey. How much of a role do these two things play a role in your life? Do you have any suggestions on how to create these environments or companions for other Satanists?

Total environments play an important role in my life in many ways, starting with my immediate surroundings that I shape in accordance with my aesthetic likes. My lair is a good example in so far that you find very old and massive pieces of furniture here as well as a variety of items and object from long forgotten eras. Among these are also a few very rare items and collections of old books, records, weapons, etc. Many objects have a very special history and remind myself of certain aspects or periods of my past. What is sometimes considered as uncanny or archaic by visitors provides an atmosphere of beauty and timelessness that I feel most comfortable with. Furthermore, my affinity to art deco and the old-fashioned extends to almost any area of life. The crackling sound that accompanies the songs of an old record is always preferred to CDs and the ticking of a clock that is a hundred years old simply has an incomparable appeal. Occasionally, I also find the inspiring quality of total environments by simply driving a certain street at night in an old car listening to music from tapes that I have recorded some 20 years ago which adds many components that bring up memories of certain situations and events. It is a way to re-capture or conserve specific sentiments to activate these when I feel the desire to do so.

Artificial Human Companions are evolving into an increasingly important field of research and development. This covers various facets and goes far beyond the Real Doll – industry that is often immediately associated with this item on the programme of Pentagonal Revisionism. Beyond the just mentioned example, I’m particularly fascinated with every aspect related to artificial intelligence (AI) and robot applications. This affinity started back in childhood/adolescence years when first encounters with chess computers and very early AI computer applications took place.

We are approaching the point of strong AI becoming increasingly indistinguishable from biological intelligence. To get an impression of the advancements achieved here, one may have a look at the level of strategic behavior of artificial opponents in modern computer and video games or AI applied for translation purposes. And yet, these are just the more obvious examples of a general concept of constantly growing importance in almost all areas of life. What I find especially interesting is how specific applications like for instance chat-bots have developed in terms of strongly resembling human behavior. The artificial linguistic entities developed by the Artificial Intelligence Foundation (A.L.I.C.E.) are a splendid example and if I were into online chatting at all, I would prefer chatting with one such artificial entity. Picture such entities included in the most up-to-date android/robot entities and you have a very sound idea of where we are going.

We are living in absolutely exciting times. Many nowadays commonplace aspects of technology had been considered as pure science fiction by even my parents’ generation just fifteen or twenty years back. Keeping an eye on these developments, individual Satanists will surely spot promising means and applications for their personal needs and desires. More specific suggestions for other Satanists would be difficult since personal preferences and aesthetic requirements differ a lot.

6. How important is ritual to you in your life as a Satanist? Is ritual absolutely necessary for magic to work it’s effects? And do you think the act of conducting magic in ritual a ‘faith based’ idea or it is more scientific than that?

Ritual has become an integral part of my life from the very moment its effects became evident for me which was shortly after reading TSB and TSR. As many Satanists, I have started from an atheist background and a thoroughly materialist perspective. In so far, my focus was mainly directed on the dimension of psychodrama at first. The possibility of manipulating objective reality by means of ritual however, was something that needed to be validated by my own personal experiences first. That took me some time, especially because I tended to be a die-hard skeptic back then. Once I was able to turn the switch to de-activate my skepticism for at least as long as the given ritual lasted, things changed remarkably in terms of results.

Given that Lesser Magic offers a large variety of tools to manipulate others, a great deal can be accomplished this way in the Satanist’s everyday life. From a practical point of view, what matters is that one’s goals are achieved in an efficient way, regardless if by means of Lesser or Greater Magic. However, once one has validated magic in ritual as a workable way to produce real life results, it would be unwise to ignore this option. There is an essay of the Doktor’s in The Devil’s Notebook titled The Combination Lock Principle that elaborates on the interlocking of Greater Magic and objective reality in a most brilliant way. Considering the mechanisms explained, ritual in Satanism is a very earthly and results-oriented instrument. Even though, science in a traditional sense regards any belief in magic as superstition, science itself is constantly re-structuring its explanatory models and its understanding of reality to adjust it to new findings and insights. Therefore, much of what had been considered sorcery in former times has become scientific discipline by now. And yet, magic as referred to in your question remains one of the blank spots here. Rather than the term ‘faith’ which denotes a continuous state of believing, I would describe the mental preset as temporary suspension of disbelief. Outside of the ritual chamber there is no need to enter this state of mind.

7. If Hell was real, who might you first try to contact when you arrive there?

That would be the waiter.

8. If you could change this world in any way whatsoever what exactly would you change?

Pentagonal Revisionism completely implemented on every level would do the trick. Other than that, there are of course a number of adjustments that I would personally love to see performed to my own advantage, any of which I do what is feasible to see these take place. Consider it a game of chess highly exponentiated in its complexity. With some practice and strategic skill a small advantage here and there can easily be gained. Gross advantages, however, do of course require a lot more and involve a number of factors that need to be taken into consideration. Certainly, the balance factor comes in here and limits the scope of individual possibilities accordingly. Once you have acquired an understanding of your role as a doer and your potential radius of action, it becomes obvious that time spent envisioning your own utopia and longing for it to become reality is a waste of precious resources. Considerably more, I view it from a rather practical angle instead of pondering about a perfect version of this world. The focus is basically what can be done now or as soon as possible to make my existence here and now more enjoyable. This means working on many different fronts and developing awareness regarding changes and upheavals that bear the potential to significantly benefit from. Take for instance what is at present often referred to as the financial crises. I could name quite a few aspects that I have found ways to prosper from. Apart from that, I view these developments as a necessary process of stratification which brings us back to Pentagonal Revisionism.

9. Please tell me about any projects you might have and where you’re at in the online world.

There is my electronic music project The Invisible War which is basically intended to create what I personally consider ideal acoustic environments for the ritual chamber. In fact, there have been several occasions when I have been looking for a particular piece of music fitting such a very specific need. Starting to tailor my own arrangements is how the whole project came up. Very soon however, I found profound delight in composing pieces of music even beyond the initial purpose and it turned into a very fulfilling endeavour. What I do especially appreciate is the fact that I’m solely in charge of everything. It is this D.I.Y. approach that fits my way to go about projects all too well. A website with more comprehensive material on this project is also in process of planning as the extent of material grows.

Furthermore, writing essays and articles on various different subjects as well as reviews of books, movies or music makes a pursuit that I enjoy a great deal. Several of my essays have been published in different magazines and a selection of my written material can be found on my Undercroft profile-page. Then there is a long-dated and quite beloved endeavour of mine which is exploring places and houses that have a somewhat gloomy and haunted appeal. So far, I have archived quite a few interesting photos of such places and have from time to time gone into some research regarding the history of some of these places. I’m yet unsure however, what I will do with the material. One day a website or a magazine might emerge.

Aside from the Church of Satan website, I find great delight in both Magister Ventrue’s Undercroft and the Letters to the Devil – message board. While the latter has been around for a very long time providing a paramount source of information and platform to learn from and to contribute to, the Undercroft is a relatively new brilliant tool for networking purposes with like-minded individuals. Every now and then, I post essays or articles and take part in discussions on various topics which is always a very enriching activity. And of course, Warlock Blackthorne’s Shadowmantium, his Order of the Black Dragon and his magazine The Devil’s Diary provide most excellent and rich resources of diabolic thought.

10. Any final thoughts or anything you’d like to share?

Thank you very much for interviewing me. It was a true pleasure. My best wishes for this and all future projects.

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Prometheus’ music is available to listen to online via myspace. Please check it out.
http://www.myspace.com/theinvisiblewar9

This entry was posted on Friday, May 8th, 2009 at 11:00 am and is filed under SDOM Interviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.