Barbelith Underground > Temple

From what I understand of it, Michael Aquino's Temple of Set was formed due to intense disagreement with LaVey's behavior - partuclarly on the existence of 'Satan' - and a lot of the fallout in the COS after LaVey's death revolved around his seeming see-sawing on the subject (and all that business with selling 'memberships' into the 'Church'). It was a Cult of Celebrity for LaVey, and this became increasingly obvious to people around him after awhile.

'Saints and Sinners', by Lawrence Wright, has a very interesting chapter that touches on the twilight days of LaVey's life - all the silly mythology he invented falling away, the fact that he was just scraping by coming to the fore. I'd recommend it as a read to anyone interested in the subject.

'LaVeyan' Satanism is a really interesting part of American culture to me, though. I spent a good few years of my youth 'studying' it, doing my best to understand its basic tenets, etc., because the simplicity of it was very positive and pro-human-development.

The gist, to me, was always 'Indulge yourself, there's nothing wrong with it. Stop feeling guilty about anything. Do whatever you're curious about. Be careful that you're only doing it because you're interested and not because you feel a compulsion - If you can't control it you're off the track and have to stop it. Do whatever you want, just don't hurt anybody unless they've hurt you.' A sort of 'Ethical Hedonism', I guess.

It's got an enormously obvious symbol on the front of itself that people with intentions that have nothing to do with personal growth will latch onto, of course, but it has a lot of value beyond that. I never got the 'If you want something and you're strong enough, Take It' vibe that May Tricks describes above - it was all very positive and sensitive to human development when got past the charming (if overbearing) vaudeville of it all - the negative takes on it all seemed inferred by folks who were overcompensating for personal deficiencies.

For me, and many others I've met now that I've crossed into an OlderWiser mode, LaVeyan Satanism was a really positive step in the change from childhood to adulthood. For kids (certainly on the West Coast of the US where I'm from)who feel extremely 'alien' and not terribly okay with their place in the world or their 'worthiness' it can help teach a sense of self-respect and Faith In One's Own Abilities that's hard-coming at that age. It really helped for me, and served as an introduction into larger, more developed metaphor systems/magical systems - a 'Self-Value and Magick 101' of sorts.

LaVey's peculiar aphorisms were always charming to me. I've met a number of very warm, very charming Satanists who were level-headed and loved life, and were willing to discuss these things without engaging in adolescent theatrics. These were real Satanists to me, and I always enjoyed their company. That having been said, the general proliferation of silly views and self-obsessed, self-important bravado I got from a greater percentage of proffessed 'Satanists' kept my involvement in it personal, and I eventually developed away from it. But everyone I knew at that time read the books along with me (casually Christian or otherwise) and took something rewarding from the experience. I have a soft spot in my heart for LaVey because of it, and always will.

This feels kinda monologue-y - my apologies. Just wanted to get my thoughts into the mix.