Surprisingly Good Life Lessons From the Satanic Bible
If I learned anything from reading The Satanic Bible by Anton Sandor LaVey, it is that LaVey loved to fuck , but I also learned many other life lessons, and they are surprisingly practical and actually quite positive.
While there’s a lot about rituals, bells, and witches dressed in sexy outfits – unless you’re old, because that’s not the kind of energy LaVey was looking for – the overall message of the book is self-acceptance, overconfidence. condescension and self-respect. If you revisit the ubiquitous “Live, love, laugh!” wall sticker in the spirit of satanism with the words “Eat, bone, revenge!”
The Satan described by LaVey is not the one the Church Lady warned you about. Satan is a concept, symbol, or power that must be used to lead a pleasant and successful life. Satan is not an anthropomorphic horned creature to whom animals and children are sacrificed – in fact, it is a big Satanic no-no. In the chapter On Choosing Human Sacrifice, LaVey explains that “Under no circumstances will a Satanist sacrifice any animal or child!” How do you generate the energy needed for effective spells, you ask? Jerk off (cool) or sacrifice someone, “asking for a curse by their very act” (like a Nazi, I think). So now that we have the vexing problem of killing babies, let’s take a look at some of the lessons in the Satanic Bible that are surprisingly applicable to everyday life.
It’s okay to want to feel good.
It’s a shame LaVey died just two years before the Bloodhound Gang Bad Touch, because he would have been possessed . The fact is that you and me (baby) are nothing more than a couple of animals that are driven home again and again, but LaVey advises that instead of fighting our base, animal desires, we give in to them and just be happy dude. … (There is one caveat to following your bliss, and that is not to do it in a way that will harm people who have not harmed you.)
The book is very much about the seven deadly sins, because these are the things that lead to pleasure, and pleasure is good (that’s why it’s nice ). “Jealousy” is simply “a favorable view of the possessions of others,” and “greed” is simply “wanting more than what you already have.” Both are described as “driving forces of ambition” without which “little could have been achieved.” “Gluttony,” explains LeVey, “is simply more than it takes to sustain life.” Likewise, pride is the desire to look good, the unwillingness to get out of your warm and comfortable bed is laziness, and lust is … well, lust.
The desire to eat because everything is delicious, to sleep because it is pleasant, and making paper because you want the same cool shit that your friends have is not something that you should be ashamed of, and these “sins” can encourage you to improve yourself and your life. … If you want to go to the gym for the sole purpose of making that booty more comfortable, that’s a great reason and you may end up extending your life and improving your mental health in your proud pursuit of a better butt. All of this may seem selfish, and it is, but that doesn’t mean it’s bad. Pride, for example, can motivate a person to do great altruistic acts. If activism weren’t even slightly motivated by pride, there would be far fewer photos of people holding protest posters on Instagram. While I’m sure there are people out there who are capable of volunteering at a puppy shelter and not tweeting about it, you can’t tell me they feel bad after a day of helping sad dogs who always deserve help.
Enthusiastic consensual sex is the best sex
I don’t think this book was published in 1969 by accident; even today, you can almost hear LaVey hiss from the grave: “Yeah-ah.” The Satanic Bible is very much about sex, but it’s also very much about consent. Satanism has a reputation for forced orgies, but while “Satanism does defend sexual freedom,” it “does not encourage orgiastic activities or extramarital affairs for those for whom they are not natural.” Group sex is cold if it brings you and your partner joy, but fighting through tears during an orgy to prove “to others (or worse, to yourself) that you are free of sexual guilt” is not.
Sex is good (if you like it) and the amount and type you want to have is the amount and type you should have (or, if you don’t like sex, not have). Satanism fights virtually all forms of consensual sexual activity. Masturbation is cool, natural sex is cool, gay sex is cool, group sex is cool, and no sex is cool. Getting carried away with fetishes and perversions is also cool, ” if there is no one in them who does not want to participate .”
Condescension, not coercion, is an important distinction. Indulging is doing what you want – again, provided it doesn’t hurt others – and don’t feel bad about it. If casual sex (safe) with many different partners really makes you feel powerful or just really fun, there is no reason you should (ethically) feel bad about it. If it makes you feel uncomfortable — and that unpleasantness doesn’t stem from the guilt someone else told you — don’t do it. Compulsive behavior, whether it comes from a place of morality, adherence to abstinence or something else, is not the sex droid you are looking for — but “the Satanist is the master, not mastered by sex.”
Beat Nazis and Kill Vampires
LaVey never stated directly that he was an antifa, but he was very much a proponent of “creating terror for his opponent” and treating those who did not follow the Golden Rule “with the anger they deserve.” Satanism does not advocate violence per se, but the goal of hitting blow for blow and death for death – with a lot of compound interest added to it – is to get people who might harm you or others to reconsider their shitty actions. and shitty opinions. (Or, as LaVey puts it, “when he goes his own way, he will have even more wisdom to ponder on.”)
“You cannot love everyone,” and according to The Satanic Bible , not everyone is worthy of your love. “Praying” for people who are causing real, tangible harm in the name of “love” is not only ineffective but also unnatural. There are bad people, and you can hate them and wish for harm.
In addition to being visibly aggressive, LaVey is not up to the “passively malevolent” he calls “psychic vampires.” These are the people you hang out with because you feel guilty if you don’t, even if you don’t really like their company. These are people who never directly state their needs, but you always find yourself providing small services, none of which come back. This is a person who doesn’t have that many friends because they are just ‘very picky’ about who they spend their time with and – after a round of social conversations – ‘rush to add that you fulfill all the requirements and are a truly outstanding exception’ and ‘ one of the few worthy of his [or her] friendship. “
Basically, if you find yourself giving and giving to one very special person, but never getting anything in return (other than shiny gifts designed to awaken a sense of duty) whose needs you always prioritize, even if they don’t show you the same consideration , take them out of your life. (This obviously does not apply to children. You cannot get rid of them.) It’s not particularly difficult to do this: just say no.
If it seems to me that I choose from this book those parts that I like, it is because I really love. There are problems with the Satanic Bible. LeVey not only plagiarized and borrowed many of his ideas, but also a certain ayblism atmosphere along with some Ayn Rand nonsense. Sometimes it is also offensively corny – for example, did you know that “Evil is BACK to LIFE ?” – and LaVey loses some of his sexual goodies by suggesting that the older witches leave the sexy clothes to the young ladies and adopt the “lady cookie” aesthetic instead. (Note: I don’t feel that “sexy lady with cookies” is not my mood.)
The Satanic Bible cannot be read without a critical eye and then followed blindly – in fact, it would not be very Satanic, since everyone should “question all things” – but there is a lot of horror in it. peace, and adopting an indulgent, sexually positive, anti-jerk worldview can help. Whether you call it “finding your joy,” “living your truth,” or “welcoming Satan,” doing what you want to do (guilt-free), building relationships that are valuable to you, and standing up for yourself will make your life so much more. better, so go and get yours. (Unless “yours” includes white supremacy, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, fascism, or any other such harmful ideology, in which case you could get hit.)