This file is an exerpt from The Book of Darkness, an official work
of the Ordo Templi Satanis, P.O. Box 1093, Atwater, CA 95301. It is
copyright 1991. All persons are hereby given permission to make
copies and/or distribute this exerpt, so long as in so doing the 
contents of this work is not altered in any way, including this
paragraph.

                       Satanic Subcultures
                  (From the Book of the World)

There seems to be an unconscious resonance between several 
elements in modern society which, at the onset, would appear to 
be totally unrelated. However, all of these various sub-cultures 
within the American mainstream actually have many things in 
common, most of all a deep harmonic relation of imagery and the 
basic values which they espouse. It seems only natural that such 
forces and trends, which are, at their heart, so interrelated, be 
finally identified as such, so that they might be combined in a 
single, monumental effort to realize the goals they represent.

These forces, and there may be other waiting in the wings 
awaiting their turn to be recognized, include rock music, totali-
tarian political movements, sexual bondage and submission, the 
interest in the occult and macabre typified by Vampirism, and, of 
course, Satanism.

Of these, rock music contains within it most of the imagery 
of the others. From the Satanist's pentagram on the cover of a 
heavy metal album, to the motifs of sexual submission in the 
lyrics of rock songs, to the vast stadium concerts which are all 
too reminiscent of the Nazi Party rallies of the 1930's; all 
these images suggest a vast confluence of the forces contained 
within the base of each.

Satanists have traditionally associated themselves with 
images normally considered dark and macabre by "mainstream" 
society. This is merely another aspect of rebellion against 
society, using such abnormal imagery to achieve certain ends 
through shock value. These are, too, the same images that are 
frequently employed by "vampire fans" and certain rock bands. 
Again, the confluences of the images involved are apparent.

Though totalitarian political movements are currently in 
disrepute in America, and have never enjoyed the sort of popular-
ity their adherents (and leaders) may wish or believe, there is a 
recurring thread through Western society. This current suggests 
something of a fascination with the Nazis and Fascists of early-
20th Century Europe. Which this is not to say that these groups 
are admired, per se, they are certainly the objects of an amount 
of scrutiny and study which seems disproportionate to their 
overall historical significance.

The answer to the question of why this should be so is 
twofold. First, the imagery and rituals used by the Nazis and 
Fascists were first-rate pieces of propaganda; it has been sug-
gested before that the vast Nueremburg rallies could be consid-
ered as enormous Black Magic Workings, focusing the Wills of 
thousands of participants on a single individual and a single 
overwhelming goal. It is significant to realize that the Nazi's 
military reverses began when the Party rallies were halted, and 
it is well known that the Schutzstaffel (SS) were steeped in 
ancient Teutonic blood mysticism, and magical rituals were prac-
ticed by their leadership and officers throughout the war. Up 
until the last, the SS were considered the definition of elite 
troops by both the Allies and Axis.

The whole "scene" of Bondage and Discipline (B&D) revolves 
around the submission of one individual to the Will of another. 
It simply happens to be expressed in sexual terms, rather than in 
economic terms. In this, it represents a sort of rebellion in and 
of itself (and has always been considered to be a "perversion" 
and therefore carries with it the stigma of the forbidden). This 
stigma stems, no doubt, from the refusal of Christian hierarchs 
to accept any sort of sexual activity other than the Missionary 
position between married people for the purposes of procreation. 
In regards to bondage, or any other sort of fetishistic sexual 
practices, the Satanist must remember that the pursuit of physi-
cal indulgence for its own sake is a good thing, a worthy goal, 
and one to be pursued with gusto and verve, regardless of what 
the Masses may think.

The use of bondage regalia and imagery has been associated 
with Satanism for a long time, and as such can be quite useful in 
setting the mood for Satanic Magic Workings. Of course, as with 
any such accouterments, they are mere props for the purpose of 
focusing the Will, but because of the long history of imagery 
that associates Satanic practices with chained virgins on altars, 
medieval torture devices, and the like, they can serve a most 
useful purpose when attempting to set the mood (or when used for 
the shock value with a reporter or some such impressionable 
member of the Masses). 

Bondage equipment will always convey a subtle, sometimes 
unconscious reaction in people who are only dimly accustomed to 
it; the instinctual reaction is to see the owner as inherently 
dominant, even in the most innocent of social settings. This is 
Lesser Black Magic in action; the use of subtle psychological 
cues to influence the behavior of people around you. When you see 
a young man walking down the street with a pair of handcuffs 
dangling from his black leather jacket, the effect is calculated 
to be intimidating. The image portrayed is a combination of 
dominance (displaying the handcuffs as if to warn they might be 
used on someone at any time), rebellion (they very idea that 
someone could so publicly and proudly display what could be 
considered a sexual device, which should therefore be displayed 
only in the deepest most private recesses of the boudoir), and a 
certain amount of unpredictability (if this guy will put hand-
cuffs on his jacket, who knows what else he might do?), all add 
up to a very subtle feeling of intimidation; this is not a person 
you want to mess with.

The Satanist, then, should make an attempt to inculcate 
these various sub-cultures and may wish to attempt to incorporate 
their imagery into his various Satanic endeavors. For, whether 
their adherents wish to acknowledge the fact or not, they are 
falling in line with the current trend of Satanic thought, and as 
such, should be welcomed as distant cousins. Does this make every 
rock musician or Anne Rice fan or B&D'er a Satanist? Certainly 
not. But it does show an increasing alignment among the forces of 
the dark side of humanity and society, much of which has been 
forced upon us by the one foe that we all have in common, which 
seeks to destroy us piecemeal; Christianity.