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.

                        What is Satanism?
                  (From the Book of The World)

It should always be remembered that LaVey's Satanic Bible, 
and in particular, his "Nine Satanic Statements", are extremely 
significant in the understanding of modern Satanic philosophy. 
"Satan represents..." various things in the Statements, but it is 
the whole idea that Satan represents these things, rather than 
existing as a material and personal entity, that forms one of the 
cornerstones of Satanism. Satanists do not believe in a literal 
Satan. We use the figure of Satan as a convenient symbol, an 
archetype, if you will, representing those things that Satanists 
believe in. Chief among these are intellectual curiosity, person-
al liberty of action, and physical indulgence. These three things 
are Satanism's goals, and we should never lose sight of them.

It is the aspect of Prometheus that we turn to to represent 
the first goal of Satanism; intellectual curiosity.  It was 
Prometheus who, according to the myths of the ancient Greeks, 
stole the secret of fire from the gods and gifted it to mankind. 
For this act, he was chained to a boulder and set upon by giant 
vultures which ripped out his liver every day (which subsequently 
regrew). This is a representation of the inherent suspicion with 
which science in particular, and change in general, is viewed by 
the masses. The masses are content with things as they are; they 
revel in the comfortable, the familiar, the easy. It is the 
Satanist who strives for the betterment of his condition, and is 
never satisfied with the status quo. Stagnation is the bane of 
the Satanist; change is the greatest fear of the masses. Therein 
lies the ultimate basis for the overwhelming fear of the Satan 
figure; change is seen as ultimately evil, and thus so too are 
those that strive for change.

The term "personal liberty" has taken on many different 
connotations in recent years, both social, political, and econom-
ic. The Satanist should see these three areas for what they are; 
mere facets of the same gem. The most basic idea of personal 
liberty states that the individual is responsible enough to take 
care of his own life, and should do so with an eye towards mini-
mally impacting the lives of others without their consent. This 
idea, which seems so simple and universal on the surface, is 
fraught with dangers. The greatest of these dangers, and ironi-
cally the one rarely (if ever) mentioned in these modern times, 
is the fact that the masses are, in fact, not responsible enough 
to govern their own lives! In fact, being the sheep that they 
are, the masses have proven, time and time again, that they do 
not want to be saddled with the responsibility of their own 
governance. The masses would prefer to follow rather than lead. 
And yet, ironically, as they yearn and demand persons of strong 
will to give their lives direction and meaning, they simultane-
ously complain about their lot, bemoaning the lack of control 
they exercise over their own lives! The reason for this is clear, 
and demonstrates that the masses practice the Satanic Sins on a 
regular basis. It is because the masses are engaged in a constant 
campaign of self-deception. Consciously, they clamor for self-
direction and power over their own lives, while subconsciously, 
they crave to be controlled.

The Satanist, on the other hand, exhibits a behavior 180o 
from that shown by the masses. The Satanist, seeing the mediocri-
ty around him, desires nothing more than to truly live his life 
free from the interference and petty controls of others. Does 
this mean that all Satanists are misanthropes, more suited to the 
life of a hermit? Not at all. However, the Satanist truly has the 
desire to free himself from the shackles with which the masses 
have bound themselves.

It has been said that most of history's greatest leaders, 
those with the most profound influence on the course of history, 
have been Satanists in all but name (and perhaps, say some, in 
name as well as deed!). This is an extension of the Satanic 
impulse to rule over one's own destiny. It just so happens that 
one of the easiest ways to do that is to control the destiny of 
others as well. Power, then, is not an end in itself to the 
Satanist, whether it is power over a single individual or power 
over an empire spanning continents. Power, in the sense of being 
able to have others follow your own Will, is merely a means to 
achieve the second Satanic goal-- freedom of action.

This may seem to be a selfish attitude, and it is. It should 
be remembered that the Satanist does not waste compassion, or 
empathy, on those who are undeserving. If the vast majority of 
the population-- the Masses-- can be efficiently and effectively 
turned into a tool to serve the ends of the Satanic Magician, 
then so be it. In fact, the Satanist is actually doing them a 
favor by providing them with the guiding force of a strong Will 
which they so desperately crave! Satanists should follow the 
example of Ayn Rand and see selfishness for a virtue, not a vice.

Lastly, the Satanist sees physical indulgence, the gratifi-
cation of the flesh, as one of the three chief goals of life. The 
reasons for this are many, but when it comes down to it, Satan-
ists see physical indulgence as the good thing it is. According 
to the paradigm of Darwinian evolution, higher forms of life have 
evolved mechanisms to condition their own behavior; stimulation 
of the brain's pain centers by actions which are self-destructive 
and stimulation of the brain's pleasure centers by actions which 
lead to the benefit of the species or individual. By seeking out 
those activities which are in themselves pleasurable, Satanists 
are merely acting according to our material natures; following, 
as it were, the rules set down by natural evolution.

This concept of physical indulgence can be seen to include 
not only the gross physical pleasures, such as stimulating sexual 
relations, eating of fine foods, and the like, but also the more 
subtle, psychological pleasures of life as well. There are those 
for whom the crafting of a piece of art is as pleasurable experi-
ence in and of itself as sex is for another. The act of creation, 
for the former individual, satisfies his sense of pleasure. As 
such, such activities are just as valid, for that individual, as 
engaging in sex would be for the latter individual. 

There can come times when the desires for pleasure of two 
individuals can come into direct or oblique conflict. Wherever 
possible, such conflicts should be resolved to the satisfaction 
of all involved. Many times, however, this is not the case. An 
example is the last piece of cake sitting on the dining room 
table. Two people are seated there, and each wants the cake. What 
is to be done? Ideally, the cake should be split between them, 
but this is not always a possibility. It is in such situations 
that Lex Talonis, the Law of the Jungle, must prevail. 

Does this mean that every minor disagreement between indi-
viduals should be settled by physical violence? Hardly. However, 
there are other, more subtle forms of conflict, that are used 
every day in the world, and which fulfill the dictates of Lex 
Talonis. To continue the above example, the former individual 
could attempt to plead, or wheedle, or threaten to obtain the 
cake. The latter individual might play on sympathy, or call in 
old implied indebtedness, or even rely on physical swiftness to 
get the piece of cake. Any one of these methods, physical or 
mental, demonstrates the ability of one individual to get what he 
wants, regardless of the actions or wishes of another individual. 
And that, in essence, is what Lex Talonis is all about. Getting 
what you want. Through physical or mental (or magical, for that 
matter) means, is all that matters. It is the ends that are 
important when discussing the Lex Talonis, not the means.

There are those that would say that such an attitude, taken 
by the population of a nation, would lead to sudden and destruc-
tive anarchy. This is probably true. But this comes once more to 
the idea stated above-- the masses are not capable of handling 
the responsibility of running their own lives, regardless of how 
loudly they protest. It is only the Satanist (in name or merely 
in fact) who possesses this ability. The Satanist would possess 
the self control, the direction over his own Will, to know how 
far to push for a given goal. The Satanist would even, perhaps, 
let another win a series of little battles of will, skirmishes as 
it were; saving up a growing tally of intangible debts to use 
against that individual for something down the road that is truly 
important.

There are certain assumptions that may be drawn from these 
statements. Obviously, there is a veil drawn between two segments 
of the population. The vast majority belong to the Masses; they 
are the followers, the enviers of those who accomplish, they are 
the drones. There also exists a distinct minority, but it is this 
minority which is responsible for the creativity, accomplishment, 
and advancement of culture. They are the doers, the leaders, the 
Satanists.