【结社】撒旦教派 | Kelaino Librarium

秘密结社

撒旦教派

₪ 路西法教
₪ 耶西提教派
₪ 撒旦的祭仪
₪ 九天使秩序

₪ 赛特神殿

₪ 撒旦教会

₪ 路西法教 Luciferianism

路西法信徒大多否认自己是撒旦教门徒，他们视路西法为光明使者，是象徵启蒙、独立和人类发展的精神指导。所以路西法信徒从来都不会进行魔鬼崇拜和标志，反而加入了很多新世纪运动的元素，例如心灵慰藉和瑜珈呼吸等。路西法教的主心思想和LaVey教派相似，强调真理和自由意志、每个人需要为自己行为负责任，认为人类的成长不需要屈从一个特定的神明或因为害怕地狱折磨而悔改等。但他们比LaVey教派更加重视道德。路西法信徒很重视儿童平等发展、艺术和科学平衡、保护自然等议题，而且反对暴力和淫乱的行为，这些特点为他们在社会带来正面的名声。路西法信徒没有明确的大组织和领袖，当中比较出名有黑玫瑰之子。但严格来说路西法教又可以分为传统路西法教派、摩登路西法教派和哲学路西法教派。传统路西法教派认为路西法是万物的创造者、现代路西法教则视它为晨星和光明之神。而哲学路西法教派则注重思维上，对仪式不太看重。

参考网址：https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luciferianism

₪ 耶西提教派 Yezidi

耶西提教派是中东的撒旦教教派。耶西提信徒认为撒旦仍然是上帝的忠诚的僕人，只不过是负责恶的一面。受到传统文化波斯神话影响，认为「恶」不一定是坏，是为了达成善恶平衡的必须。他么反而认为强调「绝对的善」的西方基督教偏离了正道。所以耶西提信徒不直呼带有侮辱意思的撒旦之名，只准称其为「天使之王(Melek Tausz)」。耶西提教派教典叫「Mishaf Resh」。这个教派至今也活跃在中东地区，特别在伊拉克及伊朗。据悉，有部份伊拉克政府官员也是耶西提信徒。

参考网址：https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yazidis

₪ 撒旦的祭仪 Ophite Cultus Satanas

也称恩多夫人的女巫集会 (Coven of Our Lady of Endor)。于1948在美国俄亥俄州托莱多城创立的撒旦异端教派。创始人(Herbert Arthur Sloane)声称自己是由山羊神在森林养大，并传授了各种神秘的知识，掌握了古希腊和古埃及遗留下来的魔法和仪式。这个秘密结社将撒旦定义在诺斯底主义的层面上，将撒旦视为知识和智慧的象征。它们崇拜在伊甸园引使夏娃吃下禁忌之果的蛇，因为它将那真实上帝之知识赐给了亚当和夏娃，使人类具有了慧眼。他们的教名「Ophite」参考了古诺斯底灵知派(Ophites)，意指蛇的崇拜者。他们还认为该隐反抗上帝的行为是英雄落难，主张该隐在离开天国后受到撒旦的照顾，成为第一个撒旦教教主。

参考网址：https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Our_Lady_of_Endor_Coven

₪ 九天使秩序 Order of the Nine Angles

上世纪60年代英国成立，由Camlad、Noctulians和太阳神殿组成。ONA不算是宗教，而是一个极端恐怖组织。他们旨在推翻所有世俗的生活，变成一个以部落和罪恶为主的世界。ONA从不启蒙和培养信徒、认为组织的目标只有通过高风险和犯法的行为才可达成。它们还坚信自己才是真正的撒旦教，其他教派都是异端。创始人戴维·迈亚特(David Myatt)奉行纳粹主义、无政府主义、社会达尔文主义。他早年在英国新纳粹党担任干事，策划一连串纳粹暴力行动，后又转投伊斯兰武装组织，成为穆斯林。他写过数以百计的文章、表演过无数次的公开演讲和辩论，内容包含神秘学、哲学、心理学和经济学理论。他还精通多种语言，包括英文、希腊文、梵文、拉丁文和阿拉伯文。有民俗学家形容当戴维成立ONA时，「吸引了全球一直隐藏在阴暗山林的巫师和极端分子出来，在他居住的小屋周围连夜狂欢和拜祭，因为他们知道他们的时代已经来临了。」

ONA共有7个阶层，包括: (1)新人、(2)启动、(3)外行家、(4)内行家、(5)主教、(6)大法师和(7)永恆。每升一级，信徒都要更难的挑战。例如在第四级(内行家)，信徒需要独自在荒岛生存至少半年，而且要精通三项铁人赛和至少一顶武术，并懂得一定的犯罪技巧。在第五级，除了有更高的体力要求外，还要精通至少一顶神秘学知识，例如古波斯巫术，以及在别的宗教团体生活6至8个月并取得「显赫的地位」。ONA信奉极端社会达尔文主义，强调「弱肉强食」。是第一个公开支持活人祭的撒旦教(大部份公开的撒旦教只会进行动物祭祀)。因为他们奉信纳粹主义，认为把一些无用的」(通常是流浪汉、妓女、智障等)用作魔法仪式，ONA也被多吃指控用活人来拜祭撤旦。

参考网址：https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Order_of_Nine_Angles

₪ 塞特神殿 Temple of Set

The Temple of Set is an occult initiatory order founded in 1975. A new religious movement and form of Western esotericism, the Temple espouses a religion known as Setianism, whose practitioners are called Setians. This is sometimes identified as a form of Satanism, although this term is not often embraced by Setians and is contested by some academics. The Temple was established in the United States in 1975 by Michael Aquino, an American political scientist, military officer, and a high-ranking member of Anton LaVey's Church of Satan. Dissatisfied with the direction in which LaVey was taking the Church, Aquino resigned and – according to his own claim – embarked on a ritual to invoke Satan, who revealed to him a sacred text called The Book of Coming Forth by Night. According to Aquino, in this work Satan revealed his true name to be that of Set, which had been the name used by his followers in ancient Egypt. Aquino was joined in establishing the Temple by a number of other dissatisfied members of LaVey's Church, and soon various Setian groups were established across the United States. Setians believe that Set is the one real god and that he has aided humanity by giving them a questioning intellect, the "Black Flame", which distinguishes them from other animal species. Set is held in high esteem as a teacher whose example is to be emulated but he is not worshipped as a deity. Highly individualistic in basis, the Temple promotes the idea that practitioners should seek self-deification and thus attain an immortality of consciousness. Setians believe in the existence of magic as a force which can be manipulated through ritual, however the nature of these rituals is not prescribed by the Temple. Specifically, Aquino described Setian practices as "black magic", a term which he defines idiosyncratically. Following initiation into the Temple, a Setian can proceed along a series of six degrees, each of which requires greater responsibilities to the group; as a result, most members remain in the first two degrees. Governed by a high priest or high priestess and a wider Council of Nine, the Temple is also divided into groups known as pylons, through which Setians can meet or correspond in order to advance their magical work in a particular area. Pylons of the Temple are now present in the United States, Australia, and Europe, with estimates placing the Temple's membership between 200 and 500.

Definition

The Temple of Set is a new religious movement,[1] and draws upon earlier forms of Western esotericism.[2] Among academic scholars of religious studies, there has been some debate as to whether the Temple of Set can be characterized as "Satanism" or not. The religious studies scholars Asbjorn Dyrendal, Massimo Introvigne, James R. Lewis, and Jesper Aa. Petersen describe the Temple of Set as a Satanic group, despite its reluctance to use the term "Satanism", because of it is an offshoot of the Church of Satan which continues to use satanic mythology.[3][4] Conversely, the scholar Kennet Granholm argued that it should not be considered a form of Satanism because it does not place an emphasis on the figure of Satan. Granholm acknowledged that it was an "actor in the Satanic milieu" and part of the wider left-hand path group of esoteric traditions.[5] He suggested that it could also be seen as a form of "Post-Satanism", thereby continuing to reflect its historical origins within religious Satanism.[6] The Temple of Set is far more rooted in esoteric ideas than the Church of Satan had been.[7] It has thus been termed "Esoteric Satanism", a term used to contrast it with the "Rational Satanism" found in LaVeyan Satanism.[8] Accordingly, it has been labelled the "intellectual wing of esoteric Satanism",[9] with the Temple presenting itself as an intellectual religion.[10] Aquino possessed a P.h.D. in political science and this formal education was reflected in the way that he presented his arguments, in which he draws broadly upon Western philosophy and science.[11]

History

Foundation

Born in 1946, Michael Aquino was a military intelligence officer specializing in psychological warfare.[12] In 1969 he joined Anton LaVey's Church of Satan and rose rapidly through the group's ranks.[13] In 1970, while he was serving with the U.S. military during the Vietnam War, Aquino was stationed in Bến Cát in South Vietnam when he wrote a tract titled "Diabolicon" in which he reflected upon his growing divergence from the Church of Satan's doctrines.[14] In this tract, teachings about the creation of the world, God, and humanity are presented, as is the dualistic idea that Satan complements God.[15] The character of Lucifer is presented as bringing insight to human society,[16] a depiction of Lucifer that was inherited from John Milton's seventeenth-century epic poem Paradise Lost.[17]

By 1971 Aquino was ranked as a Magister Caverns of the IV° within the Church's hierarchy, was editor of its publication The Cloven Hoof, and sat on its governing Council of Nine.[12] In 1973 he rose to the previously unattained rank of Magister Templi of IV°.[12] According to the scholars of Satanism Per Faxneld and Jesper Petersen, Aquino had become LaVey's "right-hand man".[18] There were nonetheless things that Aquino disliked about the Church of Satan; he thought that it had attracted many "fad-followers, egomaniacs, and assorted oddballs, whose primary interest in becoming Satanists was to flash their membership cards for cocktail-party notoriety".[19] When, in 1975, LaVey abolished the system of regional groups, or grottos, and declared that in the future all degrees would be given in exchange for financial or other contributions to the Church, Aquino became increasingly disaffected; he resigned from the organization on June 10, 1975.[20] While LaVey seems to have held a pragmatic and practical view of the degrees and of the Satanic priesthood, intending them to reflect the social role of the degree holder within the organization, Aquino and his supporters viewed the priesthood as being spiritual, sacred and irrevocable.[21] Dyrendal, Lewis, and Petersen describe Aquino as, in effect, accusing LaVey of the sacrilege of simony.[21]

Aquino then provided what has been described as a "foundation myth" for his Setian religion.[22] Having departed the Church, he embarked on a ritual intent on asking Satan for advice on what to do next.[23] According to his account, at Midsummer 1975, Satan appeared and revealed that he wanted to be known by his true name, Set, which had been the name used by his worshippers in ancient Egypt.[24] Aquino produced a religious text, The Book of Coming Forth by Night, which he alleged had been revealed to him by Set through a process of automatic writing.[25] According to Aquino, "there was nothing overtly sensational, supernatural, or melodramatic about The Book of Coming Forth By Night working. I simply sat down and wrote it."[26] The book proclaimed Aquino to be the Magus of the new Aeon of Set and the heir to LaVey's "infernal mandate".[27] Aquino later stated that the revelation that Satan was Set necessitated his own exploration of Egyptology, a subject about which he had previously known comparatively little.[28]

"The meeting with the Prince of Darkness marked a point of departure between LaVey and Aquino. LaVey was basically a materialist to whom Satan was a personification of the forces of nature. Aquino is an idealist, basing his theology on Plato and the Gnostic/Hermetic tradition."

Historian of religion Mattias Gardell.

Aquino's Book of Coming Forth by Night makes reference to The Book of the Law, a similarly 'revealed' text produced by the occultist Aleister Crowley in 1904 which provided the basis for Crowley's religion of Thelema. In Aquino's book, The Book of the Law was presented as a genuine spiritual text given to Crowley by preternatural sources, but it was also declared that Crowley had misunderstood both its origin and message.[29] In making reference to The Book of the Law, Aquino presented himself as being as much Crowley's heir as LaVey's,[30] and Aquino's work would engage with Crowley's writings and beliefs to a far greater extent than LaVey ever did.[7]

In establishing the Temple, Aquino was joined by other ex-members of LaVey's Church,[12] and soon Setian groups, or pylons, were established in various parts of the United States.[12] The structure of the Temple was based largely on those of the ceremonial magical orders of the late nineteenth century, such as the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn and Ordo Templi Orientis.[31] Aquino has stated that he believed LaVey not to be merely a charismatic leader but to have been actually appointed by Satan himself (referring to this charismatic authority as the "Infernal Mandate") to found the Church.[32] After the split of 1975, Aquino believed LaVey had lost the mandate, which the "Prince of Darkness" then transferred to Aquino and a new organization, the Temple of Set.[32] According to both the historian of religion Mattias Gardell and journalist Gavin Baddeley, Aquino displayed an "obsession" with LaVey after his departure from the Church, for instance by publicly releasing court documents that reflected negatively on his former mentor, among them restraining orders, divorce proceedings, and a bankruptcy filing.[33] In turn, LaVey lampooned the new Temple as "Laurel and Hardy's Sons of the Desert".[34] In 1975, the Temple incorporated as a non-profit Church in California, receiving state and federal recognition and tax-exemption later that year.[35]

Later development

Many members of the Temple had voiced their opposition to Aquino's position of power within it.[36] Aquino relinquished his office of High Priest in 1979 to Ronald Keith Barrett,[37] who produced an inspired text of his own, titled The Book of Opening the Way.[38] Barrett's approach was later criticized as "more mystical than magical" by Temple members.[39] Barrett's leadership was also criticized as authoritarian,[40] resulting in a decline in the Temple's membership.[38] Barrett resigned his office and severed ties with the organization in May 1982.[37] He subsequently established his own Temple of Anubis, which he led until his 1998 death; it survived until the early 2010s.[36] After Barrett's departure, Aquino retook leadership of the Temple of Set.[36] During this period, the sociologist Gini Graham Scott clandestinely participated in the Temple, using her observations as the basis for her 1983 book The Magicians: A Study of the Use of Power in a Black Magic Group.[41] After receiving his PhD in political science from the University of California, Santa Barbara in 1980, Aquino worked as an adjunct professor at Golden Gate University until 1986 while continuing to serve in the United States Army as an Active Guard Reserve officer at the Presidio of San Francisco.[42] He was fascinated with the connections between occultism and Nazism,[43] resulting in some accusations that he was sympathetic to Nazi ideology.[44] In 1983, he performed a solitary rite at Walhalla, the subterranean section of the Wewelsburg castle in Germany that was utilized as a ceremonial space by the Schutzstaffel's Ahnenerbe group during the Nazi period. This resulted in his formation of the Order of the Trapezoid, a Setian group whose members understood themselves as a chivalric order of knights.[45] From 1987 through to 1995, the Grand Master of the Order of the Trapezoid was Edred Thorsson, who had joined the Temple of Set in 1984 and risen to the Fifth Degree in 1990.[46] Thorsson exerted a "discernible influence" over the Setian community through his books, in which he combined aspects of Satanic philosophy with the modern Pagan religion of Heathenry.[47] In 1980 he founded the Texas-based Rune-Gild, which shared many of the Temple's key philosophical tenets but with a focus on the study of runes and their applications in magical practice.[48]In the 1980s, Aquino attracted greater publicity for his Temple through appearances on television talk shows like The Oprah Winfrey Show and Geraldo.[18] In 1987, during the Satanic ritual abuse hysteria, the three-year-old daughter of a Christian clergyman accused Aquino of sexually abusing her during Satanic rites held at his Russian Hill home. Responding to the allegations, police raided Aquino's home, however—after no evidence was found to substantiate the allegation and it was revealed that Aquino was living in Washington D.C. at the time of the alleged abuse—the police decided not to charge him with any felony.[49] Aquino attempted to bring formal charges against the chaplain and psychiatrist who had encouraged the girl's claims, although he was more successful in bringing legal action against two books—Carl A. Raschke's Painted Black and Linda Blood's The New Satanists—that had suggested that he was guilty.[50] He then left the Presidio and was transferred to St. Louis.[51] In 1994, Aquino retired from active service in the Army, being honourably transferred to the Retired Reserve and awarded the Meritorious Service Medal.[52] While the Satanic ritual abuse hysteria declined, Aquino continued to be a figure of prominence in "mind control" conspiracy theories because of his career as a psychological warfare officer in the US Army.[53] In the United Kingdom during this same period, tabloids like the News of the World and Sunday Mirror published sensationalist articles about the Temple.[54] In the mid-1990s a group of British Setians approached the religious studies scholar Graham Harvey and encouraged him to conduct research into the group so as to combat misconceptions about them.[55] The Temple first registered a website in 1997, the same year as the Church of Satan.[56] It would also establish its own intranet, allowing for communication between Setians in different parts of the world.[5] One member of the Temple was the New Zealander Kerry Bolton, who split to form his own Order of the Left Hand Path in 1990.[57] In 1995, another couple who joined were LaVey's daughter Zeena Schreck and her husband Nikolas Schreck, both of whom were vocal critics of Zeena's father.[58] In 1996, Don Webb became the high priest of the Temple, a position that he held until 2002.[59] He was replaced by Zeena Schreck, but she resigned after six weeks and was replaced by Aquino, who took charge once more.[59] In that year, Zeena led a schism within the organization,[9] establishing her own Berlin-based group, The Storm, which she later renamed the Sethian Liberation Movement.[60] Aquino stood down as Supreme Priest again in 2004, to be replaced by Patricia Hardy, who was elected to the position of Supreme Priestess.[60] Although no longer in charge of the organization, he nevertheless remained its most visible spokesperson.[60]

Ideology[edit source]

Writings[edit source]

In addition to the Book of Coming Forth by Night, in which Set himself is purported to speak, the Temple's philosophy and teachings are revealed in a series of occult writings titled the Jeweled Tablets of Set.[61] Each tablet is keyed to a specific degree in the Temple hierarchy.[61] Only the introduction to the first tablet (Crystal Tablet of Set), titled "Black Magic", is available for non-members.[61] The Ruby Tablet, which is available for second-degree members, is the lengthiest and most diverse of the tablets.[62]

The private Temple literature is not regarded as secret per se, but is kept restricted because it contains materials which, according to the Temple, may be dangerous to the non-initiated.[61]

Self-deification and Xeper[edit source]

The human individual is at the centre of Setian philosophy.[22] The Temple places great emphasis on the development of the individual,[63] postulating self-deification as the ultimate goal.[18] The realization of the true nature of the Setian is termed "becoming" or "coming into being" and is represented by the Egyptian hieroglyphic term kheper, or "Xeper" (a phonetic of _Xpr_), as the Temple of Set prefers to write it.[64] This term is described in The Book of Coming Forth by Night as "the Word of the Aeon of Set".[65] Members attempt "to preserve and strengthen" their "isolate, psyche-centric existence" through adherence to the left-hand path.[9] This idea is in opposition to the traditional goal of Hermetic and Western mystical practices, which is the surrendering of the ego into a union with either God or the universe.[66]

The Temple teaches that the true self, or essence, is immortal, and Xeper is the ability to align consciousness with this essence.[9][67] Aquino taught that there is an afterlife for those who have reached the necessary level of individual development.[68] This afterlife could occur in the individual's subjective universe.[68] Those unable to reach this level dissolve into non-existence when the physical body dies.[68] Self-initiation is knowledge understood as a conjunction of intellect and intuition.[9] In keeping with its emphasis on the individual, the Temple encourages their members to celebrate their own birthday, and does not prescribe any other calendar of religious festivities.[69]

Barrett presented Xem as his Aeonic Word to the Setians,[39] presenting it as a natural and necessary further development of Aquino's Xeper.[38] Aquino later acknowledged Xem as a worthwhile magical concept for Setians to explore, but found Barrett's insistence on its exclusivity as incompatible with the Temple's individualistic philosophy.[38]

Set[edit source]

Set spearing the snake Apep (Egyptian Museum, Cairo)

Aquino's understanding of Satan differed from the atheistic interpretation promoted by LaVey,[22] and the Temple's theology differs from that of the Church of Satan.[70] The Temple states that the name Satan was originally a corruption of the name Set.[71] The Temple of Set promotes the idea that Set is a real entity,[72] and accordingly has been described as being "openly theistic".[18] It further argues that Set is ageless and is the only real god in existence, with all others having been created by the human imagination.[73] Set is described as having given humanity—through the means of non-natural evolution—the "Black Flame" or the "Gift of Set". This refers to humanity's questioning intellect which sets the species apart from other animals and gives it an "isolate self-consciousness" and the possibility to attain divinity.[74] Aquino argued that the idea of the Gift of Set was inadvertently promoted to a wider audience in Stanley Kubrick's 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey. According to Aquino, the black monolith which imparts human-level intelligence onto prehistoric apes in the film was a symbol of Set.[75]

While Setians are expected to revere Set, they do not worship him, instead regarding him as a teacher and a guide.[76] He is portrayed as a role model on which Setians can base their own deification.[77] According to Webb, "we do not worship Set - only our own potential. Set was and is the patron of the magician who seeks to increase his existence through expansion."[78]

Embracing the idea of aeons from Crowley's Thelema, Aquino adopted the Crowleyan tripartite division between the Aeon of Isis, Aeon of Osiris, and Aeon of Horus, but added to that the Aeon of Satan, which he dates from 1966 to 1975, and then the Aeon of Set, which he dated from 1975 onward.[79] Despite presenting these chronological parameters, Aquino also portrayed the aeons less as time periods and more as mind-sets that can co-exist alongside one another.[79] Thus, he stated that "A Jew, Christian or Muslim exists in the Æon of Osiris, a Wiccan in that of Isis, and a Thelemite in that of Horus".[79]

Magic[edit source]

Aquino placed an emphasis on what he deemed to be the division between the objective and subjective universes.[80] In the Setian religion, the objective world is understood as representing the natural world and humanity's collective meaning systems, while the subjective universe is understood as the individually experienced world and individual meaning systems.[48] Following earlier esotericists like Crowley, Aquino characterized magic as "causing change in accordance with will".[81] Unlike LaVey, Aquino expressed belief in the division between black magic and white magic.[82] He described white magic as "a highly-concentrated form of conventional religious ritual", characterizing it as being "more versatile", "less difficult", and "less dangerous" than black magic.[83] However, he criticized white magic as "fraud and/or self-delusion" which deceives the consciousness into thinking that it has been accepted in the objective universe.[84]

Aquino divided black magic into two forms: lesser black magic and greater black magic.[85] He stated that lesser black magic entails "impelling" things that exist in the "objective universe" into doing a desired act by using "obscure physical or behavioral laws" and into this category he placed stage magic, psychodramas, politics, and propaganda.[86] Conversely, he used the term greater black magic in reference to changes in the subjective universe of the magician, allowing them to realize their self in accordance with the principle of Xeper.[87] Among Setians it is accepted that there may be changes in the objective universe as a result of greater black magic, but such effects are considered secondary to the impact that they have upon the subjective universe.[87]

Within the Temple, rituals are typically known as "workings",[88] and are most often carried out alone.[89] Stressing the religion's individualist nature, there are no rituals that are specifically prescribed by the Temple.[90] Aquino also emphasized that in order to achieve a desired aim, the Setian should carry out physical actions alongside magical ones.[81] There are no regular occasions which are marked by fixed rituals, and the Temple has no calendar of festivals.[89]

Insignia[edit source]

The Temple uses an inverted pentagram as its insignia, known as the "Pentagram of Set" to Setians.[91][92] The use of the geometric shape is derived from the Sigil of Baphomet used by the Church of Satan, although stripped of its overtly Satanic add-ons.[91] The Temple explains the meaning and significance of the pentagram by referring to Pythagorean ideas and "mathematical perfection".[91] At Setian gatherings, members wear the pentagram as a medallion.[92] The medallion is colored according to the initiation degree of the Setian.[92]

Both the Church of Satan and the Temple of Set also use the trapezoid symbol.[91] The version used by the Church includes flames, a pitchfork and the number 666, while the trapezoid of the Temple has a left-facing Egyptian sceptre, and the number 666 stylized in geometric shapes rather than as clear numbers.[91]

Structure[edit source]

The internal structure of the Temple of Set is closely reminiscent of that of the Church of Satan as it existed in the 1970s.[93]

Degrees[edit source]

All members of the Temple must be affiliated with a pylon, and thus membership is by application, requiring contact with a Setian priestess or priest followed by an evaluation period.[9] The participation of non-initiated in the Temple's rituals are forbidden, due to the belief that their rituals would be dangerous in the wrong hands.[94]

The Temple of Set recognizes several stages or degrees of initiation. The degrees indicate the individual Setian's development and skill in magic.[95] The degree structure is based on that of the Church of Satan, which in turn was based on the degrees of a nineteenth-century occult group, the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn.[96] The Temple terms the progression through degrees as "recognitions", because the organization's philosophy sees that the individual member initiates themselves and that the Temple merely acknowledges this by granting the degree.[97] These degrees are:[98]

Setian (First Degree)
Adept (Second Degree)
Priest / Priestess of Set (Third Degree)
Magister / Magistra Templi (Fourth Degree)
Magus / Maga (Fifth Degree)
Ipsissimus / Ipsissima (Sixth Degree)

The priesthood of the Temple of Set consists of members holding the third degree or higher; those in the first and second degrees are considered "lay members" of the Temple.[99] The first degree serves as a space for mutual evaluation, in which the Temple assesses whether the individual is appropriate for the group, and the individual decides whether they wish to further their involvement with it.[100] Full membership comes with recognition to the second degree.[97] Many members do not advance beyond the second degree, nor is this expected of them, as while the first and second degree members use the organization's teachings and tools for their own development, the priesthood involves greater responsibilities towards the organization, such as being its official representatives.[101]

Recognition is performed by members of the priesthood.[97] The fourth degree, which is acknowledged by the high priest/priestess, entails that the individual is so advanced in their magical skills that they are able to found their own school of magic, represented in the different orders of the Temple.[97] The fifth degree can only be awarded by the unanimous decision of the Council of Nine and by the approval of the Temple's high priest/priestess.[97] A fifth degree member has the power to utter and define a concept which somehow affects the philosophy of the organization, such as the concept of Xeper defined by Aquino in 1975.[97] Only a handful of members have attained this degree and most "fifth-degree" concepts defined in such a manner are no longer studied in the organization.[97] The final sixth degree represents a Magus "whose Task is complete".[97] This degree is held by a very select few in the Temple, although any fifth-degree member can assume the sixth degree based on their own assessment.[97]

Leadership[edit source]

The organization is led by a high priest/priestess, who is also the public face of the Temple.[88] The high priest is chosen among fourth or higher degree members by the chairman of the Council of Nine.[88] This ruling council has nine members chosen from the priesthood (third degree or higher), whose mandate lasts for nine years with a new member being elected every year.[88] The chairman of the council is chosen from among the council members each year.[88] The council has the ultimate ruling power in the Temple and even the high priest is responsible to it.[88] The Temple also has an executive director, whose task is to deal with administrative issues.[88]

Since its founding in 1975, the temple has had the following high priests/priestesses:[88]

Michael A. Aquino (1975–1979, 1982–1996, 2002–2004)
Ronald K. Barrett (1979–1982)
Don Webb (1996–2002)
Zeena Schreck (2002)
Patricia Hardy (2004–2013)
James Fitzsimmons (2013–present)

Pylons, elements, and orders[edit source]

Setian groups, or pylons, are named after the fortified gateways to ancient Egyptian temples (pictured here at the Isis Temple on Philae Island)

In addition to the international organization, the Temple sponsors initiatory Orders and Elements and local groups called Pylons. Pylons are intended to facilitate the initiatory work of the Temple's members by conducting meetings where discussions and magical works take place.[96] The purpose of a pylon is to provide a space in which the Setian can focus on their religion, aided by like-minded individuals.[102] Pylons typically meet in a member's home.[102] Members usually join the Pylon located geographically closest to them.[96] Correspondence- or Internet-based Pylons also exist,[96] with Harvey noting that this online networking is more common than in-person interaction.[70] A Pylon is led a by a second-degree (or higher) member who is called a Sentinel.[96][102] The term pylon derives from the architectural features which served as fortified gateways to ancient Egyptian temples.[103] One Finnish Setian informed Granholm that the relationship between the orders and the temple was like that of different departments in a university.[96]

Elements are loosely structured interest groups, where specific themes and issues are addressed.[96] They can be open for non-members and are commonly in operation only for short periods.[96] Topics of interest include, for example, animal rights, which was the subject of the Arkte element operated by Aquino's wife Lilith.[96]

There are sections of the Temple known as Orders, each of which focus on a particular theme, for instance ancient Egypt, Norse culture, Tantric Hinduism, or vampirism.[104] Others focus on a particular skill, for instance the Order of Uart focuses on the visual arts and the Order of Taliesin on music.[105] Orders can be understood as schools of different aspects of magic providing different paths of initiation.[96] Orders are led by grand masters, who will usually be the founder of the order.[96] In longer-lived orders the founder may have a successive grand master.[96] Orders are founded by members of the fourth degree.[97] When members reaches the second degree of initiation, they are expected to join an order of their own choosing.[96] In normal circumstances, a Setian is only permitted to join one order, however special dispensation can be obtained for a practitioner to join two.[5]

Setians also hold annual International Conclaves. First Degree Initiates who obtain sponsorship by a member of the Priesthood are permitted to attend the International Conclave and Regional Gatherings.[106]

Demographics[edit source]

In 2000, the Temple had thirteen pylons, which were operating in the United States, Australia, Germany, and across Sweden and Finland.[71] The extent of the Temple's membership has not been publicly revealed by the group;[102] however, in 2005 Petersen noted that academic estimates for the Temple's membership varied from between 300 and 500,[9] and Granholm suggested that in 2007 the Temple contained circa 200 members.[107] The Temple's members come from a variety of racial backgrounds.[108]

In 1999, the anthropologist Jean La Fontaine suggested that in Britain there were 100 members of the Temple at most, and possibly "considerably fewer".[109] In 2001 the scholar Gareth Medway posited that the group had 70 to 80 members in the United Kingdom, adding that it was the largest Satanic group then active in the country.[110] In 2009, Harvey concurred with La Fontaine's assessment, although still believed that it was the largest Satanic group in the United Kingdom.[111] He noted that most members were male, between the ages of twenty and fifty, and that—despite his expectation that they might be political extremists—they endorsed mainstream political positions, with all those whom he communicated with stating that they had voted for either the Conservative Party, Labour Party, or Liberal Democrats.[70]

₪ 撒旦教会 Church of Satan

一个信仰在撒旦圣经中提出的拉维撒旦主义的国际宗教组织。1966年4月30日的沃普尔吉斯之夜由安东·拉维创建于旧金山黑屋，安东也是该教会的大祭司，任职到1997年去世。2001年，彼得·H·吉尔摩成为现任大祭司，教会总部搬至位于纽约市曼哈顿的地狱厨房。撒旦教会把它的基本结构形容为一个秘密团体：“一个由持有与我们相同的哲学观的个体所组成的地下网络”。撒旦教会为会员们提供两种会员等级：注册会员和活跃会员。注册会员是那些通过提交注册讯息和支付一次性会费来正式地宣布自己和撒旦教会的联系的人。活跃会员则是那些希望在教会中能扮演更会活跃的角色的人，并且需要完成一个更为全面的注册申请。撒旦教会为会员们提供婚礼，葬礼和洗礼服务。这些服务是由教会的祭司团成员来完成的。与一般人认为的不同，撒旦教会并不相信或者崇拜恶魔或者基督教意义上的撒旦。大祭司彼得·霍华德·吉尔摩把教会的成员们形容为“勇于质疑的无神论者”，并把“撒旦”一词理解为它的希伯来语词根“困难”。撒旦教会把撒旦看作是一个代表了荣耀，自我主义和醒悟的积极形象。

▼ 九罪

1.【愚蠢】撒旦九罪之首，撒旦教主罪。对愚蠢的麻木是最坏的情况。无知是一方面，但社会繁荣正是依赖于人们的愚昧。它源于人们对耳闻之事深信不疑。媒体促使这种情形不仅被人们所接受，甚至被广为称赞。撒旦崇拜者们必须学会从骗局中发掘真相并拒绝成为愚者。

2.【自负】言之无物虚张声势不仅令人怒不可遏，也有违Lesser Magic的基本规则。对眼下生财之道也采取同样愚蠢的方式。自负让每一个都被认为是个蠢货，不管他们是否能凭借那些小把戏取得成功。

3.【唯我】有些人不如你善于配合，你必须设定一套应对他们的方法。如果你期望他们对待你像你对待他们一样考虑周到，彬彬有礼，遵从有佳，那就错了。他们不会。撒旦教徒时刻贯彻“以牙还牙”的格言。且时刻保持清醒以避免滑入他人都和你一样的幻觉中去。诚如人们所说，乌托邦主义只有在哲学家的国度中才是完美的想法。然而，很不幸地(或很幸运地)，我们距离这点很远。

4.【自欺】我们没有必要对祭品或是食物保持尊敬，包括别人期望我们扮演的角色。自欺唯一合理出现的情形是那是有意为之的玩笑，但那已并非自欺。

5.【随波逐流】如果一个人的愿望令你受益，那么顺从它是理所应当的。但只有愚者才会顺应大众的意志，让众人对你发号施令。关键就在于，选择一个高明的领导者，而不是被群众的胡想所左右。

6.【缺乏立场】你必须清楚地看到你是谁，你要做什么，你的存在会带来什么样的负面影响。我们每时每刻都在创造历史。在你的脑海中铺展历史和社会的辽阔画面。这对Lesser Magic和Great Magic而言都非常重要。让一切各得其所，不要人云亦云——你要明白，如今你与世界的大部分人已不再处于同一个层次。

7.【摒弃本源】要明白这是给人们洗脑并让他们接受新鲜事物的关键。虽然实际上那些新事物不过是将人们广为知晓和接受的事物改头换面。我们总是被期望对创造者的智慧顶礼膜拜，而忘记事物的本质和初始。这会铸成一个为所欲为，喜新厌旧的社会。

8.【多余的自尊】如果自尊对你有必要，那么很好。然而当你由于它而止步不前，走投无路，唯一的出路是说一句：“对不起，我犯了一个错误，我想我可以做出妥协。”那么就这样做吧。

9.【审美缺乏】这是Balance Factor的基本运用。审美对Lesser Magic而言非常重要，需要培养。很显然，在这个令人失望的市场经济社会，古典的审美形式无法为你赚取财富。但一对能够发觉美丽，发掘和谐的眼睛是撒旦的基本工具。我们必须利用它来创造伟大而神奇的成果。它不是人们所期望的那种哗众取宠，它就是它。固然每个人有自己的审美标准，它反映个人的态度。但不能否认，仍有让大众感到愉悦和和谐的形式存在于世。

▼ 九训

撒旦代表了豁欲，而不是禁欲。　　
撒旦代表肉体存在，而非属灵的虚幻存在。
撒旦代表纯粹的智慧，而非虚伪的自我欺骗。
撒旦代表了对那些应该对他们友善的人友善，而不是把自己的爱浪费在那些忘恩负义的人。
撒旦代表有仇必报，而不是把自己的另一半脸伸出去。
撒旦代表了所有所谓的罪，而他们都带来了身体上的、心灵上的和情感上的舒适。　　
撒旦代表人类和动物是一样的，有时甚至不如动物。
撒旦代表务实而不虚幻的心思。　
撒旦是教会前所未有的好朋友，因为他在这些年里维持了它的运作。

▼ 十一诫

除非你被询问，否则不要发表意见或给予建议。
除非你确定别人想听，否则不要对别人诉苦。　
在别人的地盘，要显示对他的尊敬，否则别去那里。
如果一个客人在你的地盘惹恼了你，不要仁慈，要残忍的对待他。
不要与别人发生性行为，除非你得到了发生关系的信号。
不要拿不属于你的东西，除非这对其他人是种负担，且他们哭求着解脱。　　
感谢让你实现愿望的存在，如果你因为这个能力获得成功后却否定了祂，你会失去获得的一切。
不要抱怨与你无关的事。
不要伤害小孩。
不要杀害不是人类的动物，除非你被它们攻击，或你是为了得到食物。
当走在公共的地方，不要打扰别人。如果某人打扰了你，要求他停止。如果他不停止，摧毁他。