Black Magic 101

History, Definitions, Metaphysics, Science,

Ethics, Risks, and Applications

Order of the Serpent

© Order of the Serpent 2019
Introduction ......................................................................... 5
Stellar Tradition and the Left Hand Path ............................ 7
Solar Tradition and the Right Hand Path .......................... 11
Stellar/Black v. Solar/White Magic .................................. 15
Exoteric Black Magic ....................................................... 21
Esoteric Black Magic ........................................................ 24
The Metaphysics and Science of Black Magic ................. 28
Ethics of Black Magic ....................................................... 39
Dangers of Black Magic ................................................... 42
Conclusion ........................................................................ 45
Practical Guide to Black Magic ........................................ 47
Magic Askew 4.0........................................................... 47
Introduction ............................................................... 48
Law of the Trapezoid ................................................. 50
Thoughts on Magic .................................................... 52
Nostalgia .................................................................... 55
Sample Ritual Outline ............................................... 55
The Gate of Darkness ................................................ 61
2
 Ultraviolet Lighting ................................................... 63
Other Lighting ........................................................... 65
Optics ......................................................................... 66
UV Reactive Materials .............................................. 67
Noise .......................................................................... 68
Themes....................................................................... 70
Conclusion ................................................................. 75
References ................................................................. 76
Supplementary Images .............................................. 78
The “Hierarchy of Needs” ............................................. 88
In Defense of Lovecraft in the Occult ......................... 106
Lovecraftian Occultism ........................................... 106
Lovecraft and the Western Esoteric Tradition ......... 111
Practical Use of Lovecraft with the Tree of Life ..... 115
The Nature of the Lovecraftian Gods ...................... 127
A Setian Rite ............................................................... 132
Pyramid Texts Reading ............................................... 138
Invocation of Set ......................................................... 141
Satanic Invocation ....................................................... 144
Princes and Princesses of Darkness ............................ 146
3
Order of the Serpent Founders’ Statement .................. 167
Recommended Beginners Reading ............................. 176
Academic Works ..................................................... 176
Theistic and Esoteric Satanism ................................ 178
Atheistic Satanism ................................................... 180
Setianism ................................................................. 181
Luciferianism ........................................................... 184
Draconianism ........................................................... 185
The Typhonian Tradition ......................................... 186
The Germanic Tradition .......................................... 187

4
 Introduction
“Stellar Magic”, more commonly known as
“Black Magic”, is the tradition practiced by the
Left Hand Path. Commonly “black” here is
associated with things which are evil or wrong, but
this is simply a misconception and propaganda
promoted by a much more widely accepted point
of view, as we will see. In reality, the term is used
because of its association with the Stellar
Tradition, the darkness of the night sky illuminated
by only the stars. This was our first esoteric
tradition, our concept of immortality coming from
the Northern Circumpolar Stars themselves, which

5
have always been associated with the Prince of
Darkness1.
This text will define Stellar/Black Magic
and the Left Hand Path compared to Solar/White
Magic and the Right Hand Path, investigate both
esoteric and exoteric forms of Black Magic, dive
into why magic works at all from the views of both
philosophy and science, cover the ethics and
possible dangers of Black Magic, and provide a
detailed and practical starting point for practicing
Black Magic. It is written to be applicable to all
Left Hand Path traditions and give an objective
overview of this tradition.

1
(Sky Religion in Egypt by GA Wainwright; Seth: God of Confusion by
Herman Te Velde; Mindstar by Dr. Michael Aquino; Lords of the LHP by
Dr. Stephen Flowers, etc)
6
 Stellar Tradition and the Left Hand
Path
“Stellar Tradition” refers to the original
religions of ancient humanity, which were based
around the cycles of the Stars, and most
importantly of the Northern Circumpolar Stars. To
human beings above the equator, including the
earliest civilizations like Egypt and Sumer, the
Stars in the North never sank below the horizon,
no matter what time of night or what time of year.
All the other Stars, all the observable planets, and
all of the zodiac (the Gods) rose and fell beneath
the horizon, except for the Stars in the North. Most

7
specifically these Stars were what are known today
as Draco, Ursa Major, and Ursa Minor.2
Due to the fact that these Stars never set
they came to be known as “The Imperishable
Stars” or “The Undying Stars,” and were
associated with the concepts of Eternity and
Immortality. This meant they were also the center
of the earliest human views on the afterlife. The
original central deity of this tradition was the
Egyptian god Set, the “Prince of Darkness”.
However, the Prince/ss of Darkness appears in all
traditions, including as Satan in the Judeo-

2
(Sky Religion in Egypt by GA Wainwright; Seth: God of Confusion by
Herman Te Velde; Lords of the LHP by Dr. Stephen Flowers; Gods of
the Egyptians by EA Wallis Budge; Behold the Prince of Darkness by
Ryan Scott; Set the Outsider by Don Webb and Judith Paige; Watching
the Imperishable Stars by Belmonte; Constellations of Ancient Egypt
by Lull and Belmonte; Astronomical Drawings of the New Kingdom by
Robert Bauval, etc.)
8
Christian traditions, and there will be a list of
numerous examples at the end of this text.
The Left Hand Path in the West, which
descends from the Stellar Tradition, has evolved
over time into many different and unique spiritual
and philosophical paths. These paths all share
certain common traits – apathy towards cultural
norms & values, a high respect for subjective
experience, an avoidance of dogma, a focus on the
individual Self, a use of pragmatism, an
investment in modern objective knowledge,
skepticism, and Self-deification - whether that
means becoming metaphorically Godlike in this
life, or literally continuing as a Godlike being after

9
death3. The Left Hand Path is apathetic to values in
the sense that, rather than strictly behaving in
taboo or “scary” ways (going against norms just to
spite them and break the norm), individuals do
what is best for them and those they love. After all,
basing one’s behavior on “upsetting the status
quo” still makes one bound to the status quo, for
the status quo is defining those behaviors. In some
Left Hand Path texts, for instance, it explicitly
explains that sometimes teaming up with authority
can be a means to success and power. A walker of
the Left Hand Path will obey State laws not

3
(The Devil’s Party by Faxneld and Petersen; The Satanic Bible by
Anton LaVey; The Satanic Bible by Dr. Michael Aquino; Lords of the
LHP by Dr. Stephen Flowers; Invention of Satanism by Dyrendal, Lewis,
and Petersen; Behold the Prince of Darkness by Ryan Scott; Mysteries
of the Temple of Set by Don Webb; The Dark Lord by Peter Levenda;
etc)
10
because they accept the authority of the State or
necessarily agree with the laws, but because the
punishment is not worth the reward. Just try
getting a meaningful job with multiple felonies!
Understanding how the system works and playing
the game does not mean one agrees with or
supports it. The Left Hand Path is pragmatic in the
sense that what works is equally important to what
is true.

Solar Tradition and the Right Hand

Path
The Solar Tradition first rose in popularity
due to the fact that, under the Stellar Tradition, the
divine King was expected to give up his position
every seven years, whether through ceremony or
11
death. Under the Solar religion the same people
could remain in power for the entirety of their lives
– in this sense the move was done specifically to
strengthen political power. Solar religion was
based on uniting the Self with the Divine, in
which, after death an individual would either
become identified with a God, such as Osiris in
Egypt, or would live a very similar life in a land
still ruled by the Gods4.
The physical body slowly became more and
more important, as it was created by the Gods and
had to remain pure, and was required for life after
death5. Obeying the rules was how one received

4
(The Sky Religion in Egypt by GA Wainwright; Seth: God of Confusion
by Herman Te Velde; Gods of the Egyptians by EA Wallis Budge)
5
(Bull of Ombos by Mogg Morgan; The Badarian Civilization by
Brunton and Caton-Thompson)
12
acceptance into the afterlife – being judged by the
Gods in the end to see if the dead was “worthy”6.
The focus of thought was on the Sun’s cycle
through the sky and the cycles of Nature that
affected daily life. Darkness became a threat, later
to be demonized and shunned, and representative
of all that went against the Solar theology. This is
where Western religion stems from: obeying the
rules for postmortem rewards and hoping to not
upset the Gods, as well as the clear Solar/Light
symbolism that permeates Western religions7.
For the Right Hand Path, embodied best by
religions like Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, the

6
For instance see the “negative confessions” in the Book of Coming
Forth by Day (book of the dead)
7
(The Sky Religion in Egypt by GA Wainwright; Seth: God of Confusion
by Herman Te Velde; Behold the Prince of Darkness by Ryan Scott; the
works of Kenneth Grant; Images of Set by Joan Lansberry, etc.)
13
focus is on something external and perceived as
superior to individual human beings – generally a
God or State. It is a path of submission and
obedience, and has been a prevalent aspect of
human ideology since at least the religions of Ra
and Osiris in Ancient Egypt, though possibly
earlier. The Right Hand Path is classified by a
focus on the external, submission to the rules and
ideas of superiors such as priests or rabbis, the
demonization of individual conscious will, a
spreading of dogma, the crusades and inquisitions,
destruction of opposing ideas, etc. When we are
asked to see non-harmful natural behavior as evil,
are told to put the church or state above the self
and what we hold dearest, or are promised an
afterlife spot in the same hierarchy after death if

14
we “just obey” or “just repent”, one can be sure
that they are dealing with a Right Hand Path
ideology. Pragmatism is also shunned because
there is only room for the “truth” preached by that
one sect. A Christian who invokes Satan or
demons because they are simply inspired more by
that symbolism will certainly be shunned or feared
by their Christian community. This is because
there is seen to be an objective truth behind Satan
and Satanic imagery with no room or concern for
“what works”.

Stellar/Black v. Solar/White Magic

White Magic, in line with the Solar and
Right Hand Path traditions, is mainly focused on
concepts such as submission, control over others,
15
manipulation, self-delusion, and so forth. As
examples, we see the submission in the constant
need to appease some higher power, or assigning
all one’s own power to that external being. Getting
down on your hands and knees bowing before god,
and modern Solar occult religions like mainstream
Thelema and Wicca seek dissolution and
acceptance from deities respectively.
Control over others is one of the main goals
sought by high-level practitioners of White Magic,
such as priesthoods and leaderships. The Catholic
Church is one of the best examples of this out there
– seeking to control every aspect of their
followers’ lives and even thoughts, dictate what
they are personally allowed to feel. This goes hand
in hand with manipulation, such as the same

16
church convincing its followers to give them
money for “god” and using it to build
megachurches and clothe the pope in gold. Islamic
extremism is another illustration as it seeks to use
fear and violence to force its way upon others.
As for self-delusion, all the main Right
Hand Path traditions, including materialism,
require some type of self-delusion to accept.
Buddhism and Materialism require rejecting the
self/mind (which axiomatically exists) as a real
thing, Christianity convinces itself of some all
loving/powerful god that apparently doesn’t care
enough to or cannot do anything to help us (i.e.
problem of evil), or that set up a massive catch 22
to force worship out of us, and Judaism teaches a
completely fabricated history.

17
 In contrast, Black Magic is about freedom
and evolution of the Self, taking control of one’s
own destiny, creating one’s own meaning,
accepting the power within oneself, and being
prideful of doing so. Rather than “thy will be
done” of the Right Hand Path, Black Magic is “my
will be done”. Does this make the Left Hand Path
a negatively selfish tradition? Many have had such
individuality and Self-focus demonized throughout
their lives, and surely to them the Left Hand Path
seems like a path where one cares about
themselves with no regard for others. Yet this is
absolutely not the case. All acts are selfish in a
way, it just matters if the intent and outcome are
positive or negative. We care for loved ones
specifically because of our “selfish” love for them

18
and desire to see them be well and happy. We help
a stranger in a parking lot and inevitably it causes a
positive feeling of oneself. As Magister Doug
Pridgen of the Temple of Set once said, would you
really want to hear a significant other loves you as
a “disinterested act of self-sacrifice”8? Of course
not! They love you for selfish reasons, and they
should.
Further examples of Black Magic include
the Existential nature of it. Unlike Right Hand Path
traditions which see meaning as something
assigned by some external force, the Black
Magician understands that there are many
opposing forces at play with no one set “purpose,”

8
KHPR: Voice of Darkness, “Regarding Oneself and the Cosmos:
Rational Ethics as the Guide to Well-Being” with Doug Pridgen
(Podcast)
19
and that purpose must come from the individual.
The Black Magician cannot let their lives be
determined by ministers or authority figures,
parents or peers.
It is also accepted that the power of magic
comes from each individual, and not some external
force like a god. The walker of the Left Hand Path
may believe in gods but not that magic is somehow
getting a god to do your dirty work for you, which
would be prayer. This also means it takes
dedicated effort to succeed at Black Magic, the
power cannot be bestowed upon you by anyone or
anything else. Contrast this to simply praying or
meditating problems away, or taking the stance
that everything is deterministic anyways, whether
due to mindless matter or a god.

20
 Rather than seeking to delude the self into
believing what it wants to, the Black Magician
seeks to confront the truths of reality no matter
how ugly, including/especially the reality of their
own being and nature. Introspection is key, and the
central components of Left Hand Path magic have
already been covered above: “apathy towards
cultural norms & values, a high respect for
subjective experience, an avoidance of dogma, a
focus on the individual Self, a use of pragmatism,
an investment in modern objective knowledge,
skepticism, and Self-deification.”

Exoteric Black Magic

The simplest but no less important form of
Black Magic is Exoteric Magic, more commonly
21
known as “Lesser Black Magic”. This is defined as
magic relating to how you appear to and interact
with the outside world on a base level. How one
speaks, what one wears, who one associates with,
where one works, how one spends their time, even
what tattoos and body modifications one chooses –
all these are acts are Lesser Black Magic if
addressed consciously and willfully, and they have
an impact on the external world and those in it,
including how they perceive and react to you. The
key is “consciously and willfully”, as the vast
majority of people go about these things rather
mindlessly, especially related to the long term and
big picture.
Exoteric Black Magic is by no means easy,
but it is certainly a simpler place to start for a new

22
practitioner. Sometimes new Black Magicians do
not understand the importance of Exoteric Magic,
going full out with body modifications and an
image that turns a great many people off without
reason. Generally as the walker of the Left Hand
Path matures this tends to be toned down.
This also includes more complicated
Exoteric Magic such as navigating social situations
and workplace environments. When you are
speaking to your supervisor about a raise, you need
to be able to read the room and drive the
conversation exactly where and how you want it to
go. Even just explaining your beliefs to others
requires a bit of a mastery of Lesser Black Magic.
At least a basic understanding of oneself and
human psychology is an absolute necessity to start

23
down the path of Lesser Black Magic, otherwise
one is simply floundering in the dark.

Esoteric Black Magic

The more complicated and arguably
important kind of Black Magic is Esoteric or
Greater Black Magic. This is magic that focuses on
transforming the individual at a fundamental level,
as well as interacting with the Princes and
Princesses of Darkness. One can choose to learn
about any particular subject, form any particular
argument, and imagine virtually anything. One
can, at least to an extent, learn to self-regulate, to
be aware of and redirect one's subconscious
thoughts and bodily reactions, and to engage in
therapy and other services to help whatever may be
24
ailing them. Doing this changes the individual at
an esoteric and fundamental level, which in turn
impacts the universe and other individuals in it.
This text is one such example of Greater Black
Magic, both for the author and, hopefully, the
audience.
One way this may occur is simply an
individual diving into esoteric texts and changing
their understanding of the cosmos. This is
generally the most basic and first type of Greater
Black Magic the practitioner engages in. Another
could be the practitioner participating in activities
they generally would not be comfortable in, such
as an introvert public speaking in order to become
more extroverted. A third is evidenced in things
like cognitive therapy and placebos without

25
deception – which will be discussed later – in
which the individual willfully and consciously
controls their behavior and reactions against
biological determinism, and the body can be
improved simply by belief respectively.
Due to this, Free Will is a central concept to
Greater Black Magic. Free Will is something
attainable, but not something inherent. Children do
not have much if any Free Will or free thought
until 7 – 12 years of age9. Free Will must be
worked for and managed. Constantly your body,
other people in the world, the universe itself are
trying to crush your Free Will and bring you under
their Order. The Right Hand Path individual seeks

9
For instance see psychologist Erik Erikson and his Stages of
Development
26
to fall in line with this seemingly omnipresent
crushing Order (“God”/Brahman/The All/Matter).
Those on the Left Hand Path do not. With (great)
effort we can question, manipulate, and even go
against this Order, as we will discuss below.
The other side of Greater Black Magic is
ritual and ceremony, the actual act of doing a
magical ritual and invoking or communicating
with the gods of the Left Hand Path. Some groups
may see these as simply archetypes or symbolic
tools, while others believe these beings to exist in a
very literal sense. Authentic Left Hand Path
esoteric experiences, especially the first ones, are
often paradigm shattering and life-changing,
opening up entire new vistas of reality to the
practitioner. This is covered more in the second

27
part of this text with “Magic Askew” and examples
of Black Magical ritual.

The Metaphysics and Science of Black

Magic
The metaphysics and science of Black
Magic and the Stellar Tradition can get rather
complicated, but we will take a shallow dive into it
here. Black Magic works because consciousness
and matter are two ontologically different things,
allowing the conscious individual to actually
overcome material nature.
We can start by showing this philosophically
and move on to proving it scientifically. To start,
the existence of one’s own mind is an axiomatic

28
fact, meaning it cannot be rejected or even
reasonably questioned. “I exist” can never be false
and is also the greatest and most direct certainty
we have. All knowledge of matter or anything else
depends on us being conscious and processing that
information, and we cannot reject the certain and
directly known for something uncertain we only
know through it10.
Further, consciousness clearly and
demonstrably has different properties than matter.
Some of these include consciousness and matter
respectively being nonspacial v spacial, wholly
personal v accessible to others, subjective v
objective, having aboutness v lacking it, being

10
(Importance of Philosophy – Axioms – Consciousness; Mindstar by
Dr. Michael Aquino; Ontological Argument for Idealism by Bernardo
Kastrup; Behold the Prince of Darkness by Ryan Scott)
29
inaccessible to the senses v being accessible to
them11. The Law of Identity, the second most
fundamental axiom after your own existence, is
that “A is A”, or a thing is identified by its
properties and if two things have different
properties they cannot be the same12. As matter
and consciousness have not only different, but
mutually exclusive properties, shows that they are
two ontologically separate things.
Moving over to science, the first aspect of
magic to investigate is the human ability to
question the natural, deterministic world. This
entire text is a testament to that ability to question
Nature, investigate it, test it, and come to learn

11
For more research the philosophical concept of “Property Dualism”
12
(Importance of Philosophy – Axioms – Identity; any text on logic and
philosophy)
30
about it as something apart from the system itself.
All science and metaphysics is an achievement
unmatched in any known corner of the universe, or
even in any known species with higher intelligence
like dolphins and elephants. Nothing else can
provide such objective knowledge of the cosmos,
build such massive libraries of philosophical and
scientific knowledge, or feel so removed from
Nature that existential crises plague the species
through history and across cultures.
Another piece of empirical evidence is the
ability for the human mind to manipulate Nature.
This can be seen in examples such as using
advanced chemistry to make highly complex
medication that would never arise in Nature

31
without such a mind13, or in our ability to level
mountains for cities and roads, to stop up rivers
and obliterate (or regrow) forests14. It's true that
certain animals change their environments and use
natural medications, but nothing even close to the
level at which human beings have willfully done
with an organized plan in mind ahead of time. It's
in the biology of the beaver to make a dam out of
wood, but only in the mind of a human being that
we could come up with something like the Hoover
dam, filled with technology, built out of solid
materials, or the Egyptian pyramids which still
stand the test of time.

13
For example: (From Plant to Pill: How Do You Turn a Plant Into
Medicine by Joanna Aldred)
14
For example: Mountaintop Removal Mining & Rainforest Regrowth
32
 The human mind also has the ability to go
against the flow of Nature. This is massive even
next to the previous two points. Self-regulation is a
well-known aspect of the human mind which
requires us to be aware of our deterministic
Nature, control it, and act differently15. To
illustrate, surely everyone reading this has felt that
desire to yell at a sales associate, or get into it with
a coworker, or react poorly in a fight with their
significant other when the proper context arises.
This is the brain, the body, the nervous and adrenal
system, all driving the animal Nature of the human
being to yell at the person standing before them,
possibly even just for a minor annoyance! Yet

15
For further information see the psychological concept of “Self-
Regulation”
33
thanks to our consciousness and free will we can
self-regulate – we become aware of this natural
desire, the response our body is making towards
our coworker or stranger, and then… we can
simply choose not to follow it. To walk away, take
some deep breaths, move on. Can one really
imagine an animal encroaching on another's
territory, and the other simply realizing "meh, he
probably didn't know this was my territory, let's go
talk it out," as opposed to simply attacking the
encroaching animal? If I put my dog’s favorite
treat in front of him without saying anything and
leave him to his devices, he is going to eat the
treat. It does not matter if he is overweight or I
have him on a diet, he will eat it anyways. A
dieting human can have their favorite food in front

34
of them, the physical drive desiring the sweet
goodness, and choose not to eat it when left to
their own devices. This is empirical proof of a
separation between mind and body/brain and Black
Magic itself.
Another example of this is Cognitive
Therapy16. Something like depression or anxiety
works within the deterministic system of the body.
The individual doesn't choose to have random
drops in serotonin or whatever their specific issue
may be, it simply happens the same as breathing
happens and your heart beating happens. But with
things like Cognitive Therapy, humans are able to
recognize these coming changes, learn their

16
Further information can easily be located by researching cognitive
therapy and cognitive science
35
triggers, and hopefully be able to pull themselves
out of their episode with their own conscious
willpower. Placebos are further evidence of this,
where you are given something that explicitly
causes no change to the deterministic system
(placebos by definition do not cause physiological
change)17. However, the mental belief that one is
being aided can cause actual, objective change in
the physiology of the body, such as with pain. The
mind causes physiological change to the system,
rather than the other way around in this case.
The other important point to touch on for
metaphysics is the tie between how Black Magic
works and how others view it. For instance, why is

17
For example: (Placebos Without Deception: A Randomized
Controlled Trial in Irritable Bowel Syndrome by Kaptchuck,
Friedlander, Kelley, Sanchez, Kokkotou Singer, and Lembo)
36
Black Magic so often seen as something “against
god” or “against nature”. This is because, well, it
is, at least where “god” is the “Creator” of so many
Right Hand Path traditions. This creator god,
whether literal or in mythology, set up the
deterministic, material world we exist in. It is the
creator and definer of nature. Black Magic is
explicitly about not getting swept up in the
predetermined plan, whether it be from a god or
mindless material nature. In this sense it truly is
against god/nature, it just realizes those things are
not the be all end all of order and morality.
Eastern religions with their divine
underlying of this illusion, Western religions with
their monotheistic creator God, and even modern
and growing materialism with its deterministic,

37
natural machine – we can see where this Order
comes into play with all of these. Many
philosophies like Taoism, Buddhism, and
Hinduism attempt to align themselves with this
underlying reality, most even believe that it is
going against this Order which causes suffering.
Groups like Christianity, Islam, and Judaism
believe that this Order is more or less identical
with God, who created the cosmos in a specific
way, and whose blueprint should be followed. It is
going against this blueprint that led to the fall of
mankind, sin, suffering, and the need for salvation.
Materialism is even more nihilistic, only able to
find meaning in the Order because there will
simply be so much time for nonexistence later.
Externally all these seem so different, but really

38
they fit well into this very ancient, archetypal
mythos. It is this which generally tends to define a
religion or ideology as “Right Hand Path.”

Ethics of Black Magic

Despite the endless propaganda and
misinformation about the Left Hand Path and
Black Magic being immoral, it is not only moral
but far more moral than Right Hand Path Solar
traditions. In fact, the morality of the Left Hand
Path can be summarized quite easily:

1. Individuals are discrete beings with Self-

ownership.
2. Because of this, individuals are free to choose
what to do with their own Self.
39
3. Acts that interfere with #2 are unethical and
violate morality.

The conclusion of this is things like rape,

murder, indoctrination, brain washing, theft, and
anything of the sort become unethical and illegal,
without the need to appeal to some greater
authority like a deity, nor the need for the State to
limit individual freedom. Murder, for example,
takes away an individual's right to choose whether
they live or die. Theft dictates what someone else
can or cannot do with their property. Rape does not
allow one to choose what to do with their own
body. It is a simple form of morality to enforce
which does not rely on any sort of non-human
entity or inherent divinity. It also does not allow

40
for fascist corruption in a justice system,
governments passing invasive laws, or violation of
citizens will.
This can be easily contrasted to the Right
Hand Path traditions, which since the beginning of
time have sought to convert the “other” through
fear and violence. In the modern western world
Christianity is so enforced that we still fight over
something as harmless as gay marriage.
Christianity converted so many by the sword and
perversion of their ancient traditions. It and Islam
led crusades and inquisitions that destroyed
uncountable lives. Right Hand Path political
ideologies find their horrifying peak in fascism and
totalitarianism, and the constant violation of
church/state separation. It would take us years to

41
discuss all the lives controlled and lost to the Right
Hand Path, while in contrast there is not one single
such event in the Left Hand Path. Satanism has
never led crusades, Luciferians don’t seek to
enforce their values on you through law, Setians
have never tortured non-believers, never in the
history of the world.

Dangers of Black Magic

There are several dangers of Black Magic
that should be touched on as a part of this
introduction. First and foremost this touches again
on the practice of Exoteric, Lesser Black Magic. In
our world it is dangerous and can be against our
best interests to present oneself in certain ways.
Not even talking about face tattoos and horns on
42
the head or anything like that, a simple inverted
pentagram can ruin a conversation before it starts,
lose you a job before you’re even judged as an
individual. Situations must be read well when
addressing Lesser Black Magic. It is even worse in
right-to-work states where you could be fired for
wearing anything remotely “Satanic”.
On a deeper level, Esoteric, Greater Black
Magic can bring to light things the practitioner
may not be ready to or want to face. One must
confront their very shadow, their worst and darkest
influences, and their most traumatic experiences to
succeed at Black Magic. Unsurprisingly there are
many people, likely most, who cannot handle this
and simply do not want to. Ignorance can truly be
bliss, and many traditions ride on the back of that

43
bliss. Not the Left Hand Path. It must be eased
into, not jumped into, so one can be prepared for
the discoveries to come. In some contexts it can
utterly obliterate a person’s understanding of the
cosmos and their place in it. Perhaps the most
intense for some is that Black Magic forces one to
take responsibility for not only their own power
but their own destiny, something most people fear.
Finally, there are cases where the successful
practice of Black Magic can more or less cause the
universe/God/nature to react. Like the body attacks
a virus, nature/God attacks things which work to
go against it and outside of it. Due to this the
success of Black Magic may actually come with
problems like chronic physical illness, depression
and anxiety, even what we may call “bad luck”

44
related to non-esoteric life. This means that to set
upon the path of Esoteric, Greater Black Magic,
one must be truly committed to the esoteric and
spiritual side of things, more so than their natural
material life here and now.

Conclusion
This has been a brief but complete
introduction to Black Magic in the 21st century.
We have laid out what Black Magic actually is as
opposed to centuries of propaganda and
misinformation, explained the Exoteric and
Esoteric forms of Black Magic, looked into how
and why Black Magic works, the morality that
comes with a Black Magical lifestyle, and finally,
the dangers of Black Magic. This should be enoug
45
h for interested individuals to understand what is
being discussed and practitioners to set upon their
path with certainty that it is for them.

46
 Practical Guide to Black Magic

Magic Askew 4.0

Onyx

"Let the future tell the truth, and evaluate each one
according to his work and accomplishments. The
present is theirs; the future, for which I have really
worked, is mine."
-Nikola Tesla

47
 Introduction

I’ll begin with some words from Aleister

Crowley (Crowley, 1912):
“Frater Perdurabo is the most honest of all
the great religious teachers. Others have said:
“Believe me!” He says: “Don’t believe me!” He
does not ask for followers, would despise and
refuse them. He wants an independent and self-
reliant body of students to follow out their own
methods of research. If he can save them time and
trouble by giving a few useful “tips,” his work will
have been done to his own satisfaction.”

In that spirit, this is a cursory guide* on how

to create "trapezoidal" (or "angular") environments
for ritual workings, inspired by Anton LaVey's
48
Law of the Trapezoid. It is one of the foremost
Satanic concepts as it forms a solid foundation for
all Greater and Lesser magic.
My main motivation here is to suggest
trappings and techniques that lend themselves to
working in a dark environment (which is my
preference). But it is my opinion that the Left-
Hand Path should be approached in practical and
useful ways - whatever works
(Scott, 2019, p.12).
I wrote this essay with the intent that even
people who don't engage in ritual might find it
useful toward making life a more magical one.
Though these ideas are largely based on LaVey’s
Satanism, this effort is focused on the practical
aspects of magic rather particular belief systems.

49
To follow is a collection of ideas related to
Trapezoidal Magic, use them to your advantage as
you may.
* The original version of this document appeared
in The Imperishable Star IV.

Law of the Trapezoid

In The Theory and Practice of Satanic

Magic (LaVey, 1969, p.110), Anton LaVey used
the term "Command to Look", presumably inspired
by the famous book about photography of the same
name, which stresses the effect of four geometric
shapes to the subconscious mind because of their
relationship to ancestral fears (Mortensen, 1937,
p.26).

50
 He proposed a fifth shape, the Trapezoid,
which through its acute and obtuse angles
symbolizes anything perplexing or irregular. The
Die Elektrischen Vorspiele ritual (LaVey, 1972,
p.113) is the de facto primer text, followed by
additional explanations of the concept in The
Devil's Notebook (LaVey, 1992, p.111).
The Ceremony of the Nine Angles (LaVey,
1972, p.179) mentions low-key/ultraviolet
illumination and trapezoidal symbolism. And its
Lovecraftian themes are a perfect match for those
inspired by the mythos.
From The Haunter of the Dark: "These
people say the Shining Trapezohedron shews them
heaven and other worlds, and that the Haunter of
the Dark tells them secrets in some way." It was

51
also called a "crazily angled stone" and a "window
on all time and space" (Lovecraft, 1935).
The future-mindedness of the late 19th and
early 20th centuries also offers an ideal magical
paradigm to work within. In all its possible
manifestations, the Trapezoid is an ideal gateway
into non-Euclidean magical realms.

Thoughts on Magic

More words from Crowley (Crowley, 1954):

“Magic is the Science and Art of causing
Change to occur in conformity with Will.”
Research has indicated that the brain stores
memories in locations aroused by the five senses.
Therefore actually doing something may have a

52
more profound effect on the subconscious mind
than merely fantasizing about it. Nevertheless, the
unique subjective experience of Trapezoidal Magic
is effective in removing one from the everyday
mundane routine, a bit of self-trickery which helps
one to remain focused.
Grimoires may make for interesting reading
and inspiration, but tend to be full of long-winded
recitations and unnecessary intricacies. It can
become more about performances, reaching a
magical state of mind doesn't necessarily require a
complicated game of Dungeons and Dragons. The
Black Magician may also safely dispense with
cliché Satanic imagery altogether or combine
various forms of symbolism to their satisfaction.

53
 The keys to the endgame are planning and
ability to adjust so "Satan's roller-coaster" doesn’t
get derailed. Make things as simple or as complex
as you wish, but also make every attempt to
control the business instead of allowing it to
control you.
Lesser Magic exists in tandem with the Law
of the Trapezoid, as it involves taking the ordinary
rectangle of everyday life and skewing the sides
toward gaining immediate control of a situation or
initiating a process which achieves a desired
outcome over time. Subtle approaches are often the
most effective: be the sneaky serpent who is
clandestine in its ways. If one is viewed as
blatantly manipulative, any reputation gained is
likely to be lost.

54
 Nostalgia

A person tends to live in their own time, or

others which are appealing. One would be remiss
not to read Anton LaVey's take on that matter,
which I understand to mean that there is a "third-
side perspective" when it comes to keeping with
the times without rejecting one's truth of being
(LaVey, 1998, p.29, p.108).

Sample Ritual Outline

The original version of this document did

not include a ritual outline, as my goal was to keep
the information more generally applicable. While

55
there is no set format for a diabolical service,
below is one example with additional commentary.

I. Sound the bell/gong nine times.

Some rotate 90 degrees with each sounding
to symbolize the four cardinal directions, in doing
so one faces the altar again at the end. This step
"clears the air". The choice of bell or gong is
important and should be majestic and pleasing to
the ear. Hitting the side of my rather large white-
brass goblet with the back of the ritual dagger
makes for an excellent resonant tone... the "bell"
can be anything that works.

II. Ignite the Black Flame.

56
 How one chooses to represent the "fire
within" runs the gamut, from a single black candle
to more elaborate electronic setups. I recommend
being cautious around open flames (don't
accidentally knock a candle over into the black
curtain). Be prudent and keep a small fire
extinguisher nearby just in case.

III. Invocation.

There are many options available. One

might use one from a book like The Satanic Bible
or other source, perhaps alter the wording, or even
formulate a new one altogether. A simple example:

57
I, the Black Magician,
Beckon the Gates of Hell to upon wide!
Woe to the Cosmos,
As my Will comes Forth into Being.

IV. Drink from the Chalice.

This represents Ecstasy or Knowledge. A
pleasing beverage should be used.

V. Summoning.
The final part of establishing the ritual
setting is to call forth the various names of things
to be controlled or reflected upon during the ritual.

58
VI. The Main Working.
An "illustrative" working is about
understanding something better, while the goal of
an "operative" working is to initiate a change in the
psyche which produces a chain-reaction (or
domino-effect) in the real-world toward obtaining
one's desires (Aquino, 2010, p.116). Goals should
be kept reasonable as it’s intractable to control a
large number of factors at once. Therefore a more
surgical approach is more likely to succeed.
The trappings and psychodrama form what
Anton LaVey called an “intellectual
decompression chamber” where the “whole will
must be employed” (LaVey, 1969, p.119-120).
Regardless of one’s choice of paradigm, his brief
explanation of this is well worth the time and the

59
power of the aesthetics suggested in this guide will
become obvious.

VII. Quench the Black Flame.

The effect of the working is now absorbed

into the psyche and the physical representation of
the Black Flame has now served its purpose.

VIII. Sound the bell/gong nine times again in

closing.
This step may be skipped entirely if an
“open working” is mandated. Otherwise, patience
is a virtue, allow things to sink in a bit before
proclaiming:

60
IX. "So it is Done!"

The Gate of Darkness

A five-pointed inverted and encircled

Pentagram is common, usually centered above the
altar. Many use either unadulterated versions, or
the head of a goat inscribed within the shape.
Occasionally it is surrounded by or merged with a
trapezoid in various ways.
Though the inverse Pentagram is portrayed
as a symbol of evil in movies such as Metropolis
(1927), it was used sporadically in conventional
religion, one example being its incorporation into
the seal of the city of Jerusalem in the 4th century

61
BCE. Therefore basic shapes are only worth the
symbolism one chooses to associate with them.
Other variations with additional trihedrals
are possible. As nine is a magical number, a
regular nonagram star could represent something
like the Nine Satanic Statements (LaVey, 1969,
p.25) among many other things. However it is
used, my opinion is that a star properly hovers with
a single point facing down toward the Realms of
Darkness and Selfhood. This orientation can also
represent Balance.
Other things such as the Sigil of Lucifer, the
alchemist’s symbol for Sulfur, and statuettes or
images of various sorts may also be employed.
Whatever choice of symbolism is found favorable,

62
the Gate serves as a locus of power for the Satanic
service.

Examples:

Ultraviolet Lighting

The trichromatic nature of human vision is

incapable of perceiving ultraviolet frequencies. Its
effects are only seen indirectly through the

63
phenomenon of fluorescence. A black light is able
to reveal the unseen.
While not mandatory, I cannot stress enough
the usefulness of a black light. It ensures that
words can be read in the dark without resorting to
huge fonts and excessive ambient light from
candles. An inexpensive 25-watt fixture above the
altar is probably enough unless more coverage is
required. Compact-fluorescent screw-bulbs are
also available that work in any ordinary lamp. It
doesn't take much UV to allow reading text on
small sheets of bright white paper, so there is no
need to go overboard.

64
 Other Lighting

If an actual flame is desired, it's hard to beat

Sterno. The resulting flame is rather dim but broad
and active, and safe to use indoors. It is also a gel
which can be applied to surfaces, for example I
often use a small amount on the ritual dagger to
ignite the Black Flame, and extinguish all other
candles once it is active.
Examples of low-key electric lighting
include plasma globes, Jacob's ladders, Tesla coils,
laser shows, LED strips, planetariums, strobe
lights, lava lamps, etc. High-voltage apparatus
tends to produce a lot of ozone - the signature
aroma of the Mad Lab. If safer forms of lighting
are preferred, one might consider using an ozone
generator to mimic the effect. However, exposure
65
to ozone should be kept to a minimum, as it is
known to cause various health issues.

Optics

Visual distortion may be obtained in a number of

ways. A flexible Fresnel lens assists in the
"bending" of reality, while the chromatic
aberration of a prism offers unique perceptions of
otherwise ordinary things. Projectors and 3D
glasses also come to mind.
Optical illusions of any sort are also
welcome, from the geometric representations of
Vasarely to the realism of Escher. And don't forget
that a picture is worth a thousand words, and a

66
well-chosen one can serve as a "Rorschach Test"
for the mind.

UV Reactive Materials

Inexpensive UV flashlights are available in

finding reactive objects and materials. Here are
some known examples:
- Fluorite: Not every stone is reactive, so
check with the vendor first. And some glow
more than others, for example I have an
obelisk that glows but is rather dim in its
response.
- Lacquer: Glows a greenish color which is
similar in hue to uranium glass, and is easy
to apply. Linseed oil is similar in nature.

67
 - Neon Colors: Think highlighter markers,
"hot-pink" fabrics, etc. Some specialty shops
sell paint in a complete array of reactive
hues.
- Plastics: Blue plastic in particular, or neon-
colored.
- Tonic Water: Some brands of tonic water
glow under a black light.

Noise

One definition of noise: "A musical sound or

note is a continuous, uniform, and pleasing sound,
such as is given out by one string of a piano; while
a noise is an irregular, fitful succession of shocks
to the ear..." (Gage, 1902, p.189-190).

68
 Discordant noise may be achieved in a
variety of ways. One might set up a couple of
audio oscillators to produce an eerie ambient tone,
like the resonant gateway in the movie Phantasm.
An improperly tuned radio is an easy way to obtain
background static, which is particularly interesting
if an old one prone to superheterodyne howling is
used. It's easy to find old analog radios at antique
junk stores on the cheap.
Noises are not required, I prefer things
rather quiet most of the time. But if you're going to
make a bit of a ruckus, make it count. Of course, a
computer can be used to generate any number of
sounds, but there is something special about
having real objects in the room doing the work.

69
 Themes

Here are some scientific, pseudo-scientific,

and fictional themes one might use in designing
the psycho-dramatic elements of a working. I
chose a few which hearken back to an era of both
scientific evolution and new inventions of fantasy:

Time-Travel:
Obtaining a sense of time-travel is not that
easy, and requires a lot of imagination. Use objects
or symbols from the desired period, set clocks to
the wrong time, enter into a "Tardis", etc.

70
 Psychotronics:
The study of currently unexplained
interactions which occur at a distance (Zdeněk,
1977, p.42). One must be prepared for any
"extraordinary manifestations of the human
psyche" (Ostrander and Schroeder, 1970, p.418) or
"supranormal" results of their magical efforts.

Architecture:
One example of a trapezoid-shaped building
is the John Hancock Tower in Chicago.
Reportedly, Anton LaVey and Dr. Michael Aquino
did a working there to commemorate the Church of
Satan’s Order of the Trapezoid.

71
 X-Ray Vision:
Few phenomena reveal the unseen like X-
Rays, first researched by WilhelmRöntgen. (Gage,
1902, p.342). X-Ray Vision would be more of a
psychic phenomenon though, perhaps aided with
special glasses.

Luminiferous Aether:
Before Einstein, physicists accepted the
notion of an incompressible, absolute medium
through which electromagnetic energy propagates
(Gage, 1902, p.206; Martin, 1893, p.148-149). Sir
Issac Newton also spoke of an "aethereal medium"
(Newton, 1704, Qu. 19).

72
 Psychokinesis:
In Stephen King's Firestarter, the girl (and
her father) possessed incredible skills of mental
domination over both people and things. In the real
world, many frauds have surfaced over the years
and you can be the next.

Fields:
The Imperishable Star III contains an
extensive paper on Life Fields, a concept which
was later extended to Thought Fields (Aquino,
2016, p.70, Future Science, 1977, p.57). Fictional
fields are numerous: "walls of resistance", "tractor-
beams", etc.

73
 Chemistry:
Test tubes, flasks, and the like. As
mentioned tonic water glows under UV light to
good effect. As one of my graphic design teachers
once indicated, presentation is ninety percent of
the sale.

Cybernetics:
The science of cybernetics includes the
study of the relationship of man and machine. We
have created machines to extend our capabilities,
which ones do you employ?

Strange Gadgets:
Just as humankind has created its own
religions, we've also created plenty of machines

74
which are often equally as ridiculous. One
humorous example is included in the image
supplement at the end of this essay.

Electricity:
Antique books are fascinating sources of
symbolic imagery, and many were written for
laymen who were interested in the radio and
television technologies of yesteryear. "Action at a
distance".

Conclusion

You can get away with a lot in the dark,

therefore bringing excellent and unusual aesthetics
to the altar or ritual chamber need not be a difficult

75
or expensive pursuit. The surface has barely been
scratched, and there are no rules for how to apply
or build upon these ideas. Step outside of the ritual
box, enter through the gateway of the Trapezoid,
and may the future be yours.

References

Aquino, Michael (2010). Black Magic.

Aquino, Michael (2016). MindStar.
Crowley, Aleister (1912). Book IV Part I.
Crowley, Aleister (1954). Magick Without Tears.
Gage, Alfred Payson (1902). Introduction to
Physical Science.
LaVey, Anton (1969). The Satanic Bible.
LaVey, Anton (1972). The Satanic Rituals.

76
LaVey, Anton (1992). The Devil's Notebook.
LaVey, Anton (1998). Satan Speaks!
Lovecraft, H.P. (1935). The Haunter of the Dark.
Martin, Thomas Commonford (1893). The
Inventions, Researches, and Writings of
Nikola Tesla.
Mortensen, William (1937). The Command To
Look.
Newton, Sir Issac (1704). Optiks.
Ostrander, Sheila and Schroeder, Lynn (1970).
Psychic Discoveries Behind the Iron
Curtain.
Scott, Ryan (2019). Behold, The Prince of
Darkness.
Zdeněk, Rejdák (1977). Future Science.

77
 Supplementary Images

6” globe on altar with black-light above

78
Fire altar with sterno flame

79
Hotel ritual for the consecration of the O.S.

80
John Hancock Tower

Laser show

81
Rare books (above) and “rotary computer” for binary math
(below)

82
Trapezoidal altar (in progress)

UV flashlight

83
Tonic water in translucent stone goblet

UV bulb

84
Fluorite stone atop industrial steal gear (above)

Egyptian themed altar (below)

85
 Technological Black Flame with multiple color settings

A take on the “crazily angled stone” of Lovecraft and the 9

angles
86
Order of the Serpent altar with early edition of this text

87
 The “Hierarchy of Needs”
Xepera maSet

Psychologist Abraham Maslow came up

with what he called the “Hierarchy of Needs”,
referring to the needs required for a human being
to reach “Self-Actualization”. This hierarchy is
laid out as a pyramid with five levels to it
representing the all the needs of an individual
human being. The needs at the bottom of the
pyramid need to be met first as they are the
foundation, otherwise the pyramid will collapse on
itself. This short paper will look at the hierarchy
and discuss the Setian views on it as they relate to
sociology, politics, religion, and human existence.

88
 From most basic to most complex needs,
Maslow’s Hierarchy is:

- Physiological needs, such as food, water,

warmth, and sleep. All life needs these things in
some variation, human beings included. Not only
is it the foundation of our pyramid, but the
foundation for all of life.

- Safety needs, such as security, shelter, and

protection. This applies to a great deal of life as

89
well, though less. Some animals for instance don’t
necessarily make shelters, and some are their own
and only protection.

- Belonging and Love needs, such as friendships,

intimate relationships, and social support. Even a
smaller amount of animals fall into this category to
our knowledge. Much life on the planet never gets
beyond the first two needs – they consume and
reproduce, and that’s about it, part of the cycle of
life. On the other hand humanity has the most
advanced version of these needs. This can perhaps
best be seen in human marriage which tends to be
very public, costly, and ritualistic/symbolic.

90
- Esteem needs, such as prestige, feelings of
accomplishment, and recognition. To my
knowledge only a few close relatives and a few
other mammals, such as elephants and dolphins,
experience these types of needs. These are high
level needs requiring advanced culture and higher
consciousness, such as what human beings have.

- Self-Actualization, which is an individual

achieving their full potential including in creative
activities. It is possible that this stage only applies
to human beings or a small few other species. It
requires the utmost dedication, reasoning, and self-
understanding.

91
 The bottom two levels – the “Basic Needs”
– of the hierarchy should be rights, not privileges
in the modern world, unless one loses their rights
due to abandoning their morality and therefore
humanity. In our world, nobody should have to go
hungry, die of dehydration, freeze to death, or be
without a place to rest, and we all deserve to have
our basic rights protected, among other things.
These are problems that humanity should have
long surpassed if we could keep our focus on Self-
Actualization, but that is not how our culture
thinks.
Nobody should be extorted for services
related to these Basic Needs. It should not be $10
an apple, or $1,000 for a life-saving or even life-
improving medication. People who have worked

92
hard and/or served their country should not be
living on the streets begging for food, water, and
clothing. People should not be able to take your
property or in any way violate your free will, nor
should those protections lead to or in any way
resemble extortion. This sets us up not only for a
better species as a whole over all, but it sets us up
with equal opportunity from the start. The more we
thrive as individuals the more we will thrive as a
society and species, which feeds into the very
concept of Self-Actualization and its importance.
Equal opportunity is not equal outcome,
which would be Socialism. Equal opportunity
allows everyone to start in the same place – with
food, water, medicine, shelter, safety, protection,
etc. – and be judged solely as an individual on

93
their own merit and that alone. This means no race,
economic standing, medical problems, Nature of
your parents, physical location, or anything of the
sort could hold one back or be used as an excuse –
nothing but the individual worth of that one person
should be considered. There is nothing reasonable
about judging an individual based on
circumstances beyond their control, only what is
within their control.
This leads us into Belonging and Love
needs. This is something that cannot be provided
by some kind of State, God, or anyone – it is a
privilege not a right. Love and belonging can be
lost and there is no way to buy it back or be
provided it, no way to even steal it. The individual
has to work to achieve and maintain these needs,

94
which will be rooted in nothing but their own
personality and efforts, as their Basic Needs will
theoretically have been met. Rather than your
social circles being determined by sociological
factors they would be determined by the
individuals and nothing more. An important
example of this would be a poor child born to bad
parents and trapped in poverty, who to stay safe
and provide for his family is forced to join a gang.
Something like this should not have to occur.
Instead everyone should have the opportunity to
find a good place for them to belong.
The same can be said of Esteem Needs,
which again have to be earned and maintained by
the individual. At this point in the hierarchy there
will theoretically be a support system in place

95
which makes attaining Esteem needs easier to
accomplish, which is why it is higher up the
pyramid than those Belonging and Love Needs.
Once you have loved ones, friends, and family,
you can start including professional communities
as well, or professors, contacts, all of which will
also help with attaining Esteem needs. Belonging,
Love, and Esteem needs are “Psychological
Needs” – whereas Basic Needs are related to the
body, Psychological Needs are related to the mind.
What we do for a living is a very important
example of Esteem Needs. Imagine if you wanted
to be an artist but were forced into mathematics
like your father before you. Even doing well in that
field you may never feel the prestige and
accomplishment you would had you gone into art

96
as you desired. Or imagined if you had an arranged
marriage instead of marrying someone you loved –
it would lead to lower feelings of satisfaction and
accomplishment. All of this can interfere greatly
with Self-Actualization.
Finally we come to the top of the hierarchy:
Self-Actualization. This is a term that was also
used by psychologists such as Carl Jung. It more or
less refers to becoming the perfect version of one’s
Self – best at your job which you should enjoy,
best for your loved ones and family, best at
whatever extra talents or artistic endeavors you
wish to achieve. Whereas Basic Needs and
Psychological Needs are the body and mind
respectively, Self-Actualization or “Self-
Fulfillment Needs” can be related to the soul, the

97
higher self, the Platonic Form, the Daemon, or any
of the numerous terms for this perfected state of
Being.
Some of the characteristics of these Self-
Actualized individuals include:

- Tolerance of uncertainty
- An efficient view of reality
- Know who they are and what they need/want
- Unusual sense of humor
- Very objective
- Concerned for the welfare of humanity
- Appreciative of basic life experience
- Strong relationships and supports
- Need for alone time
- Strong moral values

98
 A lot of these speak for themselves. Self-
Actualized individuals have a consistent view of
reality that works for them (Pragmatism) but does
not contradict objective reality – or at least they
recognize where it is at odds with objective reality
(such as in magic). They may seem a bit aloof and
removed, but have a deep care for the well-being
of not only loved ones but the human species as a
whole, and life as a whole in many cases. These
individuals will be creative and “dreamy” but also
able to experience the here-and-now, the day to
day and moment to moment aspects of life.
On the Left Hand Path the hierarchy is
extremely important. It can almost be compared to
something like the Tree of Life in Hermeticism,

99
except it has much greater and supported real
world applications, and it can be entirely secular.
Physiological needs go beyond any conscious
control over our bodies – we absolutely must have
food, water, warmth, and rest in order to keep
functioning as a human being. Security and safety
is also a basic, physiological need that needs to be
addressed whether consciously or not. Even plants,
with their very minimal consciousness (if any),
have defense mechanisms to keep them safe.
It is when we get into Psychological Needs
and Self-Actualization that the Left Hand Path
comes into play. In order to form relationships we
have to (for only a few examples):

1. Know what type of relationship we want

100
2. Know what we want from and will give to a
relationship

3. Understand those you wish to befriend/be

involved with

4. Present yourself in a way that fits

5. Uphold the relationships over time and possibly

space

All of this requires higher conscious

thought. Some may argue other life does this, but
in most of those cases (if not all) it is simply due to
Safety Needs – animals and early humans naturally

101
bond for safety and security. As we know, human
relationships can get far more complicated with
traditions, money, social media, other human
beings, etc. and so on. We have to build support
systems which can handle financial issues,
emotional support, illness, property management,
and more things most other species could never
even fathom.
Esteem needs are also Left Hand Path as
they require us to not only attain and achieve, but
to be proud of doing so and strive for even more.
We should never cease growing, never turn our
eyes back down to the ground. We have to work
hard, sometimes we have to play the game of life
and wear masks to hide our true Natures and faces,
impress people we normally wouldn’t care to

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impress. We must continue our education, continue
to experience. As anyone on the Left Hand Path
knows well, this is a difficult and never-ending
fight, playing the game, learning to get your ideas
across to other people with very different views of
the world.
Then finally, with Self-Actualization, we see
a Magus of the Left Hand Path come into being.
The successful Magus of the LHP is at peace with
uncertainty, able to use what works for them and
them alone. They are not concerned or upset with
the Mysteries, but revel in their glory. This
Pragmatic stance gives them an efficient view of
reality, which has allowed them to reach this level
in the first place. Yet at the same time they are
very aware of “objective truth” and the “facts of

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reality.” To the Magus this seeming contradiction
is of no concern, and they efficiently utilize both.
Further, a Magus is generally recognized by
“Uttering a Word”, creating a new Aeon/mindset
for humanity. For Crowley it was Thelema, for
LaVey it was Indulgence, for Aquino it was Xeper,
for Flowers it was Runa, and these are but a few.
This is done for the betterment of humanity, in
favor of our individuality, freedom, and growth.
The Magus also can enjoy the simplicities of life,
finding that very precise balance between the
esoteric and the everyday. They have communities
of support, and are opened with and supported by
friends and loved ones, as well as possibly
coworkers, employers, etc. And last but not least,
the LHP Magus is above all moral, leading no

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crusades, abusing no children, manipulating no
politics, stripping free will from nobody.
In conclusion, Maslow’s “Hierarchy of
Needs” is an efficient tool for the Left Hand Path
practitioner. It should not be confused with
something like the Tree of Life which needs to be
followed and memorized, and it is backed by
psychological science. It’s not doctrine to be
followed, but a map to help guide one through
uncharted territory. And if there’s a group that’s all
about uncharted territory, isn’t it us on the Left
Hand Path?

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 In Defense of Lovecraft in the Occult
Xepera maSet

Lovecraftian Occultism
There are numerous complaints against
using the fiction of Howard Philips Lovecraft in
modern occultism. Some of these ideas include the
assumption that if Lovecraftian entities were
somehow real they would be malevolent; that
Lovecraft was a staunch materialist who very
clearly illustrated his disbelief in the occult; that
Lovecraft clearly describes the rituals and Gods in
a negative light; Lovecraft’s explicit insistence that
his work was fiction; and that Lovecraft was
extremely racist and closed minded. This will
address these complaints, address some of
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Lovecraft’s works, and show some practical
usages in and connections to the modern, Western
Esoteric Tradition.
The idea that Lovecraftian entities would be
malevolent, and the fact that these Gods were
illustrated in a negative light, have the same
explanation. Yes, Lovecraft writes on the occult,
but unlike most authors Lovecraft writes from the
perspective of an outsider. Lovecraft carries an
atmosphere of those like Crowley, Grant, Levenda,
Aquino, and LaVey, but also shows the fear and
ignorance of a strict Christian pastor. In other
words, when Lovecraft describes hideous rituals,
grotesque beings, and gory sights, it should be seen
as something similar to the description of the
Satanic Ritual Abuse scandals from the 1980’s.

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Simply, the religions of Lovecraft’s works are far
overblown and taken as inherently, purely evil.
When anti-occult religions accuse an occultist of
worshiping Evil and being malevolent, should this
ignorance bother or change the individual? If not,
neither should the imagery of Lovecraft. An
illustration of this is the ghastly “Dreams in the
Witch House,” which includes acts of child
sacrifice. It brings to minds Crowley’s line about
sacrificing a child in The Book of the Law, in
regards to using/wasting sperm (traditionally
considered the sin of murder), which non-initiates
take to mean literal sacrifice! Of course we can
also draw comparisons to any such witch-hunt in
history.

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 It is a well-known fact that H. P. Lovecraft
was a materialist, and that he did not consider
himself an occultist in any way to our knowledge.
Yet his studies into occult works of the time are
also well documented, and his works almost self-
evidently show occult symbolism to those who
know what to look for. These examples are too
numerous to cover, so here are just a few
examples.
In stories like the “Dream-Quest of
Unknown Kadath” and “Through the Gates of the
Silver Key”, Lovecraft clearly describes a type of
ascension from Earth to the heavenly realm
through a series of gates. He makes constant
reference to the north and the northern
Circumpolar Stars so central to Stellar Religion,

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discusses alchemy, necromancy, and his trinity of
Yog-Sothoth, Azathoth, and Nyarlathotep can even
be compared to the trinity of Crowley's Book of
the Law! Again, it does not really matter if
Lovecraft did not believe these things. In fact this
makes it all the more impressive (and suspicious)
that he made such solid occult works.
It is easier just to tag on Lovecraft’s racism
here, which is partly due to the times, and should
be ignored for all these reasons discussed above.
The same goes for the fact that Lovecraft
considered his works fiction. These objections to
Lovecraft are rather silly and petty, and tend to
come from more orthodox points of view. For one
thing, simply because these are works of fiction
does not imply the ideas and symbolism cannot be

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used successfully by the occultist. That depends on
the individual's abilities, not what inspiration they
use. As for the racism prevalent in Lovecraft, aside
from being "part of the times," it adds to the fact
that Lovecraft was someone on the outside. When
using the works of Lovecraft, the occultist is not
trying to please the author, we are the author's
greatest, most demonized fear.

Lovecraft and the Western Esoteric Tradition

Peter Levenda extensively discussed the
connections between Crowley and Lovecraft in
“The Dark Lord.” For example, while Crowley, the
beast, was receiving the Book of the Law,
Lovecraft was planning and writing his first story,
“The Beast in a Cave,” about a man who goes into

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a cave, gets lost and stuck in the darkness, and
turns into a beast. Crowley, of course, referred
often to himself as “The Beast.” Levenda also
states that the dates given for orgiastic rituals in
Call of Cthulhu match the time Crowley wrote
several important Thelemic works back to back. I
further posit that the Gods of Lovecraft match
those of Crowley. Yog-Sothoth is the all of space
and time, called “the gate, opener of the gate, and
key to the gate.” He appears as a group of shining
orbs, bringing to mind the Tree of Life and other
spherical initiation systems. In other words, Yog-
Sothoth is the All. This is the same role as played
by Nuit in Crowley’s ideology. She is the all, the
Start and end of initiation, all time and space and
all points within them.

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 Azathoth is that from which every point
within Yog-Sothoth comes forth. This of course
matches the role of Hadit in Thelema, who is every
conceivable point within the infinity of Nuit. It is
not something that consciously creates or
manifests possibilities, but a mindless, natural
force in the Cosmos that brings about the objective
universe we all share. Like Hadit, Azathoth is the
center of the sphere, even often being placed at the
literal center of the universe in Lovecraftian myth.
Nyarlathotep and Horus/Ra are perhaps the
most interesting. Both represent the “visible object
of worship” for the Gods before them. They are the
literal manifestation of Nuit/Yog-Sothoth and
Hadit/Azathoth. Both bring destruction to the old

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ways. They are a messenger, the physical
manifestation of the modern Aeon.
Further entities, like Shub-Niggurath,
resemble Babalon, who births and reabsorbs all
initiates. Kenneth Grant found Lovecraft to be very
important, and both LaVey and Aquino were quite
interested in Lovecraft as well. The Temple of Set
often seems to invoke Lovecraftian symbolism,
which is of extreme interest to the Order of the
Trapezoid.
Lovecraft is also of great practical use in the
modern esoteric Left Hand Path. It is dark,
centered on the nighttime and Stellar Religion over
the day time and solar religion, and based on
Form-like beings and human ascension. The Gods
of Lovecraft invoke very primal, easy to grasp

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images. Cthulhu, for example, represents that
which lays just below the surface ready to rise. It
brings to mind everything from the Kundalini
Serpent to the Christian Devil! The Gods are
foreign and alien, not the omni-Gods of Abrahamic
religions, nor the blissful Oneness of the East.

Practical Use of Lovecraft with the Tree of Life

Lovecraft can even be compared to initiatory
systems such as the Tree of Life, correspondences
of which I will share here. Be warned, there are
decades old spoilers below!

Malkuth
The bottom sphere on the Tree of Life
represents the individual’s first step in their

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ascension of the tree. It represents “the Kingdom”
and the vision is of one’s Holy Guardian Angel. In
Lovecraftian mythology, this can be best
represented by the story “The Shadow Over
Innsmouth.” The Deep One city is the oldest
Earth-dwelling kingdom not made by those from
other planets, dimensions, etc. The Deep Ones are
native. The transformation that takes place in the
main character also mirrors the vision of the Holy
Guardian Angel. While believing he is an everyday
person running from dark characters, he is actually
one of these half-human immortal individuals, and
the citizens of the town simply want him to know
that and join them. This is the same as one’s higher
self, egging us on to become something better as
we foolishly cling to everyday life. Some of us

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come to accept and chase after the vision of our
higher self, like the main character, and enter the
kingdom. Since Dagon is the God of the Deep
Ones, he inhabits the tenth sphere.

Yesod
Yesod is the foundation, and it represents
the vision of the machinery of the universe. This,
essentially, is the space, physical matter, and time
that make up the objective reality we know. As we
know from the mythos of Lovecraft, this is
represented by the timeless and omnipresent force
known as Yog-Sothoth, who inhabits the sphere.
Stories such as “The Music of Erich Zann” and
“From Beyond” tell of the universe as an
unfathomably strange place made of eternal music,

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and filled with creatures and lifeforms
unimaginable to us. This is what an individual
beginning on their ascension sees. Think back to
the beginning of the occult journey, how big,
scary, and intimidating the universe looks as one
gains their first bits of occult knowledge.

Hod
Hod is the vision of splendor, and represents
the stage in one’s journey where we come to start
meditating, gaining insight into the extensive and
beautiful cosmos around us. It is where people
tend to have mystical experiences or communicate
with “spiritual entities”. There are many stories
from Lovecraft that help us understand this stage.
Specifically, the sphere is inhabited by the man

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known as Atal, who with a friend and mentor
ascended a mountain to see the “Gods of Earth,”
and witnessed his friend killed by the “Other
Gods.” It is a good warning to the many who get
stuck in this state of bliss that there is much more
out there, and if you are unprepared for it, it could
mean trouble. “The Other Gods,” “Celephais,”
“The Cats of Ulthar,” the “White Ship,” essentially
all the non-Randolph Carter dream land tales help
us to understand the Nature of this sphere.

Netzach
This is the sphere of victory and the vision
of beauty triumphant. It is where the individual
really begins and solidifies their magical practices,
finding beauty in the way magic works and victory

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in the successful use of it. This sphere is inhabited
by the individual known as Randolph Carter. His
quest to Kadath represents every aspect of magic:
the danger, the beauty, the difficulty, the success,
and even the failure and limit of our own abilities.
Randolph Carter journeys through the very Abyss
and comes back as something more, the perfect
example of magic and the overall goal of it. Stories
for reference include “The Dream Quest of
Unknown Kadath,” “The Silver Key,” and
“Through the Gates of the Silver Key.”

Tipharet
This is the sphere of beauty and the vision of
the harmony of things. In the myths of Lovecraft,
this is best exemplified by a man known as Wilber

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Whately. Remember, Lovecraft writes as an
outsider looking in on the occult with fear, so what
he sees as hideous is simply how the masses view
us. Wilber is half human, half Other God, striking
a perfect harmony between the upper and lower
spheres, the point of Tipharet. He is a powerful
magician with an otherworldly aspect to himself,
but he is certainly not perfect and even fails his
quest in the end. This is a reminder to the
practitioner that reaching the sphere is an
accomplishment and comes with great ability, but
it is certainly not the end of the journey. Of course
his story is “The Dunwhich Horror.”

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 Gevurah
The sphere of Gevurah represents strength
and power, as well as restriction. It is both the
strength of the magician as well as the restriction
of the “light” of God. This is embodied in
everyone’s favorite – Cthulhu. He is the tool of
power which can bring back the Great Ones and
the worship of the Other Gods. Likewise, Cthulhu
being imprisoned represents that “restriction”
represented in Kabbalah. In the tree of life, this is
the last stage of ascension before prepping for the
Abyss, meaning that awakening Cthulhu is the key
to ascension. “Call of Cthulhu” is the obvious
read!

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 Chesed
Chesed represents the vision of love (agape),
meaning one sees the light on the other side of the
abyss and must prepare to make the leap for it.
This transformation of the self and leaping into
space is represented by the Mi-Go in the
“Whisperer in Darkness.” These beings worship
the Other Gods as well, though more successfully,
and serve their will. They are receptive to the
higher forces. Again it is a perfect embodiment of
the sphere, in which we continuously receive
information from the supernal triad.

The Abyss and Da’ath

This is the (hotly debated as false) sphere of
Knowledge, where gnosis essentially resides. In

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the Typhonian Tradition, Kenneth Grant
considered this the entrance to the Tunnels of Set.
Most occultists consider it somehow evil, as they
fear the confusion it can bring. In “The Shadow
Out of Time,” a man stumbles into precisely such
an abyss, in which he finds shocking knowledge.
Unfortunately (or not?) he also finds himself
unable to bring this knowledge back with him, in
turn causing others to believe it is false knowledge.

Binah and Chokmah

The former represents understanding and the
vision of sorrow, whereas the latter represents
wisdom and the vision of God face to face. The
sorrow and understanding tie directly into
overcoming the abyss and overcoming one’s

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newfound and severely questionable understanding
of the world. It is a serious adjustment that takes a
lot of time. These are where the true facts of reality
come forth. The wisdom has to do with making use
of this understanding, making the best out of
everything, being successful magicians, even
uttering a new Word to change the world. This is
represented by the entity known as Nyarlathotep.
The most interactive and intelligent of all the
deities, he both understands exactly how the world
is and brings sorrow, as well as uses his
understanding of the world to manifest his will. He
is the vision of God – Azathoth – face to face as he
is a servant of the Other Gods – the actual,
“supernatural” and fundamental aspects of reality
that exist outside and independent of the universe

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(a polytheistic pantheon). He is the only one who
seems to have been to the throne of Azathoth. “The
Whisperer in Darkness,” “Dreams in the Witch
House,” “The Haunter of the Dark,” and
“Nyarlathotep” all help us understand these
spheres on the tree of life.

Keter
The crown and the union with God are not
directly explained in any one mythos story, but
Azathoth clearly represents the primordial creator
of mysticism, which the Tree of Life follows.
Azathoth dreams reality into existence without
even knowing it, which shows the impersonal
Nature of the cosmos over all. He is the Other God
most closely connected to us as our creator, and

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leads us into the Ain (Soph) (Aur) which is the
Other Gods beyond all space and time, which
concludes the ascent of the Tree of Life.

The Nature of the Lovecraftian Gods

Now I would like to cover both how entities
in the Mythos, including that worst ones,
obviously care for, work with, and depend on
humanity, and just give general thoughts in the
vein of our conversation so far.
In “Beyond the Walls of Sleep” we learn
that there are entities which are friendly with
human beings. Essentially, the story describes a
spirit trapped within an insufficient body. This
entity is literally a “body of light”, as in astral
travel, which is interesting to note as well. Further,

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this soul or astral body goes on to become a Star in
the sky, and the story clearly shows that there are
other astral body and Star hybrids out there. This
keeps in line both with Egyptian mysteries and the
mysticism of Thelema.
In “The Call of Cthulhu” we are shown that
there are many, many human cults who are
dedicated to worshiping Cthulhu and the Old Ones.
Who these Old Ones are, we never seem to know
for sure. They may be the Gods of Earth, or some
spiritual life, it’s not clear. What is clear is that
these cults are aided by other life forms, including
great winged beasts and white, polypous “things.”
Further, Cthulhu himself cannot be released from
his prison without human beings to open the door
and let him out. It is also alluded, through all the

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stories overall, that those who serve the Old Ones
will be rewarded for it in a new world to come.
In many of the dreamland stories – “Dream
Quest of Unknown Kadath,” “The White Ship,”
“Celephais,” and others – we get progressions
through stages, sometimes specifically referred to
as spheres (like in Kabbalah), always cumulating
in a great abyss beyond which things become
chaotic, drive people mad, and reveal all the
secrets of infinity. To me these can’t be anything
except references to western occultism. Within this
abyss are shapeless, formless, chaotic things,
which just strengthens the connection for me.
Something that the Dream Quest has is Nodens, an
obscure, deity type entity which is opposed to

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Nyarlathotep and (indirectly) helps the good
characters of the story.
In stories like “Haunter of the Dark,”
“Nyarlathotep,” “Whisperer in Darkness,” and
other stories based around Nyarlathotep, we see
that the deity does, in fact, commune with humans
and other alien life related to humans. In “The
Dunwich Horror,” it is highly suggested that those
who serve the Other Gods will be rewarded in the
“next world”, being the world after the Old Ones
and Other Gods have their way and rule. The
Starry Wisdom Cult, for example, was able to gain
vast insights about the cosmos from Nyarlathotep,
simply by staring into a "shining trapezohedron."
There are many more alien races that work
with, rely on, and coexist with humanity. In “At

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the Mountains of Madness,” the Elder Things are
suggested to have created humans themselves. The
Great Race of Yith, from “The Shadow Out of
Time,” seem to respect all life, desiring all they
can know about it, and sharing their knowledge.
The Mi-Go from “Whisperer in Darkness” also
work with humans while serving Nyarlathotep.
Hell, the very story “Shadow Over Innsmouth” can
be seen as a metaphor for running away from one’s
true self, HGA, shadow/anima(s), whatever you
want to call it.
These are honestly just a couple points to
touch on. I would love to just go through all of
Lovecraft’s stuff page by page and dissect it, but of
course there simply isn’t time! Hopefully this short
article will have helped clarify some of the

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confusion surrounding the usage of Lovecraft in
the occult, and will have inspired others to
investigate this fascinating mythology.

A Setian Rite
Setamontet

I. Decompression
II. Ring the bell 9x
III. Light the Black Flame/Open the Gate
IV. Invocation of Set:

In the Name of Set, the supreme

manifestation of the Prince of Darkness, I summon
the Black Flame into my midst that I may Work
my Will upon the warp and weave of the world. O
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Majesty of Set, hear me, look upon me, and
enshrine within me the essence of the Highest of
Life. Open wide the Gates of Infernus and come
forth from beyond the Abyss to greet me as a
Brother and kindred Spirit.
Enshroud me with the Powers of Darkness;
let Them become One with me as I am become
One with the Eternal Set, whose Throne is within
the darkness behind the Constellation of the Seven
Stars. As I send forth my most exalted and sublime
Self, arm it with the Shining Pentagram of Set, and
with the sceptre called Giver of Winds, that it may
slay the cosmic stasis, dismay all challenges, and
cast down all that is moved to appear against it.
Let, then, my eyes become the Eyes of Set,
my strength become the Strength of Set, my will

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become the Will of Set! From the primordial
depths I am risen up and am become transformed
like the mighty Khepera, with the Wings of the
Falcon I soar the Infinite. I dwell in the Fane of the
Eternal Flame of Ba. Space and time bend to my
Will, and I am Lord of Life, Death, and Life
beyond Death. Hear then this Doom that I
pronounce, and beware the Ka which now Comes
Into Being through that ancient Art which is mine
to command!

V. Summoning of the Four Elements:

South
From the South I call to Sekhmet, beautiful
Lady of Flame, supreme goddess of creation and

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desolation, thou wanderer of the wastelands, Lady
of the Waters of Life, and Destroyer by Fire. Come
forth and enshrine within me your divine essence.

East
From the East I call to Lucifer, the Morning
Star and Bearer of the Dark Light, thou Spirit of
the Air who rideth the whirlwinds of the Abyss.
Come forth and enshrine within me your divine
essence.

North
From the North I call to Setamontet, dreaded
Lord of the Realm of Darkness, thou
Overpowering One, deathless in majesty and
strength. Come forth from thy celestial solitude,

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behind the Constellation of the Seven Stars, and
enshrine within me your divine essence.

West
From the West I call to Leviathan, the
Eternal Serpent of the Abyss, the surging sea, and
Dragon of perpetual Remanifestation. Thou who
art the Absolute and the living principle of
continuity and ageless existence. Come forth from
the depths of infinite darkness and enshrine within
me your divine essence.

VI. Graal Invocation:

By the Symbol of my Creation I have sworn

to be an eternal disciple of the Dark Lord Set,

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who’s holy Name I have taken as a part of my Self.
I have pledged to forever walk the Path of the Left
Hand in search of the knowledge, truth, and
undefiled wisdom of the Prince of Darkness. Open
the portals of the Abyss that the Black Light may
illuminate the Way and guide me in my quest for
the Infernal Graal.

Hail, Set!
Faithfulness beyond Death!
[Drink from the Graal]

VII. The Working

Selected Magical reading – Author
recommends the first part of the Word of Set
which cannot be quoted here due to copyright.

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IX. Extinguish the Black Flame

So It Is Done!
/Setamontet\
Magister Ordo Serpentis

Pyramid Texts Reading

Xepera maSet

Greetings to Khepri who created himself, who

comes into being in thy name of Khepri.
I have come into being.

Nephthys praises me: “you have equipped yourself

as the Great-in-magic, Set.
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 Nothing is lacking in thee, nothing ceases with
thee.
You are more glorious and powerful than the gods
of Egypt and their spirits.
You are equipped as Set, who mightily broke forth.
Set, who is more powerful than his father.
If you go Horus goes, if you speak Set speaks.”

Horus has caused me to recognize Set in myself

without him getting away,
To seize the hand of Set without him escaping.
My arms are like those of Set when he ascends and
lifts himself to the sky.
I have escaped the day of my death as Set escaped
the day of his death.

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I am as Set, who once suffered want and decided
to live on the being of every god,
Who ate their entrails when they were full of
magic.
I send Khonsu to slaughter the gods and bring me
their entrails,
Khonsu is the messenger I send forth to punish.

I have thrown Osiris to the ground, I have left

Horus behind me.
Nuit opens the heavens to me and places me
among the imperishable stars.
I look down upon Osiris, I stand far from him. I
am not of them, I shall not be of them.
Let not Osiris come in his evil coming, do not
open your arms for him, let him be gone.

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I ascend to the heavens and the heavens rejoice for
me.
The earth quakes for me, the storm roars for me.
I howl like Set and the doors of heaven open for
me between the two thighs of Nuit.
Set and Nephthys announce me to the gods: “he
has come as an imperishable spirit, if he wishes
your death you shall die.”

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 Invocation of Set
Onyx

By the most Ancient Name of Set

I enter into the Realms of the Prince of Darkness
And shall Drink from the Grail with Impunity
As I become One with the Eternal Master

I, Chosen of Set
Renounce all Fear and Doubt
And Reclaim that which is Rightly Mine
The Gift of the Black Flame

I, Mindful of Set
Shall Inherit Wisdom of the Master
My Higher Self shall be made Manifest
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 And become Unlimited in Potential

I, Brother of Set
Do not Kneel or Bow
For We are Kindred in Spirit
And Unnatural in Essence

I, Honored of Set
Have Risen above the Mundane
My Altar of Glory has taken Form
In the Shadow of the Great Pentragram

I, Black Magician of Set

Beckon the Gates of Hell to Open Wide
Woe to the Cosmos
As My Will Comes Forth into Being

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 Satanic Invocation
Xepera maSet

I sink from the surface of the Earth, where all

stands forth in the Light of constant laws,

To the Pits of Hell, so I may order my own

Destiny.

I am a child of Satan and have the potential to

become like Him, The Adversary.

I walk through the demonic gates unheeded, for I

am one of Them.

I reject the arbitrary laws of God and choose to

reign in Hell,

My throne appears before me.

[VISUALIZE TAKING YOUR THRONE IN THE

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 KINGDOMS OF HELL]

I take the Black Flame of Satan which brings

meaning to all God’s hollow creation.

Black Flame, give me powers over this impotent

creator, and the powers of the Prince of Darkness.

Yahweh, you do not rule over Satan, nor does your

Son rule over him.

I come as a Daemon, what I will to live lives, and

what I will to die dies.

I ride upon the Seven Headed Serpent, which was

there at the Great War.

Hell speaks! The Earth quakes on account of your

fear when I ascend, Yahweh!

I will not be resisted at any place where I will go, I

will not be hindered and any place I desire to be.

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 My strength is great that I will conquer the
heavens!

Like the soul of Satan, Arch-demon, may my soul

burn for eternity!

Princes and Princesses of Darkness

Xepera maSet
(From Behold: The Prince of Darkness (2ed.) – A Complete
Introduction to Setian Religion)

These are all very brief introductions to

some Princes and Princesses of Darkness
throughout history and across cultures. It is simply
intended to give the most basic synopsis and spark
inspiration for whichever you may connect with
most. It is also a non-comprehensive list, as such a
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list would be likely impossible to create. Much of
this information is easy to locate and will require
further experiment and research, but this is more a
map to point the way.

Anansi - Akan
Anansi was a spider deity responsible for
knowledge. He was a trickster deity that was
associated with the freedom of his people from
slavery. Anansi can be identify with Br’er Rabbit
as well, another folklore trickster.

Andarta - Celtic
Very little is known of this Princess of
Darkness who was associated with Ursa Major and

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The Imperishable Stars. She is the Celtic adaption
of this deity and can be interpreted accordingly.

Angra Mainyu – Persian

Also known as Ahriman, he was the Persian
God of Darkness. As part of the Zoroastrian
religion he was a direct prototype of The Devil.
“Mainyu” translates to “mind” or “spirit” and is
considered to be an “abstract entity”. Like most
Princes of Darkness he was considered to be Evil
for being against Nature, and yet was still capable
of creating great beauty in the Natural world.
When challenged, it was Angra Mainyu who
created peacocks, a common sign of the Prince of
Darkness.

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 Astarte - Semetic/Egyptian
Astarte was a Goddess of war and sexual
love. She was honored in Egypt as wife to Set. In
most cases she was depicted fully naked and
associated with fertility as well. Astarte was also
associated with Venus, the morning/evening Star.
It is believed that Astarte was the Semetic version
of the Babylonian Ishtar, both descending from the
Sumerian Innana. She has also been associated
with the Minoan snake Goddess.

Azazel - Semetic
Azazel was a goat deity/being to the semetic
people. Once the Dead Sea Scrolls came around,
Azazel became more solidified as the demon we
know today, being seen as one of the fallen angels.

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Azazel represents the scapegoat, something the
Prince of Darkness has been for far too long. The
Book of Enoch ascribes all sin to Azazel. To the
Yazidi he is one of the angels helping Melek Taus.

Coyote - Native American

In Native American myths Coyote is a
trickster deity. Similar to other Prince/sses of
Darkness, Coyote steals the fire of the Gods and
brings it to mankind. He exists outside of
conventional morality but generally ends up
working in favor of humanity. Once Coyote stole
the Stars and Sun and held them for ransom. He is
also a cultural hero. Coyote also acted as a spy for
the Horned Serpent.

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 Crow - Australian
Adding more trickster deities to the list, the
Crow brought fire to mankind in a way similar to
that of Coyote. It was associated with intelligence,
magic, and knowledge, and was thought to carry
people knowledge from previous lives.

Daucina - Fijian
Another light-bringer and a God of the Sea.
He was also a trickster deity and was associated
with sexuality, specifically in the cases of cheating
and seducing.

The Devil – Christian

The Devil is associated with all things Dark
and Evil in Christian culture. He was responsible

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for bringing Free Will to human beings, giving us
higher consciousness and the ability to reason.
This was the ultimate sin to God who had sought a
slave species in humanity. The Devil and his
companions have sought to enlighten and free
humanity through time, much to the frustration of
God and his companions. He is a tragic hero.

Erlik - Turkish
Erlik is the Turkish and Mongolian God of
Hell and Death. He was the first creation of God
similar to Lucifer, but his pride led to his
banishment. Erlik was deeply connected to the
concept of Darkness. Like many Princes of
Darkness, he was associated with illness as illness
was thought to be Unnatural. We now know, of

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course, that illness is actually Natural, and not the
realm of the PoD.

Heyoka - Lakota
The Lakota saw Heyoka as something
separate from Nature which did things against the
Natural and Social Order. He is also a deity who
tells half-truths if not outright lies. In many stories
he was used as a form of satire. Heyoka was also a
mentor, but not a God to be bowed to or worshiped
in a RHP sense. Like several others on our list,
Heyoka was a storm deity as well.

Huehuecóyotl - Aztec
Another coyote trickster God, Huehuecoyotl
was a God of celebration, music, and sexuality.

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His name literally translates to “Old Old”,
otherwise “Very Old”. Coyotes were also a symbol
of wisdom and knowledge. Huehuecoyotl
embraced Pragmatism as a way of life and
represented immortality. Neither good nor evil,
Huehuecoyotl was seen as a neutral deity who
often played jokes on other Gods.

Inanna - Sumerian
Inanna was a Goddess of sexuality, love,
justice, and power. She is likely identical to Ishtar,
Astarte, Lilith, and more versions of her
throughout history. In English her name means
“Queen of Heaven” (the Stars). She is the most
commonly appearing deity in Sumerian
mythology, and was often seen taking over the

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realms of her fellow Gods. She was also associated
with the Morning Star Venus. The oldest known
myth of Inanna was her complaining to Enki about
his created, Ordered universe, and asking for a
realm of her own.

Ishtar – Babylonian
A central Goddess, Ishtar was able to
descend into the underworld and return from
imprisonment there. She was closely associated
with the sky and the planet Venus. She was also a
storm Goddess as well as fertility and prostitution.
Ishtar represents sexual freedom and was another
prototype of the Hebrew Lilith. Eventually Ishtar
was seen as the literal queen of the Universe, and
absorbed the powers of the other Gods.

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 Jiutian Xuannü - Chinese
The name translates to “Dark Mysterious
Lady.” She had the power to obscure both the day
and the night, and was associated with the
Imperishable Stars. She was a Goddess of War,
Magic, Sex, and Immortality, which she taught to
her initiates. Jiutian was associated with the Void
and Nothingness at times.

Kaulu - Hawaiian
A trickster deity known for murdering
several of his fellow Gods. Kaulu was known for
his extensive power and capabilities with magic.

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 Kutkh - Russian
Kutkh was a Raven responsible for helping
to create mankind and the cosmos in general. He is
a trickster who was self-created and pridefully
taunted the other deities about his independence
and Separateness. He was associated with the night
sky and once took the Sun and Moon hostage.
Kutkh also brought fire and knowledge to
mankind. He can be compared to Coyote and
Crow.

Lilith - Hebrew
Lilith appeared around the time the Jewish
people were in Babylon, beginning to record their
traditions. She is identical to Inanna, Ishtar,
Astarte, etc. Lilith only appeared at nighttime and

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and was associated with sexuality. The story goes
that Lilith was actually Adam’s first wife, his
equal, both created from clay. When Lilith refused
to be treated as lesser to Adam, Adam threw a
hissy fit and Lilith was kicked from the Garden.
She then met the angel/demon Sammael, who she
has demon babies with, while Sammael also tricks
Eve into eating from the Tree, then impregnates
her with Cain.

Lucifer - Roman
Lucifer was a Roman sky deity associated
with the planet Venus, specifically in its form of
the Morning Star. Lucifer is another Bringer of
Light similar to Prometheus and Coyote. Through
the mis-association of Lucifer with Satan due to

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the KJV Bible, Lucifer is also seen as an aspect of
The Devil.

Maui - Polynesian
Being a trickster Maui was similar to most
on this list (they are all Prince/ss of Darkness after
all, a point that should be quite proven at this
point!). Maui stole fire from the Underworld and
gifted it to mankind. In some cases he was actually
seen as a deified human being. [Author’s note: I
first geeked out to my love about Set when she
showed me Disney’s Moana. Hopefully some
Disney conspiracy theorist sees this one >:-)]

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 Mephistopheles - German Romanticism
Mephistopheles first came from the Faust
legend, a work of German Romanticism. He makes
deals with human beings and allows them to enjoy
their end a while, then he collects his payment in
the form of one’s soul. However, rather than
giving the souls to the devil in a malicious ways, it
is believed Mephistopheles does this only to
people who are already damned. In other words, he
helps the friends of Devil. He also acts as a gate
keeper, turning away individuals who are not
“damned” by society’s Christian standards.

Nanabozho - Anishinaabe
Add another trickster to the list, Nanabozho
was a rabbit similar to Coyote, Crow, Kukth, and

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so forth. He was a great teacher and bringer of
knowledge, including language. Nanabozho helped
to create the universe.

Odin - Norse
As a Prince of Darkness Odin is mainly
associated with inspiration and creative activity.
Odin was not bound to traditional values, even
practicing forms of magic reserved specifically for
females. Dr. Stephen Flowers describes the Norse
tradition as the one true Left Hand Path tradition
throughout history. Odin “sacrificed himself to
himself” in Order to obtain the Runes, the
Mysteries of the Cosmos.

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 Pomba Gira - Afro-Brazillian
Pomba Gira is the Goddess of witchcraft,
mystery, and magic. Sometimes she is seen as the
mistress of the Devil, and she is a Goddess of the
Crossroads. Like the majority of the Princesses of
Darkness, Pomba Gira is a highly sexual Goddess
and represents sexual freedom. She is considered
an initiatory Goddess of extreme difficulty.

Prometheus - Greek
Prometheus was a Titan, Trickster God, and
a Hero God to the Greeks. Prometheus created the
human species from clay in myth, and wanted to
share the fire of the Gods with his creation. Zeus,
being selfish and desperate for power, refused and
so Prometheus stole the fire, giving it to humanity.

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For this he was eternally tortured by Zeus.
Prometheus is also responsible for things like
cutulre, writing, math, medicine, and so forth.

Sauska - Hittite
Another Princess of Darkness among the
lines of Ishtar, Inanna, Lilith, Astarte, etc.
Interestingly Princesses of Darkness seem to be
more consistent across cultures than their male
counterparts. So she was also associated with
fertility, sexuality, war, magic, and so on.

Set – Egypt
Set is the oldest solidified version of the
PoD in history. He was well established by the
time of the first human religious texts – the

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pyramid texts. Set was associated with the northern
Circumpolar Stars, specifically Ursa Major and
Draco. Originally Set was a benevolent deity
leading the dead to an immortal afterlife where
they themselves became a God, superior to and
separate from all the other Gods. Some of the
greatest Pharaohs, such as Seti I and Rameses II,
were dedicated to Set. Throughout and at the end
of Egyptian history, Set was demonized by the
Solar religion of Osiris, which perverted him into
the being now commonly known. Set represented
that which was apart from Nature and the rest of
the Gods, including the higher consciousness
possessed by humanity.

164
 Sun Wukong - Chinese
Sun Wukong led a rebellion against heaven
and was locked away for it. Sun Wukong does this
because he is humiliated in front of the other
deities despite deserving a far higher rank and
superior treatment. He was known mainly for
strength, shapeshifting abilities, magical powers,
and Separation from other parts of Nature and the
Gods. Sometimes Sun Wukong was thought to be
an immortal human being rather than a deity,
sometimes a demon. Much like Set he burst forth
from the womb. Sun Wuknong stole the peaches of
immortality from Xi Wangmu.

165
 Veles - Slavic
Veles was a deity associated with the
Imperishable Stars, specifically Ursa Major. He
brought magic, change, and wisdom to the Slavic
people. Similar to deities like Crow and Coyote,
Veles was a trickster deity. He was sometimes
associated with the Serpent Zaltys, a Chaos
Serpent, who contended against the Gods above.
Slavic culture was highly iconoclastic, refusing
Christian symbols into their most holy places and
openly practicing the old was while pretending to
accept Christianity (double faith).

166
 Order of the Serpent Founders’
Statement

The Order of the Serpent (O.S.) is an

esoteric school of the Western Left Hand Path. It is
comprised of unique individuals and philosopher-
Magicians, dedicated to the study and practice of
Self-Directed Self-Evolution (also known as
Xeper, Black Magic, or other terms). The Order is
dedicated to the accumulation and preservation of
the knowledge and undefiled wisdom of the Prince
of Darkness and the occult/Black Arts. The focus
of the O.S. is the Individual Self, both as in one’s
personal development and the concept or Form of
the Individual Self. The O.S. founders believe that
we all have individual hidden truths within
167
ourselves, and our goal is to uncover, and
ultimately become the perfect and complete
manifestation of these truths.
The O.S. is rooted in extreme individualism,
and its members are capable of working with a
concept and forming their own thoughts, ideas, and
understanding of them. Discussion and rational
debate are both welcome and encouraged. Those
involved are able to form their own belief systems,
tools of initiation, and are able to forge their own
unique path. Unlike most other metaphysical
ideologies which seek to dissolve the self,
subjugate it to questionable beings, or even deny
its existence by reducing it to pure matter, the O.S.
seeks to increase its own freedom of Mind and
Will, and that of others. It recognizes the Self, the

168
one thing each being can truly know to exist, as the
center of reasoning, as well as the center of
society. Rather than seeing humans as
deterministic slaves, fallen beings in need of
saving, or creatures meant to serve the State, the
Order believes that Self-Actualization at the
individual level is the key to human advancement.
In a world where humans are little more than
statistics, the Order of the Serpent recognizes that
all change, as well as all knowledge, begins with
the individual Self.
Unlike a symbolic occult organization, some
sort of statement, or simply a self-help group, the
O.S. is an esoteric organization, founded upon the
metaphysical position that there is something
beyond the simple world of matter and

169
psychology. Whether the creator God of the West,
the mindless Nature of materialism, or flowing
Way of the East, the Order of the Serpent
recognizes these as one in the same, an order
imposed upon chaos that underlies, creates, and
drives the entire cosmos. The difference with the
Esoteric Western Left Hand Path, the O.S.
included, is that we do not accept that this order is
complete, wholly deterministic, or even
necessarily “good.” It is what leads to cancer and
depression, starvation and war, whether it allows
this to happen, determines it, or is un-intelligent
and cannot do otherwise. Yet in the individual we
have free will, the ability to go against this Natural
Order or malevolent God. This ability has been
demonized, described as an illusion, or even

170
completely ignored specifically because it can go
against Nature/God, which is why “self-directed
self-evolution” has been associated with “black
magic” for so long in Western society.
The name for the Order of the Serpent
comes from the Northern Circumpolar Stars,
specifically the massive constellation Draco, which
never sets below the horizon. To the earliest
human religions, these were seen as being free
from the cycles of the moon, sun, planets, and even
constellations and stars. Separate from the ebb and
flow of Nature/”God”, those associated with the
Imperishable Stars were free to permanently exist,
to forge their own path free from those cycles. It
was only later on that world religion began to
dissolve into its current Solar form. The Order of

171
the Serpent hopes to remanifest this ancient, Pre-
Solar metaphysics in the modern day - within the
21st century.
The insignia of the Order is a pentagram,
representing that point of inner-consciousness
where the individual Self exists. The pentagram is
within a circle representing the physical shell of
the Self, but the points of the pentagram do not
touch this circle, symbolizing the continued
separation between Self and Body. The separation
of the metaphysical (pentagram) from the physical
(circle) exists because the elements of both are
independent and distinct from one another.
Stemming from this pentagram are five symbols,
from Norse, Sumerian, Egyptian, Chinese, and
alchemy. It is meant to represent the diversity of

172
interests within the O.S. We are not simply a
Setian, Thelemic, Asatru, Hermetic,
Luciferian/Satanic, or any single approach, but a
place for such individuals to help each other grow,
and help share useful information.
The Order of the Serpent provides such
resources currently as the Library of the Ancient
Serpent, the O.S. forums, and the Order newsletter
"The Imperishable Star". The forum is meant to
provide a Left Hand Path online community
focused on rational, esoteric discussion. The
Imperishable Star provides essays written by
members in order to share esoteric knowledge with
the outside world. Both are open and free to all.
The O.S. does not have any initiatory hierarchy, all
members are equal, from the founders to someone

173
on day one. There are no membership fees, but we
simply ask members to provide and discuss
esoteric information, such as for publication in the
newsletter. We do not believe in hoarding occult
knowledge behind closed doors and paywalls, and
try to keep the occult community updated on our
progress. The application process is simply an
email discussion with the founders, and an essay
on pretty much any relevant topic of the
applicant’s choosing.
We hope that you benefit from these
resources, and encourage both followers of the
Left Hand Path, and respectfully interested
individuals, to join the forum absolutely free of
charge and without membership. Those interested
in aiding with our goal advancing and sharing

174
esoteric knowledge, in and for the modern age,
please feel free to send an enquiry email to
leviathanite@gmail.com, to start a thread on the
forum, or to private message Xepera maSet,
Setamontet, and Onyx on the forum.

175
 Recommended Beginners Reading
This is a non-comprehensive reading
recommendation list for those looking into Black
Magic and the Left Hand Path

Academic Works

- The Devil’s Party Satanism and Modernity by

Faxneld and Petersen: an objective look into the
history of Scandinavian Satanism before LaVey,
the Satanism of LaVey, as well as Setianism,
Luciferianism, and the Sinister Tradition.

- In Pursuit of Satan, the Police and the Occult by

Hicks: with the help of Zeena LaVey this book
investigates the justice system during the Satanic
Panic.
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- The Invention of Satanism by Dyrendal, Lewis,
and Petersen: an academic look into modern
Satanism and Satanic identities, which includes 3
massive studies on the latter.

- Seth: God of Confusion by Herman Te Velde: the

most famous and in-depth investigation into Set in
academia.

- Lords of the Left Hand Path by Dr. Stephen

Flowers: explains the entire history of the LHP
tradition across the globe.

- The Sky Religion in Egypt: Its Antiquity and

Effects by G.A. Wainwright: likely the best insight

177
into the pre-historic stellar tradition in Egypt and
Africa.

Theistic and Esoteric Satanism

- The Satanic Bible 50th Anniversary ReVision by

Dr. Michael Aquino: a comprehensive and in-
depth guide into Aquino’s philosophy, truly a
Magnum Opus. It is great to see Aquino, former
second in command of the Church of Satan,
returning to his Theistic Satanic roots. Also
includes The Diabolicon in its entirety.

- The Satanic Rituals by Anton LaVey and Dr.

Michael Aquino: an introduction into Satanic

178
Greater Black Magic from the pre-75 Church of
Satan. Includes both essays and rituals.

- The writings of Diane Vera: one of the main

pioneers of theistic Satanism from the expansion
of the internet to now.

- The writings of Venus Satanus: another famous

Satanist who helped spread knowledge of esoteric
Satanism through the explosion of the internet.

- Synagogue of Satan by Stansislaw P.: possibly

the first codified Satanic text; presents a
comprehensive duo-theistic Satanic world view.

179
- The Diabolicon by Dr. Michael Aquino: a LHP
take on paradise lost which was also an inspired
writing written during the Vietnam War, this gives
Satan and his companions’ side of the story and
coined the usage of the term “Black Flame”.

Atheistic Satanism

- The Satanic Bible by Anton LaVey: the standard

starting text for atheistic Satanism, despite only
being a partially original work its impact on
Satanism and the LHP today is extensive.

- Church of Satan v I and II by Dr. Michael

Aquino: the former CoS second in command dives

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into the history of the esoteric Church of Satan
days before 1975.

- The Satanic Scriptures by Peter Gilmore: essays

by the Church of Satan High Priest Peter Gilmore.

- The Satanic Witch by Anton LaVey: an

introduction to Satanic Lesser Black Magic.

Setianism

- Mindstar by Dr. Michael Aquino: which is an

introduction to his take on Setian philosophy.

- Ancient Egyptian Myths and Legends by Spence:

a guide to the beliefs and stories of Ancient Egypt.
181
- Behold: The Prince of Darkness, a complete
introduction to Setian religion by Ryan Scott
(Xepera maSet of the O.S.): a full introduction to
the beliefs, history, and support for Setian religion,
as well as comparisons to similar religions and an
investigation of Set in the pyramid texts.

- Temple of Set v I and II by Dr. Michael Aquino:

looks at the history of the ToS and contains an
amazing and extensive appendix of ToS writings.

- Images of Set by Joan Lansberry: beautiful

recreations of images of Set from history with
explanations of his true nature outside of the
Osirian / Solar mythologies.

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- Mysteries of the Temple of Set by Don Webb: a
former ToS High Priest explains the basics of the
Temple.

- Set the Outsider by Don Webb and Judith Paige:

includes many articles from numerous authors on
the true nature of Set in Egyptian religion.

- Overthrowing the Old Gods by Don Webb:

Webb’s and Aquino’s commentaries on Crowley’s
Book of the Law, plus more essays.

183
 Luciferianism

- Cain: A Mystery by Lord Byron: a closet play in

which Cain and Lucifer travel the cosmos and
discuss metaphysics.

- The Works of Michael W. Ford: a massive

collection that inspires both theistic and atheistic
Luciferianism. Ford does not cater to others and
has an interesting way of using obscure mixes to
create new LHP mythology.

- The Works of Jeremy Crow: probably the biggest

name in Luciferianism today.

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 Draconianism

- Apophis Special Edition by Michael Kelley:

includes the titled text and several of his others,
and presents a full guide to his Draconian
Tradition.

- Dragon Book of Essex by Andrew Chumbley: a

full ritual book of Draconian magic and an entire
new initiatory system of 14 points known as the
“Crooked Path”.

- Liber Isfer by Lucas N.: Draconian magic for

those who still identify with Set.

185
 The Typhonian Tradition

- The Dark Lord by Peter Levenda: clearly

explains the ideas of Kenneth Grant and the
Typhonian Tradition, as well as their connection to
the works of H. P. Lovecraft.

- The Works of H.P. Lovecraft: works of

science/horror-fiction which greatly inspired
Kenneth Grant and has interesting connections to
the works of Crowley (see: The Dark Lord by
Levenda)

- Seven Faces of Darkness: Practical Typhonian

Magic by Don Webb: this former High Priest of
the Temple of Set investigates the role Set played

186
in the Greek Magical Papyri as Typhon, and
provides a great amount of ritual work.

- Stairway to Heaven by Peter Levenda: explains

and investigates ascension mythology throughout
history and in the modern western tradition.

The Germanic Tradition

- Fire and Ice by Dr. Stephen Flowers: looks at the

works of the Brotherhood of Saturn which was
formerly a pre-LaVeyan Satanic order.

- Book of Mephisto by Asenath Mason: presents a

“Faustian Tradition” of Black Magic rooted in the
Faust myth of Mephistopheles.
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 The Path of Darkness leads to Enlightenment.
Like the Ancient Serpent, so too may You Endure.

Xeper,

Setamontet, Onyx, and Xepera maSet

Order of the Serpent Co-Founders

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