Othaos, Author at T. L. Othaos

Round-up of 2021 blog posts

Post published:December 31, 2021
Post category:Announcements
Reading time:3 mins read
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Here’s a quick round-up of everything I’ve written on this blog in 2021:

On the doctrine and practice of Tenebrous Satanism:

Does advancing in Tenebrous magick require practicing meditation?
How worried should I be that Tenebrous Satanism “draws inspiration” from Order of Nine Angles?
Spoiler: I definitely sympathize with anyone concerned, but no, we are NOT Nazis, criminals or etc.! If you are looking for my take on the Nekalah, the Dark Gods of O9A, I refer to them generally in this post and to a specific one, Nythra, in this post.

On my personal views and experiences as a Tenebrous Satanist:

The significance of the Moon for occult endeavors
My thoughts about the applicability of labels such as “Luciferian,” “theistic,” etc. to what I do
Why the inverted cross is a valid Satanic symbol
Note: I know “it’s the Petrine cross” – read my argument re: why it can still be “Satanic” anyway!
On navigating the tension between science and magick
Note: In the time since I wrote this, Twitter’s proved educational re: I did not know how much I did not know about astrology; my personal experience remains that thus far I have not found it useful + continue to be skeptical, but I may revisit that specific topic with more nuance and reflection sometime in the future.

Explorations of Satanic narratives:

Black metal bands who have inspired me:

To lastly touch on an update I issued in November: my day job’s situation is evolving in a direction that will cause it to totally monopolize my time from January to April. So I suspect the June-August range of 2022 may be most realistic re: the earliest I anticipate Nine Keys of Abyssal Darkness going to print.

So that’s it for 2021. Big thanks to everyone who has supported me on this blog, on Facebook, and on Twitter throughout this initial part of my journey!

“Eater of Stars, protrude your wings…”: Uada and Nythra

Post published:December 31, 2021
Post category:Hymns of the Abyss
Reading time:17 mins read
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As stated in my bio, I am a passionate fan of black metal and similar genres of “Dark” music. Of such bands, one that has been the biggest influence on Tenebrous Satanism is Uada. It’s thus inevitable that I’ll be talking about their songs on here from time to time. In today’s case, the song in question is “In the Absence of Matter.” What does it have to do with Tenebrous Satanism? Well, regardless of what the band intended, the lyrics and sound both match up strikingly well with my gnosis of a certain entity, the one most central to my spiritual experiences in recent years: Nythra. And to illustrate the connection, I’ll have to talk about the gnosis itself…

Moon phases in Tenebrous Satanism?

Post published:December 22, 2021
Post category:Magickal Praxis
Reading time:11 mins read
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Many an occult practitioner believes that the phases of the moon have some bearing upon the performance of ritual magick. This idea did not become relevant in my particular practice until just in the last few years, though. I’m still working out to what extent the symbolism and energies I’ve experienced should be considered “part of” Tenebrous Satanism. Nonetheless, here are a few thoughts I’d had thus far…

An update regarding Nine Keys publication…

Post published:November 27, 2021
Post category:Announcements
Reading time:6 mins read
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With only a month left in the year, it’s become apparent that 2021 publication for my book isn’t happening. I’ve heard from many sources that the final phase of publishing one’s first book tends to inevitably run longer than expected. Certainly that is part of what’s happening here. Additionally though, there is simply an incompatibility between the rhythms of my day job and making progress at the moment. In such circumstances, one gains nothing by trying to rush to meet a self-made deadline. And so, given said work rhythms, something in the range of April-August 2022 is likely more realistic. Below are some details re: the book’s status, though – mostly taking stock for myself, but sharing for those curious…

“With a Thorn in Our Hearts”

Post published:November 14, 2021
Post category:Hymns of the Abyss
Reading time:9 mins read
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As stated in my bio, I am a passionate fan of black metal and similar genres of dark music. Therefore, from time to time, I like to share songs that I think especially capture the spirit of Tenebrous Satanism. “With a Thorn in Our Hearts,” by Alghazanth, is one such song. Musically as well as lyrically, it reflects a number of my heartfelt convictions about the Abyssal Void of Darkness.

Do occultists “need” meditation?

Post published:October 30, 2021
Post category:Magickal Praxis
Reading time:11 mins read
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This blog post is something of a note to myself as I continue editing Nine Keys of Abyssal Darkness. It pertains to the place of meditation in occult praxis. Do occultists “need” meditation? What are the benefits versus the drawbacks of putting too much or too little emphasis on meditation? Though close to finishing the book, I’m still refining nuances and emphases in a few places. What I’ll put down here are thus some things on my mind as I move toward editing the final version of the Fifth Key in particular.

Is empathy Satanic? Part 3 of 3: Darkness and the Nekalah

Post published:October 14, 2021
Post category:Narratives of Darkness
Reading time:15 mins read
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The fourth tenet of the Tenebrous Creed identifies zeal, wisdom, honor, empathy and perseverance as foremost values for Satanists. But in what sense is empathy “Satanic”? Part 3 of 3 discusses beliefs specific to Tenebrous Satanism re: The Abyssal Void of Darkness and the Nekalah, and what implications for empathy as a Satanic virtue may be (perhaps surprisingly) derived from these. Read the introduction to this series here.

Satanist, Luciferian, and related terms

Post published:September 29, 2021
Post category:Tenebrous Philosophy
Reading time:17 mins read
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What exactly do we actually mean when we throw around labels like “Satanist”, “Luciferian”, and related terms? What follows is a meditation on what “counts” as “Satanism,” issues I have with the theist / non-theist distinction, and other such label-related thoughts. There’s also an interesting tidbit or two re: what I was up to occult-wise before Tenebrous Satanism came along…

Is empathy Satanic? Part 2 of 3: the Book of Job

Post published:September 17, 2021
Post category:Narratives of Darkness
Reading time:14 mins read
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The fourth tenet of the Tenebrous Creed identifies zeal, wisdom, honor, empathy and perseverance as foremost values for Satanists. But in what sense is empathy “Satanic”? Part 2 of 3 discusses the Book of Job and its (perhaps counterintuitive) significance for framing empathy as a Satanic virtue. Read the introduction to this series here.

Why the inverted cross is a valid Satanic symbol

Post published:August 29, 2021
Post category:Tenebrous Philosophy
Reading time:12 mins read
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Many Satanists will point out that the upside-down cross is “not a real Satanic symbol,” contra what popular culture seems to think. I can appreciate a number of reasons for this position. Nonetheless, I would argue that the inverted cross can be used as a legitimate symbol in Satanism. This entry explains my rationale.