Excerpts from Nine Keys of Abyssal Darkness: Intro and First Key

The one-year anniversary of the publication of Nine Keys of Abyssal Darkness falls in September. So this struck me as a good time for something I’ve meant to do for awhile: post a few excerpts.

Here are two .pdfs for those curious to check out the book prior to purchasing it:

Introduction to Nine Keys of Abyssal Darkness
The First Key: The Just Preference of Earth Over Heaven

Read the rest of this post for some related reflections of mine.

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Commentary on the Tenebrous Creed

For awhile now, I’ve noticed a number of Satanic creeds in list format being posted on social media. These sorts of posts do strike me as an effective way of introducing unfamiliar people to various forms of Satanism. I therefore thought, why not do one for Tenebrous Satanism? The material this post covers can naturally be found in a number of places on my website already. With Nine Keys of Abyssal Darkness having now gone to print, though, the time seems right for a condensed introduction to the creed my book puts forward.

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Satanism, Gnosticism and Kabbalah: a few thoughts

In both left-hand-path circles generally and Satanic ones specifically, I’ve observed a certain enthusiasm for Gnostic ideas. While there are facets of this that do make sense, I find it a bit odd and troubling. Why? Because I see Gnosticism as one of the most thoroughly anti-worldly religions to have ever existed. And that is, to my way of thinking, the opposite of what Satanism is about – even a spiritual/esoteric Satanism. Yes, we esoteric Satanists do borrow, appropriate and repurpose ideas from many occult sources. But when I see people insisting Kabbalah is irredeemable, yet embracing concepts from Gnosticism, let’s just say, I have questions. This post will thus explore some intersections and clashes between Satanism, Gnosticism and Kabbalah.

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

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.

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Why the inverted cross is a valid Satanic symbol

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.

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Is empathy Satanic? Part 1 of 3: Genesis and Enoch

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 1 of 3 discusses the Serpent in Genesis and the fallen Watchers in Enoch. Read the introduction to this series here.

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