How does magick “work” – and why might Satanic denominations clash over it?

How does Satanic magick “work”? I have enough background in Chaos Magick to consider this a non-urgent question – that it works is more the point. It occurs to me, though, that misunderstandings about magickal mechanisms may aggravate misconceptions Satanic denominations have about one another. Toward the end of addressing such issues, the current entry discusses the extent to which magick is “one’s own” power – i.e. how much of magick is the magician themselves “doing something,” vs. how much comes from an external entity/force/ etc.?

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“Gods” vs “demons”: what do these terms mean?

A thread went around among LHP Tweeters awhile back, asking/speculating about the “god” vs. “demon” distinction. Unsurprisingly perhaps, my kneejerk response was “well, the entities I’m involved with are obviously both”. The topic is sufficiently interesting, though, that I thought it deserved lengthier reflection. Hence the blog post that follows.

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Moon phases in Tenebrous Satanism?

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…

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Is empathy Satanic? Part 3 of 3

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 really a “Satanic” value? Part 3 of 3 discusses beliefs specific to Tenebrous Satanism, re: The Abyssal Void of Darkness and the Nekalah. Read the introduction to this series here.

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Magick vs. science in Tenebrous Satanism

Despite being of a tradition whose initiation protocol uses astrological symbolism, astrology is among several parts of the occult that I have no use for. How does one go about drawing such lines, though? For instance, how can one believe in “spirits,” yet be highly critical of certain other folks’ anti-scientific worldviews? This entry is about where I draw Tenebrous Satanism’s “science vs. magick” lines, and why…

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