Introversion, extroversion, society, and Satanism

A conversation with a fellow Satanist awhile back got me thinking about introversion and extroversion. How do we define these terms, and what are their implications for humans generally and Satanism in particular? The more I thought about this, the more I thought it might make for an interesting blog entry. So here are my thoughts about introversion, extroversion, society, and Satanism.

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What do I personally do in ritual?

Ritual magick is not necessarily a topic of interest to all readers of Nine Keys of Abyssal Darkness. I reckon I now have enough readers, though, for at least some to be willing to engage in magickal experimentation. Such individuals may wonder: are there things I personally do in ritual that are not spelled out in Nine Keys? The book’s aim was to provide a framework individuals could elaborate on in accord with their needs and preferences. Insofar as I attempted to simplify down to essentials, though, I left out finer details of what exactly I do. This post will therefore document some of these details. Of course, one needn’t do things the exact way I do. But those trying my methods and getting different results from mine may find such details worth taking into consideration.

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Divination: elemental symbolism in the Tenebrous runic-tarot

One would anticipate, from the term “runic-tarot,” that Tenebrous divination has features in common with both those systems. The tarot side of the influence is the current post’s focus. Tenebrous divination is like tarot in that its omens contain a fourfold division evoking the four classical elements. But it is unlike tarot with regard to which element is assigned to each “suit.” This post will thus discuss elemental symbolism in the Tenebrous runic-tarot – and also in tarot more generally.

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Causal / acausal dimensions of magick

Between my in-person and online interactions, I find certain themes and implicit questions recur re: the nature of magick. So for this post, what I thought I’d do is address a few of those. They pertain to such topics as how I define magick, the causal/acausal distinction, and different approaches to magick.

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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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Against “it’s cool to be evil”

When one’s Satanism, like mine, is adjacent to the Order of Nine Angles (ONA/O9A), certain issues inevitably arise. One of these is running into Satanists who talk as if “it’s cool to be evil.” On one hand, I understand how a degree of flirtation with evil is inherent to the left-hand-path. But on the other, I ultimately find such talk counterproductive. This post will undertake a detailed examination of why.

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“Why Tenebrous Satanism instead of some other Satanic denomination?”

“Why Tenebrous Satanism instead of some other Satanic denomination?”, someone recently asked me. Answering said inquiry has inspired me to write the post that follows. Denominations I’ll address include LaVeyan Satanism, The Satanic Temple, Luciferianism, and the Order of Nine Angles (ONA/O9A). Why did I develop my own denomination instead of just joining one of these? Read the post to find out.

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Is Theistic Satanism inherently a right-hand-path religion?

It’s not unusual for me to cross paths online with folks who think Theistic Satanism “isn’t left-hand-path.” Unfortunately, I do think Satanism and theism sometimes come together in way that resembles a right-hand-path religion. This post will discuss what that looks like… and also what it doesn’t look like. i.e. Can a Satanist be both a theist and left-hand-path?

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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 and Buddhism: some interesting parallels

I’ve long found myself having conversations about Satanism with Buddhists, and had these conversations be strikingly fruitful. So I thought I’d offer some food for thought here re: parallels between these two religions. Obviously, they are strongly opposed regarding a number of important things. But it’s for this very reason that I think the surprising convergences are interesting to reflect upon.

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