A thread went around among LHP Tweeters awhile back, asking/speculating about the “gods” vs “demons” 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.
I mentioned previously that I was considering doing “I read this book, so that you don’t have to” -type posts. The current post is of this nature. Its focus is a book entitled The Black Path, which describes a supposed left-hand-path variant of Sufism. I’m under the impression there are controversies both with the group described therein, and the work itself. Regardless, I found many ideas in this book spoke to my own spirituality. Hence my desire to mention a few of them here.
One type of ritual-working that I perform quite often is a Rite of Banishing. This entry discusses the general concept of such rituals, how I perform them, and why I perform them. The process presented in vague terms here is detailed more fully in my book, Nine Keys of Abyssal Darkness. Those curious to know more about the life-path that led me to Tenebrous Satanism may also find something of interest in this entry… you see, I used to want to write fiction…
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 Hearts Toward None II,” by Mgla, is one such song. What I find striking about this song is how vividly it conjures up a vision of a totally malign divinity. If such a being truly exists, how can one nonetheless live in affirmation of life? I find the sheer bleakness of this song compelling to meditate upon, because of the confrontation it forces with this question.
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…
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…
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.