On extremist misconceptions about Tenebrous Satanism

Recently, I posted sample excerpts of Nine Keys of Abyssal Darkness’ Intro and First Key. I’ve since learned that these, in combination with certain website contents, produced extremist misconceptions about Tenebrous Satanism. That kind of thing is of course never completely avoidable when one is at this end of the Satanic spectrum. Nonetheless, it struck me as worthwhile to make a post directed at two related ends. First, I’d like to clarify some congruences and divergences between myself and the “Satanic extremists” in question. Second, I want to provide a directory of articles illustrative of the contents of Nine Keys, touching on the entire book rather than just one chapter. This should provide a more representative taste of my content than I think some folks took away from reading just the first chapter in isolation.

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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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Baneful magick with the Nekalah, part 3

Something I’ve increasingly been thinking this blog could use is more of my personal gnosis re: the Nekalah. Toward that end, this entry shares some thoughts I have on working baneful magick with these entities. There will be three entries in this sub-series: 1) Nekalah who I’ve known to be quite keen on baneful magick, but only in specific circumstances; 2) Nekalah who, despite being entities of Darkness, nonetheless lean toward solving problems in a non-baneful manner; and finally, 3) Nekalah who might plausibly described as specialists in malice. This entry will discuss those I class in the third category: Abatu, Azanigin, Gaubni, Nythra, Shaitan, and Shugara.

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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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Esoteric recruiting and mentoring questions

Let’s say you’ve decided to assemble a group for Satanic purposes – i.e., what the Order of Nine Angles (ONA/O9A) might call a nexion. This post details some of my thought process in connection with such an endeavor. Were I to take on the esoteric recruiting and mentoring of novices, for instance, what would I need to know about such individuals as a starting point? Below are a list of questions that I’d want answers for, together with commentary on why I’d be asking them.

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Baneful magick with the Nekalah, part 2

Something I’ve increasingly been thinking this blog could use is more of my personal gnosis re: the Nekalah. Toward that end, this entry shares some thoughts I have on working baneful magick with these entities. There will be three entries in this sub-series: 1) Nekalah who I’ve known to be quite keen on baneful magick, but only in specific circumstances; 2) Nekalah who, despite being entities of Darkness, nonetheless lean toward solving problems in a non-baneful manner; and finally, 3) Nekalah who might plausibly described as specialists in malice. This entry will discuss those I class in the second category: Atazoth, Athushir-Kthunae, Budsturga, Mactoron-Falcifer, Nemicu, and Sauroctonos.

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Lunar and solar eclipses: some thoughts

In my former magickal practice as a LaVeyan Satanist and Chaos Magician, I never paid much attention to natural events. Since turning to the Niner current – and thence, Tenebrous Satanism – though, I’ve become more attuned to things like moon phases. A significant natural phenomenon worth discussing in connection with this is eclipses. And since I recently traveled to see the total solar eclipse, now seems like an apt time for this discussion. This entry will therefore share some observations and experiences I have in connection with both lunar and solar eclipses.

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Dogmagianism: A better formulation of the enemy of Satanism?

Too often, one finds esoteric Satanists articulating “what is Satan the actual enemy of?” in an unproductive way. Our “enemy” is supposedly some conveniently-identifiable not-us group, e.g., Magians, Nazarenes, Clayborn, etc. Tenebrous Satanism contrarily contends that this fixation on monoliths is counterproductive. Having a “them” to lazily malign blinds us to maladaptive attitudes and behaviors that are the real problem. Instead, Satanists should recognize and oppose said attitudes/behaviors wherever they arise – including among ourselves. I associate these maladaptive attitudes/behaviors with what I call Dogmagianism. This post outlines some of its subtler manifestations.

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