The following short essay was written by someone whom I like to think of as a good friend. I havent known her for as long as I have some others, but she has all the qualities I believe Anton LaVey (or Peter Gilmore, for that matter) would would say make up the compleat witch. I reproduce it here with her permission. Anyone having just discovered Satanism, especially, should pay attention. “...the real Satanist is not quite so easily recognized as such.” -Anton LaVey I am sure that many of you have enough common sense to realize that this page is not the representation of my public self. This is my safe space, where I am free to move about, think, speak, and act within my true self. My Satanic Self. Everyone here is unique, and so the comfort level about living as an open Satanist is different for each of us. For me, personally, I am not in a position to publicly vocalize my affiliation with the Church of Satan. Even now, nearly 50 years after the Church was founded, a certain level of Satanic Panic is still very real. It is a sad truth, but it is a truth. I have many acquaintances in my every day world. Personally, and professionally, I do enjoy my own brand of popularity. Im known for being the offbeat, sarcastic, charming lady that I am, and for being a lover of the arts, and the darker corners of life. I suppose that like minded individuals in open spaces might be able to sniff me out for the LHPer that I am. That being said, I work in a highly competitive market, and I rely heavily on both my personality, and my Lesser Magic to set me apart from my peers. I also bring in clients largely by word of mouth referral. Take those two pieces of the puzzle, and add in the fact that I grew up within the Catholic School system, and that many of my repeat clients are people that I have known since then, and you have a very good reason to keep my membership with the Church under wraps. I would go so far to say that 95% of my clients are religious in some way or another. Why do I care if they know and/or accept my Satanic Self or not? Simply put, money. It behooves me financially to play a certain “role”. Now, I am not saying that I (or that you should,) run around pretending to be a Christian; my family and close friends know that I am an Atheist. Im just saying that I smile and nod, and collect my money. I dont want just that 5% of non-religious revenue - I want it all, by whatever means necessary. I admit that I struggled for quite some time with the notion that I might not be a worthy, or productive Satanist, if I was not “out of the closet”. (A struggle, admittedly exacerbated by knowing some really powerful, really vocal Satanists.) I think perhaps that internal battle may be a natural part of the process for many people after their initial introduction to the Church of Satan. For me, I worried about wether or not I was able to make my Church proud, if I could not openly speak about my affiliation, much less wear a shiny, undeniable Baphomet. The truth is, that I can. And so can you. There are many great members, both Active and Registered, who keep their affiliation private. Being a “good” Satanist is not about what we wear, how loud we shout Hail Satan!, or what we say in a group or message board online. Its about who we are and how we LIVE. Its about being a productive member of society. About “living deep and sucking out all the marrow of life”. About being Epicurean Ladies and Gentleman, who strive for personal happiness and growth, moving “ever forward” in our passions and pursuits. Even though I am a Witch in the broom closet, I know that I am still a damned good Satanist. If you align yourself with the tenets of the Church of Satan, and strive to be your very best in all that you do, you are too, even if youre not shouting “Hail Satan!” from the rooftop. - GTC
Posted on: Sat, 06 Dec 2014 05:54:16 +0000
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