Through a glass, Darkly....
Starets13
religion, Satanism. It is an aesthetic with a rich and surreal history which
can be dated far beyond The Year One Anno Satanas in 1966 CE. It is also a
genre which spans over a myriad of the Fine and Performing Arts disciplines,
ranging in scope from paintings, to operas, to novels, to works of philosophy,
to modern pop or "Satanic" music. It crosses boundaries of art and
entertainment and even enters into the subjective human psyche and influences
such intimate and innate human charchteristics as sexual fetishes. It is the
lifestyle and religious aesthetic, and not the mere "fashion," of Satanism.
To begin with, general decorum and personal attire. Whether it is a photo
of the late surrealist Salvadore Dali, or a picture of Dr. Anton Mesmer, or a
mythic depiction of Mephistopheles or Lucifer, the stereotypical uniform of the
stage-magician, or an artist's likeness of the High Priest of Mendes, the late
Dr. Anton LaVey; the general stereotypical representation of The Devil is the
mental picture of a model gentleman. Not only, however, is the agent of
Darkness clad in GQ Satanic splendour, but they have the social decorum fit to
match the cost of their infernal wardrobe.
Note: One may still be evil and Sadean while maintaining a personal
standard of excellence that those dressed in their "Sunday finest" could never
afford!
Art?: The Church of Satan is a magnet for those who are in some manner
involved with the Arts. This being so, I feel that it is clear that most
Satanists appear to resonate with the Surrealistic art form. I, not unlike a
multitude of other Satanists, have enjoyed the Infernal Images conjured
subjectively and manifested objectively in the pages of The Black Flame and on
the CD covers of the band Acheron by Magister Rex Church. Magister Church's
work stirs one like the art of the Swiss surrealist, H. R. Giger.
As far as surrealism is concerned, one name seems to ALWAYS come up, and
with good reason: Salvadore Dali. Nevertheless, most novice surrealists, of
which I include myself, do not seem to delve beyond the masterpieces of the
aforementioned artistic genius. Another master of the mentally defracted with
whom the fan of this art form should take interest is the Belgian painter Rene
Magritte. Magritte's effect on the contemporary visual mediums can be seen in
the film "The Avengers."
Another hidden surrealist who is literally counted among Hell's own is the
Churc of Satan's Magister Peter H. Gilmore. A man of many talents, including a
Masters degree in Musical Composition, this Satanist is the creator of some
truly magnificent works of surrealistic art!
There are several good books on the topic. To create a list would simply
be futile. Just check your local chain bookstore. Also look in the children's
section for really good introductory books from surrealism to impressionism for
a loved one.
Other artists whom deserve mention in the same breath as the name of the
Infernal Monarch include the mathematically obsessed M. C. Escher and the noir
"Funnies" of good ol' Chas Addams. And of course, what Satanist hasn't
revelled in the hellish scenes immortalized by Hieronymous Bosch?
Music?: This is a hot topic! Moreso today than ever before within the
Satanic "community." Certainly so within the ranks of the Church of Satan.
For example, it is no secret what Dr. LaVey felt about rock and or pop
music. He viewed it for what it is by and large: Yet another form of herd
mentalism. Nevertheless, he recognized the secular achievements of his members
within said industry with forms of recognition that he felt was appropriate,
from the likes of Marilyn Manson and King Diamond to Acheron's Magister Vincent
Crowley. And, there are more! This is a bit much for a person who can recall
a day when there were no authentic Satanic rock icons within the world of
Satanism.
Therefore, it goes without saying to note that the contemporary Satanic
youth movement is largely comprised of fans of "Satanic" metal music. However,
and I am speaking both as a Church of Satan member and as a professional metal
drummer, there is more to the echoes in the corridors of Hades than power
chords and Blues scales!
A seemingly universal favorite among the Alien Elite is the epic opera of
13th-century poems, (Orff's) Carmina burana (Latin: "songs of Beuren"). And
while we're naming the Satanic Chart Busters, I must include the composers:
Wagner, Beethoven, Mozart, and Liszt. Unofficially, of course, I also note the
music of Monty Python and Tom Leher. The roster of anthems, dirges, and
otherwise potent musical evocations are too numerous to account for here, but
the reader should now be set in the right direction regarding traditional
"Satanic" music.
Another admittedly "pop" form of music which can be trite or profound, is
the Broadway musical. While an avid patron of the Theatre myself, I love to
expand beyond the theatrical parameters of the infernal or gothic, and simply
get lost in the fantasy of the superlatively dramatic. Nevertheless, a couple
of plays do come to mind that would indeed be of interest to a Satanist looking
for something in the middle of a clasical and contemporary musical expression.
The very popular themes of the Phantom of the Opera and Jeckyl & Hyde leap out
at us on stage right from the pages of past novels of the noir. Said plays
deliver dark and frightfully "catchy" tunes and offer the listener a subjective
visual epic to lose oneself in while casually listening to one's steroe. Of
course, the ultimate testament of one's ear is what one likes and has in the CD
player.
Erotica: Horror film historians concur that the appeal of Dracula was as
sexual and sadistically refined as it was facing a creature of the "undead."
The nude altar employed in group ceremonial rites in the practices of some
Church of Satan members is an epic topic of conversation today 33 years after
Dr. LaVey initiated such a practice. In short, the Dark is eternally married
to the carnal.
Probably the most en vogue secular sexual icon in contemporary Satanism is
the 1950s Queen of Pin-ups, Betty Page. Betty was photographed between 1950
and 1957 and has been published more than Claudia Schiffer and Marilyn Monroe
put together (according to some sources, at least). She was immortalized as
the ultgood girl gone astray! Her innocent, girl-next door smile and trademark
blunt cut bangs which finished the touches on her raven hued crown...and, lest
we dare forget, AND, those very naughty S & M pictures! Tied up, suspended in
the air, spanking lasses and being spanked by them, in-door and out-door, she
was, is, and will ever be the Queen of Kink. Now, like the enthusiastic
Playboy reader who searches for the hidden bunny ears on each cover, I welcome
any Satanist who was unaware of Betty Page before now to find her on the back
cover of The Black Flame (Vol. 6, #'s 1 & 2). Anything you want on Betty:
T-Shirts, CD's, magnets, Web Sites, books, A & E Biographies, etc., you can
have.
Another Satanic erotic icon is the historical de facto Satanist and
self-admitted Social Darwinist and sexual "brute," the Marquis de Sade. This
infamous and continuously unappreciated philosophical visionary of
Machiavellianism and Social Darwinism literally became juxtaposed with the very
concept of sexual "barbarism." The Sadean philosopher, often a Satanist,
revels in the unique French novels penned by this former prisoner of France's
famous Bastille. His grasp of Social Darwinism and Machiavellian principles,
interwoven with his sexual "dark" aesthetic and not uncommon paeans to Satan
himself, leave the contemporary Satanist in awe as to just how "Satanic" this
historical libertine actually was. A study of his life further fortifies this
hypothesis. That is to say that he lived and died in accord with his own rules
and convictions, regardless of the strength or number of his sheep-like foes
among the various French nobles AND Revolutionaries of his day.
Sade has also been memorialized in the form of surrealism as a painting of
a lady's posterior within a Satanic (inverted) cross, adroitly representing
Sade's predilection for sodomy and his self-identified "Satanic" views.
Regarding the nature of Sade's novels, one must realize who one is dealing
with. Sade was a nobleman, a Marquis. He spent most of his life imprisoned at
the pleasure of his family who were embarrassed about his public "Satanic"
views and curious sexual fetishes involving sodomy and lashings. For that
reason, his views were hammered into thousands of pages of literary works of
art, while his sexual "perversities" were magnified all the more because it was
his sole revenge against the sexually repressed society who had jailed him for
so long. That being so, he wrote two forms of fiction: Fiction he meant to
publish and that which was meant solely as a vehicle for a psychological
catharsis. Hence, some of it is not "that bad" in this Clive Barker
era...however, some of it would send Clive home to his mommy! Not so much
"scary" as brutal!
Still, keep in mind that this was a very educated and philosophically
engaging man who wrote philosophy as sound as any of his more "respectable"
"Satanic" peers. For that reason, when reading Sade, remember that what you're
in for is a few pages of philosophy followed by a few pages of sexual Sadism,
repeated over and over, usually for hundreds of pages!!! Caveat emptor.
Continuing on this theme of Sadism we are brought face-to-face with not
only the beauty of Betty Page, but the subjective image of what she so
exquisitely personified in her S & M photos, the fictional Queen of Slaves: O.
The "Story of O" was published in the days that Betty's Stills were
circulating in their original prints and was authored by, we believe, by a
French woman employing the Pen-Name of Pauline Reage. O has a cult following
to rival Betty Page, the Spice Girls, or, possibly "Jesus Christ," himself!
The "Story of O" is a quick, beautiful look into the psyche of the most
giving woman since the naive Justine. Only, unlike Justine, O is willing with
a sense of cultish fervor. Unfortunately, however, in this reviewer's opinion,
the Story of O was followed by a sequel, "Return to the Chateau." It is my
perspective that the 2nd book abused the majesty displayed by O in the original
novel.
Fortunately, though, the Story of O has been put to film in a rather
tasteful manner. The first version is a condensed version of the book in one
film released during the 1970s. It is a superlative film, with a fairly
impressive cast and budget (very important regarding adult films!). Better yet
is the 10-part series which disects the book, I think, word for word! The
money poured into this project is unreal for an adult film. The sets,
costumes, and props were evoked right from the pages brought to literary life
by Reage. The sad fact is that the producers spent less money on most of their
cast...save for O. They cast O herself, I'm still fairly certain, for the
part! Over all, a very saucy film.
Obviously, many other books and or films are within this genre, such as
the Punishment of Anne, Fanny Hill, and the most famous and star studed-cast
adult film in history, Caligula (starring Malcolm McDowell, among others).
Completely mainstream films that deserve to be numbered among these pictures
include HBO's Rasputin and Bram Stoker's Dracula. On a more sardonic and
Marilyn Manson level, many Satanists may well wish to include The Rocky Horror
Picture Show among the aforementioned dark erotic movies.
Literature?: So many novels and works of philosophy, so little time!!! Ok,
how about a quick list of favorite Satanic authors: Sade, Machiavelli,
Nietzsche, Rand, Darwin, Redbeard, Twain, Chambers, Stoker, Shelley, Voltaire,
Milton, Dante Alighieri, Sartre, Kant, Mills, et cetera.
Total-Environments?: I have been blessed to both live in and visit many
elaborate Satanic lairs which were indeed total-environments influenced by Dr.
LaVey's historic Black House. Nevertheless, the Stratified Satanist has an
aesthetic which is not exclusive to black walled chambers of infernal homage,
and is indicative of "class" before a "goth" appeal. Many "goth" types
erroneously believe that they are Satanists simply because they have a fetish
for things hued black or "gothic" in nature. On the same sheet of music, many
youthful "Satanists" do not understand the older school Satanists who scoff at
"goth" types, presuming that we are too old to be clad in black ourselves! Far
from it. We simply recognize the fact that our archetype is that of a leader,
a lover, a winner, hence, a class act!
In short, whether it is appropriate or not for a Satanist to live the Dark
Aesthetic in accord with their secular needs and lifestyle, it is always there
in one fashion or another. Even if they only wear their Baphomet medallion
when they listen to their favorite song, meet with other Satanists, or during
an act of carnality better left imagined than described, the Satanist will
always embody the Dark Æsthetic. Even if it is only apparent by their trips to
see certain works of art, or by noticing their particular interest in say, Film
Noir or sardonic or surreal films and TV programs as opposed to "Summer Hits"
and Sit-Coms. Even if...big or small, you'll be blinded as you peer through a
glass darkly, and experience the pomp of so much staunch philosophy.
THE END
Note: I am aware that as extensive as this essay/rant is, it could always
accept revisions. Names, genres, etc. not named that should be, ad nauseam.
Levels of depth explored regarding specific topics, and so forth. Suffice to
say that he who stops writing today threatens to write another day! Also,
this, like my essay "Satanic Philosophy," are off the top of my head so, I just
sort of keep building on a theme or three until I'm bored with it. Hence,
we'll examine many themes from many perspectives. Lastly, this article
represents a general overview of the Dark Aesthetic and individual taste from
person to person regarding specific artists and the like may vary within a
reasonable degree and yet remain true to the statistical value of this thesis
of a Satanic Culture.
Ad majorem Satanas gloriam!
William "Starets" Gidney
C/S Member
REX SERPENTINUS
The color black excludes, rejects, withholds, refuses.
We Satanists prefer things that say no.
Art, music, architecture, poetry, ritual, theatre, cinema . . . in all
these forms, those works that say no, that exclude, reject, withhold,
refuse, it's those works we Satanists prefer.
Because saying no gets at the very heart of what we're about.
Rex Serpentinus