Anton LaVey and the Church of Satan: Infernal Wisdom from the Devil's Den
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By Carl Abrahmsson
In Wlpugis Night 1966 Anton Lavey announced th birth of the Church of Satan. Dressed in a cape and devil's horns he stormed out onto the American scene. The naked women on his alters helped attract followers to his new religion. this new religion attracted the likes of Sammy Davis Jr., Jane Mansfield, Kenneth Anger, Ruth Wyat and Larry Wessel to name a few. Anton's philosophy did not preach faith in a deity or even a reward for an afterlife what it did promise was individual freedom and responsibility. His philosophy was a philosophy of atheism or belief in no deity whatsoever. Anton Lavey was a hard materialist, he did not believe in the spirit world. Once you died that was it so you better enjoy it now. He preached indulgence in the things we liked but he warned against gluttony and he absolutely abhorred abstinence. What for ? Why deny yourself ? man is a carnal creature who is meant to enjoy theb physical pleasured of this world.
His background before founding the Church of Satan was that of an organ player at carnivals and a police photographer. this background plus his secular Jewish upbringing gve him a unique perspecive. He kew what mankind was capable of. He infused his life experiences into his magic. Modern psychology, photography and modern science infused his magicl practice. His philosophy took from Ayn rand and Nietche along with Jungian ideas. Anton mixed it together and made a creation that many could partake in so they coud embrace personal freedom. He taught out of the Black House on California Street which is locted nin San Francisco. His house embraced a concept of his called Total Environment. In this it is much like creating a ritual space but you are creating an environment that creates a fantasy scnario that is cut off from the world. He also embraced another concepts called Erotic Crystallization Initiative. This concept embraced the concept of harnessing energy of your fit erotic experience and taking it forard as an energy draw. His house had a mock bar scen with ladies, bar tenders and music. Anton loved that environment. He also kept at one point a lion and a tiger.
Anton Lavey was a spiritual innovator. He combined old ideas with his life experience and modern science like psychology, film etc. Hence he was very progressive and enlihtened for his time. He founded the Church of Satan during the 60's and that was an era of free love. Anton Lavey did not think it wise to just love everybody because. You did not have relations with people just because. You had to be epicurean or selective about who you befriended or had relations with . One did not pig out on their favorite food rather one partook of their favorie food and enjoyed it. Pigging out lead to health problems. He surrounded himself people of all races, sexual orientations and lifestyles. He was very progressive in his acceptance of homosexuals and of the transgendered. Adults were free to choose in what they indulged in as long as it did not interfere with the lives of others.
The first part of the book focuses on his life and his biography. The second part is interviews with famous and not so famous people who met him and wee influenced by him. Most of the interviews are with people who were directly involved with the Church of Satan. Individuals such as Peter Gilmore, Peggy Nedrania, Blanch Barton and Xerxes Lavey were intimately involved with the church. Other like Kenneth Anger, Robert Johnson and Ruth Wyats were celebrities who became involved with the church Many of questions ask how they came into contact with Anton Lavey and his Church, they also ask a slew of other questions that delve deeply into Anton's personality an philosophy.
