The Satanic Revival

Extract from Seán Manchester's published writings on Satanism:

The major axioms of Satanism, as it would later develop in the 1960s, were contained in Aleister Crowley’s Liber Legis, or The Book of the Law. The credo of the book was summed up in the now infamous phrase “Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.” Crowley’s next important literary contribution was The Equinox (1909). Many of the ideas contained in this latter work became the basis for modern Satanism. Weighing 3.5 lb per volume, these were the journals of his newly formed Order of the Silver Star aka Argenteum Astrum. In 1929 came Crowley’s Magick in Theory and Practice. His American publishers, Dover, made a selling point of the claim that the book contains Crowley’s admission that he himself carried out ritual killings of children, a point not lost on a certain Henry Bibby at the beginning of the twenty-first century. On 12 February 2001, Bibby, who had changed his name to “Edward Crowley” in 1998 owing to his obsession with the Edwardian Satanist, was sentenced to life imprisonment at the Old Bailey for carrying out a Crowleyite ritual of child sacrifice on an innocent twelve-year-old victim named Diego Pineiro-Villar. He stabbed the boy over thirty times in Covent Garden, London, on 8 May 2000.

Having recommended to his readers the choice of “a male child of perfect intelligence,” Crowley later acknowledges that some of his acolytes might be squeamish when it comes to ritual sacrifice and offers the following conscience clause: “Those magicians who object to the use of blood have endeavoured to replace it with incense … But the bloody sacrifice, though more dangerous, is more efficacious; and for nearly all purposes human sacrifice is best.” Crowley offered no comforting disclaimers. He described his opus as a course of training, to help people from all walks of life “fulfill themselves perfectly.” And he promises that “the student will discover … a practical method of making himself a magician.” Within the same work, Crowley makes reference to unspecified progressive forms of blood sacrifice and he advocates self-mutilation, the offering of blood and virginity, and animal sacrifice by crucifixion. Crowley notoriously baptised a frog and called it “Jesus Christ” and then crucified it. This was in 1916, while living in New Hampshire, USA, during his induction ceremony to raise himself to the rank of magus. The remainder of Crowley’s life is a long legacy of perversion and evil. He believed that degrading sexual practice and drug use destroyed the consciousness of any sense of morality. This in turn enabled the consciousness, deprived of any sense of “ought” or “law,” to come under the influence of powerful supernatural beings. Jerry Johnston in The Edge of Evil (after the Enyclopedia of Occultism and Parasychology) has it that Crowley’s own son died a ritual death.

Jack Parsons, a rocket scientist, started a branch of Crowley’s Thelemic Satanism in Pasadena, California. He later changed his name to Belarian Armiluss Al Dajjaj Antichrist, and pledged himself to fulfill the work of the Beast 666, having supposedly been Crowley’s appointed “spiritual son.” Much of present-day American occultism can be traced back to the formation of Parson’s Pasadena chapter of the Ordo Templi Orientis during World War Two. In March 1946, Parsons was to try to call down the biblical Whore of Babylon into the womb of a living woman by a combination of strenuous copulation and incantation for three days. The female was a member of Ordo Templi Orientis. Keeping detailed records of Parsons unsuccessful black magic rite was friend and scribe Lafayette Ron Hubbard. Four years later Hubbard lay the foundations for his own religious cult, Scientology which, in turn, spawned the DeGrimstons, a British couple who were to establish the overtly satanic Process Church of the Final Judgement that took root in the counter-culture of the early 1960s. Founded by Robert Moore and Mary Anne MacLean, who were later to rename themselves the DeGrimstons, according to their literature, they worshipped a trinity of Jehovah, Lucifer and Satan. The role of Satan as executioner was further expressed in the following utterance by the church: “My prophecy upon this wasted earth and upon corrupt creation that squats upon its ruined surface is: THOU SHALT KILL!”

Contemporary Satanism is divided into three distinct realities: solitary Satanists, prohibited underground cults, and neo-satanic groups. The Christian Church has always abhorred Satanism and its practice. The biblical warnings against all occult practices are clear (Leviticus 19: 26 – 31; 20: 6; Deuteronomy 13: 1 – 5; 18: 9 – 14; Isaiah 8: 19 – 22; Jeremiah 29: 8 – 9; et al). Additionally, the Bible speaks of Satan as being the “god of this age” (2 Corinthians 4: 4) who is the deceiver of the human race (Genesis 3: 4 – 13) and the arch-enemy of God (Matthew 4: 6; John 8: 44; 2 Corinthians 2: 11). Satan afflicts the righteous (Job), reigns in dominion over sinners (Acts 26: 18), attempts to reclaim Christians for himself (Ephesians 6: 12), and inspires deceptive and lying wonders (2 Thessalonians 2: 9). Traditional Christianity has steadily continued to defend the classical paradigms despite some modernists no longer subscribing to a literal supernatural reality that personifies evil. Yet nobody can deny the existence of Satanists who worship the Devil. Satanism continues to attract interest and involvement among people at each of its various levels. It is a complex issue, not easily dealt with concisely. There are many who merely dabble, mercenaries who use it for commercial interests, others who use it for hedonistic purposes, and finally those who immerse themselves with the utmost seriousness in ritualistic worship of Satan and commit violent crimes in their zealous quest to carry out their master’s bidding. It is virtually impossible to discover the number of authentic Satanists because of their axiom of silence and their clandestine nature.

Satanic symbols in a Highgate Cemetery mausoleum in the 1970s.

What, then, is authentic Satanism? A contemporary British satanic magazine, Fenrir, published by the Thormynd Press in Shropshire, England, featured an article in its third issue titled “A Gift for the Prince.” The following are extracts: “Human sacrifice is powerful magick. The ritual death of an individual does two things: it releases energy … and it draws down dark forces. Sacrifice can be voluntary, of an individual, or involuntary … or results from events brought about by satanic ritual and/or planning (such as wars). Voluntary sacrifice usually only occurs every seventeen years as part of the ceremony of recalling. … An involuntary sacrifice is when an individual or individuals are chosen by a group, Temple, Order. Such sacrifices are usually sacrificed on the Spring Equinox. Great care is needed in choosing a sacrifice: the object being to dispose of a difficult individual or individuals without arousing undue suspicion. … The bodies are then buried or otherwise disposed of, care being taken if they are found, for suspicion not to fall on any of those involved. Those involved, of course, must be sworn to secrecy and warned that if they break their oath their own existence will be terminated. Breaking the oath of sacrifice draws down upon them the vengeance of all satanic groups. … Those who participate in the Ritual of Sacrifice must revel in the death(s): it being the duty of the Master and Mistress to find suitable participants.” Earlier in the text the unnamed author describes as the choicest victims for sacrifice: “interfering Nazarenes [Christians], those attempting to disrupt in some way established Satanist groups or Orders (eg journalists) and political/business individuals whose activities are detrimental to the Satanist spirit.” Another satanic publication, called the Black Flame, asserts: “The end times are here, the final days of the rule of the cross. The world will be swept by a wave of satanic individuals who will stand forth to claim their birthright as humans, proud of their nature. … An elite of the able will move forward towards the true destiny of our species, to master ourselves and the Universe.”

Twelve years before the end of the last century, I wrote: “All evidence points to the growing belief that the age of the antichrist has arrived, announcing the final age as foretold by Paul in his second letter to Timothy: ‘This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, truce-breakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.’ (2 Timothy 3: 1-5). … The final confrontation is approaching ― the one piece of information the Satanists cannot shrug off and therefore include in their pernicious propaganda. … Even the Satanists themselves are aware that the Second Advent of Christ is extremely close which would explain why they are being driven to such excess. They cannot win. They must not.” (From Satan To Christ, Holy Grail, 1988, pages 75-76).

Crowley’s influence on modern witchcraft cannot be overestimated, but the Edwardian occultist was quintessentially a black magician who was to become the major inspiration behind the satanic revival in the 1960s. Someone who helped to perpetuate the cult of Aleister Crowley is the American film maker Kenneth Anger. Born in 1930 in Santa Monica, California, Anger grew up in the shadow of Hollywood and participated in his first film rôle at the age of four years. From his late teens he became obsessed with homo-erotic themes and diabolism. This led to him becoming, in his own words, “a disciple of the Satanist Aleister Crowley.” His most infamous film is Lucifer Rising which was begun in 1966, but production came to a halt when its lead actor died and the person to replace him then stole all the central footage. Anger released the remaining footage in 1966, followed by a 25 minutes’ version in 1973. The completed 45 minutes’ version was finally released in 1980.

I had been engaged in covert operations within the occult underworld from early in the 1970s. This became increasingly difficult following the 1985 release of my unexpurgated account covering the Highgate case, plus publication of another book three years later, which meant that it was no longer safe to continue undercover.

From Satan To Christ ended my covert operations.

A television crew were filming at Pond Square in Highgate where, helped by journalist Iris Peters, I had managed to gain the confidence of a number of notable Left-hand Path occultists. Only three people present during that afternoon’s filming were aware of my real credentials and what the purpose was of the filming. The cameras rolled. A member of the crew moved some candles nearer for the close-up shots. One of my colleagues expressed concern about the large number of people present, but it was probably by now too late to do anything about it. Filming continued when suddenly there was an almighty explosion.

Flames shot in all directions. Filming was abandoned, and an emergency meeting called that evening. A verdict of sabotage was reached. I had been rumbled either prior to the day, enabling an explosive mixture to be planted in a container where a candle would be lit, or possibly even on the day itself. It would have been relatively easy for the mixture to be added by someone present. Either way, it no longer seemed a good idea to work undercover in this way. One final operation would nevertheless await execution. It came like a bolt out of the blue. I had not anticipated being drawn back; yet I had no choice.

*       *       *