In 1975, after ten years of exploring its identity, the original Church of Satan confronted the limitations of its Judæo-Christian imagery and a dismissal of humanity as a self-indulgent animal species. An ethical crisis in that year resulted in the organizational and metaphysical transformation of the Church into the Temple of Set, which in subsequent decades went on to become the preeminent initiatory institution premised upon the affirmation and evolution of the individual consciousness to divine essence and immortality. This book recounts the Temple's creation and early development, by its founding High Priest, Michael Aquino. It is more a memoir than a history, because the scope of the Temple and the works of its many Initiates are far too diverse for any single book. Included is also an extensive theoretical discussion of Setian cosmology, philosophy, and magic: the famous "Black Magic" from the _Crystal Tablet of Set_. The text is augmented by 97 detailed appendices on a variety of topics by many different Setians over the years. This is a 2-volume work compressed to reduce the 431,000-word set to below 1,000 pages. Volume I is in color; Volume II black/white.

Philosophy of the Temple of Set.

A 17th-century French haberdasher invented the Black Mass. An 18th-century English Cabinet Minister administered the Eucharist to a baboon. High-ranking Catholic authorities in the 19th century believed that Satan appeared in Masonic lodges in the shape of a crocodile and played the piano there. A well-known scientist from the 20th century established a cult of the Antichrist and exploded in a laboratory experiment. Three Italian girls in 2000 sacrificed a nun to the Devil. A Black Metal band honored Satan in Krakow, Poland, in 2004 by exhibiting on stage 120 decapitated sheep heads. Some of these stories, as absurd as they might sound, were real. Others, which might appear to be equally well reported, are false. But even false stories have generated real societal reactions. For the first time, Massimo Introvigne proposes a general social history of Satanism and anti-Satanism, from the French Court of Louis XIV to the Satanic scares of the late 20th century, satanic themes in Black Metal music, the Church of Satan, and beyond.

New Age, Neopagan, and New Religious Movements is the most extensive study to date of modern American alternative spiritual currents. Hugh B. Urban covers a range of emerging religions from the mid-nineteenth century to the present, including the Nation of Islam, Mormonism, Scientology, ISKCON, Wicca, the Church of Satan, Peoples Temple, and the Branch Davidians. This essential text engages students by addressing major theoretical and methodological issues in the study of new religions and is organized to guide students in their learning. Each chapter focuses on one important issue involving a particular faith group, providing readers with examples that illustrate larger issues in the study of religion and American culture. Urban addresses such questions as, Why has there been such a tremendous proliferation of new spiritual forms in the past 150 years, even as our society has become increasingly rational, scientific, technological, and secular? Why has the United States become the heartland for the explosion of new religious movements? How do we deal with complex legal debates, such as the use of peyote by the Native American Church or the practice of plural marriage by some Mormon communities? And how do we navigate issues of religious freedom and privacy in an age of religious violence, terrorism, and government surveillance?

A history of the world's most notorious religion, now twenty-five years old. An account of the many strange & sensational events that surrounded the Black Pope, Anton LaVey & his thousands of followers as they ushered in a new era of indulgence & carnality, based on pleasure instead of self-denial. Details the evenings spent with LaVey's Magic Circle, peopled with artists, writers & filmmakers whose names will be familiar, & points out de-facto Satanists throughout history, such as Benjamin Franklin & Mark Twain. Chapters include "Satan's Master Plan" & "How to Perform Satanic Rituals." Appendices list diabolically-inspired books, films & music, as well as a digest of letters the Church has received over the years. Debunks the many myths & misconceptions regarding Satanism that have been promulgated on the talk-show circuit. THE CHURCH OF SATAN is both a history & a handbook, written as a companion volume to LaVey's SATANIC BIBLE, whichoccult book merchants assert is "the all-time occult bestseller."

A comprehensive guide to the history and practice of Angular Magic • Details the development of the magical system of the Nine Angles by the Church of Satan and the Temple of Set, as well as its internal body, the Order of the Trapezoid • Analyzes the 3 key rites of Angular Magic: Die Elektrischen Vorspiele, the Ceremony of the Nine Angles, and the Call to Cthulhu • Explores historical influences on Angular Magic, including Pythagorean number mysticism, John Dee’s Enochian magic, and the writings of H. P. Lovecraft • Includes practical examples, daily practices, and guidance on creating your own rituals Revealing the magical uses of number and geometry as tools for introspection, self-development, and creating change in both the inner and outer worlds, Toby Chappell explores the rites, history, and potent practices of Angular Magic and Infernal Geometry, the Left-Hand Path of Sacred Geometry. Focusing on the advanced magical system of the Nine Angles, he details the system’s development by the early Church of Satan and later the Temple of Set, as well as its internal body, the Order of the Trapezoid. He shows how the system first emerged in the Ceremony of the Nine Angles, written by Michael Aquino and published in Anton Szandor LaVey’s The Satanic Rituals. He explores historical influences on Angular Magic, including Pythagorean number mysticism, John Dee’s Enochian magic, the theories of William Mortensen, and, most importantly, the writings of H. P. Lovecraft as well as other contributors to his Cthulhu mythos. The author analyzes the 3 key rites of Angular Magic: Die Elektrischen Vorspiele, the Ceremony of the Nine Angles, and the Call to Cthulhu, expanding upon them to demonstrate how readers can craft their own rituals. He examines the Nine Angles individually, detailing their keywords, powers, and related deities, and explains how each can be used in magical practices and as part of an ongoing initiatory process. He offers practical examples, including use of Angular Magic in divination, sigils, and magical symbols, and guidance on creating your own practices--a core component of the ever-evolving Left-Hand Path. Offering a self-directed path of magic and empowerment, previously unavailable to those outside the Temple of Set, Chappell shows how the Nine Angles must be worked with and experienced personally in order to effect true transformation and change.

The Pulitzer Prize–winning author of The Color Purple weaves a “glorious and iridescent” tapestry of interrelated lives in this New York Times bestseller (Library Journal). Includes a new letter written by the author In The Temple of My Familiar, Celie and Shug from The Color Purple subtly shadow the lives of dozens of characters, all dealing in some way with the legacy of the African experience in America. From recent African immigrants, to a woman who grew up in the mixed-race rainforest communities of South America, to Celie’s own granddaughter living in modern-day San Francisco, all must come to understand the brutal stories of their ancestors to come to terms with their own troubled lives. As Walker follows these astonishing characters, she weaves a new mythology from old fables and history, a profoundly spiritual explanation for centuries of shared African American experience. This ebook features an illustrated biography of Alice Walker including rare photos from the author’s personal collection. The Temple of My Familiar is the 2nd book in the Color Purple Collection, which also includes The Color Purple and Possessing the Secret of Joy.

Despite the fascinating nature of religious Satanism, it has attracted little scholarship until relatively recently. This book brings together a group of international scholars to produce the first serious book-length study of religious Satanism, presenting a collection that will have wide appeal to specialists and non-specialists alike. The first part contains broader studies of influential groups and important aspects of the Satanic milieu, especially regarding historical developments, the construction of tradition and issues of legitimacy. The second part narrows the view to regional variations, especially with studies on Northern and Eastern Europe. The third part consists of primary documents selected for their representational and informational value.

As a religious institution consecrated by and literally acknowledging the Prince of Darkness, the Church of Satan enjoyed an inspiring, and occasionally either thrilling or terrifying, existence from 1966 to 1975. Beginning as a whimsical and satirical countercultural statement against the social and institutionally-religious hypocrisy of the 1960s, the Church of Satan proceeded to evolve into a positive, sincere, and [to its own surprise] virtuous organization, though not without periodic individual and group growing pains: the consequence of allegiance to a supernatural entity only dimly apprehended and understood by Western Judæo-Christianized civilization. From its 1979 1st Edition to this 2013 8th, _The Church of Satan_ remains the only complete documentary history of that fascinating and bizarre adventure, from Anton & Diane LaVey's founding of the Church in their San Francisco home to its surprising dissolution into a secular business a decade later and metaphysical supersession by the Temple of Set. Ever since its 1981 2nd Edition, _The Church of Satan_'s growing size made it impossible to print. Volume I of this 8th Edition finally fits all of the text and plates into fewer than 500 pages: 285,300 words, 39 chapters, 73 color plates. This companion Volume II contains all 161 Appendices (247,000 words, 460 pages, B&W). Both volumes should be acquired and read together.]

As a religious institution consecrated by and literally acknowledging the Prince of Darkness, the Church of Satan enjoyed an inspiring, and occasionally either thrilling or terrifying, existence from 1966 to 1975. Beginning as a whimsical and satirical countercultural statement against the social and institutionally-religious hypocrisy of the 1960s, the Church of Satan proceeded to evolve into a positive, sincere, and [to its own surprise] virtuous organization, though not without periodic individual and group growing pains: the consequence of allegiance to a supernatural entity only dimly apprehended and understood by Western Judæo-Christianized civilization. From its 1979 1st Edition to this 2013 8th, _The Church of Satan_ remains the only complete documentary history of that fascinating and bizarre adventure, from Anton & Diane LaVey's founding of the Church in their San Francisco home to its surprising dissolution into a secular business a decade later and metaphysical supersession by the Temple of Set. Ever since its 1981 2nd Edition, _The Church of Satan_'s growing size made it impossible to print. This 8th Edition finally fits all of the text and plates into fewer than 500 pages: 285,300 words, 39 chapters, 73 color plates. [A companion _The Church of Satan II_ volume (imminently also available in this same format & distribution) contains all 161 Appendices in a similar-sized B&W book. Both volumes should be acquired and read together.]