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The 4 pillars
The Four Pillars of Traditional Satanism
by Jason King
Cathedral of the Black Goat Council of 6 member
On what grounds do we claim the title, Traditional Satanist?
What traditions do we indicate by such a designation? There are
minimally four such streams of tradition, which though each may
provide only a partial picture, when combined, act to define what it
means to be a Satanist in the truly traditional sense of the term.
We feel at liberty to define neither Satan nor Satanism by recourse
to our own fanciful notions, for both of these ideas have been in
use for literally centuries, and are not disputed terms, except
paradoxically within the so-called "Satanist scene". Everybody knows
who Satan is, and Satanism is simply the religion which declares
Satan for its God. We don't get to rename him as we see fit, or
redefine him according to our own neurotic needs. Satan is simply
Satan, period.
If one desires to flesh this out a bit more, and get to the
real meat of what Satanism entails, then one should look to history,
and recognize the four streams of living tradition from which we can
synthesize a coherent framework which underlies any true devotional
and practical Satanism. There are two general observations at the
outset. First, and foremost, Satan is a real supernatural being.
Anyone who says different may call themself a Satanist, but they
have to bend over backward on a daily basis to try and explain why
they insist on using a word outside of all proper historical
context. Second, and perhaps of equal importance, due to the vast
inequity between men and gods, each tradition received bears
fundamental limitations, or in other words, paints a necessarily
incomplete, and often misleading picture of the gods, angels, and
demons. We use each tradition to reinforce and correct the
inadequacies of the others, but we are still in the realm of, at
best, partial knowledge. With this important caveat in mind, let us
indicate the four pillars of Traditional Satanism.
The First Pillar: The Al-Jilwah
The most pure of the traditions of Satanism is a revelation
from Satan delivered to the person of Sheikh Adi in the 12th Century
entitled Al-Jilwah, or The Revelation. What separates this tradition
from the others is that the first person "speaker" is Lord Satan
Himself. Key understandings drawn from the Al-Jilwah include the
power and providence of the Master, as well as His promise to
reward those who are faithful to His dictates.
The Second Pillar: First Century Gnosticism
Early Christianity was far more eclectic than the garbage we
are left with today, all of which owes its origin either directly or
indirectly to Roman Catholicism. In the First Century, what would
eventually become Catholicism was only one of many sects. Among this
myriad of Jesus-worshippers was a group that had achieved a partial
understanding of the Master, which was remarkable for that era.
Today we call these ancient proto-Satanists "gnostics", after the
method of their enlightenment. What the gnostic Christians were able
to key in on was the fact that although the god of the Hebrews was
in fact the demiurgos, or "fashioner" of the world of matter, he is
neither supreme nor the true benefactor of mankind. It was instead
the serpent of Eden (read: Satan!) who was the ally of mankind.
Although we can credit these ancient people with such an
understanding, we must keep in mind that their overall worldview was
still "Christocentric", and hence flawed, but given the time and
place of their subsistence, no less remarkable. The stream of
tradition we trace back to these people is given a more proper
systematic placement relative to the other three pillars.
The Third Pillar: Elizabethan-era Black Witchcraft
There have always been those brave individuals who have
dared the flaming pyres of the Christian churches, and bonded their
souls in the service of Satan. However, in much the same way that
all early alternative accounts of the life and teachings of Jesus
were destroyed, we are left with a bare minimum of surviving
documentation of their discoveries. Of the little we do have, almost
all is relatively late, comparatively speaking. The primary value of
such surviving texts is twofold: first to establish the pedigree of
our faith, which despite what may be claimed elsewhere, is ancient;
and second to illustrate what works and what doesn't from a ritual
standpoint. Deciphering such grimoires can be a challenge to even
the most dedicated servant of the Master, which is why we must
affirm their meaning relative to the other pillars - each reinforces
the others, as has been repeatedly emphasized.
The Fourth Pillar: The scriptures of the enemy
Any true warrior knows that knowledge of the opposition is
key to victory. Given this fact, it stands to reason that Lord
Satan's opposition would endow the flock of his sheep with a
knowledge of the Master. Though commentary will of course be slanted
toward their side, it does their god no good whatsoever to downplay
the significance of their adversary (Satan), or ignore His power and
influence. So we find that Genesis tells us just exactly who told
Eve the truth and who lied, regardless of how the author chose to
gloss those blatant facts. We find that Paul himself must admit that
Satan is the God of this world, etc. Again, we must be careful that
we separate the fact from the propaganda by recourse to the other
pillars, but make no mistake about it, there are facts to be had,
even in the enemy's books.
5:15 PM
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