[I added the emphasis on OCCULTISM in the second paragraph. --Ceci]

HORNS ACROSS THE WATER: SATANISM IN BRITAIN AND AMERICA 
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by Michael A. Aquino,Ph.D 
High Priest, Temple of Set 
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   Retrospectively, it is difficult to say why British and American  Satanic
movements haven't interacted more with one another over the last  two decades.
The two principal American Satanic institutions - the Temple  of Set and its
forerunner, the Church of Satan - both inherited key  components of their
symbolism and ritual practices from British occult  predecessors. And since we
have enjoyed twenty-two years of success in  the U.S. and Canada, it would seem
natural that we would have developed  overseas contacts in the U.K. With the
exception of a few isolated  memberships from time to time, however, such
cross-fertilization never  took place. 
  
   During the same two decades, American Satanists have seen very
little evidence of a strong Satanic culture in Britain. British
OCCULTISM seems perpetually polarized into two principal camps, the
Wiccan (in which one may lump neo-Druids and other assorted
back-to-nature New Agers) and the quasi-Masonic (in which one may lump
Rosicrucian, Thelemic, Theosophical, and other assorted
Cabalistic/ceremonial movements). Wiccans - if yours are like ours -
huffily deny any conncection with Satanism, although they are quite
happy to affect and exploit the SATANIC glamor of the term
"witch". And while Rosicrucian movements are frequently labeled
"cults" - hence "evil" - by conventional churches, anyone who has
studied them realizes that, if anything, they are even MORE pious
where the "Great Architect of the Universe" is concerned. Even
Thelema, popularly regarded as the "bad boy" of Rosicrucianism, shies
away from the Left-Hand Path.  Although Crowley never hesitated to
invoke Satanic imagery when it suited his whimsical or satirical
purposes, he certainly did not consider either himself or his
philosophy as Satanic in the traditional sense.
  
   Contemporary America's first taste of something resembling an
undiluted British Satanism came from the U.S. publication in the
1960's of three of Dennis Wheatley's Satanic novels: THE DEVIL RIDES
OUT, TO THE DEVIL A DAUGHTER, and THE SATANIST.  Wheatley borrowed
liberally from G.'.D.'./A.'.A.'. terminology, of course, but still
managed to portray his LHP villains as straight line Satanists rather
than as Thelemites.  Wheatley's Satanists were elegant, powerful,
mysterious, and [except for the inevitable triumph-of-God finale]
insidiously successful in whatever they wanted to do. This was a
powerful aphrodisiac for certain American occultists who were
impatient with "parlor" esoterica. A San Francisco sorceror named
Anton LaVey founded the Church of Satan in 1966, and the spectacular
success of "ROSEMARY'S BABY" a couple of years later catapulted the
Church into national prominence.
  
The Church of Satan borrowed more atmosphere than substance from
Wheatley. It had been conceived not as an "inverse-Christianity"
movement, but rather as one dedicated to responsible and guilt-free
self indulgence. Judaeo/- Christianity was castigated for its
hypocrisy and repression; otherwise it was considered
irrelevant. Although the Black Mass was included in the Church's
ceremonial inventory, it consisted of highly stylized psychodrama
rather than ritual murder, crucified bats, or turnip-attacks on
virgins.
  
   The open, experimental culture of the late 60's and early 70's in
the United States was stimulating to the growth of the Church of
Satan. It developed local Grottos in many major cities, and its
Priests and Priestesses were always in demand for lectures, media
appearances, and symposia. By the early 1970's it had grown to a total
membership of about 250 individuals, and was well on its way to
becoming a permanent fixture in American society.
  
   The Church of Satan didn't successfully transmigrate to the U.K.,
however, and never had more than one or two British members. Its
activities were primarily U.S.-focused, and no real thought was given
to encouraging overseas affiliations.

  
Then, in 1975, disaster struck. Anton LaVey suddenly announced that
the Satanic Priesthood and all higher initiatory degrees in the Church
would henceforth be available in return for cash contributions.
Previously they had been strictly achievement-determined, and the
Satanic Priesthood in particular had been regarded as a sacred
office. Virtually the entire functioning infrastructure of the Church
resigned in protest and created the Temple of Set to carry forward the
principles of Satanism in their uncorrupted form. At the same time the
symbolism and imagery employed were removed from the constraints of
the Judaeo/Christian idiom. Set became the recognized image for the
Powers of Darkness in their earliest historical personification by
humanity, and many of the ceremonial Workings of the Temple
oncorporated Egyptian, rather than medieval or Renaissance European
imagery accordingly.
  
   The Temple of Set, however, is not merely or even principally a
neo-Egyptian institution. From its founding it has endeavored to
apprehend and incorporate the principles of what Judaeo/Christian
culture caricatures as "Satanism" from all cultures and philosophical
patterns of thought. Specialized Orders within the Temple exist much
as academic departments in universities, to enable Setians to focus
their personal initiatory efforts in areas most interesting and
meaningful to them. While there are local groups (Pylons) within the
Temple, similar to the old Church of Satan's Grottos, the Temple is
configured to function primarily on an interpersonal basis. Most of
its members are geographically remote from one another, co our
administrative services emphasize maximum use of the electronic and
postal mails.
  
   This would seem to be an ideal situation for international
interaction with the U.K., but once again the Temple devoted more time
to building up its Untied States base of activity than to overseas
expansion. And, in another deliberate departure from the Church of
Satan, the Temple declined media exposure almost without exception -
the rationale being that such activities had at least to some extent
turned the Church of Satan - not unlike many other modern occult
personalities or movements - into a "media whore" whose worth tended
to be judged by press coverage.  Disgusted with media-whore occultism
in general, the Temple founders determined that we would concentrate
on our own magical and philosophical development, and let the Temple
grow primarily by the individual recommendations of satisfied
Initiates. That accounted for the growth of the Temple in North
America, but was not conducive to overseas exposure.
  
  Visiting London in 1983, I looked around for individuals or
organizations suitable for contact. In the U.S. we usually begin with
specialized bookstores.  Most London bookdealers, however, responded
with something between mild distaste and outright horror when even the
topic of Crowley was brought up, much less Satanism. Eventually I
found my way to the Atlantis Bookshop, which by all accounts was the
most diabolical bookstore in the city - but even its "Satanic"
inventory was comparatively sparse and outdated. I left some Temple
brochures with the old gentleman behind the counter, but his shocked
reaction to the existence of a large, institutional Satanic religious
organization didn't reassure me that they would be prominently
displayed. [I should append that in 1987 I revisited Atlantis, now
under new management, and was graciously received.]
  
   The turning-point has apparently come with the British release of
Nevill Drury's Australian book THE OCCULT EXPERIENCE, which includes a
chapter on the Temple of Set. [THE OCCULT EXPERIENCE was originally a
documentary film - remarkable not only for its first coverage of the
Temple of Set, but also for Alex Saunders accidentally setting his
Aztec jockstrap on fire, New York city shamans howling and waving
rattles, H.R. Giger's mother telling him to behave himself, Wiccans
freezing skyclad in the snow, and the Fellowship of Ithith.]
  
  THE OCCULT EXPERIENCE has prompted a number of inquiries, and
several new affiliations, from the U.K. Each year the Temple holds a
Conclave where Initiates can meet for business, fellowship, and
magical Workings. Although our fall 1988 Conclave is already set for
Toronto, we are thinking of London for the fall 1989 event. This would
enable as least some trans-Atlantic Setians to meet their British
brethren, and would also bring a Conclave within easier reach of our
Initiates in Belgium, Germany, and Spain.

    A unique philosophical identity for Satanism is not really all
that hard to establish. It focuses upon humanity as an actor
exercising and strengthening its conscious opposition to the
non-conscious inertia of the cosmos, not as a part of that cosmos
whose salvation lies in the direction of increased assimilation into
it. Here the Satanist is closer to Machiavelli, Hobbes, Nietzsche than
to Crowley, and deliberately cultivates what Eric Hoffer referred to
as "the unnaturalness of human nature". Once this principle is
postulated, an entire corpus of initiatory development - the TRUE
Left-Hand Path - opens before the aspirant. It is precisely upon this
exhilarating adventure that first the Church of Satan and then the
Temple of Set have been embarked these past 22 years.  Therein, we
feel, are to be found the true secrets of human psychic evolution and
deification.
  
   It would be pleasant indeed to share this adventure with fellow
Satanists from those magical islands in the North Sea which can justly
claim to be one of the world's true centers of civilization. We would
like to see the Temple of Set become truly international. And if
British Satanists yearn for the elegant malevolence of Charles Gray in
his portrayal of Dennis Wheatley's Mocata ["I will not be back...but
SOMETHING will!"], well, we shall not try to disappoint them in that
regard either.