Anton Szandor LaVey born April 11, 1930 of Georgian and Alsatian ancestry, is the founder and high Priest of the Church of Satan. He has worked as a lion trainer, police photographer, criminologist, artist, clinical hypnotist, his musical career started when he was five, and through the years he's studied violin, drums, trombone, oboe, piano, organ, calliope. He played the oboe with the San Francisco Ballet orchestra at the age of 16, later to become the city's official organist for all civic functions. He's played band, theatre and pipe organ most of his life and now has the versatility of modern synthesizer's technology, which allows him to duplicate acoustic instruments of all sort.Those who've heard Dr.LaVey playing are already familiar with his magical/musical skills in orchestrating, arranging and performing "occult" music. As a reflecting of the three-dimensional villain, Anton LaVey is a complex and, in many ways, frighteningly deceptive man.Supremely ego-driven, he integrates characteristics most people would consider irreconcilable. On April 30, 1966(Walpurgisnacht) Dr.LaVey proclaimed the opening of the Church of Satan, an elite organization for eccentric, productive non-joiners. LaVey pointed out that "calling it a Church enabled me to follow the magic formula of one part outrage to nine parts social respectability that is needed for success. But the main purpose was to gather a group of like-minded individuals together for the use of their combined energies in calling up the dark force in nature that is called Satan. Of course LaVey pointed out to anyone who would listen that the Devil to him and his followers was not the stereotyped fellow cloaked in red garb, with horns and a tail, holding a pitchfork ready to nail sinful humans who are following their true instincts. Dr. LaVey did study most of the Occult through his life but did find most of it all rubbish and with no sense, more like it was made to confuse the so-called Magician. When he founded the "Magic Circle" in the 1950's along with people who shared the same interest in Magick as Dr.LaVey they discovered that the Black Arts was the most effective way to explore and gain personal development in working with the dark side. It is no exaggeration to say that Anton LaVey did know more about the Occult and Satanic Magick than most of the wanna-be Magicians, he devoted all his life on the Left Hand Path and was the first one in modern history to explain what Satanism is all about. Anton LaVey created in 1966(The Year One) the elite organisation for productive and creative Satanists; Church of Satan. Anton Szandor LaVey is gone but his work and knowledge has made him immortal, do your-self a favor and find out more about him and Satanism. I strongly recommend reading of The Satanic Bible, The Satanic Rituals, The Devil´s Notebook and The Satanic Witch.

Modern Satanism began with Anton Szandor LaVey(1930-1997). On Walpurgisnacht, April 30, 1966, (I Anno Satanas) he created the Church of Satan. The C.O.S. has been going strong ever since. There are three sets of guidelines authored by Anton LaVey.The Nine Satanic Statements, The Nine Satanic Sins and The Eleven Satanic Rules of the Earth. With these guidelines, you will have some insight into the philosophy of Satanism. Please take this article in an realistic and serious way.

The Nine Satanic Statements

1. Satan represents indulgence instead of abstinence.
2. Satan represents vital existence instead of spiritual pipe dreams.
3. Satan represents underfiled wisdom instead of hypocritical self-deceit.
4. Satan represents kindness to those who deserve it instead of love wasted on ingrates.
5. Satan represents vengeance instead of turning the other cheek.
6. Satan represents responsibility to the responsible instead of concern for psychic vampires.
7. Satan represents man as just another animal sometimes better, more often worse than those that walk on all fours who because of his divine spiritual and intellectual development, has become the most vicious animal of all.
8. Satan represents all of the so-called sins, as they all lead to physical, mental, or emotional gratification.
9. Satan has been the best friend the Church has ever had, as he has kept it in business all these years.

The Eleven Satanic Rules of the Earth

1. Do not give opinions or advice unless you are asked.
2. Do not tell your troubles to other unless you are sure they want to hear them.
3. When in another's lair, show him respect or else do not go there.
4. If a guest in your lair annoys you, treat him cruelly and without mercy.
5. Do not make sexual advances unless you are given the mating signal.
6. Do not take that which does not belong to you unless it is a burden to the other person and he cries out to be relieved.
7. Acknowledge the power of magic if you have employed it successfully to obtain your desires. If you deny the power of magic after having called upon it with success, you will lose all you have obtained.
8. Do not complain about anything to which you need not subject yourself.
9. Do not harm little children.
10. Do not kill non-human animals unless you are attacked or for your food.
11. When walking in open territory, bother no one. If someone bothers you, ask him to stop. If he does not stop, destroy him.

The Nine Satanic Sins

1. Stupidity- The top of the list for Satanic Sins. The Cardinal Sin of Satanism. It's too bad that stupidity isn't painful. Ignorance is one thing, but our society thrives increasingly on stupidity. It depends on people going along with whatever they are told. The media promotes a cultivated stupidity as a posture that is not only acceptable but laudable. Satanists must learn to see through the tricks and cannot afford to be stupid.

2. Pretentiousness- Empty posturing can be most irritating and isn't applying the cardinal rules of Lesser Magic. On equal footing with stupidity for what keeps the money in circulation these days. Everyone's made to feel like a big shot, whether they can come up with the goods or not.

3. Solipsism- Can be very dangerous for Satanists. Projecting your reactions, respones and sensibilities onto someone who is probably far less attuned than you are. It is the mistake of expecting people to give you the same consideration, courtesy and respect that you naturally give them. They won't. Instead, Satanists must strive to apply the dictum of "Do unto others as they do unto you." It's work for most of us and requires constant vigilance lest you slip into a comfortable illusion of everyone being like you. As has been said, certain utopias would be ideal in a nation of philosophers, but unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately, from a Machiavellian standpoint) we are far from that point.

4. Self-deceit- It's in the Nine Satanic Statements but deserves to be repeated here. Another cardinal sin. We must not pay homage to any of the sacred cows presented to us, including the roles we are expected to play ourselves. The only time self-deceit should be entered into is when it's fun, and with awareness. But then, it's not self-deceit.

5. Herd Conformity- That's obvious from a Satanic stance. It's all right to conform to a person's wishes, if it ultimately benefits you. But only fools follow along with the herd, letting an impersonal entity dictate to you. The key is to choose a master wisely instead of being enslaved by the whims of the many.

6. Lack of Perspective- Again, this one can lead to a lot of pain for a Satanist. You must never lose sight of who and what you are, and what a threat you can be, by your very existence. We are making history right now, every day. Always keep the wider historical and social picture in mind. That is an important key to both Lesser and Greater Magic. See the patterns and fit things together as you want the pieces to fall into place. Do not be swayed by herd constraints- know that you are working on another level entirely from the rest of the world.

7. Forgetfulness of Past Orthodoxies- Be aware that this is one of the keys to brainwashing people into accepting something "new" and "different," when in reality it's something that was once widely accepted but is now presented in a new package. We are expected to rave about the genius of the "creator" and forget the original. This makes for a disposable society.

8. Counterproductive Pride- That first word is important. Pride is great up to the point you begin to throw out the baby with the bathwater. The rule of Satanism is: if it works for you, great. When it stops working for you, when you've painted yourself into a corner and the only way out is to say, "I'm sorry, I made a mistake, I wish we could compromise somehow," then do it.

9. Lack of Aesthetics- This is the physical application of the Balance Factor. Aesthetics is important in Lesser Magic and should be cultivated. It is obvious that no one can collect any money off classical standards of beauty and form most of the time so they are discouraged in a consumer society, but "an eye" for beauty, for balance, is an essential Satanic tool and must be applied for greatest magical effectiveness. It's not what's supposed to be pleasing, it's what is. Aesthetics is a personal thing, reflective of one's own nature, but there are universally pleasing and harmonious configurations that should not be denied.

The Nine Satanic Statements, The Eleven Satanic Rules of the Earth and The Nine Satanic Sins are copyrighted by Anton Szandor LaVey.

Aleister Crowley - Anne Rice - Anton Szandor LaVey - Arthur Schopenhauer - Charles Baudelaire - Charles Darwin - Edgar Allan Poe - Friedrich Nietzsche - Howard Phillips Lovecraft - J.R.R. Tolkien - Karl Marx - Lord Byron - Marquis de Sade - Mary Shelley - Sigmund Freud - Stephen King