{"collection":"bos","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/browse/bos/bos311.htm","path":"bos/bos311.htm","source_url":"https://sacred-texts.com/bos/bos311.htm","text":"Internet Book of Shadows, (Various Authors), [1999]\n \n \n \n Satanism, A Personal Definition \n By Delphine\n \n Please keep in mind that Satanism is a *very* individualistic\n religion, and if you asked 50 Satanists what Satanism is, you'd\n probably get 60 different responses. As a solitaire Satanist, I'll\n have a go at this.. but I'm pretty bad at trying to summarize what I\n believe, so please feel free to ask me questions.\n \n For me, these are the most important things I believe as a Satanist:\n *I believe in Satan as a literal entity. Many other Satanists do not,\n esp. those from the LaVey school of thought.\n \n *Satan is NOT a fallen angel, or a lesser created being, but instead a\n deity with as much power (for lack of a better word) as any other. He\n is the Shadow, a Destroying Deity.. and by such destruction,he purif-\n ies, for death of anything leads the way for rebirth. He is a symbol\n of rebellion, of pride, and of righteous anger. He brings freedom, in\n many different ways.\n \n * My first care is to myself, for if I am unable to serve myself, I\n have no basis by which to judge the actions of others. I strive for\n excellence, in a sense, very close to what Setians call \"Xeper\".\n \n *I believe in free will, with the understanding that \"with freedom\n comes responsibility\". I do not accept the threefold law, or any\n specific prohibitions like \"harm none\". In relating to others, I use\n the rule \"do unto others AS they do unto you\". If I am harmed or\n treated with dishonor, I will not continue to treat such persons in a\n way that is more than they deserve. Revenge, at the proper time and in\n a fitting manner, is acceptable behavior. If there are consequences to\n such revenge, I will accept them responsibly.\n \n *I will endeavor to be honorable about my own actions, and I will\n expect the same behavior from others.\n \n *I see Satan in Nature, in the floods, hurricanes, volcanoes, and\n tidal waves. I see fundamental laws in Nature, that death is as\n necessary as life. I am humbled and empowered by this, for though it\n blindly destroys, it is yet a part of me, as deity is immanent and\n transcendant to me. Satan the transcendant is that excellence that I\n strive for, Satan the immanent is the spark in me that strives.\n \n * I am polytheistic. The divine, to me, is like a jewel with many\n facets, each a part of us, each with something to teach us. No such\n lesson, to me , is greater or lesser than any other; but are instead\n more or less appropriate for a person at a given time.\n \n There is a great deal more I could say, and in greater detail, but\n this covers a large part of Satanism to me. Of course, I'm sure that\n Diane Vera, Sheryl, Balanone, and others will have different beliefs\n than I do. It seems that individualism and personal pride seem to be\n the link between most serious Satanists.\n \n -Qapla'\n Delphine\n \n \n 1540","title":"Internet Book of Shadows: Satanism Defined (Delohine)","type":"page"}