Left-hand Path?

Ironically, of all the reasons not given for being a Satanist, it seems the adoption of the label, "Satanist" is probably the number one reason why it is shunned. The most commonly asked question by anyone in regards to the religion is, "Why Satanism?" What else should we call it? It can't be called atheism, because atheism neither precludes believing or disbelieving in anything, it's really a suspended judgment. Very few atheists will say that if God popped out from the clouds and said, "I am God!", they would disbelieve it. All arguments for God have one or more flaws in them, since atheists identify these flaws, they say that there is no good reason to believe in God, but under certain circumstances, they would. (Some of this can also be found in "Lords of the Left-hand Path".)

Atheism does not automatically equal materialism, humanism, etc., the belief that it does is erroneous. Satanism does preclude certain beliefs, it has and possesses ideals which are non-negotiable, they have no refunds attached to them, and you cannot get credit back by trading them in. To quote Matt Paradise:

"Satanism has been referred to as an "unreligion" in the sense that it does not subscribe to the notion of an anthropomorphic deity and, by extension, some being who must be worshiped, its most common misconception. Others say that Satanism is redefining religion to some extent, not content with the dictates of Judeo-Xtian strictures. Both are valid opinions.

"Satanism is often described as being a de facto personality type as, in the words of Anton LaVey, 'Satanists are born, not made.' To try is to lie. It takes a certain set of predispositions to accurately label oneself a Satanist, to naturally feel at home with all that Satanism entails."

Let's look at some preclusionary statements about being a Satanist, and about the Left-hand path.  I am endebted to Vexen for part of this article, his website is here:

http://www.dpjs.co.uk/lefthandpath.html

1.) Sympathy for the Devil:

Someone who is a Satanist must either believe that evil is being misrepresented by anthropomorphized accounts, or that the traditional account of the devil is incorrect. Most people know that the Devil has been much misaligned in the past, so this only serves as a basic starting point. For this reason, I cannot include teenagers who think that murdering cats is a form of Satanic worship. They still believe that Satan is all-evil, hence, no sympathy for the devil. They just want to get their jolly's being evil, there's nothing behind it.

2.) A belief based on this sympathy for the Devil:

Going along with the first, the account of Satanism must be based upon that system of interpretation. Either that evil doesn't exist as anthropomorphized, or that the Devil's account is wrong, and that God is both evil and good. Trying to switch the account to God being evil is merely inversifying a structure, and that's just redundant and pointless.

3.) Accepting the label:

You can't call someone who didn't consider themselves a Satanist no matter how much you like them or their philosophy. It's not erroneous to say that they embodied Satanic attributes, or Satanic ideas, but to call someone you are years removed from and have never met a Satanist is just illogical.

3.) Individualism:

Probably the quintessential piece to Satanism. Satanism should never accept arguments from authority, any and all arguments must be sustained by practical knowledge, demonstrateable evidence, and quantifiable results. Even when joining an organization to show support for a movement, Satanists never lose their individual identity, they refuse to be a part of the system if they disagree with it. All protests against the system are done within the laws and confines that are acceptable, of course. Don Webb:

"Discovering what one likes, standing up for one's right to like it, and pursuing that desire is among the most sacred of tasks..."

4.) Self-deification:

That is to say, in the words of Stephen Flowers: "Attainment of an enlightened (or awakened), independently existing intellect and its relative immortality." Part of being a Satanist is the realizing that you do matter, and this is matters outside of a sphere of belonging to a group. Quite frankly, you are the most important thing in the World to yourself.

5.) Initiation:

I would define this as being important, and indeed, paramount. Some act of considerable effort, for the evolution of the practitioner, must be undertaken to show a commitment, both internally and externally, to a cause or group. Whether it be as simple as baptism, or as elaborate as the Golden Dawn's initiation, (I would argue that the greater the effort put forth, the more meaningful the initiation), there needs to be some undertaking which signifies undertaking something great.

6.) Magick:

In Satanism, Magick is a cornerstone of the puzzle. I devote an entire chapter to it so that it may be better understood, so I won't comment here. As per Don Webb, magick is one of the greatest tools for controlling the "Inner Universe".

7.) Antinomianism:

Because of the postulations which state that Satanists go against cultural values, and outside of the normal thoughts of "Good" and "Evil". Because of this rejection, there will almost be a natural embracement of the symbols that the conventional culture fears and loathes. A symbol is just a symbol, it doesn't mean anything more than what you think it means. Quoting Flowers:

"Literally antinomianism implies something 'against the law.' But the practitioner of the left-hand path is not a criminal in the usual sense. He or she is bound to break the cosmic laws of nature and to break the conventional social laws imposed by ignorance and intolerance. But in so doing the left-hand path practitioner seeks a "higher law" of reality founded on knowledge and power. Although beyond good and evil, this path requires the most rigorous of ethical standards. These standards are based on understanding and not on blind obedience to external authorities."

Don Webb writes:

"The forces that oppose the will are those habits of blind obedience to external symbols and signals. The LHP initiate begins his or her quest not only by rejecting sentimental attachments to cultural norms, which most non-thinking people call 'good,' but by actively making fun of such attachments in Symbolic ways such as a Black Mass, a Black Seder, eating beef (if raised Hindu), and so forth."

Among other recent trends in Satanism, one has been to associate Satanism with Nazi ideals. As Flowers points out, Nazi's are about dissolving an individual for a group principle, and in that case, a highly stupid one. I should be more poetic when debunking it, but it's a just a stupid belief they had, one of declamation and intolerance. Anyone who believes it doesn't think very hard.

8.) Individual Autonomy:

Satanists recognize that some level of order is necessary, no society could survive without it. Even the smallest units have "big men" or "big women" in the unit who are recognized for their leadership abilities. However, Satanists strongly believe that people have the right to believe what they want, act how they want, and do what they want so long as it doesn't interfere with the equal right of others to do so. As such, Satanists are against prohibition of any kind, as it simply never has, nor ever will work. We are very anti-censorship. It's the job of parents, appointed guardians, and others to watch what their children do, it is not the job of corporations, (nor would anyone in their right mind want to have corporations deciding what your children watch), to monitor your children. Going along with self-deification, it's up to you, the ruling God of your World, to do things, it's nobody else's responsibility.

9.) Love of Education:

If the greatest Satanic Sin is stupidity, the greatest Satanic virtue then would be education. We will examine this later on in an article dealing with Satan as a Chaos God, but for now, we'll stick to this description. The term "education" is a bad one, the real word I'd be looking for would be a combination of the Greek words "mousike" and "techne".  Mousike means "music", by literal translation, but it referred to anything over which the Muses ruled, such as art, music, poetry, and so forth.  Techne referred to trade skills with a slightly stronger connoctation than our term "technical" skills would apply. 

Both of these have to do with the power of transformation.  A technical skill, some job which you can perform with pride, is valuable as changing your perception of yourself, to the community, and gives you resources with which to further those pursuits.  Having a mousike skill gives you the ability to harness your creative powers and transformative energies into a different form; from mental conception into artistic expression. 

Thoughts on Satan:

Who, or more appropriately, what, Satan is changes. Many people perceive Satan as an archetype, representing a form of personal empowerment. Matt Paradise writes:

"Satan is an archetype, a representation of certain qualities that the Satanist embodies including rational self-interest, avoidance of oppressive mentalities, the questioning of all, and a perseverance towards success and human potential... Satanism, to one degree or another, embraces numerous cultural and religious ideas, concepts and imagery such as those of ancient Rome and ancient Greece, Egyptian, Zoroasterism, Asatru, Aztec, Hindu and a multitude of others. We also find the Satanic persona emanating from some or all of the literary works of Milton, Nietzsche, Mencken, Maugham, Twain, Rand, Jung, and many more. To say that Satanism is inverse Christianity is both ignorant and shortsighted."

Some people see Satan as the Tao, that is to say, Satan is an object of veneration, but not worship. Others do believe in Satan as a real figure, however, they can't really support it by logical reasoning, primarily this is ontological. Others identify Lucifer with Satan, forming what I call eclectic Luciferianism, most noteably because I have yet to meet a Luciferian who actually was a Luciferian. (Don't blame me if I haven't yet met anyone who knows enough about history and mythology to fulfill the requirements laid out by previous generations.)

There are two primary things which bind Luciferianism together. The first is the most obvious, namely, that there is an actual entity or force which is called "Lucifer". (Most people arbitrarily pick the name, but others will tell you it doesn't matter.) What Lucifer actually is varies. Some will tell you he is the Serpent, a fallen angel, an elder God who predates other religions, the "All", etc. (By the way, if anyone tries claiming a lineage to a Luciferian organization that extends over twenty years, they're lying to you.) Most noteably, the most recent trend in Luciferianism has been to think of Lucifer and Jesus as these aliens which get brought back to life. Reading one such statement, I couldn't help but burst out in laughter when I read, "There is no proof that the Old Testament/New Testament perception of it is real!" Scientology meets Satanism meets Luciferianism meets the Sci-Fi channel! Personally, if I had to choose between believing in the Bible or goofball alien theories, I think I'll go grab a Bible. For reasons drawn from professional research, I believe that there are no "traditional" Satanic or Luciferian organizations around, it's a farce.

Left-hand Path:

Ironically, one of the great pillars of Satanism, is the rather frequently used term "Left-hand Path". What is the left-hand path? Most Satanists really don't know. Asking fifteen different Satanists will probably yield you fifteen different answers. In order to help, I'll establish a bit of a timeline to see how it progressed.

Was it LHP in Tantra?

Many Satanists believe that the term "Left-hand path" originated with Tantra. Actually, more than that, even pagan authors believe this is the source.  Vexen gives a quote from Dr. Richard Sutcliffe, "Pagan Pathways", page 110.

"The term 'Left-Hand Path' has become an umbrella term of self-designation used by certain contemporary ritual magicians and is usually taken to incorporate practitioners of Thelemic magick (beginning with Aleister Crowley), Tantrik magick, and Chaos Magick (inspired by both Crowley and the magickal techniques devised by the occult artist Austin O. Spare, 1886-1956). The notion of the Left-Hand Path is derived from the Tantric term vama-marga ('left-path'), i.e., the Left-Hand Path in Tantrism. [...] Its usage represents a deliberate attempt by Left-Hand Path magicians to transcend the outmoded and value-laden dichotomy of 'black' versus 'white' magic [...] because it is held to reflect the 'moronic oversimplicity of the Judeo-Xtian distinction between good and evil'"

Though Lavey was aware of Tantra via Crowley, he doesn't seem to have been particularly impressed by it, or at least particularly influenced by it. Unfortunately though, those maintaining that the LHP derives from Tantra will find that the link is tenuous. The term "LHP" is used in tantra with a different meaning. According to them, it's because women, who are of lunar influence, negative polarity or the left, play an essential role in it. By means of very ad hoc thinking though, we can make a link.

In the World of Hinduism, the division was made between two paths, the RHP, and the LHP, or Dakshina Marga, and Vama Marga. The problem with maintaining this link is that while in the Satanic System, the RHP and LHP are polarizations, they are not in Hinduism. In Hinduism, the RHP is considered the "safe" method for attaining spiritual enlightenment, while Vama is a more intense, and hence dangerous, way to attain it.

The use of the term was drawn from eastern Tantra. When worshippers gathered for a rite of puja, the woman or shakti would sit on the right side of the partner, if it was purely symbolic ceremonies. However, sitting on the left meant that sex would take place, the woman was being regarded as the incarnation of the Goddess. The nature of LHP in tantra is an extreme one, a tantric maxim states that "One reaches Heaven by the very practices which may lead to Hell."

However, we here note that the terms LHP/RHP have no moral implications attached to them. As an example of attaining enlightenment in a LHP kind of way, think of doing a sexual practice that you have never thought of before, something to totally "shock" you into higher consciousness. Another example would have been going to Vietnam, but the point of the LHP is that it is voluntarily attained enlightenment. Perhaps an illustration would be better. In the classical systems of LHP Tantra, practices and ceremonies were done which were not socially acceptable. I.e. in the panca-tattva rite, they would partake five substances including forbidden sex, wine, and meat. Doing this is America would not be considered LHP because it is done daily and unconsciously by many Americans. It certainly wouldn't shock anyone here. This obviously is not the source we are looking for in this discussion.

Jesus, Muhammad, Church Fathers, and Blavatsky

The first definitive place we can point to where the terminology Left-hand became bad dates quite far back. In almost all languages, "left" had an intrinsic connection with evil, even in places thousands of miles far removed from each other, with no contact. (Which is part of syncretism, different places unconnected can formulate the same ideas, this is a powerful argument for it.)

Going back to ancient Greece and Rome, the left was always seen as a bad thing. This had an interesting carry-over into Christianity, where Jesus talks about placing the sheep, those who believe in Jesus, at his right hand, while the goats, the disbelievers, will go to his left hand. This can be found in Matthew, 25:33. There's another interesting connection.  In the fifth century CE, a mosaic in Ravenna depicts the last judgment, where Satan is haloed, winged, and he stands at the left-hand of Christ.  One interesting thing is this depiction of Satan has him dressed in blue, instead of red.  Red was considered the color of the upper ether, the one closest to God, while blue was the color of the the lowest ether, the color humankind could see.  Here is the picture:

You notice at his right hand are the sheeps, at the left are the goats, just like in Matthew.  Since Jesus sits at the "right-hand" of God, the Middle Ages found it that anyone who had left-hand dominance must have been influenced by the devil, hence they were killed. The Inquisitions would have their suspects naked and look for blemishes, moles, etc. on the left side of their body to find something wrong there, which meant that the person was of Satan, and hence guilty. (That picture was taken from "Paradise Lost and the Visual Arts", by Roland Mushat Frye, Theology Today, April 1977.  The full article is available here:  http://theologytoday.ptsem.edu/apr1977/v34-1-article1.htm)

The question must then come up, "Where does this bias come from?" I would argue that it mostly came from observations. Remember that Augustine and Aristotle formed their ideas on abortion and the soul of a baby from still-borns, meaning they observed something and came to a conclusion about it. One modern theory, (although this is a gross simplification), is that being left-handed is caused by brain damage, insufficient oxygen to the brain, and a difficult birth. Almost 30% of mentally retarded children are left-handed - which is three times the normal statistic for left-handedness. Twins are notorious for having difficult births, and have a high rate of left-handedness too, about 20%, which is twice the normal rate. It is also thought that the tendency to have difficult births is genetic, which would back up the statistics for left-handedness to run in the family. Remember that ancient people thought that mentally handicapped people were possessed by evil spirits. It probably didn't take long for them to notice that this high correlation of demon possession coincided with being left-handed.

The term "Left-hand Companion" is only used once in the Bible with sinister connoctations. By the time the Qur'an was written, the evilness of the left hand was well established. From the Qur'an, 56:41 - 46:

"The Companions of the Left Hand,- what will be the Companions of the Left Hand? (They will be) in the midst of a Fierce Blast of Fire and in Boiling Water, And in the shades of Black Smoke: Nothing (will there be) to refresh, nor to please: For that they were wont to be indulged, before that, in wealth (and luxury), And persisted obstinately in wickedness supreme!"

We find two other admonishments in the Hadith. The Hadith were stories collected by followers of Muhammad and his people 140 to 300 years after the Qur'an was written:

"Entering with the left foot and leaving with the right: This is based on what we have already established: that noble actions start with the right and ignoble actions start with the left."

'In Sahîh al-Bukhârî and Sahîh Muslim, it is related from Abû Qatâdah (may Allah be pleased with him) that Allah's Messenger (may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "When one of drinks, he should not breathe into the drinking vessel, and when one of you urinates, he should not hold his penis in his right hand, nor should he clean himself with his right hand." This is in deference to the right hand that should be used for noble and clean acts like eating and drinking. As for the left hand, it is for ignoble actions like cleaning oneself and blowing one's nose."'

The connection is clear between the distinction of those with the left-hand, and those with the right-hand.  There's a more important reason for this connection than may appear initially.  Islam has the most in common with old Judaism, there's hardly any Christian influence in Islam outside of small observations Muhammad made about Christians.  For the most part, Muhammad saw Jesus as a continuation of Judaic prophets, teaching the same Judaic message (and with the finding of the Dead Sea Scrolls, the debate rages on about how much Jesus was a Jewish teacher versus a Neo-Platonic one, also minusing the teachings of the Apostle Paul), and he saw himself as the final prophet in this revelation.  Almost any Islamic prohibition was part of an ancient Judaic prohibition, still known via Midrash and the Talmud commentaries.  Thus the association of Quballah and the Left-hand being evil was probably part of a Middle Eastern tradition extending back further than that.

This now transfers over to Blavatsky. Wild believes that Helena Blavatsky, co-founder of the Theosophical Society, was influential in the promotion of the term Left-hand path. He writes, "These self-denying paths are labeled the Right Hand Paths - a term that has its origins in the work of Blavatsky, who labeled magical practices that she liked as Right-Hand Path, and those she disliked as 'immoral' as Left-Hand Path. Occultists after her picked up this habit, especially Crowley, who helped the word come into general 'occult subculture' use. The term is probably derived from Indo-European Tantric practices, which have filtered into the modern Western folklore survivals, an example is left as 'sinister' in heraldry (and handwriting)."  Even in more current Theosophical literature, the term LHP is still designated as one of those who are inclined towards evil. 

Basically, the LHP is about learning what makes us better humans, so that we learn how to control our own Inner World. We have to learn how to overcome all phobia's in order to do so. Fear of death, fear of heights, fear of spiders, whatever. The goal of all this is to create emotional anchors and links, (talked about in my magick section), which allows you to control the emotions you need to achieve your will.