File: InfoAdms
TEMPLE OF SET
Post Office Box 470307
San Francisco, CA 94147
U.S.A.
MCI-Mail: 314-3953
Internet:
[email protected]
Telex: 6503143953
* * * * * * * * * * * *
GENERAL INFORMATION AND ADMISSIONS POLICIES
(c) 1986-1994CE Temple of Set
- Updated October 6, 1994 CE -
Thank you for your inquiry. The Temple of Set is an institution
unlike any you have previously encountered. Before you can make an
informed decision concerning possible affiliation, it is necessary
for you to consider the history of the Temple, its basic tenets, its
current design and programs, and the benefits and obligations
incurred by each Setian.
HISTORY OF THE TEMPLE
While the Temple of Set as an organization was formally incorporated
in 1975 CE, its magical and philosophical roots are prehistoric,
originating in mankind's first apprehension that there is "something
different" about the human race - a sense of *self-consciousness*
that places humanity apart from and above all other known forms of
life.
Ancient religions - of which those of Egypt are generally
acknowledged the eldest - either exalted or feared this self-
consciousness. Those which exalted it took the position that the
human psyche is capable of opposition to and domination of the
forces of nature. Those fearing it warned man that such a
presumption of independence would be sinful and dangerous.
Therefore, they said, such "will to power" should be concealed,
sublimated - and if necessary punished and exterminated - that
mankind might return to an Eden-like "state of nature" untroubled by
the burdens of having to take responsibility for decisions,
judgments, and actions based upon an essentially personal
determination of "good" and "evil".
The psyche-worshipping religions were more intellectually demanding
than their nature-worshipping counterparts, since it is more
difficult to reason a path through one's span of conscious existence
than it is to be swept along by a current of semi-rational stimulus
and response. The reasoning religions - or schools of initiatory
philosophy - attained levels of abstract knowledge that made them
mysterious to the masses. In a few societies, such as Egypt and
Greece, such groups were respected and admired. More often, however,
their exclusive elitism and "supernatural" activities made them
objects of resentment and persecution.
While all philosophical schools embraced the psychecentric
consciousness to some degree, there were a very few that made it
avowedly and explicitly the focus of their attention. The divine
personifications ("gods") of such schools have come down to us as
symbols of what most Western religions, worshippers of non-
consciousness, consider the supreme "evil": the Prince of Darkness
in his many forms. Of these the most ancient is Set, whose
Priesthood can be traced to predynastic times. Images of Set have
been dated to ca. 3200 BCE, with astronomically-based estimates of
inscriptions dating to ca. 5000 BCE.
The original Priesthood of Set in ancient Egypt survived for twenty-
five recorded dynasties (ca. 3200-700 BCE). It was one of the two
central priesthoods in predynastic times, the other being that of
HarWer ("Horus the Elder"). Unification of Egypt under both
philosophical systems resulted in the nation's being known as the
"Two Kingdoms" and in its Pharaohs wearing the famous "Double Crown"
of Horus and Set.
Originally a circumpolar/stellar deity portrayed as a cyclical
counterpart to the Solar Horus, Set was later recast as an evil
principle by the cults of Osiris and Isis. During the XIX and XX
Dynasties Set returned as the Pharaonic patron, but by the XXV
Dynasty (ca. 700 BCE) a new wave of Osirian persecution led to the
final destruction of the original Priesthood of Set. When the
Hebrews emigrated from Egypt during the XIX Dynasty, however, they
took with them a caricature of Set: "Satan" (from the hieroglyphic
_Set-hen_, one of the god's formal titles).
Originally a sort of "prosecuting angel for YHVH", the Hebrew Satan
was changed by Christianity into a personification of everything God
was not - and since God was supposed to be "good", Satan was
necessarily "bad". Alluring or mysterious deities from religions
competing with early Christianity - such as the Hellenic/Roman
Mysteries and the Persian Mithraic faith - were also "bad", hence
the Christian Satan was decorated with many of their
characteristics, such as Pan's horns & cloven hoofs. Non-Christian
gods generally were redefined as Christian "demons" and given a
place in the Christian "Hell" (another name stolen and perverted
from ancient Norse mythology).
Christian propaganda notwithstanding, there is no record of any
actual "Satanic religious underground" throughout the course of
Christian European history. The *myth* of such a "witch cult",
however, was promoted and actively used by the Christian churches to
terrorize their followers into docile obedience and to eliminate
those who could not be threatened. The number of accused "Satanists"
tortured and burned to death in medieval and Renaissance Europe will
never be known conclusively, but estimates run as high as 13
million. Many European museums still display the grisly, almost
unbelievably cruel devices used in such torture, and detailed
records of the "trials" and "confessions" of the victims survive in
shameful abundance.
Cases of torture, murder, and genocidal extermination of "infidels"
and "heathens" in other areas of the world similarly abound - and
stand collectively in testimony to the appalling legacy of the
world's major monotheistic religions. It must further be remembered
that the more "tolerant" climate of modern times did not come about
through the wishes of conventional churches themselves, but rather
through their increasing rejection by a mankind exhausted by
religious warfare and terrified by the wanton viciousness of such
establishments as the "Holy Office" (better known as the
Inquisition).
If the "Enlightenment" of the 17th and 18th centuries succeeded in
reducing Christianity - the dominant monotheism of Europe - to a
secular moral metaphor, it was not until the late 19th century that
the so-called "Black Arts" began to be tolerated, and then only in
their most simplistic and socially innocuous forms. From Freemasonry
came a ceremonial magical offshoot - Rosicrucianism - which became
increasingly more sophisticated in the Rosicrucian Society of
England (S.R.I.A.) and then in the famous Hermetic Order of the
Golden Dawn (G.'.D.'.).
In 1904 an Adept of the G.'.D.'. named Aleister Crowley broke away
from that disintegrating body to form his own Order of the Astrum
Argenteum (A.'.A.'.). To the Rosicrucian/ceremonial magical
philosophy of the G.'.D.'., Crowley added first a strong emphasis on
attainment of the highest level of self-consciousness ("Knowledge
and Conversation of the Holy Guardian Angel") and later the
Masonic/sexual magic practices of Germany's Order of Oriental
Templars (O.T.O.). The latter practices, together with Crowley's
cavalier lifestyle, brought him public notoriety. His organizations
survived his 1947 death only in highly-fragmented and doctrinarily
simplistic factions.
In 1966 a San Francisco sorcerer named Anton Szandor LaVey founded
the Church of Satan as a medium for the study of the Black Arts and
as an ethical statement repudiating the religious hypocrisy of
conventional society. This event marks the creation of Satanism as a
religion in its own right. Publicly its "Satan" was not the evil
scarecrow of Christian myth, but rather a champion of anti-hypocrisy
- a crusader against the corruption and moral bankruptcy of society,
which LaVey blamed largely upon Christianity. In another, more
private context, the Satan of the Church of Satan was understood to
be an authentic metaphysical presence: a being not evil, but rather
independent, assertive, and creative - a true Prince of Darkness
after the imagery of Milton, Blake, Baudelaire, and Twain.
The Church remained principally a San Francisco phenomenon for its
first four years, then during 1970-1974 branched out across the
United States and Canada with local "Grottos" headed by those
ordained to the Satanic Priesthood (the Priesthood of Mendes - named
after a city in Ptolemaic Egypt whose hedonistic festivals
particularly horrified the early Christian church).
The Church of Satan's attitude towards magic was more pragmatic and
utilitarian than that of such mystically-based organizations as the
G.'.D.'. and A.'.A.'. It saw no need for exhaustive studies into the
often incoherent and inconsistent concepts of the Cabala, nor did it
see anything extraordinarily significant in sex-magic. Rather it
chose to approach the occult arts and sciences more rationally and
even scientifically, employing "Occam's razor" to design and conduct
Workings of ritual magic that were simple and direct, yet effective.
In this the Church was generally successful, but it continued to
experience increasing difficulty with the basic nihilism and
negative connotations of its religious imagery. It could not escape
the self-assumed limitation of being "anti-Christian" in a society
in which Christianity - and its "evil scarecrow" concept of Satan -
were overwhelmingly predominant. Simultaneously the Church began to
feel constrained by even its own redefinition of Satanism, as the
parameters of philosophy and metaphysics extend far beyond the
conceptual and symbolic limits of the Judaic/Christian tradition.
The Satanic religion proposes to raise the individual to personal
godhood, free from enslavement to any other "God" [or gods].
Unfortunately this is a question not just of power, but also of
ethics, morality, and psychological maturity. The Church of Satan's
initial prescriptions - as outlined in LaVey's 1969 book _The
Satanic Bible_ - were used by some as a basis for metaphysical
growth, but by others as merely an excuse for egoistic
irresponsibility. The Church suffered periodically from petty crises
and scandals among the general membership, and finally Anton LaVey
lost confidence in its organizational viability. In 1975 he made a
decision to redesign it as a non-functional vehicle for his personal
expression, exploitation, and financial income.
This decision was emphatically rejected by the majority of the
Priesthood, who immediately resigned from the Church in protest and
denied its legitimacy as a true Church of Satan henceforth. The
senior Initiate, Michael A. Aquino, invoked the Prince of Darkness
in quest of a new Mandate to preserve and enhance the more noble
concepts which the Church of Satan had conceived and outlined. That
Mandate was given in the form of _The Book of Coming Forth by Night_
- a statement by that entity, in his most ancient semblance as Set,
ordaining the Temple of Set to succeed the Church. The Temple was
incorporated in California as a non-profit church in 1975, receiving
both state and federal recognition and tax-exemption later that same
year. It has since remained the sole "Satanic" religious institution
possessing these legal credentials.
THE CONTEMPORARY ENVIRONMENT
In the United States the 1960-70s CE, despite [and in part because
of] periodical psychopolitical strains such as the Vietnam War,
generally represented a period of flourishing liberalism and freedom
in personal affairs. Exploration and innovation were tolerated and
encouraged in society. It was a time of breakthroughs in civil
rights; of increased respect for racial, ethnic, sexual, and
religious groups. There was controversy; but on the whole it was
constructive and progressive in tone. By the end of the 1970s,
despite continued growing pains, Western culture appeared to have
moved decisively into the utopian "Age of Aquarius".
The 1980s, however, heralded a sharp and surprising reversal of this
climate into conservatism and intolerance. The most primitive,
fundamentalist branches of Christianity gained converts and sought
political power. And controversial minority groups were assaulted
with fresh waves of discrimination and repression.
Nowhere did this "new Inquisition" strike more directly than at "New
Age" religions in general and at Satanism in particular. Invoking
the same despicable tactics that their predecessors used over the
centuries against alternative creeds, fundamentalists now began to
disseminate hate-propaganda accusing "Satanism" of the most hideous
crimes imaginable: human & animal sacrifice, cannibalism, the
kidnapping/sexual abuse/murder of children. That none of this was in
the least true mattered not at all to the accusers. If the Big Lie
could be repeated loudly & often enough, it would catch hold.
Suddenly it became dangerous to be an avowed Satanist in communities
infected with anti-Satanic hysteria. The witch-hunt eventually
spread to several other countries as well, among them the United
Kingdom, Italy, New Zealand, Canada, Australia, and Germany.
Why should the same post-World War II generation that had grown up
in the open atmosphere of the 60s-70s tolerate, even encourage a
relapse into the brutish hatreds and persecutions of the Middle
Ages? Perhaps for the very reason that it was a generation
unprepared for what might be termed humanity's "religious impulse".
During the 60s-70s religion was generally dismissed as something
quaint and obsolete: superstition embarrassing to an age of science,
computers, and Project Apollo. "God was dead", and Christianity was
invoked merely as an excuse for Christmas revelry and other
entertainments (such as _Jesus Christ Superstar_ & the "Jesus Freak
revolution" of 1970). Even the formation of the Church of Satan in
1966 was somewhat anti-climactic: It didn't arise in response to a
"threatening" Christianity - for Christianity already appeared to be
a dead horse. The carcass was there to be kicked around a bit for
the sake of theatre, but there was no expectation that it had any
energy left to get up and kick back.
The "religious impulse" proved to be important to both Satanists and
non-Satanists. In the case of Satanists it brought about an
increasing interest in exploring the "human equation" and the
metaphysical and psychological roots of the great Satanic/psyche-
centered philosophies of history. Even had Anton LaVey not provoked
the crisis of 1975, it is clear that the evolution of Church of
Satan into something like the Temple of Set - a completely non-
Christianized, positive "high Satanism" - would have proceeded
inexorably.
Non-Satanists, meanwhile, found themselves adrift in a society whose
Judaeo/Christian moral values had disintegrated into materialistic
hypocrisy. In such an "arid wilderness of steel and stone", there
arose a longing for "something/anything spiritual" - and the
remnants of Christianity were there to offer the appropriate opium
after various "New Age" fantasies had been tried and found to be
wanting.
In the 1980s, however, there was a difference in Christian
evangelism. The new herd of converts had *not* received a gradual
education enabling it to see Christianity in at least some
historical context. Rather it perceived Christianity as a completely
novel experience - and so it was far more vulnerable to Christian
propaganda than the previous, more worldly generation had been. The
result was an eruption in the 1980s of a fundamentalism as mindless
and brutish as that of the Middle Ages. Now, as before, it needed a
scarecrow - and "Satanism" was a word with an appropriately scary
sound. Christian fanatics who knew [and cared] nothing whatever
about *actual* Satanism suddenly embarked upon passionate [and
financially profitable] campaigns brandishing the scarecrow before
credulous followers.
Complicating the situation was the perennial impulse among alienated
youth and antisocial elements to deliberately shock society by
flaunting its bogymen. If prudish elements of the community were
going to terrify themselves with "scarecrow Satanism", then Heavy
Metal rock music would affect this same image, as would the
occasional psychotic criminal and teenage gang. Fundamentalists
happily showcased such aberrations as "proof" of the scarecrow's
existence.
The Temple of Set, now the world's preeminent Satanic religious
institution, found itself in the awkward position of having not only
to defend authentic Satanism against the shrill screams of the
scarecrow-merchants, but also to reject superficial glorification of
the scarecrow that would return Satanism's image to nothing more
than anti-Christian "Devil worship". Both challenges have been
addressed, but not without the cost of time and energy drained from
the Temple's own magical and philosophical interests.
As we enter the 1990s CE the initial danger has been largely
averted. We have been able to establish the truth about Satanism
sufficiently to expose the falsehoods of the scarecrow-merchants in
all but the most ignorant backwaters of society. That same society,
however, continues to flail about for the moral anchor that the
large mass-religions claim to offer. Christianity's strength lies
today, as throughout its history, in the *absence* of intellectual
education and mental effort which it demands of its sheep. It has
also become quite accomplished at exploiting humanity's fear of
death, sexual neuroses, and other irrational hatreds and
insecurities.
This is therefore a time of critical importance for the Temple of
Set. Our philosophy has never been more sophisticated, yet we pursue
it in the midst of a confused, superficial, and paranoid social
environment. It is not the task of the Temple of Set to be a "savior
of the masses" - but rather to help suitable individuals to
apprehend and attain their own divinity. The wisdom with which our
Initiates exercise this divinity may well determine whether humanity
advances to the stars - or succumbs to the entropy of the universe
as one more inconsequential curiosity of nature.
THE SETIAN PHILOSOPHY
Since movements dedicated to the Prince of Darkness have been so
ill-tolerated by the masses of humanity wherever and whenever they
have appeared, why have they survived at all? Why do they continue
to exercise such uncanny attraction, and why now should you consider
approaching this particular one?
The appeal of occultism is much the same as that of conventional
religion: Logical positivism and scientific materialism, though they
have made great strides towards explaining the "how" of existence,
have failed entirely to explain the "why". Hence the curious seek
answers in metaphysical philosophy or religion. Metaphysical
philosophy requires a logical base from which various suprarational
principles are induced. Conventional religion is the simplification
of such a philosophy into a crude ideology, which adherents need not
understand, but only accept as an act of blind faith.
Conventional religions, with their colorful mythologies analyzed in
terms of the underlying philosophical principles, represent simply
the primitive longing of man to feel "at one" with the Universal
harmony he perceives about him. "White" magic, as advocated by
primitive pagan and modern institutional religions, offers devotees
the illusion of "re-inclusion" in the Universal scheme of things
through various ritualistic devotions and superstitions.
The Black Magician, on the other hand, rejects both the desirability
of union with the Universe and any self-deceptive antics designed to
create such an illusion. He has considered the existence of the
individual psyche - the "core you" of your conscious intelligence -
and has taken satisfaction from its existence as something unlike
anything else in the Universe. The Black Magician desires this
psyche to live, to experience, and to continue. He does not wish to
die - or to lose his consciousness and identity in a larger,
Universal consciousness [assuming that such exists]. He wants to be.
This decision in favor of individual existence is the first premise
of the Temple of Set.
The second premise of the Temple is that the psychecentric
consciousness can evolve towards its own divinity through deliberate
exercise of the intelligence and Will, a process of *becoming* or
*coming into being* whose roots may be found in the dialectic method
expounded by Plato and the conscious exaltation of the Will proposed
by Nietzsche.
Ironically it is the very ease with which any individual can
apprehend and appreciate his or her personal psyche that has
frightened the many religions of the world which deny and oppose the
power of that psyche. Clothed though they may be in riches, ritual,
and respectability, they always have been and remain obsessed with
the suppressed knowledge of their own essential falsehood. They
endeavor to distract attention from this by sponsoring shows of
mind-numbing drugs, mantras, masses, privations, entertainments, and
penances to coax or cow their flocks of adherents into a confused,
apprehensive, but trusting state of faith and automatic obedience.
They shudder with horror at the psyche; they paint it red and add
horns, cloven hooves, and a forked tail to dramatize how "dangerous"
it is. Yet they can never escape it or defeat it, because they have
never really succeeded in opposing themselves to it - merely in
distorting and perverting it. How could they destroy something
which, in the final analysis, is the conscious self of every human
being?
The "worship" of Set is thus the "worship" of individualism. In the
Church of Satan this was taken to mean *indulgence* in all [legal]
desires of the body and ego. Since many such desires are impulsive
and destructive, the Church found itself in the awkward position of
_de facto_ endorsing many practices which were degrading rather than
exalting, and which simply accelerated the tensions resulting in the
eventual crisis of 1975.
The Temple of Set determined to preserve the principle of
individualism, but to add to it the evolutionary "higher self"
aspirations of Aleister Crowley's pre-O.T.O. philosophy of
_Thelema_. Glorification of the ego is not enough; it is the
complete psyche - the entire self or soul - which must be
recognized, appreciated, and actualized. The process by which this
exaltation of the psyche is sought is called by the name _Xeper_
[pronounced "Kheffer"; it is the Egyptian hieroglyphic term for "to
become" or "to come into being"].
The means by which Setians seek to _Xeper_ are many. As a matter of
principle the Temple declines to standardize its approach to
Initiates. Each may pursue topics of greatest personal interest with
whatever emphasis and at whatever rate desired. The Temple seeks
merely to be a forum for Setians to communicate and cooperate with
one another constructively and courteously. Many ideas and
philosophies are discussed within it, but such discussion does not
constitute the dictation of dogma.
Indeed dogma - to include fixed ideology in any form - is repugnant
to the Temple. We strive rather towards an atmosphere of "best
possible premises", which are always subject to constructive,
intelligent examination and criticism. That same atmosphere is
Socratic, however, in that foolish, pretentious, or destructive
egotism under the guise of exploration is neither respected nor
endured.
While it is obvious that Setians have more than enough interests to
occupy an organization with many times our membership and resources
on a full-time basis, the Temple of Set is not intended to consume
the energies or lifestyles of its Initiates. Since a truly Adept
magician must interact constructively and comfortably with
conventional society, encouragement of monastic isolation within
Temple circles would be counterproductive to personal development
and even constrictive of the flexibility necessary to the entire
Temple. Setians are accordingly advised to pursue as wide a variety
of secular interests as possible, and to let Setian philosophy apply
to them only as appropriate.
STRUCTURE AND OPERATION
The deliberately individualistic atmosphere of the Temple of Set is
not easily conducive to group activities on a routine or programmed
basis. There are no congregations of docile "followers" - only
cooperative philosophers and magicians.
Executive authority in the Temple is held by the Council of Nine,
which appoints both the High Priest of Set and the Executive
Director. Initiates are Recognized according to six degrees: Setian
I*, Adept II*, Priest or Priestess of Set III*, Magister/Magistra
Templi IV*, Magus/Maga V*, & Ipsissimus/Ipsissima VI*.
Recognition as an Adept II* constitutes certification by the Temple
that one has in fact mastered and successfully applied the essential
principles of Black Magic. The bulk of Temple systems are geared to
attainment of and subsequent support for the II*, and that is the
level of affiliation which most Setians will maintain. It is
understood that this is an organizational principle, as each Adept's
magical and philosophical evolution will continue as he or she
continues to energize and actualize it.
The III*-VI* are properly seen not as further benchmarks of
individual attainment, but as specialized religious offices
conferred by Set alone, and Recognized within the Temple according
to his Will.
The design, care, and operation of the Temple are entrusted by Set
to the Priesthood. All Initiates of the Priesthood are originally
highly-qualified Adepts in the Black Arts. Most of your contact with
them will be in this context. Because they are responsible for the
integrity of the Temple as a whole, however, they have the authority
both to evaluate and Recognize Initiates' competence and, if
necessary, to suspend or expel individuals who have proven
themselves incapable of maintaining Setian standards of dignity and
excellence. The Priesthood takes all of these responsibilities
extremely seriously, since it regards its name literally and its
trust as sacred. In this respect it stands significantly apart from
conventional religious clergy, who _de facto_ consider their
"priesthoods" as social professions and their deities as mere
symbols and metaphors for their institutional or personal
exploitation.
The knowledge of the Temple of Set is made available through four
principal avenues: an extensive reading list of published works in
twenty-four specialized fields; the newsletter _Scroll of Set_, the
publications of the Temple's various specialized Orders; and the
series of encyclopaedias entitled the _Jeweled Tablets of Set_. The
contents of the _Scroll_ and the Order periodicals are time-dated,
of course, but those of the _Tablets_ change periodically as ideas
are advanced, improved, or disproved; or as they become more or less
relevant to the Temple's areas of concern. The _Scroll_, Order
newsletters, and _Tablets_ are reproduced simply and inexpensively
[similar to this letter] to preclude excessive membership
expenditure for frequently-revised publications.
Because of the non-group-oriented design of the Temple, many
Initiates are geographically distant from one another. This
necessitates an organizational design geared more towards services
to the individual than to localized "congregations". Recognizing the
value - and fellowship - of a seminar environment, however, the
Temple provides for "Pylons" (named after the unique gates of
ancient Egyptian temples). Pylons are often geographically
localized, but some are "correspondence" Pylons with global
membership and interaction. While each Pylon is under the trust and
responsibility of a II*+ Sentinel, they are emphatically not
"leader/follower congregations", but rather cooperative and
interactive forums for individual Initiates. Each new Setian is
expected to affiliate with at least one Pylon within a year of
admission to the Temple and Recognition to the II* will normally be
recommended and/or formalized by that Pylon.
Individuals admitted to the Temple are provided with a personal copy
of the _Crystal Tablet of Set_, which contains a wide range of
organizational, philosophical, and magical information pertinent to
qualification as an Adept. There is a two-year time-limit for each
new Setian to qualify for Adept Recognition. If such Recognition is
not received by that time, affiliation is cancelled.
The Orders of the Temple are entirely different in concept and
operation from its Pylons. Each Order specializes in one or more
particular fields of the magical arts and sciences. Such a
specialization may be transcultural or oriented to a specific
geographic area, time-period, or conceptual tradition. Within one
year after II* Recognition, each Adept is expected to affiliate with
an Order reflective of his or her personal interests and aptitudes.
The collective knowledge of all of the Orders is available to the
Temple membership generally.
Setians may also communicate with one another by means of a
regularly-updated InterCommunication Roster, contained in the
_Crystal Tablet_, and periodic Conclaves are scheduled on a
regional, national, and international basis.
A recent addition to the Temple's structure is Glinda, a computer
database and bulletin-board system accessible by Setians only.
Besides offering a means for electronic mail and conferencing,
Glinda serves as a repository for a constantly growing library of
Temple documents which Setians can download at their convenience.
Personal affiliation with the Temple is kept confidential; your
admission is known only to the Priesthood. If you desire to meet
other Setians, you may do so under a magical name if desired. In
summary, you may apply the services and systems of the Temple as you
wish, and as you deem most complementary to your _Xeper_; otherwise
they will not intrude upon you.
AN IMPORTANT CLARIFICATION
Regretfully there still exist some individuals whose idea of
"Satanism" is largely a simple-minded synthesis of Christian
propaganda and Hollywood horror movies. The Temple of Set enjoys the
colorful legacy of the Black Arts, and we use many forms of
historical Satanic imagery for our artistic stimulation and
pleasure. But we have not found that any interest or activity which
an enlightened, mature intellect would regard as undignified,
sadistic, criminal, or depraved is desirable, much less essential to
our work.
The Temple of Set is an evolutionary product of human experience.
Such experience includes the magical and philosophical work of many
occult individuals and organizations which have preceded us. Some of
these were socially acceptable by contemporary or modern standards;
others were not. Some made brilliant discoveries in one field of
interest while blighting their reputations with shocking excesses or
tragic failures in others. In examining the secret and suppressed
corners of history for valuable and useful material, the Temple
insists upon ethical presentation and use of such discoveries as it
makes. Setians who are in any doubt as to the ethics involved in any
of the fields which we explore should seek counsel from the
Priesthood. All Setians are further expected to display a high
measure of maturity and common sense in this area.
The Black Arts are *dangerous* in the same way that working with
volatile chemicals is dangerous. This is most emphatically *not* a
field for unstable, immature, or otherwise emotionally or
intellectually weak-minded people. Such are a hazard to themselves
and to others with whom they come into contact. The Temple endeavors
to not admit them to begin with. If such an individual should gain
admittance and later be exposed, he will be summarily expelled. In
cases of doubt the Temple may be expected to place the burden of
proof on the individual, for the sake of all Setians and the
Temple's integrity.
The Temple of Set evaluates conventional religions as erroneous in
principle and therefore unworthy of peer status. We feel no need to
concern ourselves with their activities, or for that matter to
maintain any sort of "diplomatic relations" with them [as in
councils of churches]. Our position is that they may serve a useful
social function as purveyors of soothing myths and fantasies to
humans unable to attain Setian levels of self-consciousness. Hence
we ignore conventional religious organizations unless they intrude
upon our affairs.
These warnings are not intended to be oppressive or intimidating,
but they should be taken seriously. The Temple is a forum for the
investigation of many subjects which conventional society finds odd,
mysterious, and even extremely frightening. The Temple will be
tolerated only to the extent that it is known to be pursuing its
interests carefully, expertly, and responsibly. It occupies a
delicate position in a world which is largely unhappy with itself,
and which is ceaselessly searching for scapegoats. Hence the Temple
must take care to maintain its social balance with prudence and
dignity.
AFFILIATION
The Church of Satan learned that there were many people who wished
to "visit", to "study", and to "observe" without the least intention
of a personal commitment. For many years the Church endeavored to
accommodate such dilettantes on the assumption that, upon exposure
to its philosophy, they would appreciate its essential requirement
for such a commitment. Once being in the position to enjoy the
"accessories" of the philosophy without having to confront its core
principle, however, such persons continued to vampirize the Church
indefinitely. They contributed as little as they could, took as much
as they could, and ultimately constituted the single most
destructive influence leading to the Church's disintegration in
1975.
The Temple of Set has determined that it will not make the same
mistake. Its activities, publications, knowledge, and services are
reserved for those who affiliate with it, or on an individual-case
basis, for non-Setians who request assistance from the Temple that
we deem to be in our interests or in the interests of the community
as a whole. The First Degree (I*) of Temple affiliation is regarded
as a "status of mutual evaluation" wherein the Initiate and the
Temple can assess one another's merit from the standpoint of minimum
investment and involvement. If a I* Initiate should decide that the
Temple is not, after all, appropriate to his wants or needs, he is
welcome to depart with our good wishes for satisfaction elsewhere.
Aspirants to the Temple should understand that it is not a club or
fraternal society whose principles may be collected along with those
of other social affiliations, occult or otherwise. Membership in the
Temple of Set beyond the I* precludes membership in any other
religious organization.
Members or former members of non-religious occult organizations
should understand that within the Temple of Set they will be
expected to respect and observe the Temple's protocol, and that
literature and other information from the Temple is not to be passed
to non-Temple individuals or organizations without prior approval of
the Priesthood. If the Temple of Set can assist other deserving
organizations or individuals on occasion, it will be pleased to do
so. But it must exercise reasonable care over the Temple materials
that are made available - both so that our own Initiates may enjoy
the fruits of their honest labor [and that of their predecessors]
and so that the Temple of Set may continue to enjoy its exclusive
reputation for excellence in the disciplines it has pioneered.
Should you have questions which are reasonably pertinent to your
serious consideration whether or not to apply for admission to the
Temple, you are welcome to address them to the Executive Director of
the Temple. If you wish to apply for admission as a Setian I*, there
are two avenues of approach available to you:
(1) If you are already in contact with a Priest or Priestess of Set,
you may request him or her to sponsor your application. In that case
you may send a letter to the Executive Director mentioning this
sponsorship. With your letter enclose a check or money order for
US$60 (US$70 for overseas applicants), payable to Temple of Set.
[Please note that this amount must be in U.S. dollars, either drawn
on a U.S. bank or as an international money order only.] If
Priesthood sponsorship is verified, approval of your application
will be automatic.
*Important note*: If you are admitted, and if you are an overseas
resident, your admission packet will be sent to you by surface mail.
Depending upon the destination, this can take as long as two months.
If you wish the packet sent via air mail, your application check
should be for the amount of US$100 to cover the extra air mail
postage.
(2) If you are not known to a member of the Priesthood, write a
letter to the Executive Director introducing yourself, summarizing
whatever aspects of your background you feel to be relevant, and
stating your reasons for deciding to seek entrance into the Temple.
Enclose the admission fee. The Temple will make a decision and
respond to you accordingly. If necessary you will be asked for
additional information. Should your application not be approved for
any reason, the fee will be refunded. Persons applying for admission
via this procedure should be as objective and candid as possible in
their self-assessment. There is no point in misleading the Temple
concerning one's suitability for admission, which will only result
sooner or later in the truth coming to light - with the consequent
waste of both the individual's and the Temple's time. If there are
crucial areas of possible incompatibility, it is incumbent on the
applicant to identify them before affiliation so that they may be
addressed and, if possible, resolved.
Whichever method you apply through, please be certain to include:
(1) Your full legal name [no pseudonyms] and sex.
(2) Your complete mailing address.
(3) Daytime and evening telephone numbers.
(4) Date of birth.
(5) Present organizational affiliations.
Annual renewal fee for all Initiates is US$50 (US$55 overseas). [The
first year is pro-rated from the month of your entry.] These fees
are designed, as is the admissions fee, to cover the cost of
mailings to you and the administration of the Temple. As a matter of
policy the Temple is not designed to make a profit on its
operations, and its assets are used exclusively for benefits to its
Initiates as a whole. There are no other regular or recurring fees,
save that Orders and Pylons may set reasonable charges for their
newsletters or other time/effort services. Special publications of
the Temple and events scheduled by the Temple are customarily made
available on a non-profit basis to Initiates who are interested.
The only physical requirement for admission is that the aspirant be
at least 18 years of age. Those below the age of 18 may not visit
Temple functions, ceremonial or otherwise, whether or not they are
relatives of Initiates. The Temple has no programs for children. It
is our position that children and adolescents should not be
indoctrinated into the assumptions and prescriptions of *any*
suprarational system, whether it be our own philosophy or the faiths
and superstitions of conventional religions. Rather their youthful
years should be a time of *exclusively rational* training and
education, giving them a sound and meaningful basis by which, as
adults, they may consider and choose whatever philosophy or faith
seems most meaningful to them.
If your application is approved, you will receive notification from
the Executive Director's office, together with membership
identification, certificate, copy of the _Crystal Tablet of Set_
[including the current reading list & intercommunication roster,
most recent issues of the _Scroll of Set_ and Order publications [as
determined by the Order Grand Masters], and Setian I* pendant
medallion.
Then the initiative is yours. The Temple of Set is designed to
assist you in the ways we have found to be the most practical,
productive, and factually accurate. But, as helpful as the Temple
may be, and as proud of it as we are, it is nevertheless properly
understood as a *tool*. *You* are the one who must put that tool to
use in a way that will enable you to _Xeper_.
Such is the Word of the AEon of Set.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
COMMONLY-ASKED QUESTIONS
-----
Q: If the Temple of Set does not believe in Judaeo/Christianity, why
do you call yourselves a "Satanic" religion? Isn't Satan a demon
within J/C mythology?
-----
A: For the last two thousand years most of the social cultures in
which the Temple of Set currently exists have been dominated by one
or more branches of Judaeo/Christianity. This influence is far more
pervasive than most people consciously appreciate, extending into
these societies' most basic assumptions about group & individual
relationships, law, justice, ethics, sexual mores, family units,
cosmology, and metaphysics. It is easy to not be a member of a
Christian church, or to call oneself a non-Christian; it is far more
difficult to escape from J/C social conditioning.
Within this climate many of the aspects of Set are symbolized in
religious imagery by the positive, creative attributes of the J/C
Satan. While Judaism and Christianity created their "Satan"
distortion of the Set _neter_ of ancient Egypt in order to create an
"evil scarecrow" to intimidate and control their societies, they
could not help endowing "Satan" with such Setian attributes as
independence, creativity, and genius - as these same attributes,
except in severely circumscribed and approved forms, are "sins
against God" in J/C culture.
Therefore many persons of Setian disposition and potential first
become aware of their true nature through an unusual interest in and
attraction to "Satan" and Satanic imagery. [This was also the case
of the Temple of Set as a whole, which from 1966 to 1975 as the
Church of Satan was exploring the Left-Hand Path from within J/C
imagery.] Hence it is initially necessary to use the "Satanic"
metaphor to communicate with them, and to be comprehensible to them.
Once they understand a little more what actually lies behind their
fascination and ambition, they will more easily be able to jettison
the entire cage of J/C reference-points, enter a much larger
universe of thought and being, and come into being as Setians.
-----
Q: What is the relationship between the Temple of Set and the post-
1975 Church of Satan?
-----
A: The Temple of Set considers itself to be the unbroken
continuation and evolution of the 1966-75 Church of Satan into a
beyond-J/C idiom. It considers the post-1975 "Church of Satan" to be
a deliberate fraud.
After 1975 Anton LaVey continued to operate the "Church of Satan" as
a business for his personal financial gain. Although in 1975 he
insisted that he no longer believed in the actual existence of
Satan, he continued to use the name as a dramatic advertisement of
his own egoistic lifestyle. In subsequent years he built up a new
following of individuals either unaware of his 1975 announcement or
simply unconcerned about the "Church of Satan" either being an
actual church or believing in Satan. For him it is simply a
business. For them it is merely the glamor of the name - ironically
the result of the 1966-75 international success of the Church when
it was authentic and sincere.
-----
Q: Will the Temple of Set teach me to do magic?
-----
A: To begin with the Temple of Set will help you to understand just
what magic is - and indeed there are several different types of
magic to be learned and distinguished. But as magic enables you to
influence or change events in ways not understood or anticipated by
society, before you put it to use you must first develop a sound and
sophisticated appreciation for the ethics governing your own
motives, decisions, and actions. Merely using magic for impulsive,
egoistic desires is not Setian; it must become second-nature to you
to carefully preevaluate the consequences of what you wish to do -
then to choose the course of wisdom, justice, and creative
improvement.
-----
Q: What if I join the Temple of Set and decide that I don't like it?
-----
A: Then you are welcome to resign your membership at any time via a
letter to the Executive Director, and to depart with our best wishes
for your satisfaction elsewhere. The Temple never attempts to
convince former members to change their minds or return to the
Temple - though some, on their own initiative, have done so.
The initiatory system of the Temple of Set is entirely dependent
upon one's own initiative and potential. By its very nature it
cannot be forced on anyone, nor would it work for someone
approaching it insincerely or without understanding. If someone
enters the Temple and finds it incomprehensible, frustrating, or
otherwise unsatisfactory, it is probably a sign that he or she is
not a Setian and should leave to explore other religious or secular
alternatives.
-----
Q: How private is my membership?
-----
A: The Temple of Set does not give out either membership statistics
or the name or personal data of any Initiate. To the extent that you
yourself decide to participate in Conclaves, the InterMember
Communication Roster or various publications, your name will become
known to other Setians. All Setians are asked to respect the privacy
of other members, both within and without the Temple itself.
Only Initiates of the Priesthood of Set are expected [or authorized]
to represent the Temple to the public or to the media, based on
their background, experience, and qualifications to do so
objectively and accurately.
