The Temple of Set
by
Setnakt
The Left-Hand Path provides a set of different answers
as to the nature and purpose of life and the divine. The
Temple of Set exists as a tool for travelers along that path
to achieve meaningful dialogue and interaction to further
the creation of their divine Selves. This essay will
examine the philosophy of the Temple (with a few asides on
its history), the practical application of the Temple's
philosophy and techniques by its Initiates, and the
realtionship this admittedly elitist group has with society.
I am a Priest of the Temple and write from within its belief
system, so I will write with passion. I will treat you as
seekers after truth (which begins with Self-knowledge), and
so beware. This is the apple which Jehovah refuses.
The Temple of Set is based upon the watchword Xeper
(pronounced "Khefer"). This is an Egyptian verb meaning
"Become." Perhaps you are familiar with the scarab in
Egyptian art -- the symbol of the self-created god, Khephra.
The Temple views life as the time when the psyche can be
aware of itself and then reach out towards the limitlessness
of its conscious existence. There are several methods by
which this awareness can be obtained. In the Temple of Set
this spiritual self-actualizing draws on various historic
and philosophical methods -- including the legacy of Plato,
Nietzsche, Fichte, and the Church of Satan. Of course,
these tools only produce results when used by the
individual. Our three principal methods are Socratic
reductionism, the formulation of correct understandings by
logic, and noetic intuition. Let's examine each of these
techniques as well as some of the Temple's preliminary
findings.
Socratic reductionism. The act of questioning and
testing beliefs to eliminate falsehoods is an important tool
for arriving at the truth. As we mature all of us ask
ourselves, "What beliefs are mine and which have society
programmed into me?" Setians, in particular, seek to
distance themselves from the vast roar of cultural
propaganda. Whereas some groups break from society by
merely picking a different prepackaged belief system, the
Setian is left with the tough day-to-day struggle of self
knowledge and moral relativism. Eventually we each have to
become philosophers rather than consumers. One notion of
the Temple of Set which sets us apart from our predecessor
the Church of Satan is our realization of the non-natural
force in man. Whether this is called the logos, the ba, or
the psyche, there is clearly something different about
mankind. This awareness is set apart from the natural
order. Picture for an instant a Mobius strip or a Klein
bottle. The fact that your mind can conceive of a
non-natural occurrence - in this case a three-dimensional
surface with only one surface -- shows that your mind is not
one with nor constrained by the natural order. In the
Temple we exalt this non-natural self, which can be
discovered by logical processes. This finding enables us to
reach a different ethic than the practitioners of the
Right-Hand Path. We neither seek nor believe in the
possibility of a union with the universe. We revel in our
separateness, which enables us to fully enjoy our carnality,
but also causes us to use that enjoyment in the goal of
energizing and articulating the psyche. Having established
the existence of the psyche, we have a basis for our
explorations and ethics.
Formulations of correct understandings by logic.
Having discarded the untrue and the inessential, we are left
with the building blocks for creating a model of the
universe. These notions may have been gained from science,
personal experience, from other philosophical/psychological
belief systems, or from findings of other Initiates with
whom we've chosen to Work. Creative synthesis of ideas -- a
self-managed dialectic, if you will -- has been a major
source of human knowledge. Setians begin a creation of a
model of the universe in order to understand it (and when
necessary, exert control of it through magic and other
means). One of the aims of Xeper is to understand the
relationship of yourself to the universe. Again this is a
tough road. We are placed in the position of Socrates, the
wisest man of Greece, who said, "I know nothing." We look
upon the universe as an exciting place to study -- rather
than as a dull and finished product.
Since the active human mind is a bringer of disorder to
the static authoritarian models of the universe (consider
Copernicus or Einstein) -- those who bring about the new are
seen as agents of chaos, champions of darkness. We gladly
accept these titles and know that our movement through the
world achieves a greater level of activity, creation, and
beauty. Set, the Egyptian deity which is our ultimate model
of Initiation, was called "Bringer of Confusion," as well as
"Majestic" and "Eternal." By actively becoming
philosophers, we exert an influence (often times invisible)
of rejuvenation on the corpse-like world around us.
We are not interested in Judeo-Christian dualism. Our
attraction to historic evil and our roots in the Church of
Satan allow us to use the name of Satanist with pride. We
choose Set rather than a Hebrew fiend for our model because
this is the most ancient (historically verifiable)
understanding of the Prince of Darkness. Set is mankind's
first model for the hero who rebels against cosmic
injustice.
The above two techniques can liberate you from the
necessity of finding some guru to tell you how to live. Use
your mind to find the knowledge of Good and Evil, and you're
ready to find out what's important to you and bring it into
the world. I wish you well with them.
The third technique, noetic inspiration, takes you to
the discovery of your own divinity and the edge of Black
Magic. We take the term noesis from Plato. Plato defined
three types of knowing. The lowest is pistis (faith). This
means believing something because someone in authority tells
you so. The Pope tells you that birth control is wrong, so
you know it's wrong. Society is controlled by this level.
The next higher way of knowing is dianoia (reasoning). This
is the test of reason and logic referred to above. The
elites work in this level. The highest knowing is noesis --
direct knowledge. This is the knowing that comes from the
divine Self. Examples of it may be found in your personal
life -- when you've come up with a solution to a problem
that was wholly new or novel to you. Or you may have
written poetry or music. This flash of inspiration is your
psyche becoming aware of its own existence. You may have
recognized this sacred quality in something you've seen --
the buildings of Gaudi -- or reading Ulysses -- or any of a
thousand thousand things. When you encountered this thing
and knew, "This is something special. This isn't the
product of a meat machine!" then you have experienced this
sense. The Temple of Set attempts to create an environment
where these experiences may be consciously sought and
entered into again and again. Also, I should note, the
Temple is only interested in genuine experiences (brought
about by Will) -- drug users are not welcome and solipsists
may take a hike!
This application of noesis is the most non-natural
aspect of the Temple's make-up. It is to be stressed that
our "non-natural" rhetoric does not mean we advocate a
wholesale destruction of nature; nothing could be further
from the truth. The aim of a non-natural religion is to
understand the conscious development of the Self, which in
turn may have an effect on the objective and subjective
universes. Seeking self development will cause the Temple
to always be an elitist group. Xeper leads to an
individually determined freedom. Society is best maintained
by natural religions which emphasize the maintenance of
natural structures in society. Plato, afterall did not
recommend the wide scale training of philosopher-kings. The
Temple does not view nonSetians with contempt. By
exercising our divine right of Self-creation, we often come
to enjoy and respect (rather than judge and condemn) the
human beings around us as the unique and fascinating
creatures they are. Just because we seek to exalt the
non-natural does not mean that we have in any way given up
having sex, eating, driving, etc. -- it merely means that we
seek to transform these states into thought provoking
experiences. We find, perhaps, that the practice of Black
Magic to be the most thought provoking of all.
One of the primary methods of experiencing noesis is
through ritual magic. Through careful manipulation of our
environments we can encourage a rising up of the divine
within us. We most definitely do not worship Set -- we
become as Set in our rituals. We scorn prayer, sacrifice,
and the bended knee. Although ritual magic has a strongly
practical side -- and we encourage getting money and power
because they give you the leisure to explore yourself --
magic can bring us into direct contact with our divinity.
We can control and direct our growth and Becoming in
accordance with our Will -- as well as gaining that
knowledge of ourselves and the universe necessary to make
these sacred decisions. In the practice of magic, we usurp
the power of the gods that mankind has created for itself.
We're not rebelling against a particular fiction -- whether
it's Jehovah, "The Goddess," or Zeus.
All of this leads to the question of, why Set?
Although the majority of the Temple has come to believe in
the existence of this entity, such belief is not required of
a member. Set is regarded as the best model of initiation
-- a vast powerful but finite being. If an entity were
all-powerful, it would be identical with the universe and
have no knowledge of its own awareness. In our mythology we
see Set as the Giver of Self-Awareness. Our thanks to Set
for this flame of self-awareness is shown by our using it.
The majority of mankind will hate him and revile him with
names like Satan, Loki, Lucifer. They would rather have
never been kicked out of the trees.
Let's look at the structure of the Temple and the
practices these techniques have led us to. The Temple of
Set Inc. is a not-for-profit corporation based in California
with an international membership. The Temple is governed by
a Council of Nine which determines long-term policies and
goals. The Council names and can remove the High Priest,
who runs the day-to-day business of the Temple. The High
Priest cannot sit on the Council. The current High Priest
is Dr. Michael A. Aquino. The Temple is owned by its
Priesthood. Individual Priests or Priestesses may run local
groups of Setians called Pylons. I run such a Pylon and I
will trace the hypothetical career of an entrant. Let's
call her Veronica Frankfort. I must stress that I'm going
to look at a successful career, but there are many
unsuccessful ones. There are lots of people, who think that
they'll get the secrets of the universe just by joining.
The Temple is only useful for those people who would find
some of the secrets regardless of affiliation or not. If the
Temple doesn't look like a tool to a prospective candidate,
they should avoid it. If it ceases to be a tool for those
within, they should leave. Anyone who joins for the sake of
joining will have an unhappy time -- if they merely
interested in making a statement against the hypocrisy of
society, they would be better served by making a fashion
statement.
Veronica encounters the name of the Temple, and she
decides to find out about it. The notion of Xeper, of Willed
conscious evolution, appeals to her. Maybe she read about
the Order of the Vampyre in Noreen Dresser's American
Vampires or the article on Satanism in the Encyclopedia of
American Religions. She writes the San Francisco P.O. Box
and gets a long informational letter. After weeks of
weighing the pros and cons -- "They seem nice and
intelligent, but what's really going on?" -- she decides to
apply, sending a letter expressing her desire to honestly
quest and $55 for materials.
Assuming that she makes a good case for her interest
(and that she expresses no criminal nor unethical intent),
she is admitted. She receives a document called The Crystal
Tablet of Set and a white medallion, indicating that she is
a Setian I*. For her this symbolizes the boldness of the
quest for self divinity. For those who will be fortunate
enough to Work with her, it symbolizes the excitement and
energy of an as yet unarticulated desire -- one of the
driving force arising from the black flame of
self-awareness. She's also told that she has two years to
bring forth certain qualities in herself, and that she'll
need to find a member of the Priesthood to Recognize those
qualities within her. Not bestow something on her, not give
her an exam to pass, but Recognize. She's scared,
intrigued, and challenged. This isn't like any other
religion she's been associated with. Also, there's this
book with chapters named "Black Magic in Theory and
Practice." And a huge reading list, none of it required, on
topics that may be of interest to her as she applies the
techniques. She wonders how a book on photography, The
Command to Look, or on politics, Political Ideas and
Ideologies, fit into these concepts of magic and religion.
She is fortunate that she lives in a town with a Pylon,
some towns don't have one yet. Of course, she can opt to
Work alone -- but the interaction of Initiates of different
levels of experience is a source of both challenge and
support. Since she lives near me, I drop her a note and ask
if she would like to come to a Pylon meeting. "What will I
need to bring?" she asks. "Nothing but yourself. If you
like us and we like you, you'll need to buy a black robe for
ritual Work." We do draw upon the colorful legacy of the
Black Arts for ,our stimulation and pleasure. She meets the
seven of us, we watch a video (bad '50s horror movies are a
favorite) and we have a free-form discussion of Setian ideas
and how we are applying them to our lives. We like her, she
likes us, and she joins the Pylon.
She comes to monthly rituals. At first it's pretty
overwhelming. We each write Work to satisfy our personal
and emotional needs. Sometimes our Work derives completely
from our own formulas -- sometimes we adapt historic models
(I am fond of revamping some Fraternitas Saturni rituals).
Soon she is trying Work on her own -- rituals for
destruction, compassion, lust, understanding. Eventually
she tries her hand at group Work. She reads the bimonthly
newsletter and she starts to correspond with other Setians.
She develops a meaningful friendship with Adept Mundy in a
small Midwestern town, who chooses to work alone.
After sixteen months I have come to see in her an
understanding of Left-Hand Path philosophy, genuine magical
ability (her objective magic Works -- she gets the
boyfriends and raises she wants), and a commitment to the
organization. I Recognize her as Adept and present her with
a red medallion -- signifying passage from death to life.
She has achieved the highest level of purely human
Initiation and she may remain at this level for the rest of
her earthly existence. This year she decides to go to the
annual International Conclave. She gets to meet Setians
from Australia, New Zealand, Germany, the United Kingdom,
Finland, etc. The magical and social interaction of
Conclave accelerated her progress immensely. She's planning
to go next year -- saving up her money since it will be in
Europe.
As an Adept, she has mastered the basic concepts of the
Temple. She is free now to specialize -- rather like the
completion of her basic college courses. She may choose to
affiliate with an Order of the Temple -- a group led by a
Fourth Degree, a Magister Templi. The Work of Orders is
mainly confidential, but if you're interested you may wish
to read about the Order of the Vampyre in Noreen Dresser's
American Vampires.
Veronica may consciously seek the next level of
Initiation. The Third Degree -- that of Priest or Priestess
of Set -- is characterized by responsibility and divinity.
Here the Initiate seeks the touch of Set himself. This is
not a unification with Set, but an alignment with the force
that gave mankind awareness. For those that achieve this
goal, there is a considerable strengthening of the Will.
It is a position not without strain -- for those necessary
controls to a strong Will, patience and wisdom, must be
cultivated by the individual. The three Initiatory Degrees
beyond Priest -- Magister, Magus, and Ipsissimus -- may be
thought of as further refinements of this initial alignment.
There is a great deal more to these, but that is discovered
better through personal interaction than through words.
The key to understanding the degree system is the word
Recognition. There are no special honors that come with
various colored medallions. No bowing and scraping. An
Initiate can correspond with/interact with anyone that finds
that interaction beneficial. Since our religion is tuned
toward personal growth, it becomes important to stress
different stages of growth. This gives the individual
outward examples to test their growth against, and keeps
them from sinking into a mire of subjectivity. In some
organizations titles are sold (or given away through simple
seniority). If you start out as Grand Exalted Pooh-Bah --
there is no place to go. The Temple provides a wonderful
toolkit. You can see real growth both inside and outside of
yourself.
There are downsides to membership in the Temple of Set.
The majority of the population won't believe that you can be
an ethical citizen because you choose to be so. They belong
to that class that have to have a prepackaged system of
"sacred lies" (to borrow Plato's term) that tell them how to
think and act. They think that unless you accept the notion
of some deity that's going to fry your ass in Hell, you
won't choose to act in a non-animal fashion. What they fear
is themselves, because they've never found an ethic that
encourages them to act as individuals. When times are
psycho-politically trying (for example, America in the 1980s
or Salem in the 1690s), they will look for criminals. It's
no use to explain that you don't sacrifice babies, spray
paint tombstones, or suck blood out of vagrants. If you try
to explain that your religion is one of choice, and
therefore only adults (18+) are admitted -- that you feel
children should be brought up free of any particular
religion, so that they can use their minds to choose -- they
will regale you with urban folklore. They heard about
somebody's cousin's dentist's brother-in-law who saw this,
or they think they've read that. The fact they can't
imagine men seeking the good without obeying God shows a
slave mentality. So if you were to join the Temple, you
discover the world is more intolerant and dangerous than you
may have known. Some of your most liberal and accepting
friends may shun you if you tell them. You may even use
pseudonyms -- like I did for this article -- for fear that
followers of the Prince of Peace will chuck bricks through
your window. In the long run conventional churches fear us
because we require a $50 a year membership fee -- rather
than begging for 10% of your money every Sunday. The
difference between the Temple and other religions is
disillusioning to some new members. The Temple does not
provide an instant peer group. There are no safety nets, no
loving outreach programs. Friendships are won. Respect
comes with deeds and evidence of understanding. We have no
ill feelings against those who don't make the grade, and
especially not against sincere seekers who find out that the
Temple's not for them. Although we may view the philosophy
of other religions as incorrect, as individualists we prize
the notion of freedom of choice. In fact the dialogue
between educated philosophers of the Right Hand Path and us
has often proved enjoyable and thought provoking.
Ours is a religion that requires bravery and commitment
to the ideals that exist in our black hearts. We are drawn
to those figures of historical evil who achieved the
transcendental good (and often the immortality of fame).
Evil men like Galileo, who was denounced by the Church;
Washington, a traitor to the British; Pythagoras, and
Socrates. We hope that as we pursue our own goals, we leave
behind such works of beauty and terror that tear apart the
world so a stronger, freer, smarter, and more darkly
resplendent world comes into Being.
If you are interested in acquiring more information
about the Temple of Set, you can request the General
Informational Letter from:
The Temple of Set
P. O. Box 470307
San Francisco, CA 94147
