When laymen think about Satanism, they think of child sacrifice, animal worship and things of the like, however, this is a result of misinterpretation and distortion of the Satanic beliefs and rituals. Satanism is not about violence and coercion, rather, it is a philosophy that teaches people to follow their own free will and work for their wishes.
What is Theistic Satanism
Although this movement is called Theistic Satanism by some, it would be better represented as Devil Worshippers as this is a kind of Satanism which regards Satan as a deity, as described in the Jewish and Christian texts. Satanists worship Satan in much the same way that Christians worship Jesus. Their worship is based on the Biblical writings, a belief that the force of Satan empowers people to pursue happiness and wealth through rituals.
Satanists believe that men are selfish, evil and instinctive by nature and denying these traits is an illusion that brings suffering. For Satanists, humans can only find true happiness through obeying to the instincts – seeking pleasure and wealth rather than avoiding them in exchange of heaven.
The fact that Satanists choose to please their senses in order to find happiness and joy does not imply in hurting or disrespecting others. Based on the Book of Satan, Satanists simply reject the idea that people should deny their nature while they live.
What is Symbolic Satanism
Some Satanists do not consider Satan an entity, but understand that Satan plays a symbolic role and represents the instincts, true human nature and the search for a pleasure. The rituals involved in this kind of Satanism do not mean to worship Satan or its force. Instead, the rituals serve as a way to obtain the desired objective using systems of Hermetic magic.
Satan, in this case, is a symbolic representation of free will and self-ownership. The true Satanist does not fear God's punishment, or the power of any deity, as they do not believe that an outside judge or an entity decides whether a person is good or evil. For Satanists, anything is possible as long as one is willing to deal with the consequences.
Satanists and the Satanic Rituals
That which is called Satanic rituals is no different from the magic rites that date back to late antiquity when Hermetism emerged along with Gnosticism and Neoplatonism. The Hermetic magic was practiced by alchemists in search of the philosopher's stone – a substance that would transform everything it touched into gold and that would make men immortal.
Besides alchemy, Hermetic beliefs included Astrology, Monistic-polytheism, the existence of elementals and entities whom the magician could form an alliance in order to accomplish certain tasks. Depending on the purpose of the magic and the kind of entities that the magician may have an alliance with, the magic is called either "white magic" or "black magic."
What is Black Magic
Satanism became associated with black magic because the adepts use the Hermetic knowledge in order to reach whatever they please and find necessary according to their personal choices, without worrying about whether the entities mean well or not or if the magic will bring bad consequences to themselves. This is consistent with the Satanic philosophy in which each person is responsible for the choices made.
So, the only difference between white and black magic is the purpose that they intend to reach, as the rituals and knowledge is the same for both – it is not the ritual but the intention behind the rite that makes it "white" or "black".
Understanding Satanism
Satanism is not about murdering, hurting, kidnapping children and using human organs, as some suggest. Whoever has harmed others or done illegal acts using Satanism as an excuse is not a real Satanist, as this behaviour is not endorsed by any Satanic movement.
Satanism is simply a philosophy which teaches that knowledge empowers people to achieve anything they want and it's up to each person to decide what to do with this knowledge. For Satanists, there's no reason why a person would not make use of magic to get what they want, as they believe that the only thing capable of judging one's intentions is his own consciousness. It is said that unless a person is not confident enough to stand for their judgment, it's not a sin to pursue power.
Read Hermeticism – the Four Elements along with Hermeticism – the Elemental Spirits to learn about Hermetic practices and rituals.
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