The Power of Symbols

Subjectivism lends itself to chaos magic and is a cornerstone of the left hand path's individualism. All spiritual symbols are relative and have different effects according to the life experiences of the person and the desire of the person using the symbol.

1. The Magic of Symbols is Personal and Subjective
2. Chaos Magic
3. The Symbol of Satan
4. Chaos Magic Conclusion

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The Magic of Symbols is Personal and Subjective

For each person alive today who believes in the wholesome power of the Christian cross, and the goodness it represents, there are two or three more people in history who have hated, feared, been suppressed by, murdered in the name of, or tortured by the same symbol. It has (like god) more frequently been used as a weapon of war than out of good will. For me this makes the spiritual symbolism and associations with the Christian cross and Jesus to be very negative. They are symbols of war, aggression, suppression and of closed minds. That is is supposed to be a good symbol is irrelevent to my personal knowledge of it.

I know that to some people, it is their source of strength, hope and feel good in their lives. I know it inspires some to do good. This is because, for those people, the symbol is a personal issue, an issue of faith for them, and inspires them to have strength to do what they think is right. It seems if you use the symbol as a justification for evil, then that's what it achieves, but if you honestly use it for personal well being and good, then it works for that too. Even with the same symbol!

The Christian Cross made its political debut on the shields of a roman army, in a battle for power (though the cross itself is older than Christianity). The last vestiges of that power is still waning from its pinacle in the dark ages. The vast difference between the historical usage of the cross and the usage that modern liberal Christians personally employ seems to be at the heart of their belief: The goodness behind Christian symbolism, despite the history, works because it is this belief which they find most powerful. This good power is a function of the user, not of the historical or imagined historical power of the symbol itself. It is entirely personal. That imagery, icons and non-textual symbols exert such influence is a function of our evolution; we were not always a literate species.

“It is known that the Unconscious, whether personal or collective works by means of pictures or images, speech being a comparatively recent development. [...] Magic [...] speaks to the subconscious mind of man through the archaic images of its symbols and rituals, and thereby produces those "changes in subconscious" which the magician seeks.”

"Magic; It's Ritual, Power and Purpose" by W. E. Butler, p19

Chaos Magic

And what we have learned above goes by the name of Chaos Magic: Chaos theory holds that no system can be universal, nothing can be constant, no power shows itself in the same way more than once, and that ultimately every symbol and event has a different relationship to every person who contacts it. It is a spiritual version of subjectivism.

“Over the last twenty years, it has become a commonplace assumption of symbolic anthropology that the meanings of symbols are not exhausted by their shared or public elements, but are essentially a matter of private interpretation and, as such, may be inaccessible to others (including, alas, to ethnographers). Metaphor is public in so far as its terms are culturally salient and compelling; but its meaning to the different individuals who are oriented to it may be utterly different. [Cohen 1994: 142]

This depiction of metaphor is very close in meaning to Edelman's definition of qualia. Although we may all see the colour red, or hear the word 'food', what we see and what we hear will be unique to each of us. [...] Even concepts, moral judgements or other symbolic representations of the material or social world will vary in meaning between individuals.”

"Chaos and Intoxication" by Alan Dean, p98-99

It does not matter how much of the world, the large percent who have suffered under swords, wars and torture equipment endorsed and willed by the Churches of the world in the name of Jesus Christ, this imagery (however much it blackens the white "good" God of dualism), does not make Christians think of Jesus as a symbol of treachery, anti human behavior, or evil. Because from their point of view, this is not what Jesus stands for.

The Symbol of Satan

Satan, and the demons and concepts that embody Satan's name, do not perform ill upon me, for I control them, and I am strong. Demons are called upon and used by me according to my good nature and my good will, in the same way that when you pray, you are not praying to a God who you wish to kill and torture you or your friends or enemies, you are praying to the good god you believe to enact good deeds in the world. Satan for me, is the good god, who stands against treachery, suffering, human evil. His weapons are intelligence, grace, lack of counterproductive pride, etc, those morals and ethics which I hold to be most important in eradicating xenophobia, stupidity, rage and evil from the insides of people.

It does not matter that, according to white light religions (relatively new, and with a low percent of "influence" in total, throughout the many ages), that Satan (who contains all the demons and devils who have opposed the figureheads of all major religions) is the bad guy: Of course they think that. Over the course of history, in the minds of most, the shelter and protection of Satan (from their point of view, this could be anything from simple atheism, to a rival church) has been the last safeguard, the last port of protection for the philosophers, scientists, classical musicians, jazz musicians, medics and even theologians who have stood under the tyrannical face of organized religion as it has tried to murder and persecute them.

This Satan, this scapegoat, is the bad guy of organized religion, he is the saviour of the anarchist, the romantic, the fool who tries to cease human (and his own) suffering by removing the sheep mentality that allows powerful governments or forces to rule unquestioned; this Satan is the last strength for a moral person trapped in an immoral world.

Satanic rituals, the calling on the elements to remove hypocrisy and corruption, stupidity and irresponsibility; is not the summoning of evil as white light religion sees it, and does not have the evil effects, but is the single most important stand against the mindless tyranny of the majority of the Human race: it is a cleansing of the air around the Earth.

These are the rituals that we perform, and the opinion that they summon demons, evil and negative spiritual energy is a result of the propaganda of all organized religion that must condemn, cause fear and confusion, and eventual demise of anything that is not white light. It is ironic, that those who boast most about positive imagery, Jesus Christ and love, the most merciful god, are those using the most blood-soaked and ill-fated symbols!

If symbols do indeed embody the opinions of people, then I have chosen a symbol, the Sigil of the Baphomet, that represents some of the best intentions of man, and I choose rituals that hail the principles, "demons" and forces that would use these symbols to gather strength against the xenophobic and confused hordes who slander us.

The German anti-Nazi activist, Pastor Martin Niemöller: (click link for various versions of this popular text)

First they came for the Jews and I did not speak out - because I was not a Jew. Then they came for the communists and I did not speak out - because I was not a communist. Then they came for the trade unionists and I did not speak out - because I was not a trade unionist. Then they came for me - and by then there was no one left to speak out for me.

The "they" in this, are of course the Fascists. It is: The mind-washed soldiers of a belief system that rules unquestioned, where (because the temporary majority say so) communists are seen as evil. A belief in objectivism (read: opposite to subjectivism) leads them down a slippery path, where any misunderstood symbol's admirers can be persecuted and killed, this their intentions and stupidity effect the usage of the symbol. A symbol that some people see as good can inspire evil in some people, and vica versa.

The invocation of demons and forces in Satanism, are a Medicine Man's source of strength against the spirits that plague his tribe, they are the Rebels' strength they must muster to defend themselves against the Death Star, they are the "evil" which tries to fall the Catholic Church during the dark ages. It is Jesus Christ' strength against the ruling religious leader of his time: Who think that we are crazy, blasphemous, because we use symbolism that they personally do not consider right.

Chaos Magic Conclusion

The power of the symbol is only present in relation to the opinions of the viewer. The answer to such a confusing mess, where there is no symbol universally good, universally bad or even "mostly" one of the other, is subjectivism, or Chaos Magic, where it is the individual will that is most important. A demon for me, LaVey Satanists' or other freethinkers, is not called upon out of self destruction, but of the strengths and citadels of grace I have mentioned throughout this essay (the defence of self against growing and approaching inhumanity). The answer is of course the left hand path, where every individual uses the symbols that represent what he thinks they do, and uses them according to his needs.

The power of symbols lies in the will of the user, not in the power attributed to the symbol by other people.