I Choose To Reign In Hell

"It matters not whether anyone attaches any significance to your working, so long as the results of the working are in accordance with your will."
The Satanic Bible

Hazaa! Congratulations are in order for I have been kicked out of the Church of Satan! Regardless of what they say, my dangerous ideas were a threat to them. My belief in the occult, black magic, and esotericism disturb the money-takers outside Satan's temple. I'm sure that no one gets excommunicated from a lazy and complacent secular group like the CoS for nothing. This just shows me that I'm getting somewhere. I have upset the "infernal empire" with my conviction to the Dark Forces. Apparently, I am too Satanic for this so-called Satanic institution.

It looks like the Church of Satan is no longer in the Satan business. I suppose a few people were at the right place at the wrong time and hijacked this once beloved group like a bunch of robotic prison wardens. Yes, they are machines performing the same mechanical functions day after day, year after year. An alien elite without holdings, energy, direction, or religious/magical foundation. I see most CoS "leaders" (if Peggy Nadramia is any indication) as monkeys wearing the majestic ceremonial robes of their noble ancestors. They mimic real intellect and emotions, but in the end they are only apes. They refuse to evolve, so fuck em. Cause this is no joke; this is survival of the fittest!

It's very hard for me to believe that Anton Szandor LaVey meant for his organization to live on as an impotent, static, magic-less, mindless, and Satan-less bureaucracy. Therefore, I put on the Devil's horns and consider myself his successor in spirit, or his spiritual successor as the unofficial Crimson Archduke of the Satanic Church as well as the Cult of Cthulhu's High Priest!

The point of all this is to enact change. Let it be known that there are true-blooded Satanists practicing the Black Arts and actually paying homage to the Horned One, so this treatise is to inform, not indict them. My brief accusation and manifesto is not to waste love (or revenge) on ingrates, but to initiate a religious and magical revolution. The Cult of Cthulhu is a Left Hand Path sect, meaning that nature should fall in line with the magician's will and not the other way around.

"Satanism is not a white light religion; it is a religion of the flesh, the mundane, the carnal - all of which are ruled by Satan, the personification of the Left Hand Path"
The Satanic Bible, Book Of Lucifer 3: paragraph 30

Our Cthulhu Cult is an organization without rules, without laws, without degrees or leaders of any kind. And no, I'm not your master, preacher, or boss. Like Satan, I offer myself as a brother and friend. Most of all, this sect is absent of any inherent structure. It's as formless as the night. The Cult of Cthulhu is everything and nothing, everywhere and nowhere. It cannot become irrelevant because the meaning lives within the cultist. It is subjective and ever changing to suit what is needed at the moment.

The Cult of Cthulhu is also a Satanic institution, a brotherhood devoted to self-transformation and personal evolution, creating positive change in the world, as well as the study and use of dark magical forces. It is a place for outsiders, weirdoes, mystics, misanthropes, idealists, atheists, believers, sorcerers, and priests. We combine the Cthulhu Mythos, the undefiled wisdom of LaVey and other diabolic villains, Chaos Magic, ideas from the Temple of Set, The Fourth Way, the Ligotti Mythos, the Empire of Satanis, and anything else that takes our fancy.

The Cult of Cthulhu accuses all who use the Devil without acknowledging His power. The Cult of Cthulhu accuses all who sit idly by, who have lost their aesthetics, who are asleep, who are narrow minded, who are constantly negative, and those who cannot appreciate the creators of this world!

Assholes, you stand accused! I, Darrick David Dishaw High Priest of the Cult of Cthulhu, oppose you… being that I am Satan, I am Cthulhu and the Old Ones, and I AM THAT I AM.

Shemhamforash! Hail Satan!

Ia Ia Cthulhu Fhatagn!

From this night forth I will avenge Belial, Beelzebub, Diabolus, and Lucifer. They will be safeguarded, admired, exalted, and sacrosanct. The black flame is kept in the hearts and minds of those who uphold their demonic pact. All others shall be found wanting.

As it is written, so shall it be!

Darrick "Cthulhu Cultist and Crimson Archduke of Satan's Church" Dishaw

* * *

I long for a night when our demonic soul is recognized and celebrated alongside our animal nature. Duality is needed, the good and the bad, yin and yang, order and chaos, night and day, male and female… The self-remembering Man and the fully indulged Beast are the fundamental sides to every being. Stretching out in opposite directions, they represent the horns of a goat. The third side points down, it goes deep inside the individual, and it challenges each human to Know Thyself. Only through self-observation can we see ourselves. Only by understanding our position can we see where we are and realize where change is needed. Only with daily struggle can we remember ourselves and awake.

Is Satan a real entity, a personification, a metaphor, none of these things or all of them…? What I've come up with is that it doesn't really matter. If He exists as nothing else, then He is an idea. And the concept of Satan and Satanism is what brings us together. Something primal, powerful, transcendent, ancient, and attainable… Satan is the God we can actually be. He is us on our best days, in our most singular and conscious form.

Let us all come up with individual views of Satanism and practice it. What good is a religion, a belief, an organization if it doesn't serve you totally? From this moment on, the world will confront Satan. We will communicate and share our disturbing insight, and the humans will know their Masters!

Now for the "he said, she said". The short story of my emancipation and my destiny…

On 5/5/05 1:41 PM, "Darrick Dishaw" <darrick@cultofcthulhu.net> wrote:
hey HP Nadramia, how's it going? i just wanted to touch base with you again now that the Cthulhu One convention is over and done with. besides the guests of honor lectures, the height of C-1 was the Walpurgisnacht ritual wish officially gave birth to the Cult of Cthulhu. all the participants whispering "ia ia Cthulhu fatahgn", as i ushered in the Age of Cthulhu.

i also gave a short lecture the day before (friday April 28th), on Lovecraft's use of Satanism, a controversial topic as i found out from a vocal minority of internet mythos freaks.

even though the Cult of Cthulhu is its own thing, i would like it to be recognized as a Church of Satan grotto. through Cthulhu One i've met some serious Lovecraftian occultists, it would be great to meet other Satanists and organize both together - that's really my goal with the Cult of Cthulhu.

i would also like to consider the Church of Satan as an affiliated branch of the Cult of Cthulhu. i intended the CoC to be a LHP umbrella group doing its own thing, simultaneously everywhere and nowhere as the night. However, if both our groups are going in the same direction, if would be silly not to share a cab. of course, the CoS has been around for almost 40 years and the CoC has been official for about 4 days, so i don't want to be presumptuous. i may look just like him (in his younger days) and have the same Satanic spirit as Anton Szandor LaVey, but i couldn't possibly fill his shoes.

thanks for your time,
Hail Satan! Hail Cthulhu!

Darrick Dishaw
High Priest of the Cult of Cthulhu

Administration wrote:
Dear Mr. Dishaw:

Congratulations on what we trust was a successful convention.

We are currently phasing out Grottos, so no, your "Cult of Cthulhu" cannot be recognized as a Grotto. Also, the Church of Satan is not a "branch" of anything, and we entirely reject the idea of being part of any "umbrella" of "left Hand Path" groups. If you read the essay, "The Myth of the Satanic Community..." on our site, then you'll see some of the basic ideas behind our desire to remain exclusive, which follows from the identical position held by Dr. LaVey himself.

He also felt, and we agree based on personal experience, that people with "organization fever" at times may find it wise to be doing this entirely outside of our Church. In the past, members have departed and then worked that urge out of their systems. Depending upon their endeavors, they may or may not be allowed re-entry down the road.

Dr. LaVey started the Church of Satan as there was nothing else like it in existence, so as I see it, the "spirit" you have is not quite like the one he had as our founder. He was in a very different position. Over the past 40 years we have had many members who have used Lovecraftian imagery in their aesthetic and magical work, and many today still find inspiration in the "old Gent." They have not felt the need to start a new organization. As demonstrated by "The Satanic Rituals," the Church already embraces both fictional and historical "dark side" elements.

We had thought your calling yourself "High Priest of the Cult of Cthulhu" was meant tongue-in-cheek. From what you write here it is appearing that it might be otherwise. If you really intend to have an umbrella organization of "occultists," then it must be made clear that this has no association whatsoever with the Church of Satan. We do not view people like that to be "fellow travelers."

We generally don't mind if our members play with whatever magical systems they choose, so long as it does not lead to illegal practices, but if they create an organization it must be made clear that the Church of Satan does not automatically endorse it, not does membership in that organization imply any connection between that unaffiliated member and the Church of Satan.

That's our position on your endeavor, from what you've mentioned below.

Hail Satan!

--PN
Magistra Peggy Nadramia
____________________________________________________________

hello again,
i understand and agree with some of the things you've said. however, i see the CoS slipping away into the darkness (perhaps i'm wrong). especially now that you've told me about the phasing out of the grotto system and considering the outrageous $200 membership fee. is the CoS proposing to shed itself of the magical philosophy that it was founded upon as well? i would really like to know where the hierarchy sees the CoS going, as a member of the organization and a champion of LaVey's weltanschaung, i am very curious...

as i've read, LaVey started the CoS at the advice and encouragement of his friends (yes, i've done my homework and looked past the wizard's curtain), in order to stir up some activity and put certain things in motion. i want to do the same. years ago i asked what i could do for the CoS and never received a satisfactory reply. that's why i decided to strike out on my own with the Cult of Cthulhu. i named myself high priest because i am the earthly representative of this slimy and tentacled antediluvian current. i study and practice magic daily, do you? is your title meant to be tongue in cheek?

in the 60's, LaVey wasn't under anyone's dogma or religious/magical authority and neither am i. that is the Satanic spirit to which i was speaking. i put myself out there, working to change reality with real world work and the black arts. i can always use like-minded people on my side and thought the CoS was in the same boat. perhaps i was mistaken.

Belief Structures Reality,
Darrick Dishaw
High Priest, Cult of Cthulhu

Administration wrote:
Dear Mr. Dishaw:

Since you have doubts about the Church of Satan, I have to wonder why you've remained a member. It is as it always was, and is not going to morph into something else. Our organization is flourishing, and it won't be another 19 years until we raise the registration fee again. That is never a problem for the actual Satanists. They have the magic of mastery, not of belief. The fee is a perfect filter to keep out those wannabes who hope "magic" will improve their lives, having already reached a dead end due to lack of application and ability.

The philosophy of the Church of Satan is carnal, elitist, atheistic, pragmatic, and skeptical - not "magical." Dr. LaVey called people who had your perception "occultniks," and that was no compliment. With that misprision, you cannot be accurately championing his weltanschauung.

When people ask what they can do for the Church of Satan, we always encourage them to use what talents they possess to create something of quality that is unique. We do not want people trying to represent us and our philosophy who do not have a thorough understanding of it. That is not a help. We would not tap someone like yourself to be a representative. We aren't seeking converts or dabblers, or worse, "true believers." The proper individuals make their way to us since our literature is widely available. The outstanding will always be few in number compared to other religions; quality over quantity has always been our motto.

When members do not have the talent to create something of value, then we suggest that they enjoy their lives, and the products of those who can create. That is far better than becoming an embarrassment to our organization by spreading misinterpretations of our philosophy to a credulous public in efforts to "help." From your statements below it seems that the latter has become your destiny. You may be "stirring something up," but it isn't Satanism. And you are late to the party in using Lovecraft as a base for occultist practices. Looks like more "homework" is in order.

You would need to seek elsewhere for people who might be of "like mind" to yourself. As always, the Church of Satan will remain in darkness and continue to draw our tribesmen. Sometimes there are confused people who wander though our door and want to project their own ideas onto Dr. LaVey's work. These "believers" sometimes realize their error. Sometimes they think their "belief" will alter the fundamental principles of the Church of Satan. They are mistaken, and really do not belong here. As Dr. LaVey said, that door always swings both ways.

Sincerely,

--PN

Magistra Peggy Nadramia

____________________________________________________________

i have to ask, why are trying to create followers with one leader, one direction, one voice, one interpretation, and one brain?

i suggest you re-educate the current members of the CoS, because there are more individuals who think like me than you are probably aware. are you sure you speak for every CoS member? if the Satanic Bible is a misrepresentation of the CoS, then perhaps you should write another one without black magic! as for your flourishing, i'm sure you talk to hand-picked Satanists all day and your "reality" is filtered by boot lickers and lap dogs. there are many born Satanists out there that have never heard of the CoS.

i do create things and i am very successful in my everyday life. more than you, i'm sure. does that mean i'm a better Satanist than you? if "our" CoS doesn't accept non-conformists, anti-authoritarians, and outsiders, then you are correct, i should not consider myself a member of "your" organization. from the PN idea of Satanism, i have remained a member because of the nostalgia for Satanic days of yore, as well as, a desire to influence the CoS from within. if you had taken a look at my website, that would be apparent. i'm not going to resign, so kick me out of your own Church of Satan if my ideas are too dangerous for you.

Darrick Dishaw
High Priest, Cult of Cthulhu

Peggy Nadramia wrote:
Dear Mr. Dishaw:

The Church of Satan is a cabal filled with a great variety of individuals who share the platform of Dr. LaVey's bedrock literature. It is chock-full of non-conformists, anti-authoritarians, libertarians, epicureans, iconoclasts and productive outsiders of many sorts. They apply Satanism in highly different ways, and they know very well what it is and also what it isn't. While we are supportive of diversity of application of our common philosophy, the Church of Satan does not embrace clownish occultniks; we invite such people to leave.

Regarding your continued membership, the only "danger" is that the mystical twaddle you publicly espouse could be confused by interested parties with the actual philosophy of Satanism. In fact, you have declared that it is your intention to attempt to alter the Church of Satan to conform to your misinterpretations. While that is not possible, it is also not acceptable.

Therefore, by decree of the Council of Nine, your membership is hereby terminated. It is clear to us that your "cult" of pseudo-Satanic silliness can only bring embarrassment and disinformation if any connection were to be made between it, yourself, and the Church of Satan.

So it is done.

Rege Satanas!

Magistra Peggy Nadramia
High Priestess, Church of Satan

Before the old guard is destroyed by the new (as it must be), the new guard offers its hand in friendship... which the old firmly denies.

Darrick Dishaw
High Priest, Cult of Cthulhu

p.s. since you don't believe in magic, isn't your "So it is done!" theatrics utterly foolish if not contemptible?

All great things must first wear terrifying and monstrous masks in order to inscribe themselves on the hearts of humanity. -Friedrich Nietzsch

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