Satanism and Ceremonial Magic

A little disclaimer is in order--the text I have provided you here should be relatively unproblematic, but I must stress that there are some things you might not like on the web sites to which I have linked here.  None of these sites contains anything illegal, but some of it might be disturbing.  This page is not required reading for the class.  

The Religious Tolerance site has an excellent page on Satanism, where the topic is presented in a slightly different way than I present it below.  

I have placed Satanism and Ceremonial magic together on this page for two reasons: a)  because a more extensive discussion and commentary is necessary than with the other religions in this website.  There are some very complex issues involved.  b) many people are profoundly ignorant of the facts surrounding both, and are therefore quick to lump all forms of occultism, witchcraft and alternative spirituality into the simplistic and dangerous category of Satanic.  I have also observed this from people who are not religiously motivated, but make false assumptions about the behaviors of Wiccans.   

In the following document, I propose to explain briefly the historical and factual background so that when the term "Satanic" is used, it is used in the proper, technical sense, and not in the biased, religious, rhetorical sense. 

The major source of misunderstanding is that Satan, Lucifer, Beelzebub, Asmodeus, Belial, etc.  are fundamentally supernatural or mythic beings that are part of Judaism, Christianity and Islam.  Satan is not relevant to most other religions.  In particular, religions like Wicca claim to pre-date Christianity, and are based on pagan nature religion.  The horned god of pre-Christian religion was adopted as the form of Satan during the campaign to convert Europe to Christianity.  In other words, they turned the god of the rural people into the god of evil.  In Greece, this god was named Pan.  The "Jolly Green Giant" is another pagan deity known as the Green Man.  The Green Man is a common architectural decoration in Medieval Catholic churches in England.  

It is essential to acknowledge a debate between many scholars of comparative religions and those who believe the narrative of the Bible and Qur'an.  The former assert, based on persuasive historical records and archeological evidence that monotheism is a relatively new innovation that grew out of a henotheistic trend in the ancient Near East.  Some theorists, including myself, hold the notion that monotheism is the creation of an educated urban elite with a plan to unify and homogenize religion--in more blunt terms, a marketing and colonial scheme.  This means that the rural "pagans" or "heathens" (both terms that basically meant "country folk" or "bumpkins") were the last to be converted to the new religion.  Muslims in particular believe that monotheism was given to Adam and Eve, but the message was lost as people slipped into idolatry or shirk.  The prophets were all sent to reform religion, and get the people back on track with a monotheistic faith.  Abraham, Moses, Jesus and Mohammed are all examples of God's efforts to bring us back to monotheism.  Whatever is the truth in this debate, it is quite clear that the horned god and the various goddesses of antiquity became the images of evil for Christians and Muslims.

Interesting links about the Beast and Babylon

An example of Apocalyptic prophecy in regards to this passage from Revelation

Chart of the Beast, showing the prophetic interpretations of the symbols.

I don't think it necessary to remind readers of the standard image of the devil, which is basically a Greek satyr, or the god Pan.  

In the traditional sense, "Satanism" and "Demonology" refer to selling one's soul, or making bargains with the Devil, or other "evil entities" in return for earthly gain.  In some cases there is no bargain or debt involved.  Modern Satanists typically do not sign pacts with the Devil, nor do they believe that they are getting earthly rewards in exchange for eternal damnation.  Satanists might simply worship Satan and expect favors in return, in the same way that Christians and Muslims expect from their respective deities.  In this sense, it becomes clear that Satanism of this type represents a real and independent religion.  Christians tend to assume that Satanists are working within the Christian religious paradigm, but on the "other side."  Modern Satanists do not typically believe in Hell, Damnation or Jesus Christ.  Many of them are actually atheists.  Perhaps it is misleading to refer to this kind of religion as Satanism.  

Historically, the only purely Satanic manifestations have been within the context of Zoroastrian, Gnostic, Manichaean, Mithraic and Judeo-Christian social and ecclesiastic structures.  Historically and currently there are at least five distinct forms or types of "Satanism" and accompanying magical texts written within the Churches and Temples.  

The first type we will call "Real Satanism."  

The practice and writing of texts of self-proclaimed Satanism as these churches describe it (perversions of the Mass and Sacraments, blasphemy, pacts with demons, etc.) was by its nature limited to priests and ex-priests of the church.  Only a priest or rabbi could carry these rituals out because to do it properly, one would have to do something like speak Latin backwards.  Basically, "real Satanism" was certainly something that took place on occasion in desperate times among corrupt individuals.  However, the records of such events are more rare than the pacts and literature (the tales of Faust and Don Giovanni).  It is largely a fiction or art, and occasionally life imitates art and fiction.  Nevertheless, there is an interesting body of texts that form the basis of Medieval and Renaissance ceremonial magic.  We will discuss these later since they do not really merit the description "Satanic." 

Scandalous contracts with the Prince of Darkness and books that described the evil deeds of witches and sorcerers were all practical from the perspectives of politics and social engineering.  There are documented cases of forgeries used to incriminate rivals, thus sending them to imprisonment, torture and death at the hands of the Inquisition and burnings, or the Protestant Witch Trials and hangings.   Click here for more information on the Witch Trials or the "Burning Times." 

These forged texts, and the fanciful, sensationalistic descriptions of "the things witches do" and "the methods to identify a witch" that were written to justify these atrocities form the second type of "Satanic book."  Let's call these "Rhetorical Satanism."  It is important to note that the majority of these materials were the equivalent of propaganda and training manuals distributed by opportunist brutes who were profiting by traveling 'round the countryside to rid the world of those evil witches. [one of the most famous of these books: The Malleus Malleficarum.] The witch hunts were a lucrative endeavor since the courts were able to confiscate the possessions of the victims.  An entire economy built up around it, similar to what we have seen with the drug war.  Interesting parallels can be drawn, except for the fact that the vast majority of the accused witches had not committed any of the crimes of which they were accused, and to which they were horribly forced to confess.

[click for a review of a book on the trial of Urban Grandier, one of the most famous cases of potential political assassination by means of the Inquisition.]

The third type is discussed more at length later in this document.  It could be called rhetorical Satanism like the second type.  The difference is that in the former type non-Satanists using fictional Satanism to scare people into orthodox religion, and justify the persecution of people on the grounds of accusations of witchcraft.  In this third type, self-proclaimed Satanists take advantage of the fear their religion creates in order to scare people to change their behavior.  I will refer to it as Revolutionary Satanism or Political Satanism.  For instance, one could use Satanic imagery combined with racist rhetoric to scare a minority group.  This kind of inflammatory and revolutionary discourse is useful for many different political goals.  One could use Satanism as a way to confront people with the contradictions of our society.  Although not known as a Satanist, Jonathan Swift's essay "A Modest Proposal" is definitely a seminal work in this tradition of creating a sinister mirror of society in order to cause change.  Aleister Crowley playfully used Satanism as a way to attract attention to himself, and to raise questions about Victorian morality.  Throughout the Twentieth Century we saw a host of similar movements that blended art, social criticism, philosophy, images of human evil and even blasphemy or parody of orthodox religion as a way to stimulate dialogue and social change.  Although most of the Revolutionary Satanists have high-minded, idealistic goals (environmentalism, animal rights, human rights, freedom of speech and religion, etc.) some few of them use the rhetorical power of Satanism to augment the fearsome nature of racist movements like the Hammerskin Nation of Skinheads.  

The fourth type is a special case of the first, in that it is a true Satanism.  The usual term given to this modern Satanism is "Religious Satanism" or "Philosophical Satanism."  This type of Satanism is really more of a bridge between the third and the fifth type.  It did not exist until the 1960's, and it takes a number of different forms.  I will discuss it more at length later, as it provides the real object of interest in this discussion.

The fifth type of "Satanic text" is not necessarily Satanic at all.  It is rather Ceremonial Magic (discussed later), or "Black Magick" or "necromancy."  Known as "grimmoires," these books typically consist of instructions for preparation of the magician and his implements, a series of devotional and protective prayers, then a sort of data base of information for connecting up with an infernal bureaucracy of demons suited to numerous useful tasks.  Dualism, as described previously, can be understood to imply that the minor spirits or daemons are in charge of things down here.  Most of these magicians apparently believed that God did not have direct power down here on Earth, but rather these "demons" or "elemental spirits" had power to cause things to happen for us.  God, on the other hand, has the power to keep these dangerous demons under control.  Overtly Christian and Jewish prayers are always used to protect the magician from the evil spirits.  There are actually quite a few texts of this type.  They always contain urgent warnings that the magic is extremely dangerous, and requires a pure soul in order not to be corrupted or destroyed by these demons.  Various rituals and acts of purification and asceticism are always essential to the process.  In my personal opinion, there seems to be some connection between this tradition and the Tantric traditions of Hinduism and Buddhism.

The lists of tasks that these magicians supposedly could perform clearly imply that, piety notwithstanding, they were interested in quite mundane goals such as: recovering lost property, the power of invisibility, slaying one's enemies, love spells, inciting war, winning wars, knowing the future, etc. For this reason these texts have been described as Satanic.  But, these apparently hypocritical magicians thought that their piety protected them from damnation.   Some of the more famous of these texts were: The Key of Solomon the King, The Lesser Key of Solomon, The Sworn Book of Honorius the Mage, The Enchiridion of Pope Leo, The Grimorium Verum, The Sacred Magic of Abramelin the Mage.  These books have regained some popularity among occultists and are currently published in expensive, ornate limited editions for collectors.  

Click here for an excellent bibliography on Medieval Magic (print resources).  Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa: Renaissance scholar of magic and occultism.  Most subsequent occultists borrowed and plagiarized from his major work.  

Twilit Grotto Esoteric Archives--excellent reference source for primary texts in magic and Hermeticism from the Middle Ages to the modern era.  Includes the famous magical grimmoires, and works by Christian "heretics" such as Agrippa, Bruno, Dee as well as numerous Jewish "heretics." 

With all of this "hocus pocus" and books describing methods for starting wars, becoming invisible, opening locked doors, seeing the future, and so forth, it is not terribly surprising that the European royalty would (and did) have close ties to astrologers, magicians and necromancers who were the Renaissance version of spiritist mediums (hosts of Victorian séances), but with a more gothic aesthetic.  Nostradamus is probably the most famous example of a court magician/prophet. Few serious magicians, Wiccans or even astrologers take Nostradamus very seriously.  Of more importance to current fashions and trends in the magical community is John Dee.  He is rumored to have caused the storm that helped England destroy the Spanish Armada for Queen Elizabeth.  A series of Angelic Communications provided a lot of cryptic foundational material that was assimilated by the Golden Dawn, and incorporated into their ceremonial work.  The Twilit Grotto offers a nice collection of John Dee texts on-line.   

It should be noted that within modern Neopaganism that there is a lot of overlap between the more pure Neopagan traditions, the Thelemic, the Satanic and Quasi-Satanic.  It is extremely difficult to categorize some groups, and even more difficult to categorize individual practitioners.  In general, though, self-proclaimed Satanists are not common or appreciated by most Neopagans.   Considerable tension exists between some Satanists and some Neopagans, who see Satanists as reflecting negatively on them in terms of their own public relations efforts.  

Satanism can only make sense within the context of one of the dominant Monotheistic religions.  It's kind of like switching teams in the middle of a ball game.  To extend the metaphor, other religions are other "games," and to call another religion "Satanic" is to assume that people who aren't playing the same "game" as you, are your opponents in the game that you are playing.  Within a strongly dualist context, all divergence from the accepted paradigm results in precisely this kind of intolerant reaction.  

Monotheistic religions around the world have a dark history of labeling unorthodox religions and non-believers as Satanic.  Consequently, they dehumanized, tortured, killed and discriminated against many people based on false and distorted conceptions of other cultures interpreted in terms of their own. This is precisely what the Nazis did to the Jews and their religion.  Perhaps not surprisingly the pre-Christian Romans made the exact same accusations against the early Christians (eating babies, drinking blood, orgiastic sex, etc.).  

Wiccans do not typically believe in Satan or Jesus.  They believe that their religion pre-dates Christianity, and therefore is unrelated to it.  To attribute Satan to their religion is a profound philosophical error rooted in ignorance and fear. It is no more reasonable to call them Satanic than it is to call Buddhists or Native Americans Satanic.   A few readers might assert that this is the case.  There isn't much point in arguing with them.

True Satanism as blasphemy of Christian practice is extremely rare today, and is usually little more than theater, a decadent diversion of the Goth crowd, or an excuse for brutality for some cruel individuals.  It is a fashion statement, or political gesture intended to offend adults and the establishment. This kind of theatrical, revolutionary Satanism is not organized, and cannot be considered a religion any more than body piercing.  Marilyn Manson is one of the more popular and extreme purveyors of this sort of "Satanism."   It seems to be a direct attack on the hypocrisy of our society, and a call to the youth to rebel against it.  What makes him interesting, I think, is the disturbing mixture of provocative criticism and high ideals, along with a profoundly sinister and frightening presentation.  He claims that he uses a "satanic" image in order to reveal to us how corrupt our society is, and how terribly we are treating our youth.  I don't wish to enter into a defense of his methods, but I suggest that he is more interesting than many might think, even if he is perhaps hypocritical or mentally disturbed.  I give him credit for being willing to have intelligent and thought provoking conversations in public with concerned parents.  

In the simplest terms, most Satanists WANT to scare us into examining our preconceptions. Rather than a truly religious movement, it could be argued that self-proclaimed Satanism is a political and artistic movement similar to Dada.  I will discuss this more at length later in this document.

The fact remains that Satanism is identified with crime and psychopathology in the public mind.  The attempts of certain law enforcement officers to blame various crimes on an organized network of Satanists has never been proven, and has actually been officially rejected by the FBI.  There may indeed be cruel, abusive individuals, and there are clearly people who claim to be Satanists, but the facts have not connected the two in any systematic, organized conspiracies or organizations.  

An unreasonable hysteria incriminated many innocent people and fueled intolerance for non-Christian religions. [Articles and info on the Satanic Scare of the 1980's and 1990's: 1, 2, 3, 4] [articles on child abuse and sex crimes by Christians: 1, 2, 3, 4]  My point here is not to suggest that one group is superior or inferior to another, but rather to illustrate the simple fact that very real crimes against children are a product of sick minds and not of their religions.  This is a problem with the general population, and it does no good to blame it on a specific religious group--whether it be Catholic priests or Satanists.  We should not forget that anti-Semitic violence was incited by using exactly the same method of false propaganda about child abduction and sacrifice.   Ironically, the pre-Christian Romans attempted to use it against early Christians too.

This "Satanic Panic" got a lot of coverage in the early 1990's, until the ACLU and various forces organized resistance to the attempts to invent connections between various crimes and people who wear pentagrams and hang out in covens.  Some religious conservatives were suggesting that participation in Wicca was a first step toward eating babies, etc.  At this point, the movement to implicate witches and self-proclaimed Satanists in these crimes is no longer taken seriously by any organization of law enforcement in the United States.  Wicca has legal status in the United States.  Its priests are allowed to enter prisons to counsel believers.  Prisons are providing facilities for believers.  The results of this have been positive.  Even Satanists are receiving similar treatment in some prisons, though they obviously have a tougher P.R. battle to fight.  

Park boards are allowing  Neopagans of all kinds to use group camping facilities for their seasonal celebrations.  The United States military recognizes Wicca in its chaplain's manual, and there is a growing Wiccan presence in the armed forces.  Unitarians and Catholics in particular have shown great tolerance for Wiccans, often allowing them to use their buildings for their rituals.  Public rituals are becoming increasingly common in large cities for events such as the Vernal Equinox, Summer and Winter Solstices and Full Moon.  

Discussing Neopaganism (Wicca) and Satanism on the same page is perhaps not a good idea since it might further confusion.  However, I hope that after reading this and the previous page on The Burning Times, and related Wiccan Links that you have a clear idea of how different Wicca is from any type of Satanism, especially at the ethical level.  

Religious Satanism

There are indeed self-proclaimed Satanic groups, or "religious Satanists."  They are very common on the internet.  Anton LaVey was the founder of the Church of Satan, and the Satanic Bible.  His pupil Michael Aquino broke away from the COS because he felt that LaVey was more of a showman and prankster.  He wanted a more serious, intellectual Satanism.  His organization is known as the Temple of Set.  Aquino has had some problems with the law, and has been personally accused of child molestation.  He has a rather interesting background, but has a number of ethically questionable ideas--including a passion for tapping into the occult currents used by Hitler's Third Reich. The Temple of Set has been fairly influential in terms of its ideas, but does not have many members.  It appears to be dissolving. 

In its inception, the Church of Satan looked in its liturgical texts to be largely inspired by Nietzsche, Wiccan and Catholic paradigms.  A philosophical/ethical model grew out of this movement that has been accepted by a variety of similar groups, and has even emerged in the context of hate groups.  

"The Nine Satanic Statements" from LaVey's 1969 Satanic Bible and the 1967 "Eleven Satanic Rules of the Earth" are an early manifestation of the doctrine.   To complete the irony, he even provided a list of Nine Satanic Sins in 1987.  It is clear that LaVey's ideal wanted to teach a philosophy of agnostic, chivalrous, intellectual, self-interest.  The metaphysics of Satan were probably not of much real interest to him, except for artistic reasons.  Much to his discredit, the upstart Aquino failed to understand the art and irony of LaVey.  

One of the more interesting web "Satanists" Nagasiva Yronwode maintains an interesting web site with a collection of his essays.  He also maintains the TOKUS Satanservice.org site, which will provide you more details of Satanism than you could possibly examine.  If you are interested in seeing intelligent writing in this vein, this is among the best I have seen anywhere on the net.  

Based on my anecdotal observations of modern or post modern Satanism, the most important motivation for these people is social & political criticism. As a philosophical/political movement, Satanism tends toward Social Darwinism, Libertarianism, Libertinism and Anarchism.  In some cases Satanism lines up well with the fascist politics of the extreme Right Wing, who resent Welfare for the poor and any kind of protectionism that prevents the strong from taking what they want (Affirmative Action, government regulations of corporations, Animal Rights, Environmental Protection, United Nations). Since this philosophy is present among some extreme Right Wing Christians, there is some common ground between them and the Satanists.  I will consider this connection in the next subsection.  I must stress that there is a lot of variety among people who claim to be Satanists.  Some are very bright, artistic rebels.  Others are just dimwitted headbanging brutes.  Some are fascist, some are leftist.  There is even a tongue-in-cheek "Eco-Satanism" movement.  Some Satanists are animal rights activists.  Most Satanists are actually performance artists at heart.  In our society, we see professional wrestlers cheered and idolized for taking on the persona of a devil.  It is a theatrical and rhetorical role or mode that is used to shock people. 

Racism and Satanism

Typically manifesting the dualist mode of thought, Satanists are sometimes connected to destructive dualistic philosophies such as fascist movements, and in other cases to nihilistic and hedonistic philosophy.  There are reasons to dislike some of these people for the same reasons we dislike other hate groups who call for the elimination of the weak, the elderly, the poor, etc.  Ironically, white racists often blend Christianity and this form of Satanism to produce bizarre religions like Christian Identity, K.K.K. [visit hatewatch.org for more information on racist hate groups] and many more.  Charles Manson is known for his visions of racial apocalypse.  A more accurate appraisal of the situation is that racists often find Satanism, rather than the other way around.  Skinhead tattoos often include overtly Satanic imagery--mixed with Christian imagery.  This also helps clarify my earlier assertion that Satanism in its purest sense of the word is a Christian phenomenon.  

In my personal opinion, this racist type of Satanism does indeed represent a threat to our society.  Not all Satanists become racists and haters of the poor, but the emphasis that conservative Christians placed on blaming child abuse on Satanists has placed a convenient smoke screen over the more real presence of these hate movements and their connection to various religious movements--both quasi-Christian and Satanic.  There is considerable evidence that the founders of Theosophy carried racist ideologies.  There is evidence that some of these groups continue that tradition.  However, an enormous portion of people involved in the various "New Age" religious movements are ideologically leftist and vehemently anti-racist.    While politics and hate are often connected to cults (Christian, Occult, etc.), it is impossible to make broad generalizations about these connections.  Rather than focusing on the Satanic elements, I think it wiser to focus on the politics--what political agenda is the Satanic Rhetoric being used to serve?  It isn't too surprising, perhaps, that Satanic and Christian imagery would come together in racist/fascist movements.  The most obvious visual place to observe this is in the tattoo art of skinheads, where it is common to see a mixture of Gothic Christian symbols mixed with Nazi and Satanic symbols. 

In some cases, the racism takes another form.  Since the Gnostics have suffered persecution throughout history, the cultural groups that hold Gnostic beliefs are often discriminated against.  For example, Within the Middle East, there is an ancient group known as the Yezidi Kurds of Armenia.  Rather than being what we could call Satanists, they are clearly an offshoot of early Gnosticism.  This page explains their beliefs, which include a special place for an angel named Lucifer, hence their trouble getting along with the majority of Kurds.  Yezidi Web   This same problem has in the past afflicted the Zoroastrians in Iran, though they have achieved a protected status in recent years.

A very small group from the Hindu followers of the goddess Kali can be considered part of this “satanic” movement, though they have no metaphysical connection to the Christian Satan.  Most Kali followers are peaceful and loving, but certain groups such as the Thugs (Hindu) and the Assassins (Muslim) were clearly using their religion for what we can easily describe as violent and evil.  The history of both of these groups is fascinating.   I predict that future investigation of Osama Bin Laden's teachings will reveal a similar cult of death derived directly from these bizarre and violent religions that are native to the area of India and Persia.

I find it interesting that Satan, or even the strong belief in Satan as a negative influence is so often connected with hatred between groups of people.  During the past ten years I have seen a rapid increase in awareness and tolerance of Wiccans and other unorthodox religions that fifteen years ago would have been labeled as Satanists.  As mainstream society and even the Churches are becoming more tolerant of Neopaganism and Native American spirituality,  religious conservatives interpret this growing tolerance of diversity of spirituality as an Evil Plot of Satan.  It can be extremely difficult to argue with someone who is absolutely convinced that your metaphysical opinions mean that you are the social equivalent of toxic waste.  The more this rhetoric becomes negative and hateful, the more they drive people away and isolate themselves.  Their rhetoric polarizes people.

Ceremonial magic:  

To begin with, most modern or postmodern occultists and magicians use the new spelling "magick" rather than magic so as to avoid confusion with stage magic or legerdemain.  I have also seen the spelling "majik."  This is important to know if you are doing electronic searches for contemporary information on this topic.  

Ceremonial magick is not necessarily dualist, but provides an excellent example of the salient features of dualism.  The treatises on ceremonial magick (often referred to as "Black Magic") written during the Middle Ages and Renaissance were obviously the work of individuals trained by the church and the synagogues.  Some of these texts were fabricated to perpetuate the illusion of Satanic influences in the world in order to justify the imprisonment and killing of unwanted elements of society.  

However, many of them were written by legitimate (at least in their own opinion) sorcerers who believed that what they were doing was not actually evil, but rather a divine science.  Many of the Medieval black magical texts were written by Manichaean "sorcerers" who had only nominally converted to Christianity (similar to the assimilation of Catholicism in Santeria and Voudou) and then became high ranking Christian clergy.  St. Augustine was just such a convert, but he did not write any treatises on sorcery.  

It would not be philosophically honest to treat these serious Manichaean sorcerers along with perverted clergy who blasphemed the Sacraments for personal gain.  The Black Mass was a way for corrupt priests to earn extra money from greedy and lusty noblemen and women.  During the 19th Century, the practice was revived as a way to titillate the dandies and socialites for fun and profit (see Huysmans' La Bas).   The history of "Black Magic," Demonology and the like is best explored in the library in academic books.  Good material can be found, but you have to be very discriminating.  Much of the material available on the net is semi-literate, unreliable and silly.  

Founded upon Gnostic/Manichaean philosophy, these "sorcerers" believed that spirits of a much lower variety than angels control this world.  In order to cause any magical effect on this world it was necessary to utilize demons, hence the role of pacts, magical circles, prayers, constraints, curses etc. in order to control and direct these spirits.  Notice the similarity between this model and “bureaucracy.” These magicians were historically priests and rabbis who practiced their magic secretly.  Today it has become a fairly popular subculture similar to Wicca, but with more emphasis on the ceremony than on the community and nature.  It is typically a more cerebral form of occult or new age religion.  Among them there are some who consider themselves White Magicians, and others who are Black Magicians and most consider themselves "Gray Magicians," meaning they are "beyond good and evil."  Among the more popular are the Golden Dawn, the BOTA, the followers of Franz Bardon, and Aleister Crowley (Click here to view Crowley links on the Esoteric Spirituality page.)  A Jewish version is found in the writing of Abramelin the Mage.  Most of these groups consider themselves outside of these dualist distinctions, and best fit in the next category of pluralism or Polycentrism.

Pop Culture and Black Magick

There is another occult movement that might be described as Satanic or "Dark Side," in spite of not being directly connected to the Judeo-Christian notion of Satan.  It has arisen out of pop culture itself.  There are a variety of minor religious and fashion movements based on the spooky aesthetics of the horror comics, horror films, and science fiction.  They are inspired by the writings of Kenneth Grant, Aleister Crowley, H.P. Lovecraft (more on Lovecraft below),  horror films and comics, and the art of Austin Osman Spare.  Surprisingly, many of these people base their magick on the religious writings of the Sumerians and Babylonians, via a fictional text known as the: 

Necronomicon--a fictional Black Magic book from the writings of H.P. Lovecraft.  In the last couple of decades, several versions of this text have been invented and published.  There are indeed self-proclaimed magicians who use them for their rituals.  There is a distinct misanthropic element in these materials.  Version 1, Version 2. Lovecraft's story "The Festival" introduces the book, but it isn't available on-line.  The Shadow Over Innsmouth is another good story.  Lovecraft is interesting in that he created an entirely new,  very dualistic mythology with absolutely no reference to Judeo-Christian religion.  The fact that it bordered on science fiction, that it comprised a complex pantheon of competing good and evil beings, and spoke of an impending apocalyptic event demonstrate his deep roots in gnosticism.  

Other interesting "Dark Side" occult movements flowing out of the previous include:

Temple of Psychic Youth T.O.P.Y. (influenced by Crowley, Artaud, Spare, Dada/Surrealism, Burroughs, Voudou and punk culture).  Originally connected to the seminal industrial band Throbbing Gristle, which fragmented into Psychic TV and Coil.  See also the Instagon Foundation, Thee Association of Autonomous Astronauts, and John Eden's TOPY site  Probably the best single page to examine the basic principles is this introduction/manifesto.  These site are quite interesting, especially if you are interested in the history of industrial music and body piercing.  

Illuminates of Thanateros I.O.T. (influenced by TOPY, and Chaos Theory and quantum mechanics) This is not a well-organized group, and currently there is no official web site.  There are however a number of practicing occultists connected to them.

Typhonian Ordo Templi Orientis  T.O.T.O. another fairly diffuse, unorganized group of individuals connected to the teachings of Crowley and Kenneth Grant.  

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