Many Satanists celebrate today’s pivot point, feeling simpatico with our homeworld’s continuing seasonal cycles. In the Northern Hemisphere, Spring arrives, succeeding Winter’s stasis with gradual verdant vivification. In the Southern Hemisphere, Autumn soothes after the sultry Summer months.
Here in the haunted Hudson Valley, our Winter brought significant snowfall accompanied by arctic cold, though by now the snowpack only lingers from the filthy mountains pushed up in public lots by plowing parking spaces. At last, daytime warmth has returned, though it still jousts with some transitional chilly days and nights—that rodent be damned! The bulbs have begun awakening, pushing their way into the sunlight, delighting us with early flowers—always such a joy for us when our garden revivifies!
This upcoming Walpurgisnacht marks the 60th Anniversary of the founding of the Church of Satan, taking us ever closer to that 99 year mark mentioned by our founder as an important goal, signifying sustainability for our philosophy and organization. As a way to celebrate this, Magister Robert Merciless and I worked on an updated iteration of our unique Sigil of Baphomet. The one that had become our standard was wrought in pen and ink by a professional illustrator under the guide of Magus Anton Szandor LaVey, taking as a basis the rendition on the cover of Bessy’s A Pictorial History of Magic and the Supernatural. That image first appeared on the cover of The Satanic Mass LP, then saw wide recognition for its use on and in The Satanic Bible, forever altering the iconography of Satanism. Magister Merciless, who has worked with me on documenting the history and evolution of this Sigil, approached me towards the end of last year with the thought that, after examining the 1927 Wirth rendition, we might alter the gaze of the goat to bring a greater intensity. The desired sense of “The Abyss gazing back” was achieved swiftly.
Having hand drawn this image many times over the years, there were aspects of the graphic’s asymmetry that I felt could be made stronger by reworking the goat’s face to be far more symmetrical, and so we began tweaking, the Magister deftly digitally shaping the graphic according to my myriad suggestions. We’ve subtly encoded symbolism, both numerological and geometrical, to enhance its power. And a final result was achieved that pleased us both, which I think you’ll find to be a potent refresh. This 60th Anniversary Sigil of Baphomet will now take prominence to commemorate this historic landmark occasion, and we’ll be employing it as an alternative official emblem for the Church of Satan going forward. You can see it, as well as additional historical data and images unearthed by Magister Merciless, in our definitive essay on the subject of this sigil, linked here.
Josef Suk (1874 – 1935) was a Czech composer and both student and friend of Antonín Dvořák. In 1898 Suk married Dvořák’s daughter, Otilie—also a composer, who tragically died at the age of 27 in 1905. Well known for his darkly evocative Asrael Symphony, commemorating the deaths of both his wife and her father, Suk’s Scherzo fantastique pulses with Spring-like energy, with a lovely waltz tune along with other vital, active music that makes it an apt listen for considering the advent of the new season. I’m linking here a performance by Leon Botstein and The Orchestra Now for a relaxed and well played rendition of this gorgeous composition. I heard them play this the day after this video was made, and found it a truly delightful interpretation.
So, may this Equinox be exhilarating for you all, as the seasons shift and our planet follows its course as we all inexorably circle the heart of our galaxy. The Earth, our precious sanctuary filled with life, is to be ardently cherished, however fragile its wondrous beauties might be.
—Magus Peter H. Gilmore