We Satanists consider Halloween to be a holiday that celebrates the outsider, the other, those who are not like most. It is on this night that individuals who keep it to but once a year tend to explore their own quirks and inner-darknesses by wearing costumes that often reveal aspects of themselves typically hidden during the rest of their life journey. I suggest that, whatever your path of self-definition might be, it can be empowering to find a mode of dress that excites you, that ignites your fantasies, that fulfills aspects of your multi-layered persona, as this can be cathartic as well as a fine method for delving into one’s deepest consciousness. And, naturally, a great deal of fun!
Here in the Haunted Hudson Valley, our “Witchcraft District” encompasses those of us who share the perpetual love of Halloween as a lifestyle—thus always part of our experience. It is not a geographic territory, but is, instead, a perspective that can be embraced by those, wherever they might live, who resonate with this archetype. Our homes are avatars of our shared worldview, and one need not be a Satanist to be a denizen of this “haunted landscape.” Our fellow folk inhabit an eternal “October Country,” as Ray Bradbury had recognized this zeitgeist. As more aficionados of the outré have learned about this manner of self-description, the ranks of honorary residents continues to grow!
On this night, my wife Maga Peggy Nadramia and I celebrate the 44th anniversary of our wedding, which recognized our life partnership begun several years before the date of our formal marriage. At the time we married, many thought that doing so on Halloween was bizarre, an anomaly, and there was no tradition for such an event. We began a new tradition, which many have subsequently embraced. And so, to all of you who have also chosen the Halloweentide for your nuptials, may your bliss be unbounded and may your love wax ever stronger during your journey together—just as ours has!
From The Black House, we wish an abundantly Happy Halloween to you all!
Hail Satan!
—Magus Peter H. Gilmore