2025 Archives - Church of Satan

Tomorrow begins year LX, Anno Satanas. The departing year brought the loss of three of my very dear friends—two, who were members of our hierarchy, and another, an atheist who felt that if he had to define a specific philosophy for himself, he was inclined to see Satanism as a worthy possibility. As we age, the passing of those who play many roles in our lives is always sobering, for we Satanists never cease to be conscious of our mortality, even as our activities and relationships establish legacies that might touch others in a positive manner. In our ephemerality, we may yet leave traces of the time we spend in our pursuits, and that fuels our determination to drink as deeply as we can of the chalice of vital existence. We thus strive to shape ourselves as unique consciousnesses. And we aging sages find satisfaction in the rising of the younger folks in our circles, who learn from us even as they offer fresh eyes and insights from their singular ongoing journeys. We all delightedly share the ecstatic, eternal now. For the past year, director Scott Cummings’ film REALM OF SATAN has appeared at film festivals around the globe to triumphant screenings. Maga Nadramia and I, along with other members, attended the exciting premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in January, as well as its well-received festival opening at the Museum of Modern Art. The numerous international screenings often included our local members and representatives to share duties with the director to elucidate to curious audiences the individualist philosophy of the Church of Satan so brilliantly captured in the film. This moving picture offers humor, drama, mystery, symbolism, eroticism, fantasy, and magic—both stage and ritual. Next will come its arrival on streaming platforms, and then finally to physical media, and we will note these events in our newsfeeds when we have further information. Dmitri Shostakovich (1906-1975) was a composer who struggled under the Soviet tyranny to write music expressive of the fragility and poignance of human experience under brutal repression. His works speak of the pain in living under a totalitarian regime, and the strength required if one wishes to survive. He often conjures determination, black humor, terror, and resilience. His String Quartet No. 8 in C minor, Op. 110, was written in only three days (12–14 July, 1960) and was dedicated "to the victims of fascism and the war.” He considered it somewhat of a musical epitaph, and it begins with, and is permeated by, his signature motto—the notes D, E-flat, C, B natural, known in German musical notation as D, Es, C, H. The second movement is a brief and frenetic scherzo, which speaks, to me, of the struggle to maintain one’s identity when the society in which you are embedded exerts pressure towards conformity. Here is a link to that movement, played by the Emerson String Quartet. The entire piece is worth your time, though it is a very dark journey. May the bravery of this great composer inspire you in these chaotic times. From our Black House—in The Witchcraft District here in the Haunted Hudson Valley—to your chosen lairs, Maga Nadramia and I offer our blessings to you invigorating individualists. May you thrive as the days pass, evolving with boldness towards your chosen destinies. As is our tradition, we raise our glasses to our kind—Satanists, fellow secularists, freethinkers, and all advocates of the best qualities of our species—marking the dawning of a New Year with possibilities for vigor, productivity, and prosperity: “Here’s to champagne for our real friends, and real pain for our sham friends!” Joy to the flesh—forever! Shemhamforash! Hail Satan! —Magus Peter H. Gilmore

Basics of Satanism

Policy Statements

Essays & Interviews

Basics of Satanism

Policy Statements

Essays & Interviews

2025

To a Fortified New Year!