Born on this day in 1930, our dear founder lived a life that was ever carnal, that seemed destined to crystallize in that ultimate act of iconoclasm, the founding of the Church of Satan in 1966—which he declared our Year One. As a refresher for some, please reread my biographical essay on the extraordinary man who inspired me, and who was both a friend, and, in his own words, a colleague. Hail Anton Szandor LaVey—one helluva guy! Shemhamforash! Hail Satan! —Magus Peter H. Gilmore
iconoclast
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In memoriam Adam Parfrey (1957-2018) Adam Parfrey was committed to looking past the conventionally-offered, processed, herd-think dichotomies toward the oddities and fringe thinkers in search of a comprehensive understanding of what it means to be human. He embraced the outré, the bizarre—from theories that shattered accepted paradigms to sheer kookery—and published works by outsiders whose voices advanced atypical approaches. He gave them a platform and gave us additional evidence to ponder, so that we might have richer sources for making judgments about the exquisitely surreal world in which we live. I met him many years ago, through our shared association […]
Happy Birthday Anton Szandor LaVey! On the anniversary of his birth, we celebrate the wisdom and strength of the man who founded the Church of Satan, codifying a rational, atheist philosophy that takes Satan as its inspirational icon. His insights into the human animal lead him to weave together many threads from earlier iconoclasts into that dark tapestry of ideas he called Satanism, launching a movement that continues to thrive. He lived life to the fullest, and provided us with a powerful tool so that we may do the same. As we move from victory to victory, he remains a […]