A Brief History of the Early Church of Satan
And
The Church of Satanic Brotherhood

By
T. Flavius Apollonius

 

On April 30, 1966 E.V., Howard Stanton Levey, acting under his pseudonym of Anton Szandor LaVey, founded the Church of Satan. LaVey was a ne’er-do-well and a dabbler in the occult, who possessed a cunning intelligence, a taste for the outrageous, and a talent for audacious self-promotion. He knew an opportunity when he saw one: He understood that there never had truly been an organization based on Satanism and that, in fact, Satanism had never been a coherent body of ideology. Mostly the term “Satanism” referred to whatever the speaker or writer hated the most, the absolute opposite of whatever he considered the “Good”. He must have figured that it was a territory he could stake out as his own and define what Satanism was from the point of view of the Satanist himself. It was also a time when anything counterculture could get a hearing in the media. So LaVey’s publicity efforts soon netted him appearances in papers and magazines (ranging from girlie magazines to McCall’s and Life) and television (with interviews ranging from Joe Pine to Johnny Carson). Interest began to build in his church, not just as a local phenomenon in San Francisco, but all over the country. So they came…. Whenever anyone attempts to create a movement based on principles contrary to the prevailing social values, he need not be surprised if most of those who answer his call are those spiritually at odds with themselves and/or their culture. How should it be otherwise? The well-adjusted, the satisfied have little need of a prophet’s services. I am reminded of the words of C. Paulus Shaul Tarsensis (the apostle Paul of the Christians) when he wrote to the Corinthians: “Make no mistake: no fornicator or idolater, none who are guilty either of adultery or of homosexual perversion, no thieves or grabbers or drunkards or slanderers or swindlers, will possess the kingdom of god. Such were some of you.” [Italics mine, of course!] LaVey’s subsequent Church of Satan got its share of those people, too! Then there were also ritual magicians, witches, Lovecraftians, Gnostics, atheists, egoists, hedonists, orgiasts, anti-Semites and anti-Christians. On occasion one even ran into the rare “classical” Satanist: one who worships Satan as defined by the Christians of the medieval and early modern periods. Even two of Charlie Manson’s eventual followers had brief connections to LaVey! The only unifying factor was that these people found in Satanic lore symbols which expressed fundamental aspects of their individual worldview. At the simplest level, they enjoyed the role-playing as surely as did the Society of Creative Anachronists or the Civil War re-enactors. Beyond the fact of this incredible cacophony, one must also take note that, despite his claims of thousands—even ten thousand!—the membership of LaVey’s church never numbered more than a few hundred members. (In LaVey-speak this made them an “elite”.) Such high diversity and low numbers should have made any call for philosophical and ethical conformity ridiculous. Nonetheless, the very act of organizing tends to promote the social values of conformity and subordination. More than that, imaginative and enjoyable role playing can start to become serious: the ultimate act of fantasizing is to invest the fantasy with existential value. (To say that Reality is thermoplastic is both an analysis and a warning!) Then there was the unrelenting pressure to answer the follower’s plaintive cry: “Master, Master, what must I do…?” There were also the sycophants and ideologues who whispered in his ear what he wanted to hear. So although at first LaVey seemed to embrace—and even delight in—the diversity of his followers, inevitably he began to formulate rules for their conduct and even to entertain the need for “cohesive doctrines” and methods. Attacks were made by LaVey—or with his tacit approval—on the methods and beliefs of some of the membership, including prominent members. Revealing total ignorance of the actual situation, the Church’s house organ The Cloven Hoof declared on the eve of this period: “We, fortunately, are not fragmented; ours reveals a single, strong cohesion of purpose. Important new members are attracted to such harmonious unity, for it is clear we stand firm amidst the magical windbags who blow the choking dust of dissention all around us.”—issue of August, VI (1971 E.V.) The inaccuracy of this forecast was soon revealed. 1. On September 25, 1971, Wayne F. West the leader of Babylon Grotto, Detroit, Michigan, dissolved that organization in disgust. 2. Fall, 1971, Steve Foster was removed as leader of Nineveh Grotto, Louisville, Kentucky by Michael Aquino for refusal to conform to Church policies. 3. On February 11, 1972, the Stygian Grotto, Dayton, Ohio, was dissolved by the Church of Satan for allegedly violating Church policies. 4. April 2, 1972, the Nineveh Grotto, now under the leadership of Solomon Weir, was dissolved by Michael Aquino for consorting with expelled members. 5. July, 1972, the Belphegor Grotto, Detroit, Michigan, allowed its charter to lapse, citing the hypocrisy of continued membership. 6. June 10, 1975, Michael Aquino denounces LaVey and founds the Temple of Set. 7. April 30, 1984, Diane LaVey leaves her “husband” Anton LaVey. 8. April 30, 1990, Zeena LaVey Shreck denounces her father. The only thing that LaVey did consistently was to adhere to the fueherprinzip. The Church of Satan was never allowed to belong to anyone but him. Through thick and thin, this was his guiding principle: rule or ruin. On October 29, 1997 Howard Stanton Levey died. His legacy, such as it is, is represented by The Satanic Bible and The Satanic Rituals. Other works, by him or about him, are of little interest, with the exception of Aquino’s The Church of Satan. BABYLON GROTTO On Walpurgisnacht 1970, three Detroit members of the Church of Satan met to celebrate the event. One of these was Wayne Forest West. West’s enthusiasm and activism aided his rapid rise in the Church. Rules were suspended to allow his promotion to the Second Degree (Warlock) in July, 1970 for fulfilling a commission from LaVey himself. This was most likely the writing of the Missa Solemnis (Black Mass). He was also given a charter for a local chapter (or grotto) which he called “Babylon”. By fall of that year, he was granted the Third Degree (Priest). West’s ritual style was based on the Black Mass, that is to say, it parodied the Catholic liturgy. He also happily borrowed from ritual magicians, witchcraft lore, and general occultism to complement his efforts. Both tendencies pleased some and inevitably alienated others—unfortunately the latter included the LaVeys (Diane and Anton) and the up and coming Michael Aquino. West clearly wanted and expected the Fourth Degree for his services. Patience might have been well advised. But stung by criticisms and disappointed in the results of a trip to the San Franscisco headquarters in August, 1971 E.V., he instead opted to dissolve the Babylon Grotto on September 25, 1971 and found the First Occultic Church of Man, of which little came. He tried to be conciliatory with LaVey, but the High Priest replied with anger and vindictiveness. The matter concluded in a flurry of denunciations back and forth. West’s legacy consists of the body of ritual material he created and in the other grottos he helped to form: Belphegor, led by Doug Robbins, and the Stygian, led by John DeHaven. Both of these were chartered in the July of 1971 E.V. THE STYGIAN GROTTO In late 1970 E.V. members from Dayton came in contact with West, who soon encouraged them by organizing them as the “Dayton Extension” of the Babylon Grotto. In February, 1971 E.V., one John DeHaven was initiated into Babylon and soon proved his worth to West. In fact West installed him as leader of the Dayton Extension by the end of May and, no doubt, helped in securing him a charter as the Stygian Grotto of the Church of Satan by July, 1971 E.V. DeHaven had the highest respect for Wayne West. Nevertheless, DeHaven remained loyal to the Church of Satan when West closed down Babylon. He was ill repaid. Believing the accusations of two malcontents that the Grotto was running a theft ring, LaVey and Aquino dissolved the Stygian Grotto on February 11, 1972 E.V. and expelled DeHaven and three other members. The accusations were stoutly denied by Mr. DeHaven; but his protests were totally and arrogantly ignored by the Church of Satan. THE CHURCH OF SATANIC BROTHERHOOD The core members of the Stygian Grotto, including most particularly Mr. DeHaven, were unwilling to call it quits. Before the month was out, it was reorganized as The Church of Satanic Brotherhood with DeHaven as High Priest. When Solomon Weir, newly appointed leader of Nineveh Grotto in Louisville, attended a meeting of the new Church in late March, 1972 E.V., he was expelled from the Church of Satan and his grotto dissolved. He, too, joined The Church of Satanic Brotherhood [hereafter “CSB”]. At first an attempt was made to construct an organization based on a constitution and close cooperation among the principles. This proved to be too restrictive to all parties involved. The Council of the Church of Satanic Brotherhood adjourned sine die on March 9, 1973 E.V. The CSB has since been run on the de facto authority of its High Priest John DeHaven. Our friendship and willingness to cooperate, however, has continued unabated: this seems to be a truly unique thing among the heirs of Anton Szandor LaVey. Since those days we have conducted our personal affairs as we have seen fit and indulged in Satanist role playing as given the opportunity and inclination. And do not be deceived by Mr. DeHaven’s famous exploit with the evangelist John 3:16 Cook in 1974 E.V. His motivation was of the highest, if one holds the Seven Deadly Sins in high regard. (It would have been a good idea for him to warn me first though—if you have ever seen my resulting diatribe you know what I mean.) He remains a Satanist and in many ways the true heir of Wayne West and the early Church of Satan. Ave Satanas! T. Flavius Apollonius, Quondam IInd degree: CofS, T:.S IVth degree CSB Frater Serviens, O:T:S