The God Within
By Ryan of the North
I am a warrior,
The blood of fighters and defenders,
To guard what is precious,
And fend away the foreign sword,
By honor, courage and discipline,
To do what is right in all ways,
With tooth and nail I hold on,
To be an offensive shield,
I am the Warrior.
I am a creature,
Separated from the others,
With a viscous apatite,
Licking claws upon bones,
And nursing my offspring,
No words be spoken,
When the eye is open,
I am the Creature.
I am a mentor,
Who let’s the question find the answer
Smack you down with strength
And build you up through resistance,
One final fall right be for deliverance,
Let you feel the need to dig deep,
To pull yourself up on your feet,
Right before release,
I am the Mentor,
I am a rebel,
Sworn to life with liberty,
With freedom’s crown worn,
Tyrants crumble amongst the pillars,
Do what needs done,
Survive, overcome, adapted,
I am the Rebel.
I am a monster,
Twisting bones to dust,
Devouring the flesh of prey,
No remorse will pacify,
No guilt will neutralize,
Unaffected by disgust,
Driven to keep life within,
I am the Monster,
I am an enemy,
Thinking against the grain,
Resisting the will outside,
Blaspheming the sacred,
Inverting the accepted,
Finding the fault in the plan,
One who is hated,
One who loves within hate,
I am the Enemy,
I am a savoir,
Liberating the oppress,
Holding back the villains,
Warding off the unwanted,
Strengthening the weakened,
From ashes to flowers,
I am the Savior,
I am always present,
Not visible yet perceivable,
Not tangible yet fathomable,
The core of all that surrounds,
Buried under costumes of deceit,
Come fall into the deep,
Discover what lies beneath it all,
I am the Self.
A New Hurdle
By Austin S. ~ Member of the Sect of the Horned God
Painting by Zdzislaw Beksinski
An epidemic, a bunch of whining, millennial weakness, so on and so forth. It goes by many names, but the rise in mental health awareness and the bounds made in the field of medicine over the past several decades has led to mass speculation. Therapists can be damn near tripped over, as they have become so prevalent in society. Sufferers of mental ailments such as manic depression, O.C.D, or anxiety often fall under the radar however. Despite the amount of attention mental health has garnered in the medical community, the stigmas that have been implemented into societies internationally with surgical precision still exist. Even in the realm of the Left Hand Path, do these same “It’s just weakness” or “It’s a bunch of whining” stigmas bare their faces. This is not malarkey, and it is not weakness. As Satanists, hell-bent on a lifelong process of self-deification, it is our duty to maintain our health, both physically and mentally.
Of the nine Satanic sins, hypocritical self-deceit relates most closely with mental health. One who blatantly ignores their problems or attempts to control them on their own, will fall victim to this vice sooner than later. The essential Satanist recognizes that he and only he, is truly in control of himself. That is not to say that the cause of whatever ailments he suffers from is his fault alone, however, he must choose whether to be boxed-in by them, or to throw a combo of his own, and learn to turn his pain into prowess. The Left Hand Path is an often lonely one, but that does not mean all issues must be dealt with via iron will and perseverance. The recognition that perhaps the Satanist should consider therapy or any other source of aid, is far more impressive than the egotistical fool who, because of his boundless hubris, only tightens the chains and begs to be enslaved.
To continue to deny the need for help, as previously stated, only harms you. Pride itself, can be an overwhelmingly powerful force, and can bridge the gap between a strong individual, and a week one, if balanced properly. If one searches for and eventually claims success, then pride is the crisp bottle of champagne to uncork in celebration. Despite all its evident uses for good, counter-productive pride can make whatever gap one is trying to bridge, miles upon miles longer. The Satanist who believes himself to be so mighty, so ultimate, that resorting to outside sources for help would result in him becoming weaker, is a prime example of this. It takes wisdom and strength, true wisdom and strength, to recognize that outside help is necessary. As previously stated, pride is to be confirmed through successes and triumphs. Basking in the glory of false pride, that which has not been earned, is a disaster in the making. By being realistic, by staying true to the fact that you are human and have faults, pride can, at long last, be validated. Once the problems one has have been dealt with, the bottle can be uncorked, and savored.
Before we are Satanists, we are flesh and blood. As much as we would like to think we are made of hellfire and brimstone, a force immune to trite illnesses like depression, we simply aren’t. The beauty behind being a Satanist, behind being a living example of carnal mastery, is that we embrace our flawed nature as humans and live a life free of guilt. Ignorance of our mental ailments is inexcusable. As research continues on into the whys-and-wherefores of mental illness, it is the sole responsibility of those embarking on the Left Hand Path, to avoid the trappings of hypocritical self-deceit and counter-productive pride, and to emerge with horns bared, cigar and glass in hand, awaiting the cheers of celebration
Rational Occultism
By Eric ~ Member of the Sect of the Horned God
I personally have seen what the power of myth can do to the human mind and how it can touch your very “soul”. My discovery of the occult came around at about the age of 15 and later, around the age of 20, I was introduced to the teachings of Anton LaVey. I loved it. It spoke to me. First I was a skeptic as a teen then, while growing and learning, I began combining my atheism with spirituality and psychology which I feel is the very definition of Rational Occultism.
I was raised into Christianity. Not the suburban Neo-Christians, but rather the hardcore, holy rolling Christians. My family claimed to be”Non-Denominational”, but for all intents and purposes they were Pentecostal. After watching people speak in tongues, casting out demons, dancing, running, screaming, anything you could imagine fanatics doing, they did it. When I was a child I couldn’t even sleep alone or leave my parents’ side because I was so afraid of not being good enough to be included in the “rapture” and would be left behind.
One evening at church, around the age of 14, an evangelist from our church had returned from a mission trip. In our congregation it was common practice for people to be “Slain In The Spirit” and fall out on the floor . The process included white sheets they would lay over the women who wore dresses so they wouldn’t expose themselves. This evangelist claimed that one of the sheets was anointed by god and allowed the “windows of heaven to open up and bless us with the Holy Spirit of god.” Everyone he put this sheet on went insane. The people even went as far to say that they could see six windows of light open up and all in attendance were blessed to be there because there are only 7 windows in heaven-so nearly all of heaven visited us that night. Eventually the cloth made its way near me. My Aunt was beside me and had remained calm through all of this. Once the sheet was placed on her, she began dancing, speaking in tongues, screaming and in, essence, mirroring the fanatic behavior of the congregation. Then the sheet was placed me; I felt nothing. Absolutely nothing. Seeing this, my parents, the children, some older than me, some younger than me, and absolutely everyone surrounded me and began praying and rebuked the spirit of hell that was causing me to resist the lord.
I knew then that I was an atheist and that everyone in my life had been indoctrinated. It started a long and hard path for me as I have never been silent about my beliefs and shouldn’t be expected to.
Common Sense
By Victor ~ Member of The Sect of the Horned God
As a youth I was raised in the church. One of the main tenants that was taught, at what seemed like every sermon or teaching, was the idea “we are to love our enemies, to bless those that curse us, to turn the other cheek”. In these and others was how we would show the world the true love of God, bringing the sinner to his knees. Even in my early teens I always felt that this was some how…..silly. Why should I freely give love to someone that would want to harm me and my family? What good will it do besides getting all of us killed? I battled with this a lot, to the point that this where I began my journey to seek a more common sense approach to who really deserves to be loved.
I began to look at other religions which I thought were not as “weak” as Christianity. I mean, who wants to serve a god that is willing to let me get my ass kicked everyday? I first began to look at Islam, knowing that they had a no nonsense approach to their beliefs. I liked the fact that they wouldn’t just let anyone bulldoze through them, and admittedly it was appealing . But closer examination saw that this too was a religion built on fairy tales and absurd “rules”. So my search continued.
On and on I went until I opened the forbidden door to LaVey and the Church of Satan. It was his words that finally opened my eyes to common sense beliefs. The idea that my love is just that…MY LOVE. I get to choose who or what deserves it. Not because some carpenter told me to “love my neighbor” but because I am more than just some leaf blowing in the wind. My love is more then a tool to bring “the lost” to god. NO! I’m not a leaf….I’m not a sheep either. I am a protector. Like the wolf, I need to to care for and protect my pack. In turn they will care and protect me. I need to keep my eyes open for any enemy that will try to take what is mine and I must fight to death to protect my pack.
It was a revelation to me. Now, I was more free than I ever was in the cell block of religion and no longer had to relinquish my pride and life to those who absolutely did not deserve an ounce of anything from me. It has also made me a happier person. I wasn’t chained to an unrealistic idea that we are some god’s clones and that we need to act like him or all those sinners will go to hell because I didn’t love them enough. I call B.S. on that. If a person needs my love so bad to feel better about themselves perhaps there is something deeper psychologically with them. Perhaps they need professional help beyond just me telling some random stranger or even worse an enemy “I love them”. I won’t let this type of vampire come into my life and drain away any of my emotions that only those I truly care about deserve.
The Virtues of Never Turning The Other Cheek
By Steve Sitri ~ Member of the Sect of the Horned God
“You cannot love everyone; it is ridiculous to think you can. If you love everyone and everything you lose your natural powers of selection and wind up being a pretty poor judge of character and quality. If anything is used too freely it loses its true meaning. Therefore, the Satanist believes you should love strongly and completely those who deserve your love, but never turn the other cheek to your enemy” – Anton LaVey
I was taken back to this statement by Anton LaVey during my studies to obtain the knowledge of The Order of Pan. When I was a child I wanted world peace. I wanted everyone to be able to “just get along” and live in harmony. I wanted violence to become a thing of the past.
Fast forward 30 years. Since then I’ve been beaten, robbed, hustled, ridiculed, and told countless times how I am going to burn in Hell for eternity. I’ve been through a marriage where I gave 110% and my ex-partner checked out as soon as we said our vows. I’ve been stabbed in the back repeatedly and left with nowhere to turn when I hit rock bottom.
I realized more and more with each incident that I was cut from a completely different cloth than most of those around me. I’d slowly but surely had become emotionless and detached. I’d realized that I was alone and I had toughened up and become quite callous in the process. It didn’t take me long to realize how ridiculous my original line of thinking was! I’ve since learned to stop giving away my love so freely. I’ve learned that all who smile in my face are not my friend. I’ve also learned to stop turning the other cheek.
Now let’s rewind back to my childhood. I was a bully as a little kid. By third grade I moved past that and had completely given up on violence, wished for peace, buried myself into books, became an honor student, and tried my best to avoid fights. I became a nerd to put it lightly.
There was an incident when I was in middle school where I was at recess and was minding my own business. All of a sudden something hit me really hard from behind and I was face down, clothes full of mud. I stood up and turned around and the guy who did it was standing there laughing.
It was all fun and games for about 10 seconds. I stood up and smashed his left cheek as hard as I possibly could! He immediately lost his sense of balance and the smirk on his face. I felt a supreme sense of hatred surge through me after the first punch. It was a very deep, seething, malicious hatred – the depths of which I had never felt before. I embraced the rush of adrenaline and charged at him full speed. He was still dazed and I gave him the old 1-2 combo until a teacher broke it up. I explained what happened and I was not sent to the office. I felt real power for standing up for myself. I took my Grandfather’s advice from when I was a kid and I applied it firsthand: I struck first, I struck hard, and I made sure that everyone had seen it.
In hindsight that incident was a major turning point in my life. It had the effect of me becoming more outspoken, more confident in myself, and no longer was I going to be taking any shit from anyone. This was when I started to rebel against religion. This incident was my awakening – the beginning of my walk down the Left Hand Path.
So remember to always use your love sparingly, embrace the hatred when it finds you, and take matters into your own hands as needed so justice can prevail. It will save you a lot of pain and heartache. I can promise that you will be a much better person for it in the long run. Hail Satan!
Satan and the Virgin Mary: Long Lost Lovers
by Thomas LeRoy
From the first glimmers of the primordial dawn, the Mother Goddess has had numerous interpretations and faces. Many early societies had a “mother-like godform” that honored the sacred feminine. A mother goddess is a personification of the Earth, the mother of all living things, of fertility and the birth of humanity as a whole. Besides the natural representations, Jungian interpretation equates the archetypal Mother Goddess with the feminine aspect within us all, and also with the greater unconscious, that “deepest ground of the psyche”.
The list of names of the Goddess are endless, and the Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus, is but one of them. Now, it goes without saying that the Christian mind may find this truth difficult to grasp, but the evidence for this is indisputable. For example, an obscure Early Christian heretical movement, Collyridianism, worshipped the Virgin Mary as a goddess. She was looked upon and worshipped as the supreme being, the Great Mother Goddess. And, as it turns out, “The Virgin” is a mythical character based on older goddesses who were themselves astrotheological personifications of celestial and earthly bodies and principles, the “Queen of Heaven”, prevalent in the ancient world. The old Teutonic goddess Hertha (the Earth) was a Virgin, but was impregnated by the heavenly Spirit (the Sky); and her image with a child in her arms was to be seen in the sacred groves of Germany. The Scandinavian Frigga, in much the same way, being caught in the embraces of Odin, the All-father, conceived and bore a son, the blessed Balder, healer and savior of mankind. Quetzalcoatl, the (crucified) savior of the Aztecs, was the son of Chimalman, the Virgin Queen of Heaven. Even the Chinese had a mother-goddess and virgin with child in her arms; and the ancient Etruscans also. There is the image of Isis nursing her Divine Son, Horus. And like the Christian Mary and Egyptian Isis, the Canaanite goddess Astarte was the “Virgin”. Thus this symbolism of the Goddess and her child has done a good job of expressing the relationship between consciousness and its divine matrix (the collective unconscious) as one of organic unity.
As most might be aware, it was common from the beginnings of Christiandom to adopt older heathen gods and turn them into saints . . . or devils. Castor and Pollux became St. Cosmo and St. Damien; Dionysus still holds his place as St. Denis of Paris. And the Horned God? It’s no stretch to guess who he became. But the relationship between the Neo-Pagan Horned God and the Christian Devil, or Satan, is a bit more complex than one might think. The modern Horned God is a composite of many pre-Christian deities, mostly the Greek Pan and the Celtic Cernunnos. But it was also influenced by Margaret Murray’s interpretation of medieval Christian devil imagery. In this sense, the Horned God is a modern “paganization” of the Devil, with his various animal characteristics representing the beastly nature of humankind; essentially a sacralization of our sexual nature. Thus, because of this exaltation of the beast within, the modern Christian equates the Pagan Horned God with Satan.
And who was, or is, the Horned God’s love-interest? The Goddess.
The Horned God and the Goddess, the “Divine Lovers”, represent the ontological polarity between the opposites of male and female common to many mythological traditions: Shiva and Shakti, Pan and Diana, Cernunnos and Brigit, etc. They are metaphorical representations of the Jungian Anima and Animus (the anima, the archetypal feminine symbolism within a man’s unconscious, while the animus is the personification of masculine psychological tendencies within a woman). This symbolism, though, is not found in the Abrahamic traditions. In most cases within this mythological structure the female aspect is vilified while the masculine is exalted. But this is not so in the case of the Goddess and the Horned God. The Goddess has been reinterpreted in a syncretic form into the Virgin, the most revered of all women, while the Horned God has become Satan. And why did they give the Horned God the name of the supreme bad guy in their mythos? Because they hate what He represents. He represents power, lust, carnality, death and knowledge. He is the free-thinking individualist ready to live life on His own terms. As stated before, He is our animal side, that aspect that keeps us tied down to the natural world. He is the antithesis of all that the Christians see as holy. And for their dogma to survive and for there to be calm within the flock, those traits of the human character have to be subdued. But the old time Christians weren’t stupid. They knew that the Horned God was a large part of what a human being is. So by telling the populace that who they are at their core is evil, and you need to kiss the ass of Jesus to be freed of that evil, they created an outstanding system of control. Thus in Christian society came a separation of these long lost lovers (Horned God/Goddess) within the psyche. But no good Christian would ever dream of a union between Satan and the Virgin. This being so, this stark division of archetypes has led to a psychological separation from the anima within the Christian man, and the animus within the Christian women. And by not bringing Satan and the Virgin Mary together, the Christian is an incomplete being.
A symbolic union of Gods and Goddess in the subconscious is important for the health of the psyche. This union of opposites is even evident in the image of that androgynous beast called Baphomet. But don’t worry, connecting with one’s inner male or female element has nothing to do with sexuality. It has everything, though, to do with creating a balance on the scales of passive (female) and aggressive (male) energies within us, which is essential for the development of self-awareness and personal understanding. These are important components of involution (as opposed to evolution) towards reaching the “Higher-Self”.
The Charge of the Horned God
“Listen to the words of the Horned God,
Guardian of all things untamed, Lord of Shadows, Master of Darkness,
And keeper of the Gates of Death whose call all must answer:
“I am the fire within your heart, the yearning of your soul.
I am the Hunter of Knowledge,
The Seeker of Truth,
I stand in the darkness of light, who you have named Death,
I throw open wide the Gates of Hell,
And unleash my minions!
But first I beckon ye forth,
To come unto me,
And learn the secrets of Death and Peace,
For I am the Infernal Lord, the Devourer of the Weak!
Scourge and Flame, blade and blood,
These are my gifts unto thee.
I, Keeper of the Black Flame,
Whom you seek in the darkness bright,
I, who has been called Pan, Cernunnos, Dionysus, Shiva and Satan,
For behold!
You are my children and I your father.
For whomever seeks me know I am the master of the Pit,
The fury of the storm in your soul!
On swift night wings go forth,
Seek me with pride and selfishness,
Reason and logic,
But best to seek me with lust and strength,
For this is my path!
Hail the Horned God!
Hail Thyself!
Hail the Sect!”
Druids: The Dark Holy Men of the Celts
by Thomas LeRoy ~ Founder of The Sect of the Horned God
Most of what we know of the ancient Druids was written by the Greeks and Romans, enemies of the Celts. And what they have written of these “Men of the Oak” has not been flattering. Today’s Druids play at being the jovial nature lovers, marching around Stonehenge on the Solstices performing rituals created in the early 19th century. But were the Druids really happy tree-huggers, or did they have a darker side?
The Druids were the Celtic priests, philosophers, judges and soothsayers who convened with the gods, and divined the future. They were political advisers who had influence over the decisions of kings and chiefs. The Druids were extremely powerful in Celtic society, a society known for its beautiful art, mythology, warrior culture and head-hunting.
Roman texts accuse the Druids of performing human sacrifice. According to Caesar, the Druids believed that “The Gods delight in the slaughter of prisoners and criminals, and when the supply of captives runs short, they sacrifice even the innocent”. Tacitus claims the Druids “…deemed it a pious duty to cover their altars with the blood of captives and to consult their deities through human entrails.” Diodorus Siculus claims that the Druids, “… choose a person for death and stab him or her in the chest above the diaphragm. By the convulsion of the victim’s limbs and the spurting of blood, they foretell the future.”
We may be shocked at Celtic sacrifice and head-hunting, as were the Greeks and Romans, and wonder if such reports could have been exaggerated, seeking to portray the Celts as barbarians, thus giving Rome justification to conquer. But, in truth, the classical reports don’t even begin to compare with the gruesome evidence archaeologists have unearthed.
At Roquepertuse in southern France, a Celtic sanctuary from the third century B.C., yielded concrete evidence of severed heads used in rituals. A substantial Iron Age walled fort was in place there with a cultic shrine, dominated by decorative porticos with niches. Real and sculpted human heads were exhibited in these niches: the portico apparently constituted something of a gallery of heroes.
In Britain in the 1980’s, the bog-mummified body of a Druidic sacrifice “Lindow Man” came to light. Evidence showed that he was a person of high rank, perhaps even a Druid himself, killed about the time of the Roman invasions. Did the Druids do this to appease the gods so that they may aid them against the Romans?
Then came the discovery in 2000 of 150 human skeletons, found in a cave in Alveston, England. Evidence showed that the Druids may have killed their victims in a single event. It’s possible that the Roman invasion itself was responsible for the escalation in the Druids’ ritualized slaughter, according to the researchers.
Now, is it fair to judge the Druids through the filter of the 21st century? No.
The Celts were a people of their time. A brutal age. But still, the modern Druids should not ignore the fact that true Druidism is soaked in blood.
Baphomet as a Symbol of Self-Deification
By Thomas LeRoy, Founder of The Sect of the Horned God
Throughout the history of the arcane, Baphomet has held an unprecedented position. As a depiction of the Absolute in symbolic form, it can be found everywhere in the occult world, in both right and left-hand path practices. Sometimes called the “Goat Idol of the Knights Templar”, or the deity of the “Sorcerers’ Sabbat”, it’s been stated that because it is depicted as a paradoxical being, both human and animal, male and female, good and evil, etc., it represents the major harmonious dichotomies of the cosmos.
There are several theories concerning the origins of the name “Baphomet”. The most common explanation claims that it is an Old French corruption of the name of Mohammed (which was Latin-ized to “Mahomet”) – the Prophet of Islam. During the Crusades, the Knights Templar ventured throughout the Middle-East where they became acquainted with Arab mysticism. This contact with Eastern civilizations allowed them to bring back to Europe the basics of what would become Western occultism, including Gnosticism, alchemy, Kabbalah and Hermetism. The Templars’ affinity with the Muslims led the Church to accuse them of the worship of an idol named Baphomet, thus leading to a plausible link between Baphomet and Mahomet.
The most famous likeness of Baphomet is found in Eliphas Levi’s “Dogme et Rituel de la Haute Magie“. Levi is the man behind the image of Baphomet as the “Sabbatic Goat of Mendes”. This modern depiction of it appears to take its roots from several ancient sources, but primarily from pagan gods. Baphomet bears resemblances to gods all over the globe, including Egypt, Northern Europe and India. In fact, the mythologies of a great number of ancient civilizations include some kind of horned deity. In Jungian theory, Baphomet is a continuation of the horned-god archetype, as the concept of a deity bearing horns has found to be universally present in individual psyches. The Horned God is one of the oldest fertility gods in human history, taking various incarnations such as Pan, Cernunnos, Dionysus, etc. As stated previously, Baphomet is also a composite creation symbolic of alchemical realization through the union of opposite forces, a Chimera hermaphrodite with bi-sexual features.
Eliphas Levi explains the symbolism of his illustration as follows:
“The goat on the frontispiece carries the sign of the pentagram on the forehead, with one point at the top, a symbol of light, his two hands forming the sign of occultism, the one pointing up to the white moon of Chesed, the other pointing down to the black one of Geburah. This sign expresses the perfect harmony of mercy with justice. His one arm is female, the other male like the ones of the androgyne of Khunrath, the attributes of which we had to unite with those of our goat because he is one and the same symbol. The flame of intelligence shining between his horns is the magic light of the universal balance, the image of the soul elevated above matter, as the flame, whilst being tied to matter, shines above it. The beast’s head expresses the horror of the sinner, whose materially acting, solely responsible part has to bear the punishment exclusively; because the soul is insensitive according to its nature and can only suffer when it materializes. The rod standing instead of genitals symbolizes eternal life, the body covered with scales the water, the semi-circle above it the atmosphere, the feathers following above the volatile. Humanity is represented by the two breasts and the androgyne arms of this sphinx of the occult sciences. (211-212)”
Baphomet has become the ultimate “scapegoat”, the face of witchcraft and black magic; a dark, foreboding figure, one synonymous with that Judeo/Christian miscreant called “Satan”. But, in truth, Baphomet can represent the accomplishment of reaching the “Higher Self”. Because of this it has been adopted by some practitioners of the left-hand path as a symbol of self-deification, or becoming one’s own god. Self-deification, though, does not come about through a simple proclamation. It is a slow process, taking years of study upon the heterodox path, going your own way, breaking away from the prevailing cultural norms. But with a revaluation of all values, and allowing the ego to better understand the subconscious, a supreme knowledge of the self can come about, thus reaching a state of perfect equilibrium. It is then that the occult initiate can point the right hand towards the heavens and the left towards the earth and pronounce that hermetic axiom which has reverberated over the millennia: “As Above, So Below”.
Shiva the Destroyer: Lord of the Left-Hand Path
by Thomas LeRoy, Founder of The Sect of the Horned God
There are many mythological gods and entities on the left-hand path. Lord Shiva is but one. Though not always viewed through the lens of the LHP, he is, in some manner, the greatest of these deities.
Shiva is one of the most important gods in the Hindu tradition and, along with Brahma and Vishnu, is one-third of the holy trinity of Hinduism. A deity of great complexity, he is often represented as a lord of love, light and protection. But he also has a darker side. Shiva the Destroyer is the leader of evil spirits, ghosts, vampires, along with being the master of thieves and villains. He destroys the universe at the end of each cycle (every 2,160,000,000 years) which then allows for a new Creation. His destructive powers are often terrible, but they also have a positive side in that destruction usually leads to new and better forms of existence. Shiva destroys in order to create, since death is the medium for rebirth into a new life. It is common to see Shiva depicted with four arms and three eyes. A glance from the third eye in the center of his forehead has the power to destroy anything in creation, including humans and gods. In this destroyer role he often lurks the cremation grounds, a serpent representing Kundalini coiled around his neck, along with a necklace of skulls. And it is not uncommon for him to be accompanied by a band of terrifying demons, hungering for blood.
Shiva seems to have a connection to the deities of Western traditions through an ancient horned god of the Indus Valley, a “proto-Shiva”, called Pashupati. In the Skanda Purana it tells how Pashupati used to find calm in a forest called the “Sleshmantaka” . It was here that he spent time being immersed in “the wilderness of this forest.” Depicted seated in a lotus position surrounded by animals, Pashupati had a striking resemblance to Cernunnos, horned god of the Celts, but there is a 3,000 year old gap, between these two gods (Pashupati dating from about 3,000 B.C.). Is this an example of racial memory, the collective unconscious, or do they both stem from a long forgotten Indo/European horned god? It is a mystery to be pondered, but what is also interesting is Cernunnos has been, over time, transformed into an incarnation of Satan, supreme lord of the Western left-hand path traditions, while Pashupati has morphed into Shiva, lord of the Eastern.
Shiva the Destroyer is the most ancient and powerful of all LHP deities. He is the ultimate adversary, adversarial to those aspects of the self that keep one from progressing upon the path. Shiva and the other beings of a mythological nature are not to be believed as objective truths, nor are they to be shunned as lies. They are to be experienced, experienced within the soul/psyche as meaningful poetry of the subconscious.
To meditate upon the image of Shiva,
to utilize the metaphor, to find calm in the symbol that is the deity,
does not make one a Hindu.
Just as contemplating on the image of Satan, does not make one a Hebrew.
The Orders of The Sect of the Horned God
