Mythological Guides on the Left-Hand Path

by Thomas LeRoy

Within the Sect, the use of mythological archetypes may vary from person to person. Most Satanic groups use Satan, and only Satan. We also utilize Pan, Cernunnos, Prometheus, Dionysus, the choice is yours; hence the name “The Sect of the Horned God” and not “The Sect of Satan”. These gods are guides to lead the individual through the deeper aspects of the Self, through the subconscious, past your demons and to the door of the collective unconscious, where aspects of these archetypes are recognized.

The collective unconscious consists of primordial images, the most ancient and universal “thought forms” of humanity. Carl Jung pieced together the theory of the collective unconscious when he noticed that some of his less educated patients created delusional images that he found to be analogous to symbolic representations from many religions and mythologies. The link between the dreams, fantasies and drawings of these patients and the symbolic structure of mythologies prompted Jung to speculate about a collective, or shared, origin of symbolic images. The horns and antlers of the Greco/Celtic gods, and the fire of Prometheus would be examples of recognizable universal symbols. The horns representing power, the fire knowledge. Together they become what a true Satanist is: a synthesis of strength through personal knowledge and knowledge through personal strength.

Time has brought us a myriad of gods from every culture. Most of these metaphorical representations tend to be guides upon the “right-hand path”. But some have a darker aspect. These archetypes lead you in a different direction, delving into that deeper sphere of the subconscious.

Here are but a few:

Set is a god of the desert, storms, disorder, violence and foreigners in ancient Egyptian religions. In Egyptian mythology, Set is portrayed as the usurper who killed and mutilated his own brother Osiris. Set was never a completely evil figure though. He protected the sun barge of Re, his benefactor, during its nightly journey through the Underworld.

Ahriman is the evil spirit in the dualistic doctrine of Zoroastrianism. His essential nature is expressed in his principal epithet—Druj, “the Lie.” The Lie expresses itself as greed, wrath, and envy. To aid him in attacking the light, the good creation of Ahura Mazdā, the Wise Lord, Ahriman created a horde of demons embodying envy and similar qualities.

Lucifer is another name for “the morning star, the planet Venus”. He is also known as the “Light-Bringer”, “Bringer of Dawn”. According to Ezekiel 28:13, a probable reference to Lucifer, we learn that he is an amazing being to behold: “You were the seal of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone was your covering: the sardius, topaz, and diamond, beryl, onyx, and jasper, sapphire, turquoise, and emerald with gold. The workmanship of your timbrels and pipes was prepared for you on the day you were created.”

Shiva is the destroyer of the world, after which Brahma again creates the world anew and so on. Shiva is responsible for change both in the form of death and destruction and in the positive sense of destroying the false identification of the Self.

Kali is the fearful and ferocious aspect of the mother goddess. She assumed the form of a powerful goddess and became popular with the composition of the Devi Mahatmya, a text of the 5th – 6th century AD. Here She is depicted as having been born from the brow of Goddess Durga during one of her battles with the evil forces. As the legend goes, in the battle, Kali got so carried away in the killing spree she began destroying everything in sight.

These gods of the left-hand path should not be ignored. If they come knocking on the door of your psyche welcome them in, for it is important to recognize the archetype that best represents you. Most will go with Satan, but some may find comfort in Nature and all things Celtic and thus are drawn to Cernunnos. Others to the carnality of Pan, or the revelry of Dionysus. And still others to the enlightenment of Prometheus; or the female aspects of Lilith, or Kali.

What’s important is that they should be a mirror of the Self.

“Gods suppressed become devils, and often it is these devils whom we first encounter when we turn inward.” –Joseph Campbell