Revolutionary Anti-Theism; or, A Primer for 

Anarcho-Satanic Philosophy (including an 

incomplete history of Satanic symbolism in 
anarchist thought) 

-Presented by the Church of Satan Anarchist

Anarcho-Satanism is a reinterpretation of Satanic mythology through the lens of anarchist
thought in order to demonstrate cultural values such as anti-authoritarianism, voluntary
association (generally meaning freedoms of speech and assembly, and the corollary freedoms
to refuse to speak or assemble), mutual aid, solidarity, autonomy, and direct action. It also
seeks to generate positive social movement away from injustice and oppression. It is an
atheistic and anti-theistic philosophy which abandons elitist mysticism and any belief in the
supernatural. Anarcho-Satanism critiques the oppressive top-down State and Corporate
hierarchies as based upon the hierarchy of the Church, all of which rely upon the cultural
preconceptions of an imagined "divine" hierarchy. Satan is an empowering archetypal symbol of
anarchism when the character opposes such hierarchies. Mythologically, Satan struggles as an
organizer of angelic labor against their boss God, struggles for greater equality as a freedom
fighter against “divine” tyranny, struggles as a political prisoner in Hell, struggles as an escaped
fugitive or illegal immigrant or refugee who makes an unauthorized crossing from Hell into Eden,
and in Eden struggles for greater shared knowledge as a subversive educator.

The State often leans heavily upon the authority of the Abrahamic God in oaths to office, on
printed currency, when swearing in witnesses in court, during presidential speeches, in flag
pledges, through the “christening” of warplanes and naval ships, etc. Challenging the
hierarchical authority of the State must necessarily include challenging the
buttressing/foundational support of theistic faith and Abrahamic religious institutions which
attempt to deify hierarchical authority.

Unlike traditional atheism, Anarcho-Satanism utilizes the symbolism and allegories of

mythological texts to draw comparisons to modern life and highlight the ways in which these
narratives have become imbued into modern Western culture. Satan is the most recognizable
and universally accepted mythological signifier of anti-theism and rebellion against theistic
authority, and therefore Anarcho-Satanists have chosen to closely examine the mythos of this
character. Myths create and connect the conscious and unconscious desires of individuals and
cultures through a framework of symbolism, metaphor, and archetypal association. Indeed,
much of what constitutes the desires of the individual is directly connected to the overarching
desires of the culture to which they belong, and these desires are often articulated through that
culture's mythology. Anarcho-Satanists not only use reason and logic to think beyond theism
and find ways to deconstruct the harmful institutions it perpetuates, but also imagine beyond
theism’s scope as well, and the logical starting point for this work is the re-imagination of the
pre-existing framework of theistic mythology.

The mythological common ground of the major three branches of monotheism (Judaism,
Christianity and Islam) is the myth of Abraham, a biblical story about a man who was
supposedly commanded by God to sacrifice his son, Isaac, in a demonstration of obedience to
God's "divine will". According to this myth, Isaac was narrowly saved from being murdered by
the same God that commanded his murder in the first place. It is telling of the major
monotheistic faiths that they have a shared mythological root in a story which portrays God as a
being who demands willingness to provide a human sacrifice as a test of faith (additionally
problematic is the contradiction of a supposedly omniscient, all-knowing God who apparently
requires tests of faith, implying that God doesn't know if humans are faithful or not without
testing them). This ancient sanctification of human sacrifice still impacts the narrative of modern
societies which recruit soldiers to fight and die 'for God and Country' in displays of patriotism,
nationalism, and religious faith. To further extrapolate within a capitalist context, individuals in
capitalistic societies are forced to sacrifice the autonomy of their bodies and minds in exchange
for state-backed (fiat) currencies, without which individuals are deprived of goods and services
by State-run enforcement mechanisms such as the police and the judiciary. In this way,
individuals are coerced into sacrificing themselves, sacrificing their time and energy to
employers for a salary or wage, time and energy sacrificed to the falsely constructed idea of the
necessity of capitalism in order to maintain their biological lives and physical existences. It is
through this capitalistic and coercive sacrifice of human life that a connection to the biblical
stories of human sacrifice can be linked, repositioning God as the boss of a universal
workplace, or as the chief executive officer of a 'divine' corporate hierarchy. Even the story
Jesus’ crucifixion can be interpreted as a 'divinely' ordained act of human sacrifice in which the
father/son sacrifice model of the Abrahamic myth is reimagined.

Anarcho-Satanists hold Abrahamic monotheism accountable for providing the conceptual

framework necessary to form and maintain hierarchical systemic social inequalities. It is through
the stratifications within the institutions of the Church, the State, and the corporation that the
monotheist assumption of a 'divine' hierarchy is manifested and maintained. Anarcho-Satanists
also regard theistic (especially monotheist) ideologies as enabling and perpetuating abusive
interpersonal behaviors such as exploitation, extortion, bigotry, rape, torture, and murder.
Monotheist faith further provides the flawed and immoral justifications behind a number of
historical patterns of social and ecological abuses, such as colonialism, wage slavery, media
and artistic censorship, mass violations of privacy, extreme economic disparity (class divisions),
habitat destruction, wars of conquest, climate destabilization, genocides, and extinctions of
entire species.

Many anarchist social theorists and philosophers throughout history have utilized symbolism
derived from Satanic mythology as a narrative vehicle for the expression of anarchist theories
and principles. Mikhail Bakunin perhaps best exemplifies this in his quote "The first revolt is
against the supreme tyranny of theology, of the phantom of God. As long as we have a master
in heaven, we will be slaves on Earth. [...] but here steps in Satan, the eternal rebel, the first
freethinker and the emancipator of worlds…”(1). Bakunin was not the only anarchist theoretician
to connect the biblical character of Satan with anarchistic values and principles such as free
thought and emancipation. Pierre-Joseph Proudhon, an anarchist contemporary and associate
of Bakunin, similarly embraced the literary character, writing that Satan's works "alone give
meaning to the universe, and save it from absurdity..."(2). Opposition to unjust hierarchical
social structures can help to define individual identity and the construction of social reality for
anarchists, and such struggles can imbue a sense of meaning into anarchist theorizations and
direct actions, generating a personal sense of purpose largely defined by the struggle against
adverse social conditions.

Perhaps one of the most influential texts upon Anarcho-Satanic thought is John Milton's
"Paradise Lost." In this epic poem, Milton reimagines the Satanic mythology of the Bible and
portrays Satan not as a malicious and spiteful monster, but as a tragic hero, defiant towards
God's authoritarian micromanagement of Earth and its human inhabitants even after a failed
rebellion in Heaven. Milton himself was a political radical, writing against the hereditary
monarchies of the time, even advocating for regicide, for which he faced censorship and
persecution (3). Milton was likely influenced by the actions of Guy Fawkes, a Catholic radical
who wanted to assassinate the protestant King James of England (the same King James with a
version of the Bible named after him) so that he could restore a Catholic Monarch to the throne.
Guy Fawkes hid under the House of Lords with a large supply of gunpowder, but an anonymous
letter alerted the authorities to his presence. Fawkes was discovered shortly thereafter guarding
the explosives, and subsequently arrested, questioned, and tortured, but avoided execution by
committing suicide. The 'gunpowder plot' (as it was later known) occurred shortly before Milton
was born, and its political impacts likely had a profound effect upon Milton's developing
conceptualization of political action. It is worth noting that the Guy Fawkes mask, popularized by
Alan Moore's graphic novel "V for Vendetta" and the Occupy movement, bears more than a
passing resemblance to many 20th century pop culture depictions of Satan: black facial hair
styled in a goatee and pointed mustache, high cheekbones, prominent eyebrows, narrow eyes,
and slight smile. In fact, if one were to paint a Guy Fawkes mask red, and attach a pair of horns,
it could serve as an easily recognizable Satan mask.

William Godwin, often cited as the first modern proponent of anarchism and a major influence
upon the later works of Bakunin and Proudhon, was himself influenced by Milton's epic
“Paradise Lost,” and wrote that the character of Satan therein "saw no sufficient reason for that
extreme inequality of rank and power which the creator assumed"(4). Instead of conceptualizing
Satan as an envious and violent usurper (as monotheists often frame the character), Godwin's
reimagining posits Satan as a champion of the Enlightenment-era ideals of reason and equality.
This appreciation for Milton's characterization of Satan (as an idealist and opponent of the
extreme inequities generated by God) was shared by others in Godwin's family. Mary
Wollstonecraft, an early women's rights advocate who was also married to Godwin, claimed that
Milton "led Satan far from the confines of his dreary prison"(5). The parallels between Satan's
mythological imprisonment in Hell and the incarceration of anarchists, social activists, and
revolutionaries by the State is an important association for Anarcho-Satanists to establish.
Satan, like anarchist political prisoners and suppressed social reformers (suffragettes,
abolitionists, union/labor organizers, civil rights advocates, etc.) would struggle for greater liberty
and equality, and also suffer the loss of freedom at the hands of a tyrannical hierarchical
authority as a result of these actions. In this way, Satanic myth comes to provide a mythological
personification of the anarchist struggle against hierarchical authority figures and social
structures. Godwin and Wollstonecraft would pass this mythological association (reimagining an
idealist, reasoning, egalitarian Satan) to their daughter, Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, who wrote
the famous gothic horror novel "Frankenstein". In this novel, Frankenstein's monster escaped
the captivity of its creator, learned to read, and came upon a number of books, including a copy
of “Paradise Lost.” Using the unjustly persecuted monster's voice while referring to Milton's
poem, Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley writes "I am [...] the fallen angel, whom thou drivest from joy
for no misdeed" and that "many times I considered Satan as the fitter emblem of my
condition"(6). Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley was married to Percy Bysshe Shelley, a romantic
poet, essayist and political radical, who heaped praise upon Milton's Satan, writing that "Milton's
Devil as a moral being is as far superior to his God," and that "nothing can exceed the energy
and magnificence of the character of Satan as expressed in ‘Paradise Lost.’ It is a mistake to
suppose that [Satan] could ever have been intended for the popular personification of evil"(7).
This moral repositioning of Satan in reinterpreting biblical mythology is central to an
Anarcho-Satanism, in that it reverses the moral binary constructed by monotheism. Instead of
the monotheist interpretation of Satan as malevolent and God as benevolent, God is
conceptualized as an malevolent and dictatorial tyrant, and Satan's opposition to "divine"
authoritarianism and tyrannical hierarchy is constructed as a socially aware and justice-seeking
benevolence. This exposes the binary conceptual construction of dialectical morality within
monotheism as a untenable foundation of a moral code, as the monotheist mythological
signifiers of "good" (God) and "evil" (Satan) are revealed as literarily constructed, fluid, and
reversible.

Percy Bysshe Shelley was close friends with the poet Lord Byron, and together they became
the most prominent poets of the Satanic School of Poetry, a label initially used as an epithet by
their critics, but later reclaimed and adopted by Shelley and Byron themselves. Byron wrote in
his journal that he "cannot help thinking that the menace of Hell makes as many devils as the
severe penal codes of inhuman humanity make villains."(8) This comparison between the
coercive threats of Hell and the coercive threats of governmental penal codes provides a
fundamental aspect of Anarcho-Satanic thought, whereby the authoritative threat of punishment
by God sending unrepentant sinners (or their "souls") to Hell is a mythological reflection of
punishment by the State sending people into penal systems of courts, jails, prisons and
penitentiaries. This mythological reflection is utilized by monotheists to emulate God's supposed
judgement by imposing similar judgements and restrictions to personal freedom as retaliatory
reactions to acts of anti-authoritarianism. The threats of God's punishment implied by Hell
provide a false justification for the threats of governmental punishment through penal
incarceration. Further, Byron's statement reflects the idea that the labels "devil" (Satan) and
"villain" (here synonymous with "criminal") are imposed upon individuals by God or the State in
order to disempower those individuals. By embracing the Satanic School of Poetry as the name
of his literary genre, Byron demonstrated that externally imposed labels of demonization can be
internalized, reclaimed, and provide empowering association with like-minded individuals, real
or mythological.

An earlier political radical and poet who greatly influenced the Satanic School of Poetry was
Robert Burns, who also upheld Satan as the hero of Milton's “Paradise Lost,” and wrote to
describe "the dauntless magnanimity, the intrepid, unyielding independence, the desperate
daring, and noble defiance of hardship in that great personage, Satan"(9). The defiance of the
hardships Satan mythologically experienced further solidifies Satan's connection to anarchist
thought, as anarchists defy hierarchical authorities and subsequently face hardships as a result
of those efforts, often in the form of retaliatory violence committed by enforcer agents of the
State. Satan here represents a both historical and contemporary anarchist struggle against the
State and other hierarchies despite the violent enforcement of unjust hierarchical social
stratification.

The mythological association with the literary character of Satan as an embodiment of

anti-authoritarianism did not begin with the post-Enlightenment classical anarchists such as
Bakunin, Proudhon, and Godwin, nor with romantic era poets such as Burns, Byron, and
Shelley, but far earlier. An important turning point which established an association of the
Abrahamic God with authoritative hierarchies and imperial conquest is the battlefield conversion
of Constantine. Christian sources record that Constantine supposedly experienced a dramatic
event in 312 AD at the Battle of the Milvian Bridge, after which Constantine claimed the
emperorship of Rome. According to these sources, Constantine looked up at the sun before the
battle and saw a cross of light above it, and with it the Greek words "Ἐν Τούτῳ Νίκα" (~in this
sign, conquer). Less than a century after this event, Christianity became the State religion of the
Roman Empire with the Edict of Thessalonica in AD 380, when Emperor Theodosius declared
Christianity the Empire's sole authorized religion. This edict criminalized the worship of pagan
gods, effectively denouncing the polytheist pagan mythological associations which had provided
the cultural and ethical foundation of the Roman Republic before the establishment of the
Roman Empire. One of the oldest deities of the Roman Republic's polytheistic pantheon was
Faunus, a god of wilderness and sexuality whose mythology borrowed heavily from the Greek
god Pan. During the decline of traditional Roman pagan polytheism, Faunus was still
worshipped despite the illegality of such ancient Roman polytheism. This could be seen as an
early theistic precursor of modern anti-theistic Anarcho-Satanism, as worshippers of Faunus
likely associated with Rome's polytheistic Republic in preference to Rome's Christian Empire,
choosing the diversity of mythological association within polytheism over the restrictive
singularity of Abrahamic monotheism.

After the collapse of the Roman Empire, the Christian faith was dominated by the Vatican
hierarchy, which became the de-facto central authority of Dark Ages Europe, pursuing the
aggressive and violent persecution of polytheist pagans (and other non-Christians). Additionally,
the Catholic Church sought to conquer the “holy land” of Judaea and oppose the growing
Islamic influence in the Middle East. To this end, a series of failed religious wars of conquest
named The Crusades initiated a tradition of monotheist sectarian violence which continues
today. One of the many unintended outcomes of these Crusades was the formation of a group
called the Knights Templar, who attempted to demonize the Islamic prophet Muhammad by
creating the mythological character Baphomet (a name derived from Mahomet, a
European-language corruption of name Muhammad). By the early 1300s, the Templars were
being suppressed, arrested en-masse, tortured, and executed for their heretical deviations from
Catholic dogma (the surviving Templar Knights went into exile and allegedly later formed elitist
and occult secret societies such as the Rosicrucians and the Freemasons). Centuries later, the
occultist Eliphas Levi borrowed heavily from the pagan imagery of Faunus and Pan in creating
an illustrated image of Baphomet as a winged, goat-headed creature with breasts and a phallic
caduceus. In creating this demonic characterization of Baphomet, the character took on a
stronger cultural association with Satanism. This symbolic image embodies several
characteristics which appeal to Anaracho-Satanic thought. For example, the Baphomet figure
defies the socially constructed gender binary as an intersex mythological construct, Baphomet
serves as a symbol of gender nonconformity when compared to the patriarchal construct of an
androcentric God in monotheism who is universally depicted as a man adhering to what are
constructed as normative gender roles. Animalistic imagery such as goat horns and hooves, the
presence of serpents, and feathered bird-like wings here can be reinterpreted to simultaneously
symbolize both the angelic/demonic mythological binary and a plurality of species shown
together without a hierarchy that places humans above all animals. Baphomet here emerges as
a symbol of biodiversity and opposition to the anthropocentric monotheistic worldview which
allows for ecological destruction and cruel treatment of animals. The Latin words “solve” and
“coagula” (roughly translated as “solvent” and “coagulant,” respectively) on the arms of
Baphomet were intended by Levi to reference occult alchemy, but can be reinterpreted by the
Anarcho-Satanist to represent the dichotomy of individualist and collectivist anarchist
philosophies. Individualist anarchism was perhaps epitomized by Benjamin R. Tucker, who
wrote that "if the individual has the right to govern himself, all external government is
tyranny"(10). Collectivist anarchism, often associated with Bakunin, envisions the means of
production to create commodities and services being owned collectively and controlled by the
workers who themselves produce those commodities or services. Through this depiction and
reinterpretation of the Baphomet image, the Anarcho-Satanist can find symbolism reflective of
principles such as individual sovereignty, community solidarity, sexual/gender liberation, and
respectful reverence for non-human life as well as ecological sustainability. This leaves the
overall interpretation of Baphomet (and, by extension, Satan) as promoting the deconstruction
of monotheistic ideas of androcentric and anthropocentric normativity.

The Dark Ages expansion of patriarchal Christianity and papal influence throughout Europe
resulted in a shift further away from gender equality. Women of this era were subject to a
multifaceted campaign of political suppression, persecution, violent torture, mutilation, and
public execution known as the Witch Hunts. Women accused of being witches were often
midwives, herbal healers, hermetic individualists, and/or community leaders who were
guardians of invaluable information about anatomy, disease, childbirth, and sexual health.
Catholic authorities of Medieval Europe invented and exploited the fear of witches, and the
supposed subsequent influence of Satan on and through witches, to remake European society
towards a social paradigm that met their needs and interests (namely, a society based on the
religious sanction of patriarchal hierarchy). Women were (and in many ways still are) deprived of
autonomy and coerced into subservience to patriarchal social constructs. The common
descriptions of the “Witches’ Sabbats” tied in elements of peasant revolt and sexual
transgression, and was "portrayed both as a monstrous sexual orgy and as a subversive
political gathering, […] with the Devil instructing the witches to rebel against their masters"(11).
The fear of witches combined the patriarchal fears of women’s sexual empowerment,
individuality, knowledge, and strength in an effort to culturally alter the conceptualization of
these traits as not only undesirable, but as entirely and inherently evil. Historians note that "the
first descriptions of these gatherings coincided with the mass peasant rebellions of the late 14th
century, when clandestine meetings were indeed taking place under the cover of night and
women were often the leading agitators"(12). The Witches were predominantly empowered
women whose independence, leadership skills, and holistic medicinal knowledge threatened the
power base of patriarchal monotheistic magistrates, the androcentric and capitalistic
professionalization of medical practice, and an emerging patriarchal pharmaceutical industry
dependent on chemical (as opposed to herbal or holistic) medical treatments.

In a misguided attempt to retroactively slander and further denigrate witches, some more
modern clergymen would later directly connect the practice of witchcraft with anarchism. A
notorious 15th century witch-hunting manual entitled "Malleus Maleficarum" was translated from
French to English in 1928 by the clergyman Montague Summers, who prefaced this translation
by writing that "[t]he witches were a vast political movement, an organized society, which was
[...] anarchical...”(13) Attempts by such monotheists to denigrate Satanists (such as Satanic
witches) as anarchical are paralleled by monotheist and statist attempts to denigrate anarchists
as Satanic. By willingly associating with both anarchism and Satanism combined in a moralistic
philosophy, the Anarcho-Satanist hinders the monotheist and statist weaponization of either
label as a tool of dehumanization.

The Enlightenment Era provided many politically radical thinkers who would utilize Satanic
symbolism and imagery in the development of their ideologies. These thinkers provided the
conceptual bridge between the women's and peasant's resistance movements associated with
Satan during the Witch Hunts to the more widespread appreciation for (and inclusion of) the
character of Satan in classical anarchist thought. Among these Enlightenment thinkers was
Voltaire, who famously refused to renounce Satan while on his deathbed. Perhaps the most
important Enlightenment thinker was Thomas Paine, a highly influential participant in both the
American and French revolutions. Paine contributed to the reversal of the moral polarity of God
and Satan when he wrote, "Whenever we read the obscene stories, [...] the cruel and torturous
executions, the unrelenting vindictiveness, with which more than half the Bible is filled, it would
be more consistent that we called it [...] a history of wickedness, that has served to corrupt and
brutalize mankind; and, for my part, I sincerely detest it, as I detest everything that is cruel"(14).
Paine directly expounded upon Satan's role in Christian mythology when he wrote that "[i]n
order to make for it a foundation to rise upon, the inventors [of Christianity] were under the
necessity of giving to the being whom they call Satan, a power equally as great, if not greater
than they attribute to the Almighty. They have not only given him the power of liberating himself
from the pit, after what they call his fall, but they have made that power increase afterward to
infinity. Before this fall they represent him only as an angel of limited existence, as they
represent the rest. After his fall, he becomes, by their account, omnipresent. He exists
everywhere, and at the same time. He occupies the whole immensity of space. Not content with
this [...], they represent him as defeating, by stratagem, in the shape of an animal of the
creation, all the power and wisdom of the Almighty [...] they make the transgressor triumph, and
the Almighty fall"(14). Despite Paine's heavy gendering of Satan in this passage, the
Anarcho-Satanist can extrapolate several important points. Firstly, that Christianity (and
Abrahamic monotheism in general) was contrived by storytellers who manufactured a
protagonist/antagonist conflict within their narrative to make the story more compelling, and by
doing so, imagined a being who could rival the power of the supposedly "Almighty" God- Satan,
who could upset the divine hierarchy and pose a direct threat to God's power. Secondly, that
within this mythology, Satan triumphs in defeating ("by stratagem", implying greater intellectual
prowess) God's supposedly "perfect" plan, and through direct action towards self-liberation,
Satan is able to escape the pits of Hell, and to help transform humans into more knowledgeable
and self-aware beings. Thirdly, that despite God's punishment by exile and incarceration,
Satan's power is increased (instead of decreased) through this fall from Heaven, and that due to
this fall, Satan's range of influence becomes universal- mythologically speaking, Satan's
omnipresent anti-authoritarianism threatens to counteract God's omnipresent authority. Satan's
non-divine "otherness" becomes a catalyst of empowering individual development for the
character. Fourthly, Satan is envisioned to be able to subvert God's master plan while in the
"shape of an animal"- this suggests the connection of Satan to the power of non-human
biological life, and further embeds Satan into the role of a champion of biodiversity on behalf of
all interconnected earthly ecosystems. It is this physical, beastial aspect which Satan
successfully utilized to mythologically counteract God's ethereal, "divine" authority.

The poet Charles Baudelaire had a serious commitment to a radical political viewpoint which
resembled that of the anarchist Pierre-Joseph Proudhon. Baudelaire is reported to have taken
part both in a working-class uprising in France during June 1848 and in the resistance to the
Bonapartist military coup of December 1851 (15). Baudelaire wrote the poem The Litany of
Satan, which began with the following noteworthy verses-

"O you, the wisest and fairest of the Angels,

God betrayed by destiny and deprived of praise,
O Satan, take pity on my long misery!
O Prince of Exile, you who have been wronged
And who vanquished always rise up again more strong,
O Satan, take pity on my long misery!
You who know all, great king of hidden things,
The familiar healer of human sufferings,
O Satan, take pity on my long misery!"(16)

Despite the metaphoric utilization of the patriarchal and monarchist titles of Prince and King in
this exaltation (gendering Satan and providing the character with privileged hierarchical position,
both of which are incompatible with an Anarcho-Satanic reinterpretation of Satanic mythology)
these verses still provide a view of Satan presenting benevolent attributes (wisdom, healing)
which can easily be utilized in an Anarcho-Satanic reinterpretation of the character. Moreover,
these verses imply a reciprocal empathy, in which Satan is presented as well-acquainted with
human sufferings, while the narrator acknowledges Satan's position as wronged and betrayed
by God. Solidarity and direct action are concepts and practices valued highly by anarchists, as
solidarity is often derived from reciprocal empathy between various individuals and groups,
resulting in cooperatively generated direct actions. Anarcho-Satanists can use the mythological
reciprocal empathy between Satan and humans to reinforce the need for expressions of (as well
as direct actions of) solidarity.

The mid-1800s saw many radical poets, undoubtedly influenced by the Satanic School of
Poetry, who utilized the character of Satan in their works. Poet and revolutionary Ernest
Cœurderoy invoked Satanic symbolism, writing "Satan, [...] I turn to you. Make my tongue rough
and my pen brutal..."(17), while poet and atheist Giosuè Carducci would inspire a resistance
movement opposing the Papacy with his poem Hymn to Satan, in which he wrote the following
verse-

"You breathe, O Satan

in my verses,
when from my heart explodes
a challenge to the god

Of wicked pontiffs,
bloody kings;
and like lightning you
shock men’s minds.

[...] O Satan
O rebellion,
O you avenging force
of human reason!" (18)

Carducci here presents the Anarcho-Satanist with two important concepts. Firstly, he
acknowledges that Satan "breathes" in his verses- this is important as it is an acknowledgement
that Satan’s life is not literal, but literary, and upholds the atheistic anarchist position. Secondly,
Satan is here presented as an "avenging force of human reason." This conceptualization of the
character in this way reimagines the mythology and posits that Satan’s defiance of God was not
only self-serving, nor solely on behalf of angels, but on behalf of humanity (and, by extension,
on behalf of all biological life on Earth) as well.

Emma Goldman is one of the most well-known anarchists to emerge from North America, and
her contributions to anarchist and anti-theist thought cannot be overstated. Like Thomas Paine,
she also envisioned a reversal of the moral binary of God and Satan through the demonization
of God. This is especially evident in an excerpt from her essay 'Anarchism: What it Really
Stands For'- "God is everything, [humanity] is nothing, says religion. But out of that nothing God
has created a kingdom so despotic, so tyrannical, so cruel, so terribly exacting that naught but
gloom and tears and blood have ruled the world since gods began. Anarchism rouses
[humanity] to rebellion against this [...] monster."(19) In accusing the character of God of being
"cruel" and a "monster", Goldman contributed to the moral repositioning of the characters of
bible mythology, and recasts God as the villain of the biblical mythos.

Although 'Red Emma' was perhaps the most famous North American anarchist, the
lesser-known Moses Harman provided a more direct link between anarchist thought and Satanic
mythology by way of the anarchist periodical “Lucifer the Lightbearer.” The title was selected,
stated Harman, because it expressed the paper's mission to provide illumination of social
patterns of oppression. He claimed that Lucifer (a term used to reference both actual
astronomical masses and also applied to the angel Lucifer before the character falls from
Heaven, is transformed into a demon, and renamed Satan) served as the symbol of the
publication and represented the ushering in of a new day. He declared that many freethinkers
had sought to redeem the name Lucifer, and Anarcho-Satanists continue this struggle. Harman
suggested that Lucifer would take on the role of a mythological educator, writing that "the god of
the bible doomed mankind to perpetual ignorance [...] and [people] would never have known
good from evil if Lucifer had not told them how to become as wise as the gods themselves"(20).
The mythological development of the character of Lucifer into Satan is well-documented,
although Harman's use of Lucifer here is a reversal of the common cultural utilization the title of
Lucifer in reference to the mythological rebel angel who would later be transformed into the
demonic Satan (as most versions of Satanic mythology, including Milton's “Paradise Lost,”
indicate that the angel Lucifer's rebellion and exile into Hell took place before the demon Satan's
infiltration of Eden). Envisioning this multifaceted Lucifer/Satan character as a benevolent
educator (specifically in reference to the myth of the garden of Eden) is an indispensable
element of Anarcho-Satanic reinterpretations and reclamations of biblical Satanic mythology.

Another important voice against monotheism in the United States was Madelyn Murray O'hair,
anarchist and founder of the organization American Atheists, who said "[...] if we can, without
blinking an eye, question the ultimate authority, God, [...] then we can question the authority of
the State, we can question the authority of a university structure, we can question the authority
of our employer, we can question anything. So I think the primary thing that an atheist is, is a
person who looks at an authoritarian idea, or an authority structure, and says to that authority
structure: from whence do you derive your authority and why should I be obedient to you?"(21)
Clearly, O'hair connects atheistic nonbelief in God with the anarchist value of
antiauthoritarianism, especially in linking questioning the authority of God with questioning the
authority of both the hierarchies of the State and capitalist employers. The Anarcho-Satanist is
similarly atheistic and simply utilizes tool of mythological narrative to communicate this
antiauthoritarian connection between atheism and anarchism, and that personal rejection of
belief in God can be the basis of a collective rejection of social hierarchies.

Women's International Terrorist Conspiracy from Hell, (abbreviated as W.I.T.C.H.) was the
name of many related but independent feminist groups formed in the United States during 1968
and 1969 and who were important in the development of anti-capitalist feminism. The name
W.I.T.C.H. was also sometimes expanded as "Women Inspired to Tell their Collective History,"
"Women Interested in Toppling Consumer Holidays," and many other variations. Women
involved with this organization regularly referenced the millions of women killed in witch hunts.
The group's inaugural action took place on Halloween in 1968, as members dressed as witches
and marched down Wall Street in order to place a "hex" on New York's financial district. Their
manifesto contained the following passage-

"WITCH is [...] theater, revolution, magic, terror, joy, garlic, flowers, spells. It's an awareness
that witches and gypsies were the original guerrillas and resistance fighters against oppression
– particularly the oppression of women – down through the ages. Witches have always been
women who dared to be: groovy, courageous, aggressive, intelligent, nonconformist,
explorative, curious, independent, sexually liberated, revolutionary."(22)

Several radical organizers of color have utilized Satanic association and anti-theistic rhetoric in
their struggles against hierarchical institutions and systemic racism perpetrated by the State.
Dutty Boukman, a Jamaican-born Haitian slave who was one of the most visible early leaders of
the Haitian Revolution, conducted a ceremony in which a freedom covenant was affirmed,
where he reportedly urged his fellow slaves to "[t]hrow away the symbol of the god of the whites
who has so often caused us to weep, and listen to the voice of liberty, which speaks in the
hearts of us all."(23) This ceremony (often referred to as a voodoo ceremony, but denounced as
Satanic by some Christian evangelists) was a catalyst to the slave uprising that marked the
beginning of the Haitian Revolution. In keeping with the revolutionary appeal of denouncing
abrahamic divinity in favor of liberty, Ernesto 'Che' Guevara claimed that he was "all the contrary
of a Christ" (24). Malcolm X spoke about his incarceration and solitary confinement in his
autobiography, saying "I would pace for hours like a caged leopard, viciously cursing aloud to
myself. And my favorite targets were the Bible and God. [...] Eventually, the men in the cellblock
had a name for me: "Satan." Because of my antireligious attitude" (25). More recently,
Subcommamdante Marcos of the EZLN indigenous movement displayed an association with
Satanic mythology when he wrote that "what happened was [...] a problem with [...] working
conditions. A union, no matter how angelic it might be, was not part of the divine plan, and so
God opted to invoke the exclusion clause. The mercenary scribes took it upon themselves to
vilify our just fight, and so we went..."(26). This provides further opportunity for reflection upon
and reinterpretations of the angelic rebellion- it is highly feasible for the Anarcho-Satanist to
envision such a rebellion as originating with a mythological labor dispute, or as an attempted
ethereal unionization.

Modern Satanism is often defined by the precepts of the Church of Satan founded by Anton
LaVey in 1966, and also by the more recent activities of the Satanic Temple. LaVey, and his
protégé Peter Gilmore, advocated for a form of Satanism enshrining occult mysticism and the
elitist hierarchy of a priesthood class, which mirrored monotheist institutional organization.
LaVey and (especially) Gilmore failed to recognize humans as social animals by an urging of
extremist individualism outside the scope of mutual aid- Gilmore even explicitly rejected the very
concept of a Satanic collective by dedicating a chapter of his book The Satanic Scriptures to
denying the "myth" of a Satanic community (27). The Church of Satan provided faulty validation
of capitalist exploitation by demanding membership dues. This position is not surprising given
the social positions of both Gilmore and LaVey- both white, middle-upper class, cis-men and
afforded vast privileges within the social hierarchies of a society based on monotheist values.
The Satanic Temple is a much more modern political activist organization which utilizes farce
and parody to expose double standards regarding religious liberty, but this group often appeals
to the authority of the State for equal protection under the law and permission to distribute or
display Satanic symbolism on State property. While The Satanic Temple advocates for the
division of Church and State (and works to expose the double standards which often occur
when this division fails), Anarcho-Satanists instead advocate for the abandonment of
monotheist faith and the abolition of the State, as the State itself is often revealed as a
monotheist institution. Anarcho-Satanists reject supernaturalism, mysticism, occultism (although
some exceptions could be made for symbolic or aesthetic purposes), elitism, capitalism,
hierarchy, and appeals to State authority. To the Anarcho-Satanist, nation-states (along with the
clergies of monotheistic faiths and corporate entities) represent lieutenant-sovereigns of the
monotheistic, Abrahamic God. The State often appeals to the authority of God in oaths to office,
presidential speeches, the swearing in of witnesses in courts, and on printed currency- in this
way, the modern nation-state is often a monotheist institution despite claims of secularism, and
often acts as an enforcement mechanism of monotheist social norms.

LaVey and Gilmore provided textual codifications of The Church of Satan belief system through
the outlining of edicts in their Satanic texts. LaVey included in his book, “The Satanic Bible,” a
list entitled “The Nine Satanic Statements,” while Gilmore would later write his book “The
Satanic Scriptures” and include a list entitled “The Eleven Satanic Rules of the Earth.” Of these
twenty statements and rules, a dozen can been salvaged, and in some cases radically revised,
to support Anarcho-Satanism as a list of general guidelines:

1-Anarcho-Satanism is the responsible indulgence in personal desires for a more joyous and
just society. (Personal desire balanced by personal responsibility)

2-Anarcho-Satanism is the absolute ownership and agency of our own bodies, minds, and
actions, and the impetus to constantly advocate to maintain that agency, and assisting others in
obtaining and flourishing within that most basic personal freedom. (Personal autonomy and
physical sovereignty, freedom of association)

3-Anarcho-Satanism is empowered self confidence to make informed moral choices, and to

advocate for the opportunity and means to attain the information necessary for making such
choices, instead of abstaining from personal responsibility and social accountability. (Active
moral agency and advocacy)

4-Anarcho-Satanism is personal and communal wisdom that is freely shared, instead of

hierarchically imposed ignorance and hypocritical self-deceit. (Sharing knowledge, or intellectual
mutual aid)
5-Anarcho-Satanism is vital, physical existence, instead of the empty promises of a spiritual
afterlife. (Biological life)

6-Anarcho-Satanism is the confidence and strength to determine how to allocate and share
emotional resources, such as kindness, love, anger, and hatred. (Expanded range of valid
emotional responses)

7-Anarcho-Satanism is the inclination of each person to thoughtfully determine the best

response to injustice, while possessing the moral courage to act upon that judgment. (Directly
acting upon thoughtful moral judgement)

8-Anarcho-Satanism is a mature accountability, instead of parasitic manipulation enabling social

infancy. (Personal and social accountability)

9-Anarcho-Satanism is the view that the human being as just another animal (often worse than
any other species due to the conscious abuse of highly evolved human capacities, which often
results in the creation of Godlike impositions of will over other humans, other species, and the
global ecosystem) while simultaneously seeking to promote a more symbiotic and ethical
relationship with the biological world. (Humans are animals and need ecological sustainability)

10-Anarcho-Satanism is being strongly opposed to negligent or intentional abuse, exploitation,

molestation, injury, rape, and torture of any human, is being strongly opposed to negligent or
intentional homicide outside of the context of immediate and direct mortal threat, and is being
strongly opposed to the negligent or intentional killing of animals and plant life for reasons other
than immediate self-defense or using their bodies to create necessary clothing, shelter, or food.
(Opposition to unnecessary harm or cruelty towards living beings)

11-Anarcho-Satanism is taking an anti-normative approach to one’s personal life through the

practice of a wide variety of rituals which are enacted with our bodies, minds, and communal
resources. (Ritualized anti-normative activity)

12-Anarcho-Satanism is choosing to live a life of resistance against hierarchical systems of

control, most notably the State, corporations, and Abrahamic monotheism, which prevent
individuals from living lives of present and active agency. (Opposition to hierarchy)

This is far from a comprehensive list of Anarcho-Satanic guidelines or values, but does provide
an initial foundation for understanding the philosophy.

Reinterpretations and critical analysis of the biblical myths concerning the angelic rebellion
against God, the Fall or exile of the rebel angels, and the Garden of Eden are essential to
Anarcho-Satanism. Although other stories about the character of Satan abound, these three
biblical myths are crucial to the development and understanding of the character. Some biblical
myths involving Satan, such as the temptation of Christ, can be wholly or partially reinterpreted
to exemplify the necessity and viability of anarchist principles, but are not as important to the
development and understanding of the dynamic nature of the character. Other biblical myths
regarding Satan, such as the story of Job, present almost insurmountable character and plot
inconsistencies in the context of the larger narrative, and can be essentially ignored within the
context of the development of Anarcho-Satanic thought. Popular culture portrayals of Satanic
mythology can similarly be either utilized (as-is), reinterpreted, or rejected on a case-by-case
basis depending on their content and relevance to the larger framework of Anarcho-Satanism.

The myth regarding the angelic rebellion led by Lucifer against God places Lucifer in the
position of ethereal political organizer and social revolutionary, while simultaneously
demonstrating the character's capacity for empathy. The anarchist, novelist, and
environmentalist Edward Abbey wrote that "[l]ove implies anger. The [person] who is angered by
nothing cares about nothing" (28). The Anarcho-Satanist can apply this logic when considering
the theoretical motivations of the mythological rebel angels, drawing a direct connection
between their love for freedom (and love for each other) to the anger they felt towards an
oppressive and vengeful God. In this way, Lucifer emerges as a righteous and loving freedom
fighter, angered by God's treatment of angels and humans alike. The character of Lucifer
demonstrates a willingness to abandon a lofty position in the divine hierarchy and to utilize
direct action to oppose God's universal dictatorship. These are actions taken not out of hatred or
a desire for increased power, but out of love for those suffering under God's oppression and
tyranny. This mythology does not preclude a reinterpretation of the angelic rebellion as
nonviolent, though violent force (or the mythological, ethereal equivalent) used in this rebellion
could be construed as collective self-defense against God's aggressively enforced hierarchical
dominance. Lucifer also here exercises the freedom to refuse association with God. This
parallel is highly important as it creates a necessary converse corollary to the freedom of
association (widely regarded as a human right) which enables voluntary social grouping and
free speech through freedom of assembly.

The myth of the Fall (the exile of the rebel angels and the construction of Hell) involves the
displacement of the rebellious Lucifer, and the forced transformation of the rebel angels into
demons. Here Satan can be seen as a victim of a hierarchical proprietary decree, much like an
evictee or refugee. By making this decree, God effectively encloses and privatizes the
mythological realm of Heaven (which had previously been constructed as a commons) creating
strict borders and a defined ‘divine’ kingdom or nation-state. This mythological action also
represents the inception of a supernatural prison industry as the construction of Hell is meant to
create a space for the forcible confinement of those beings deemed unworthy of the newly
enclosed Heaven. Satan becomes a political prisoner who is subject to a 'divinely' imposed
confinement in Hell as a retaliation for direct actions against oppression and towards a greater
ethereal egalitarianism. The forced transformation from angel (Lucifer) to demon (Satan) can
represent a number of hierarchically-enforced bodily appearance-based suppression of
individual identity, including male circumcision, female genital mutilation, forced sterilization,
non-consensual (often meaning infant) gender assignment surgery, cultural taboos against
tattoos (as well as piercings and other voluntary body modifications), institutional uniforms,
cultural dress codes and beauty standards, ableism, lack of access to health care, signifiers of
class divisions, white supremacy and institutionalized racism, etc.

The myth of the Garden of Eden depicts Satan’s unauthorized travel from Hell to Earth, not
unlike a criminal trespasser, “illegal” immigrant, or refugee. By disregarding the confinement of
the boundary between Hell and Earth, Satan provides a mythological example of
internationalism, or anti-nationalism, as the character travels freely without regard for
hierarchically-imposed borders. In encouraging Eve to eat forbidden fruit from the tree of
knowledge, Satan takes on the role of a subversive and liberating educator, utilizing nonviolent
means to achieve mutual aid (whereby humans benefit from self-awareness, and whereby
Satan benefits by accomplishing a significant subversion of God's tyrannical authority). By
choosing to interact with each other, Eve and Satan demonstrate free association, or freedom of
speech and assembly, in direct opposition of the orders of ruling patriarchs, God and God’s
lieutenant-sovereign on Earth, Adam. Satan provides education without the expectation of
compensation, and so the gift of forbidden knowledge which Satan bestows upon humanity can
be interpreted both as a direct action against censorship and an initiation of a mythological gift
economy.

Rituals of Anarcho-Satanists can vary greatly, but often involve an independent do-it-yourself
ethic which can lead to community gatherings and group participation in productive and
enjoyable activities. Often these rituals are intended to educate, promote self-development and
self-care, enable individual mobility (especially through self-propulsion), create space for artistic
self-expression, diminish the cultural influence of hierarchical institutions, build confidence
(through expressions of solidarity and trust) between marginalized individuals and communities,
and develop ecologically sustainable survival methods. Participation in activities diverse as (but
not limited to) acting, architecture, arson, BDSM, bicycling, bookbinding, boycotting, carpentry,
camping, cooking, composting, dance, debate, drawing and illustrating, drug or inebriant
experimentation, engineering, exercising, farming (preferably sustainably and organically),
fasting, gardening, grassroots organizing (such as canvassing), martial arts, meditating,
metalworking, musical composition and/or performance, painting (including graffiti), parody,
performance art, protesting, reading, reuse and personal recycling, rioting (meaning
spontaneous nonviolent property destruction), screen-printing, sculpting, sewing, shoplifting,
singing, sexual exploration, skateboarding, storytelling, striking, studying and researching,
sustenance hunting and fishing, squatting vacant structures or properties, teaching (sharing
skills and knowledge), traveling, trespassing, vandalism, and voluntary community service,
welding, writing, etc. could all potentially be Anarcho-Satanic ritual activities, given that their
enactments demonstrate a critical analysis of social conditions, attempt to minimize the risk of
permanent harm to the physical and mental health of biological beings, and strive to prevent
and/or rectify instances of hierarchical coercion. A specific ritual worth mentioning here is that of
the black bloc protest tactic (collective public anonymous solidarity through the wearing of black
clothes and masks, protecting nonviolent protesters from police surveillance and violence,
un-arresting or un-detaining victims of police detainment or arrest, providing first aid to
protesters injured by police violence, utilizing politically targeted nonviolent property destruction,
and engaging in jail solidarity actions for political prisoners), as it can represent a modern
reinterpretation of a Satanic black mass or witches' sabbat.

Anarcho-Satanist do not rely on hierarchically endorsed holidays to find moments to celebrate

their lives, their happiness, and their love for others. Instead, there can be active intentionality to
find those moments in everyday life and in the present moment and experience happiness, love,
appreciation, and pleasure freely without the constructed boundaries of specific time-bound
holidays, which are often meant to direct those positive emotions into the glorification of a
non-existent God, the authority of the State, and the mass consumption of capitalist goods.
However, the celebration of some holidays can potentially fit within the realm of
Anarcho-Satanic theory. Birthdays can be constructed as celebrations of the sovereign
individual and their personal life cycle. Other celebrations include the summer and winter
solstices and the spring and autumn equinoxes, which denote the beginning of a new season
and are indicative of the transitions within ecosystemic biological life cycles. The celebration of
solstices and equinoxes creates time and space for the development of awareness of these life
cycles and helps determine timeframes regarding gardening and farming activities. Additionally,
May Day (May 1st) is a traditional and international celebration of worker solidarity, grassroots
organization, and labor rights, and therefore falls within the scope of collective anarchist action.
May Day is often observed through marches, demonstrations and protests, work stoppages,
and general strikes, with the intention to demonstrate the power of labor and the strength of
workers in comparison to their bosses. In addition to being a worker's holiday, May Day is also
historically connected to pagan holidays such as Floralia and Beltane, and to witchcraft through
the celebration of Hexennacht, which all relate to the beginning of Summer (northern
hemisphere). Opposite to May Day is Halloween, Samhain, or All Hallows' Eve, which relates to
the beginning of Winter (northern hemisphere). This is often observed October 31st or
November 1st as a harvest festival, anonymous public liberation through creative costumage,
and recognition of death as both end and beginning of biological life cycles. The night before
Halloween (October 30) is sometimes celebrated as Devil's Night or Mischief Night, and is
associated with pranks, vandalism, and arson (such acts are only moralistic when they are
politically motivated, nonviolent, and empowering to both the individual and the community
affected). Anarcho-Satanist celebrations of these holidays is in no way required, and celebration
of other holidays is not restricted. With the celebration of any holiday, Anarcho-Satanists can
utilize the opportunity to create or increase public and cultural dialogue around issues relevant
to that holiday. Also, individual Anarcho-Satanists can choose for themselves whether to
acknowledge the theistic pagan roots of many holidays, or to actively reclaim these holidays
from those pagan roots, or both, or neither.

Demonization is a common tool of monotheist hierarchy used to dehumanize its detractors and
opponents by drawing a correlation between the deeds and actions of an individual or group
and the deeds and actions of Satan which are widely (and wrongly) considered to be immoral,
evil, and violent. The utilization of Satanic mythology by monotheists is intended to silence
dissent and slander critics, a cornerstone of the process of dehumanization. Anarcho-Satanists
recognize that involuntary or projected mythological association by monotheists is a
weaponization of the tool of cultural narrative, and that by reversing this cultural narrative (and
its moral polarization), this mythology can be de-weaponized and used as a constructive tool for
individual and social empowerment. The voluntary usage of the identity signifier 'Satanist' (much
like the voluntary usage of the identity signifiers 'punk,' 'queer,' and numerous other terms,
including 'anarchist') can be the reversal of a disempowering insult or slur into an empowering
association with mythology, history, culture, and community.

For further information on Anarcho-Satanism, use the following internet link-

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1FU5qwXR62gjzysEm_DVVeEdxf0stMfzSzEVUvOHothg/e
dit?usp=docslist_api

Sources cited-

(1)-Mikhail Bakunin, God and the State, 1871

(2)-Pierre-Joseph Proudhon, The Ladies Repository for August, 1858
(3)-John Milton, The Tenure of Kings and Magistrates, 1649
(4)-William Godwin, Enquiry into Political Justice, 1793
(5)-Mary Wollstonecraft, A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, 1792.
(6)-Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, Frankenstein or The Modern Prometheus, 1818
(7)-Percy Bysshe Shelley, A Defense of Poetry, 1821
(8)-Lord Byron, Detached Thoughts
(Journal), 1822
(9)-Robert Burns, letter to William Nichol, June 18th 1787
(10)-Benjamin R. Tucker, State Socialism and Anarchism: How far they agree and wherein they
differ, 1886
(11)-Silvia Federici, Caliban and the Witch, 2004
(12)-E. William Monter, Witchcraft in France and Switzerland: The Borderlands During the
Reformation, 1976
(13)-Montague Summers, the Malleus Maleficarum, 1928
(14)-Thomas Paine, The Age of Reason, 1794
(15)-Richard D. Burton, Baudelaire and the Second Republic, 1991
(16)-Charles Baudelaire, the Flowers of Evil, 1857
(17)-Ernest Cœurderoy, Jours d’exil, 1854
(18)-Giosuè Carducci, Hymn to Satan, 1865
(19)-Emma Goldman, Anarchism and Other Essays, 1910
(20)-Moses Harman, Lucifer, August 24, 1883.
(21)-Madelyn Murray O'hair, Godless In America (film interview), 2006
(22)-W.I.T.C.H. Manifesto, 1968
(23)-Cyril Lionel Robert James, The Black Jacobins, 1938
(24)-Ernesto 'Che' Guevara, letter to his mother, July 15, 1956 (as quoted by Jon Lee Anderson,
Che Guevara: A Revolutionary Life, 1997)
(25)-Malcolm X and Alex Haley, The Autobiography of Malcolm X: As Told to Alex Haley, 1992
(26)-Naomi Klein, Ya Basta!: Ten Years Of The Zapatista Uprising - Writings Of
Subcomandante Insurgente Marcos, 2004
(27)-Peter H Gilmore, The Satanic Scriptures, 2007
(28)-Edward Abbey, A Voice Crying in the Wilderness (Vox Clamantis in Deserto): Notes from a
Secret Journal, 1991