1. The Devil's Advocate

Time Stamp: 10:20

* 9sense Letter: Should I join?* I joined the Temple of Set some 8 months ago, because I anticipated something like LaVey + Robert Greene + more philosophical psychodrama. My bad. I also anticipated that these guys understand their Setian mythos and “holy books” as psychodramatic tools for generating temporary beliefs important in rituals. But WTF?! They seem, at least most of them, to take all this stuff literally and they REALLY believe in it. Most of the time they discuss, speculate and ponder about their imagined realities and impractical matters. Completely lost in it, dead serious and stiff, pushing into some collectivist activities, ignoring the enormous cost opportunity of all this nonsense. I am always looking at the real function (real life impact) of any philosophy/teaching as opposed to how it looks "on a paper" and in the case of Setianism it's devitalisation. And enclosement in the "occult social bubbles" exactly as you pertinently described in the last episode of 9sense.* Moreover, studying and discussing magical theories and topics is nice and cozy, but it is not magic and it will not make a magician from anybody. Also rituals and ceremonies are merely the first steps into real magic and technique. I am certainly not interested in the magical LARPing. Since I am in the ToS, (he goes on to share his personal accomplishments) Now these guys are acting like all of this somehow doesn't matter and more important are "right answers" about metaphysical mumbo-jumbo in an email "Recognition dialogue". C'mon. (What I told them.)  * I am a Chaos Magic veteran working mainly with psychological/parapsychological or panpsychist models of magic focused on real-world success. (Why even bother with magic without this focus? Without it it's just plain nonsense.) I consider a magician who is still imprisoned in a lousy nine to five job a weak magician. A beginner. I don't care what titles he/she flashes. Many if not most of the mundane jobs are such profound waste of time/potential/energy that I cannot see how anybody would choose it if he/she has other options. And a magician without options in such an important life domain is not a magician at all according to my standards. * I made myself independent and autonomous by magic. I can do anything I want, anytime I want it, wherever and with anybody I choose. I am not subservient to my boss, to any company or institution. In fact, I could stop working today completely and I would be fine financially until my death. I accomplished this by two decades of magic, mastery and focused creativity. Completely from the scratch, from a small town and without any backup. * So I am surprised to see (on social media, skype/zoom sessions or other presentations) many high, even highest grades members of the ToS evidently struggling financially and in lousy jobs. I am not impressed by their real world - not imagined - accomplishments. I am also surprised by the fact that many of them are obese, not physically fit and even sloppy. Some of them probably not mentally fit too, judged by their undignified political and ideological rants on social media. And some, maybe, even on drugs or heavy drinking. I don't see proclaimed perfection. * Next, I am confident that another important attribute of a real magician is mastery. Concrete domain is not so important, but the mastery must be evident. Presented artistic creations (paintings, songs, poets, etc.) of the many ToS members are mediocre at the best. * So I want to ask. Sincerely, is the situation in the Church of Satan somehow different? I have read The Satanic Scriptures by Peter H. Gilmore and it was great.