Several interesting points which might or might not be interconnected. If needed, these can be splitted into discussions of their own. They seem to discuss much different facets of ethical or moral principles.
I don't necessarily think so. (I'm aware of the practice but do not practice such myself.) But you have a great point: I think that many of the Satanic / Left Hand Path practices are also that kind of tantric alchemy which takes some less than desirable psychological need in us, and use it in order to create something beautiful and good. Like our virtues can become hindrances when we use them fanatically, likewise our vices or sins can be turned into blessings, when we perceive them and turn them into devotional practices. This, naturally, demands a lot of deep work, and most likely many years of re-balancing operations. Yet one part of the "supreme energetical economics" is, I strongly believe, that every energy there is has its place, and we just have to find the way to place those mind bending puzzle pieces (of our sins and trauma-imposed faculties) into places they are able to do good.
That's also a good point. Sometimes I feel it's hard for me to understand the people who haven't seen the pre-internet era and its slower paced, calmer world with less fruitful interaction, but also less fruitless interaction, and the need of constant presentation. That visibility in itself would be always positive is very hard for a Finnish mind to cope with. I am glad that the non-Finnish (?) part of me at least accepts happily the need for constant openness – a thing that comes close enough to be usable in the cultural situation. That's something the different generations can build upon equally.
The old friar/bhikkhu ethics of poverty were an important part of early theosophy in Finland, too. Pekka Ervast was a great fan of Leo Tolstoy, who – at least on paper – was very societally active in this regard.
Yesterday when I was doing the dishes after eating an enjoyable poor man's dinner (an onion and tofu that had costed me less than 2 €), but being very happy about many material things in my life, a thought struck me: There is much talk about the "standard of living" in the society, especially in these days when many people feel their monetary situation seriously threatened by the crisis, but I think that much of this is about a kind of demand for mental laziness. When a person has to think about what he can afford in a grocery store, he considers himself wretched.
I have lived whole my life (after childhood) in quite extreme poverty, in Finnish standards. (Which has nothing to do with actual poverty.) The five years when I was a student and had a possibility for a loan, I considered my monetary situation royal. Hundreds of euros to spend every month, that's almost too much! Yet I see that very few people around me sharing such a thought to any degree. Whatever the sum of money a person is making or taking, he most likely considers it barely adequate, and has a ton of problems with bills or things he would like to have, or he would like to have more to invest. I seriously think that the constant need to count every single euro I use has taught me incredibly valuable things about energetical economy as well – occult & spiritual channeling of energy in perfect balance. Money is, after all, as Dostoevsky put it (always that Dostoevsky!), "minted freedom". This can be read in many ways. Of course, one who has a lot of money has a lot of freedom to do as he wants (I wouldn't turn down a million or two, and would have clear ideas how to use that), but also, money seems to "mint" into matter our actual freedom, i.e. take it away, force it into a shape that wouldn't necessary belong to it.
Yet I would never consider poverty itself as freeing. Least of all the actual poverty in the countries where that word means something. It can only be a neutral instrument. Money – even a great amount of money – is nothing in itself; not good, not bad. Like every human prestige, it is poisonous to some situations and health-giving in others.
Keeping the brotherhood out of monetary issues is one of the things I consider giving the Star of Azazel a certain very practical occult blessing, though. I have understood this only later, but building the brotherhood this way seems to have been very wise. Of course, with money we could build temples and attain visibility, and so on. But the cost in spiritual wholeness is often quite steep for those things, as we know from the past of the spiritual organization, at least when the compromise is made too soon.
Both the idea & how you say it are golden. This sphere should be either a song or a spell.