Tag Archives: brotherhood

Interview with our International Brethren vol. II

We have again interviewed our international members. The following questions were asked:

1. When or how did you begin to consider yourself a Satanist?

2. Has the membership changed you as a person? How?

3. As the majority in the fraternity are Finns, and the brotherhood was founded in Finland, do you feel like this poses challenges for you as a member?

***

 

Male, member for 4 years

  1. Actually, I guess I found myself identifying more as a Satanist some time after I joined the Star of Azazel. I initially identified with a more general Left Hand Path perspective – of which Satanism could be described as a more focussed strain – before I was attracted to the Satanic and/or Luciferian archetypes presented by various authors, of whom Jung is probably the most important, at least in terms of my self-identification.
  2. It’s difficult to say directly. Reading Fosforos certainly had an effect on my personality, as did talking to various members. However, I think it was approximately six months after I first read Fosforos and joined the forums that I formally joined the Star of Azazel. Although this might initially sound like a negative reaction, I became increasingly dissatisfied with various aspects of my life during this time. However – without boring anyone with details – while membership of the Star of Azazel was a significant contributor to this realisation, it was also a significant contributor to the subsequent impulse to actively remedy it.
    3. No, not really. Pretty much every Finnish member I’ve talked to has spoken excellent English, despite fervant protestations to the contrary. As someone who isn’t so much of a social person, physically meeting people isn’t so important to me, although it’s of course nice when it happens.

     

 

Male, member for 3 years

  1. Even with the benefit of hindsight, it is hard to identify any particular or singular moment that I first began to identify myself as a Satanist. I was raised from birth in a relatively strong Catholic environment, which despite being aesthetically interested in, I knew from a very early age to encompass an experience and understanding of the spirit that I could not relate to. I was lucky enough to develop a very close and kinetic relationship with my step Grandfather from a young age, who spent many an informative year walking with me in nature, where I believe his heart truly belongs. There was something incredibly special for me in those moments, and I understood then what I can now identify as there being something very holy within nature as a result of my luck in that exposure. This very pure experience connected me to the spirit and a sense of honesty and meaning, which the world of the church and the environment within which I group up did not. I naturally therefore gravitated to finding the Devil, which then found me in all my interests and leanings to follow.

    As I grew older and experienced life as a teenager, I had a very polarised view of the world. I was always on the fringe of whatever environment I found myself in, and was very much isolated and opposite to most of what I found around me. This harboured a natural relationship with the adversary, and a lot of my experiences and feelings during my teenage years in particular led me to know and accept the darker, more challenging sides of life.

    The first time I tangibly considered and ‘labelled’ myself a Satanist was during my mid teenage years. Although at the time this was possibly a little idealistic and was with little or no understanding of exactly what that meant, it was an incredibly important moment for me, which I remember well.

2. Absolutely; exponentially, and it continues to do so in a dynamic and evolving way. My part within the Star of Azazel has vivified my work, and has contributed significantly to a greater understanding of myself, and thus of my work and place within it. It has given me a sense of courage and confidence to not only ask but also seek out the questions at ones core, as well as an acceptance of these. This courage and confidence, so to speak, is an inner as well as an outer one, and I believe it to be a visible change externally, as well as an internal one.

3. Before applying for membership to the Star of Azazel, this was among my primary concerns and considerations, making me reluctant to apply for quite some time. However, since being accepted and joining the Star of Azazel, the welcome and patience has been flawless.
That said, being a non-Finn has and does pose personal challenges, but I have not experienced these as negative, and they do certainly not come as a result of the brotherhood itself. Rather, the challenges come with how willing one is to adapt and integrate themselves into something which seeks unity far beyond geographic and national difference.

Perhaps it inhibits the more social and personal opportunities that some may seek. However, with that said, although I didn’t initially seek it, some of the relationships that I have developed with members of the brotherhood are the most honest, open and meaningful that I could ever have imagined having in my life. My work is also far deeper and meaningful than it ever was before.

In truth, the majority of Finns speak English with far more finesse and vernacular than the majority of natively English speaking people do, so the language barrier is minimal.
The challenges really come down to how open one is prepared to be, and the brotherhood accommodates a relationship of both a close and distant tendency.

 

Male, member for 2,5 years

  1. I found a connection to Satanism quite early in my occult studies, which back then mostly where antagonistic in character. I have been an angry young man, who felt that something was deeply wrong with the world; as such, I did not really see any value in worldviews that saw the good and positive in Life, but delved over time deeper and deeper into the darker side of occult philosophy.In a sense, I began to consider myself a Satanist rather early, even though the schools I studied didn’t feel like they’d reflect my reason to do so. If ever anyone would have asked me back then, why I would do so, or what Satan actually means to me, I probably couldn’t even have given an adequate answer; there was something that I learned to call Satan, but I could not point my finger at it. Only later in Life things got more concrete, and the character of what I called Satan became visible. I believe that in a sense, the actual being behind such name was hidden behind what we call his mask; the essence always managed to slip my grasp. It was not before certain experiences that I slowly began to see concretely what had interested me for so long; experiences opposite to those I underwent before, which began to loosen old forms in thought and practice.By heart, I am a satanist; but if at all, I most seldom openly referred to myself as one. This label is quite open for misunderstanding, I believe. Plus, as it is put so well in the Article “Why Satan?” on our web page, the name may easily change, and is as such not as important to me as that which hides behind.
  2. Definitively. The contact and exchange with like-minded, wonderful people has, in a way, taught me to accept and trust myself more than before. It has helped me personally a lot to see that no matter what ideas I have in mind, it is likely that there is someone who can understand, relate or put his or her possibly even contrary position to discussion. Likewise, this increased my acceptance of others, their views and their lives. Another important change I see in the emphasis of honesty that I won over time, both in relation to myself and others. If one works together with people or even just one’s self esoterically, I believe honesty is crucial. The philosophy the Star of Azazel represents surely had its part in these changes; the more time passed, the more it grew on me. Still, these points are in no wise restricted to the Fraternity or my membership, but reflect into my everyday life also. I quickly learned how various brethren underlined the importance of an holistic approach towards occultism, and discovered how good and important a point that actually is.
  3. Especially during the first year and a half I was indeed struggling a bit to find my connection to the Brotherhood. To me personally, it was somewhat difficult back then to feel like I truly belong to a group of people who I could not see so easily, which didn’t exactly made it easier to approach people online either. in times, I felt rather isolated and shied away from activity on the forum. In the worst times, I even considered quitting, unsure about what I could possibly contribute to the brotherhood. But the crux of all my doubts has always been the lack of a felt connection, and for me personally, practice did the trick. Even by simply establishing a prayer practice on a daily basis, I moved by heart closer and closer to the brotherhood. My doubts disappeared and I became more active. Needless to say that working together with the brethren increased the effect my participation in practice had on me. Actually meeting with other members has helped a lot as well; it took away the almost “romantic” notion of a brotherhood far, far away and made things more concrete. So, hoping to hereby answer the actual question: Yes, being an international member of a brotherhood rooted in Finland surely brought about its challenges. But, like most I encountered in life, they have been deeply rewarding.

 

To read the previous interview, visit vol. I

Interview with Our International Brethren

A while back, on our Finnish language blog, some of our members were asked short questions on how it is like to be a member in the Star of Azazel. We decided to repeat this, but this time, it is our international brethren who answer the questions.

***

1. Why did you decide to join the Star of Azazel?

2. As occult work can also be done alone, what kind of added value do you feel that a fraternity gives to your work?

3. What kind of hopes do you have for the development or direction of the fraternity in the future?

***

Male, member for two years

  1. Before I joined the Star of Azazel, I have been studying the occult alone. I was searching for exchange with and the possibility to learn from like-minded people, and a chance to grow over the person I have been back then. I felt the need to test my own experiences and perspectives against that of others, since I think that if we go such path all own our own, we may easily fall prey to fallacy. In another aspect, I began to see importance in carrying what I learned outside into the world and become more active in general.

2. Through my membership, I got to know Fraternity as a value in itself. I believe that occultism brings up problems that are not understood and cannot be helped with by many people. For years I have experienced this as a dissonance between myself and the world around me, which doesn’t exactly make a good ground to thrive and work. I experienced fraternity to connect individuals that go a similar path and to bring about mutual understanding & inspiration. Also, I think such fraternal connection to a collective may ease the suffering one may encounter upon one’s path. I believe that being part of such a Fraternity imbeds one into a context that goes beyond that of the individual, which comes with the constant possibility to go beyond oneself.

3. I would love to see the Fraternity growing internationally, and maybe even lodges being formed outside of Finland. I think the latter would give both the collective and the individual greater possibilities to work, and that concentrated groups of people forming a spiritual center point, so to speak, is quite beneficial for both fraternity and outsiders.

Female, member for two years

1. I’ve been a solitary dabbler into all things esoteric pretty much since I was born. However, because of my personal psychological makeup, I didn’t find it possible to join esoteric groups before. Partially this is because lots of them seem to require conformity of belief, because I didn’t find groups who have a mature and grounded relationship with the occult, and for the large part, because of my own lack of humility and openness toward other people. At the time, I talked with my old friend (also a member of the Star of Azazel), who encouraged me to join the open discussion forums. I did, and I found the discussion to be interesting and often substantial, and that I was ready.

       I’m not a Satanist or a Satan worshipper, however, and that aspect of SoA seemed foreign to me since I have trouble with dualities and don’t “believe” in them. However, I am dedicated to Truth and believe in the Absolute as an Immanent All and I felt that my beliefs were in line with the basic premises of SoA. We are, so to speak, on parallel paths, or that’s how it feels like. I think the differences are mainly on level of chosen symbols. SoA has been wonderfully welcoming toward me even if I don’t share the symbolism.

2. Well, first of all, when dealing with the occult, people are in dealings with very subtle, often non-materially based things that are in stark contrast with what is usually thought to be real in our everyday, western, rationalistic existence. It can be things like ghosts, clairsentience, or magic, just to name a few. This causes occultists to position themselves somewhere in the fringes of the society, and too often they have to experiment with things without a strong network of teachers. This can be dangerous because imagination is a wondrous thing and from the subjective point of view, it is often hard to tell the difference between ramblings of a mind off its rocker, and real knowledge of the occult. The beauty of esoteric groups is that, ideally, they provide a grounding network for an occultist so that they can be informed if and when they get ungrounded and off track. I’ve seen this work within SoA network, and greatly appreciate it.

 Additionally, working in group can provide inspiration and power, and give a person space to talk about these matters. For me, personally, talking about my experiences with the Ineffable has been important, and I’ve gained very practical benefit from participating in some exercises and from reading other people’s views on matters such as the Tarot. I’ve learned a lot. Also, it’s simply nice to have the connection with like-minded people.

3. This is a hard question to answer. I feel off loop due to my absence from the forums and because I’ve never been involved with the inner workings of SoA. Perhaps I should wish for more practices that could be done at distance so that us international members can participate (but realize too that now is not my time simply because of technical difficulties). Others who are more involved hopefully have more vision than I do.

Male, member for three years

  1. I decided to join the Star of Azazel after reading Fosforos, but especially after joining the forum. There are people from a variety of different backgrounds who all approach Satanism, Left Hand Path philosophies etc. in sincere and interesting ways.

2. This relates to the above, but communicating with other people is very important. I think in a particular way, yet am often blind to problems or suggestions that others with different perspectives can easily identify. Conversing with other members, either on the forum or in person, has therefore been incredibly beneficial for me and hopefully vice versa.

3. To be honest, I have no idea. However, I assume as membership of the Star of Azazel increases I’m sure different insights, but also challenges, will arise. I suppose my hope is that these will be productive as I’m sure they have the potential to be.

Of the Elements

 

stone

Stone, that foundation on which we build. Planets are formed from rocks drifting in the cold void of space, a extremely hostile environment. Often it seems that nothing is as lifeless as a stone, but in truth, stone is absolutely necessary for life, because it has minerals.

Minerals dissolve into water. And with the help of air and a spark, say, a lightning, these two begin to interact with one another. Soon the water begins to change colour. It begins to live, to create new forms which soon begin to affect air as well. Everything becomes connected.

It is miraculous.

Let us ponder for a moment the alchemic, esoteric meanings of this life-birthing formulae and to compare it to the model presented to us by the aspects of the Star of Azazel. In here we have all of those key ingredients required for birthing something. Stone, Water, Fire and Air.

If we remove one key ingredient, the process stops. Likewise, if there is an excess of one element, the overall development becomes slower. But when all ingredients are present, new things are born; minerals, gases and other things which are invisible to the eye, yet irreplaceable to the development of life. Animals, plants, all need these invisible particles in order to survive. Everything begins to move, and at the same time, it keeps on dissolving, burning, changing shape.

In a similar fashion one could say that spiritual development requires time and those invisible key ingredients – which we here call elements of esotericism- in order to be achieved.

It is easy to consider one aspect or en element better or more inviting than the others. This is quite natural when one thinks about it. After all, we do interact with our environment constantly. In a act as subtle as breathing, we release a part of us into our surroundings, which then begins to interact and to alter those surroundings. So it seems only logical that we would find our place more naturally in a certain aspect; perhaps there are those small particles of that aspect floating about in us in great numbers and thus it draws us in. Or perhaps it is simple something which we need to in order to complete a new kind of particle, an idea.

Then of course there are those people who wish to go against the grain and choose an aspect or element which seems hard, even a little bit unfitting to their temperament. These are the people who have the possibility to most dynamically create new minerals (but of course, like in all experiments, the possibility to fail is at least equally large), which float around and become absorbed by the other aspects. Which ever aspect we choose to be our path in this life is all part of the great work. One has to have the sense to understand their place in the greater picture -a bit like looking at the periodic table.

In the end, all must be one. The uniting of opposites is a key understanding in the philosophy of the Star of Azazel. For this, each element is required, will and must find their place, in order to realise that higher element; a world which we forge real with love, compassion and a tremendous effort.

Challenges in the Life of an Occultist

I have been a member in the Star of Azazel for some three and a half years now. Recently in the archives I came across my membership application and decided to revisit the person I was when I wrote it. Reading the application again was not so bad; it wasn’t quite as embarrassing as I had expected. I could still connect with that person, even if some things had changed.

The seeming shortness of my time as a Soror surprised me as I thought about it; so much has happened in the span of these three years, both on my every day life as well as on a personal, spiritual level. Being a member has pushed me off my comfort zone and as a result I’ve acquired new skills and knowledge. Indeed it feels like I would have been a member much longer and while I am so pleased and grateful for having found my way into this Work, it has not been and indeed still is not an easy path to travel.

Each of us face a different set of challenges based on our previous actions (whether we speak on a karmic level or simply of the life that we are currently living) and our temperaments. It is true that we will often have to face what we left behind, sooner or later.

It is very common for fresh members to undergo a crisis soon after joining the fraternity. Some get a nasty flu that lasts for weeks, others notice that they face challenges with work or relationships. Having observed the phenomena for a while now, I believe this has something to do with the shifting of one’s energies. After all, in a occult society, a certain shared energetic pool affects us all and the moment one joins the fraternity, their energies begin to shift.

Profound change is never easy.

Gradually, if one chooses to venture deeper into occult work the challenges get harder; these are the gifts in disguise from our Master. Each accomplishment raises the bar slightly, and each time we must better ourselves in ways that are a bit more difficult, that demand just a bit more, that challenge our capacity for empathy, the ability to love, that test our patience more than the previous challenge. Slowly, one’s reflection in the mirror begins to seem clearer and more real as we step closer to truth, to understanding.

It is not easy facing the real you, with all its imperfections, pettiness and hubris. Each scar and wrong course of action is forever reflected from the mirror that the Master holds for us to see. One must muster the courage to see, dispassionately, steadily and without looking away, what the reflection really is like rather than how one would like for it to be like.

My only advise is, do not forget the virtue of good humour on your travels. While nothing is more serious than the work that one undertakes as an occultist, it is a mistake to lose the ability to laugh. Allow it to comfort you on your way. That is at least what I did when, writing this blog, the doorbell rang and I was paid my first ever door-to-door-preaching visit from elderly women who came to talk to me about God’s kingdom.

The Speech Given in the Star of Azazel’s Annual Meeting

Dear brothers and sisters,

We are here to celebrate the tenth birthday of the brotherhood: to take the Star of Azazel to its second decade as a society.

In its journey from abstraction to physical reality the Star of Azazel have condensed and crystallized into forms. First, seventeen years ago, it started as an idea, and three years later – that is, two times seven years ago – that idea was made into first rules of the Star of Azazel. Four years hence the social brotherhood was founded in seventh of July. After that official founding, the brotherhood sapling has grown to a healthy tree with many aspects and branches.

This is possible because of long work done by many and also because of the inspiration we have been able to follow. Members are allowed and encouraged to have several opinions about the source of this inspiration, namely, the so-called unseen masters. Are these entities of wisdom inside of us, outside of us as spirits or accomplished adepts in flesh, archetypes, or abstracted ethical paths? This is a question that must remain open for the most. Personally I believe in all of them. Whichever you choose, I stress that this inspiration we must follow. In order to be and remain as an occult society, there is a demand of occult inspiration working through ethical methods of thought and deed both.

We know that the brotherhood’s tree has three roots: Will, Love, and Honesty. It only has one trunk, that of the doctrine of oneness and brotherhood: reconciling the differences, understanding all the different sides of the same esoteric ideal as much as possible. From this trunk grow main branches below and above, the colour and form aspects. Side branches from these form the lodges, and open communication forms the foliage that we need to live, to gather the necessary light. Even while some or other part of that tree will most certainly be most dear to our own heart, we all must, as the members of the brotherhood, to treasure it and respect it in its entirety.

Beloved master, in You we trust, in Your name we have joined together. Ubi enim sunt duo vel tres congregati in nomine meo ibi sum in medio eorum. So be with us, master Lucifer-Christos, and send to our hearts and into our communion the holy spirit that fills the life with meaning. In trust let us rise our hearts into brilliance, fratres et sorores, ad sacra mysteria celebranda. Verily.