Project Faust

Locks are fascinating contraptions. They date back further than ancient Assyria and have provided the means to keep untold amounts of secrets, delights, and horrors hidden throughout history. Despite how far our technology has evolved, by and large we still employ the same basic principles from thousands of years ago to protect some of our most valuable and guarded assets. For those who know the mechanics, the exploits of these systems are glaring and are the perfect illustration of the illusion of security. They provide a sense of protection when, in reality, they are so easily manipulated against the owner’s intent that their benefit is largely psychological. This benefit is protected by the ignorance of most who have never stopped to take an even rudimentary look at how a lock functions – if they did, their shortcomings would be too obvious for even Joe Average to miss.  Locks also take a prominent position in one of Anton LaVey’s most insightful treatises on magic, which happens to be one of his most overlooked.

The Combination Lock Principle appears on page 35 of The Devil’s Notebook and explores a comparison of the mechanics of magical process with the functions of a lock. Despite its humble length of 2 pages, LaVey does this in a way that provides us insight into a novel model of magical operation. He paints the magical process as being similar to the processes that cause a lock to open, namely the falling into place of pins that allows a lock to turn. The combination, he insists, changes depending on the magician and their intent. As LaVey points out, it is not possible to know precisely what the combination is – but the falling of each pin does reside within 3D space. Examples of pins falling into place are reading the right book at the right time, happening upon an old friend and remembering something you need, finding that particularly elusive trinket at an antiques shop, and the list could go on. These phenomena seem to be rooted magically in time and, as LaVey theorizes, this fourth dimension is the locale of all magical phenomena. If you have the three-dimensional actions performed correctly, this fourth pin falls into place. If you are an even somewhat competent magician, you will be familiar with the peculiar coincidences that fall into place to provide you with the opportunity for your working to succeed. They are opportunities because, as LaVey continues, one must be open to recognize these pins as they are made available to us – something far easier said than done. Why? When one looks for the combination they need, it is impossible to see in the midst of it. As is true with the rainbow, there can be no sight of it while standing inside of it. Beyond the rainbow is where we need to cast our eyes.

I have always been drawn to information that one is not supposed the have, information that has the potential to turn upstanding corporate citizens into pesky, independent ones. Lockpicking is one of the troves of PG-rated forbidden material available and it doesn’t take much time to learn to pick some of the most widely used locks on the market today. The ability to see past the surface of things and learn how to make them work to your advantage is an inherently Satanic concept and, similar to how we act as magicians, we are trying to open locks without knowing the combination and without having a key. It’s more apt to look at the magical process through the lens of picking a lock as opposed to merely opening it, and more accurate to consider the function of a pin tumbler lock than a combination lock. Before we can do this, it will help to briefly explore how locks function in a bit more detail.

While locks vary in their size and less so in their base mechanism, when we conjure an image of a lock in our minds what we are likely thinking of is the cylinder. This is the outer casing that houses the plug, the part of the lock that turns with the correct key when inserted into the keyway. Inside the plug there are 2 sets of pins – driver pins and lower pins. Driver pins have springs above them that push them down onto the set of bottom pins. When the correct key is inserted, the combination of grooves on the key raise each lower pin to the correct height that aligns the driver pins above them. When aligned, the driver pins are just above the plug and no longer prevent the plug from turning. This line formed just above the plug by the driver pins is called the sheer line. When picking a lock, you use tools to move the lower pins into place so is that the driver pins rest on the sheer line. Raise the lower pins any further however and they themselves prevent the plug from turning. While I’m sure you’re grateful for this short tutorial, you must be wondering how this can help us expand on LaVey’s theory.

Unlike with a key, the lockpicker cannot simultaneously raise each lower pin to the correct height. The first tool inserted to pick a lock is a tension wrench, this usually ‘L’ shaped tool applies torque to the plug to keep pins from being pushed back down after they are correctly set at the sheer line. Most magic materializes outside of the ritual chamber, at least most magic worth doing anyway. As the magician enters her ritual chamber to perform her work, if the appropriate ingredients for magic are present (see The Book of Belial), the working acts as a tension wrench of sorts. The working provides magical torque that allows the pins to be manipulated and is the first step towards having the world change in accordance with your will. This torque resonates with and allows the entry of fourth-dimensional elements, setting the stage for pins to begin to be picked. The importance of ensuring the magical ingredients are in place with the correct measurements cannot be understated, as without torque applied no pins will move and no lock will turn.

A combination lock metaphor suggests that the spinning of numbers into place by chance or process of elimination is equatable to magic. I disagree. Here again the pin-tumbler lock gives us better insight. With torque applied, our would-be lockpicker uses a myriad of tools at their disposal to push up on the lower pins. Consider these tools similar to the opportunities LaVey talks about, they come in different forms and you have to be able to recognize them when they appear to make the most use out of them – but not all lead to the pin being picked into place. We’ve already established the correct combinations cannot be seen when looking for them, so what do we do? Well, we don’t look for them – we look at them in retrospect after they’ve come into being. They say hindsight is 20/20 and as magicians this is one of our most useful tools. An important component of lockpicking is understanding The Binding Principle. In short, the binding principle states that one must manipulate the pins in a particular order. That order is specific to the combination of pins for that specific lock. As magicians, we are effectively trying to pick our own locks. The combination of pins is unique to each witch or warlock and is unique to the goal they are trying to accomplish. Part of being a successful magician is understanding your lock’s special nuances, the patterns in combinations you find as you go about your magical work. Depending on what you are trying to accomplish, be it destruction, compassion, or lust, patterns will emerge that will be visible after the fact. Examine the order of magical coincidences that set into place and what factors they involve after your chamber work is complete. Is the first pin usually an encounter with a person when desiring compassion, or is it a piece of literature? Do unexpected travel opportunities appear when seeking lust, and what appears before and after? Once established, look into the deeper significance of each correct tool and investigate the undercurrent running through it. Deciphering the recurring order of magical phenomena after successfully accomplishing your goal will open your eyes for future magic, allowing you to see the rainbow from memory while inside of it. There will of course always be differences as no magical attempt is the same as the last, but there will be similarities. This will help you to notice the tools and discern which ones are needed depending on your goal.

It is not necessarily the events or phenomena themselves that make the magic, but when they occur that does. LaVey got it right when he said timing is everything. Understanding your own binding order will help you direct your attention to the right opportunities at the right time, leaving you to use them and push the pins as appropriate and find your combination with greater ease than groping around aimlessly. This is not an excuse to shut yourself off from opportunities that fall outside of your newly formed paradigm, instead it provides you with a workable rubric to guide your attention and efforts. Always remember that patience, a gentle touch, and a sensitive ear will help you crack even the most daunting of safes.

A panic is defined as “sudden uncontrollable fear or anxiety, often causing wildly unthinking behavior”. The word is derived from the Greek panikos, in turn taken from the name of the god Pan – known in part for causing terror among populations. The Ancient Greeks would attribute events that imparted confusion and terror, having unknown causes, towards Pan. As those who choose to walk the Left Hand Path, we should all be well versed in the role panic has played in the history of our emerging philosophy. Throughout the 1980’s and well into the 1990’s, millions of people were suddenly gripped with irrational, terrifying thoughts of children being abducted and tortured in highly organized and fiendish plots of Satanic conspirators. Accounts of these abuses were both horrific and comically implausible yet these beliefs persisted for almost two decades, impacting the lives of thousands in varying degrees of destruction. The ingredients that were required to start this panic still exist in the minds of society today and we will likely see a resurgence of this irrationality around Satanism in the years to come. This article however is about a different kind of panic, the not-so Satanic kind.

On an almost annual basis, the world has seen itself be gripped by panic. Viruses like H1N1, SARS, Ebola, West Nile, Zika, Nipah (to name a few) have whipped the world into a series of short lived frenzies. When no microscopic murderer is in the spotlight, we are never left with an empty plate of panic. Ranging from complete economic collapse to apocalyptic calendars and dictators with big red buttons – man’s desire to be scared out of its wits is one that can always be fulfilled. Those charged with filling our plates do so gleefully, watching the clicks, likes, and dollars pour in and fill their social and financial coffers. An old saying of the media still holds true, “if it bleeds, it leads”. Fear and panic sells, this is always worth keeping in mind for those who strive for rational self interest. 

 During these panics, we find society in the place it is most comfortable – a place of binary options and polarization. You either take the position of believing that there is nothing to worry about whatsoever or that the end is inevitable and nigh. Social media and increased media consolidation (and competition) serve only to accelerate this march towards two lines. Adding that misinformation spreads faster than most plagues and what you have is a psychological environment that’s primed for panic. The reality of course lies in between these binaries, the often overused and misunderstood third way. As we look out on the panicking and relaxed masses respectively, one should clearly see that in the majority of situations our answer to continue our vital existences lies in the middle. 

We are a fundamentally vulnerable species. There are countless ways that we could be wiped off the planet either by our own accord or nature’s. We often focus on our own vulnerabilities and look to strengthen them, but we must look through the same lens at humanity. With the acceleration of urbanization and a supply chain system based on a ‘just in time’ production and delivery schedule, there are many things that can and will go wrong.  We should not bury our heads in the sand to this fact, after all Satan represents “undefiled wisdom instead of hypocritical self-deceit”. For the majority of our species’ existence, the battle for food, water, and shelter consumed much of our time. We find ourselves living in the age of excess and plenty but one should never forget that we have only checked into this hotel fairly recently. With this in mind, responsibility to the responsible would support having a standard supply of food and essentials to cover any extenuating circumstance that would leave stores empty and government response strained and sporadic. Most experts recommend a supply to carry you and your family through two weeks of downed supply lines.

Many people take this kernel of rational preparedness and then proceed to spin the dial to a deafening maximum volume. So before you run out and buy a shipping container to convert into an underground bunker (a terrible idea, by the way) or stockpile years worth of food and water, remember that Satan also represents “vital existence instead of spiritual pipe dreams”. If one invests a significant amount of their time and resources into preparing for the apocalypse, that is their prerogative. Most will realize sooner or later that they cannot adequately prepare for even a fraction of every eventuality or they will go broke in the attempt. Some will choose to spend their days in this hotel preparing for the day they check out – which is a terrible way to spend a vacation. By always keeping both eyes fixated towards the end, you forget to live in the present and enjoy the many fruits on offer. While I can only speak for myself, vital existence is not compatible with constant focus and fear concerning a potential doomsday around every corner that may never come. 

 What concerns me more than any virus or missile is the human animals’ response to the fear of them. Man truly acts like just another animal, and in situations of panic can turn him into the most vicious animal of them all. We are quick to dismiss the advice of individuals who have spent their lives studying specific problems only to adopt the views of whatever post or image is trending in our social circles. This year, COVID-19 seems to be what we have been given to chow down on on our panic plate. This is not to underplay the potential seriousness of this virus. While information changes and grows on a daily bases, it would appear that this strain of coronavirus is set to continue to spread with a lethality rate higher than common influenza but a far cry away from historical death knells like the Spanish Flu or the Black Plague. Any virus that has an aggressive transmission rate which seems to be affecting societies most vulnerable is something to be taken with a degree of seriousness. Unfortunately, we seem to be acting like this is a week or two long event instead of a season – which many experts believe it will become. Far more dangerous than this virus are the fights among shoppers and the straining supply chains we are seeing around the world. With many emergency and basic essentials being produced in highly centralized areas of the world, perhaps the most long lasting symptom of this particular panic will be a reassessment of how and where we procure these things we need to live, but probably not.  Panics of all colors and creeds are both frightening and yet exciting. Challenge yourself to rise above your amygdala but check in on it from time to time. 

Be rational, not insane. 

Indulge in being prepared instead of abstaining or being compulsive. 

Follow experts, not prophets. 

In 2007, then-Church of Satan Magister James Sass published a compendium of his online writings entitled 'Essays in Satanism'. This tomb was released in very limited supply and served as a veritable score of pragmatic, rational, and magical understanding of the Satanic religion through his eyes. One of its longer pieces was entitled Deep Satanism that challenged the reader to relentlessly pursue knowledge of the world from a Satanic perspective. Embedded in this call to arms was also a declaration that any Satanist worth their might should also strive for deep knowledge of the Satanic religion. This pursuit was named Project Faust, and while Deep Satanism was positioned as a brief prologue to an eventual book entitled Project Faust - that publication never came.

Faust of course is the protagonist in German legend of a successful man who, in the throes of dissatisfaction with his life, calls out to the Devil for an exchange of knowledge and power. Faust is met by Mephistopheles - who agrees to bestow upon him wonderous magical powers in exchange for his soul after death. It is a legend from which many more were born and its fable recounts what cannot be denied as the deal of a lifetime for any man.

I've never met or corresponded with Sass, but his essay as well as other events have resulted in my renewed desire for a further, deeper exploration of Satanism - the religion as codified by Anton Szandor LaVey. This blog is my attempt to pick up this gauntlet and will serve as my medium for sharing my thoughts as they develop, evolve, and refine over time. I have been a student of Satanism for over 15 years, the philosophy and work of LaVey has been and continues to be of major importance in my life.

This blog is not associated with any institution or organization, nor are the thoughts shared here the reflection of any individual other than myself.

Ever Forward.