NOTES ON THE HISTORY OF SATANISM

The Bible says: there will again be an unusual Range of the Devil among us, a little before the Second Coming of our Lord, which will be to give the last stroke in destroying the works of the Devil. (where?? kdf) Satan (or concept of) first appeared in the 6th century B.C. in Persia under the name of Angra Mainyu. He was usually represented as a snake or as part lion part snake. Thus the cat became connected with Satanic rituals. It was at the time believed that there were 2 forces or spirits in the universe from which all emanated. Ahura Mazda, the Principle of Light, the source of all good and Angra Mainyu, the Principle of darkness, the source of all evil. Satan was never portrayed as a goat until the time of the Inquisition in Europe. Diana was a Scandinavian God who had antlers and was responsible for the revival of life in the spring. Witches followed the Goddess Diana but not on broomsticks rather on the backs of flying animals. The idea of broomsticks came from America. It was not thought that witches literally flew. They used flying ointment. When they rubbed it on certain parts of their bodies they hallucinated and often the hallucination was about flying. BAPHOMET -A bearded man's head with one or 3 faces. A human skull or a monstrous figure with human hands, the head of a goat with a black candle burning between its horns. Initiates loyal to Baphomet were forced to spit, defecate, urinate on the cross and renounce Christ as a false prophet. Satan is often pictured as a hermaphroditic deity. This is a being having a male phallus and female breasts. In Europe they burned witches because of the biblical edict: Thou shall not suffer a witch to live. In Europe not only were people tried for witchcraft but 90 species of animals were also tried for witchcraft. Like for example if a farmer was gored by an animal the animal was tried for witchcraft and burned at the stake after the trial. One of the reasons for the mass executions that went on for so long was that they created much prosperity for the Catholic and Lutheran churches. When they burned a witch they confiscated all her property. The death toll is estimated at several hundred thousand to 9 million. The witches festivals are called Sabbats. The big dates for the major Sabbats are: April 30 ROODMAS DAY - Beltane or May Eve and Walpurgisnacht This is the time to plant crops. Human sacrifices are offered to ensure fertility. June 22- Summer Solstice October 31 All Hallow's Eve-Also called Samhain, the beginning of the Celtic year. The spirit's are set free to roam the earth. This is a good time to contact spirits. December 22 - Yule or Winter Solstice CANDLEMAS -February 2, Beginning of the time for preparation for spring. Also called Feast of Ormelc. LAMMAS Day -August 1, beginning of harvest season. Autumn Equinox, September 21.

Spring Equinox, March 21 Also celebrated is birthdays of members. From Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday is time to sacrifice babies. The book for recording cult actions is called THE BOOK OF SHADOWS. The festivals were primarily concerned with fertility celebrations. There was the presence of much animal symbols. Still in Satanism there is the presence of much animal symbols. Public sexual acts were performed by actors who were dressed in furs and masks of the animal in order to assure fertility among the herds. Satanist meetings follow 2 forms. Sabats and Esbats. They differ in function and size. Local meetings were Esbats that were held for transacting business, the working of magic either to accomplish some act of Satanic mischief or to perform a magical rite for an outside paying customer. In the Esbats the coven master appeared before the congregation in the normal dress of the day, not in the costumes as he appeared in the Sabats. All meetings (both Esbats and Sabats usually concluded with feasting, dancing and at times sexual indulgences. Few of the meetings were strictly business. Since the number 13 is the number followed by the perfect cycle (12 months in a year, 12 apostles of Christ) it is symbolic of death or the unknown. Some people believe that the number of witches in a coven never varied. There were 12 in the congregation and one master. Probably in reality the number of participants in a coven varied with how many showed up for the meeting. Sabats were attended by many. Sometimes thousands participated. They are kind of like the hard rock concerts today. Thousands can show up and the actor at the altar/stage can be doing satanic practices including singing satanic commands and breathing fire or biting off the heads of chickens. SATANIC MEETING FORMAT: Satan reads the roll call. For large gatherings each coven master reads his own roll call. He is responsible for his witches. Each witch checks in with her name and a report on her activities since the last Sabat. She reports on her magical successes and failures. Next the Devil admits new members. The rules are: 1. The inductee had to enter the cult on his/her own free will with the exception of children. Children were brought by the witches for conversion. Also in reality many adults were coerced into the cult by threats of harming them or their businesses if they didn't join. Kind of like gangs today or the Mafia. 2. The inductee had to make an explicit disavowal of the Christian faith. They trampled, spit, defecated on the cross. 3. They then made a pact with the Devil. They sign a contract to do Satan's work for a specified period of time. This contract is written in blood extracted from their finger or arm. Blood is the traditional symbol for life force or soul. 4. They receive the witches mark which is a permanent scar. Often times it may be a tattoo placed on the body in not a readily visible area. Examples are under the arm or on

the genitals. Women are often times not marked. Sometimes the mark is only used when there is some question about the inductees ability to be loyal to the Devil. In female Satanists/witches the mark was replaced with a wart or teat. Of course she used her teat to feed her satanic family. Following the admission of new members the formal business was concluded and the religious service began. A goat or hen (pure black) was sacrificed at the black altar. The participants then paid homage to Satan. This was called the kiss of shame. A ritual kiss was placed on the buttocks of the Devil. This served to demonstrate the participants loyalty. In some cults the males had to put their penises in a hole that had been made in the skinned thorax of a goat. After the Mass the feast began. After the feast the dancing began. It was wild, sensual, obscene and designed to work the participants into a frenzy. When there was a fever pitch then an orgy began but not before Satan copulated with every female there. Of course he was not physically capable of this so instead he had a dildo made of leather or some other material attached to his costume as a phallic fertility symbol. Intercourse with the Devil was supposed to be painful so the dildo was made too large and always cold. After the Devil took his due the men and women fell madly upon each other enacting extreme forms of sexual acts. The ceremony ended with chanting. THE BLACK MASS The Black Mass is the Catholic Mass perverted for the purpose of defiling the image of God and worshipping Satan. The Catholic missal is read backward in Latin or with parts excluded. There are word substitutions. For God Satan is used and for good evil is used. The altar is either a naked woman or a coffin. All the religious artifacts including the ritual chamber are black. The priest wears black robes. The wine is substituted with human urine. The Host is red and triangular shaped consisting of human feces. It is eaten or smeared on the faces of participants. These are body byproducts as opposed to spiritual ones. These black mass practices came after the Inquisition. It was not part of early Satanism. The Lord's Prayer is then read backwards. People are re-baptized in the name of the Devil. A curse is the reversal of a blessing. God Damn him instead of God Bless him. Instead of sprinkling the congregation with wine they are sprinkled with water in the chalice. The Devil turns his back to the altar and elevates a black turnip slice instead of a wafer. The witches then say Master help us Communion consisted of wafers made of blood and black moss water. The ceremony ended with witches swallowing large quantities of human urine. Some cults then kissed a toad and then a tall thin man with cold lips who represented the Devil. HELLFIRE CLUBS In the 18th century Hellfire clubs established themselves in London and other locations in Europe. This was groups of people who sought out Satan to institutionalize their perversions. Black Masses were held while the men work red and white robes carrying torches. The women wore nun's costumes to complete the sacrilege. Inverted crosses and black candles were used. The altar was a naked girl. Wine was poured in her naval

and tasted from her naval. Blood sacrifices were not made and the religious ceremony was not taken seriously. The nuns (women) would use a device that was essentially a hobbyhorse. The head of a bird was on it positioned so that the phallus shaped beak was on its back. The woman would mount and ride the toy until they were sufficiently aroused for a mass orgy. After the decline of the Hellfire Clubs Satanists went into decline or temporary hibernation. OTHER INFORMATION: Tetragram is a magical symbol representing the 4 elements used in the conjuration of elementary spirits. In exorcism rites the possessed person was force fed consecrated Hosts that had been mixed with human feces. Black Masses were often held in deserted chapels. A hallucinogenic substance was used in the place of incense. During some Black Masses the sign of the cross was made on the ground with the left foot. Water used in the ceremony was well water that an un-baptized baby was drowned in. SATANISM IN AMERICA In 1692 there were reported cases of children being possessed in Salem. The new colonies were just being established and most of the people were coming over from Europe. Children in Salem were ranting, raving and contorting their bodies in awkward positions yelling out they were bewitched. Witch fever started to spread. More and more children were claiming to be possessed by demons. The theologians believed when you entered a Covenant with Satan you became the owner of specters. A witch could use a specter to harm any person of their choosing. It was believed that witches met in pastures outside villages. At midnight a trumpet was sounded and only witches could hear it. The witches mounted their broomsticks and flew to the meeting. The participated in the sacrament in an orderly manner. Both bread and wine were red. The Devil then delivered the sermon. Afterwards gambling, cock fighting or other forbidden delights went on until day light. In the new colonies torture was not allowed to secure confessions but a sanctioned method of questioning was tying the heels to the head of the accused. He or she remained in this position until a confession was extracted. (Flying Ointment= a salve that contained such ingredients as aconite, belladonna, herbane, and other narcotics that were applied to parts of the body. This would produce unconsciousness and sometimes dreams of flight.) At this time in the colonies there was no blood letting in their ceremonies. There was no defiling of sacred objects or witches mark. The purpose of the meetings were more political than religious. In all cults leaders teach their followers that they are the elect and outsiders are inferior. At that time Satanism in America was more sporadic and less clearly of religious nature than those in Europe. Witchcraft was illegal and the penalty was death. This became law: 1636 - Plymouth 1643 - Connecticut 1647 - Rhode Island 1648 - Massachusetts Executions were carried out by hanging instead of burning. The vampire myth never took hold in America so the need to destroy the body was not deemed urgent. In German

settlements in the new world white witch groups developed. They served as healers of the sick and as protectors of the villages from black magic. In the 1920's new reports of Satanism began to spread. The Hellfire Clubs were reborn in London and one was established in New York. Satanists worshipped Lucifer, the fallen angel, who they believed had more power on earth than God had. The goal was to restore Lucifer to the throne of the universe. The 4 essentials of the ceremony were an apostate priest, a consecrated Host, a prostitute and a virgin. In the front of the altar was a naked virgin girl. The black robed priest recites the Lord's Prayer backward in Latin. The prostitute in red robes serves as an acolyte. The chalice of wine is placed between the breasts of the virgin altar and part of the wine is supposed to be spilled on the virgin's body. The host is defiled in the vagina of the prostitute or urinated on by her. This ceremony still continues today in America. By forcing members of the group to partake in illegal or socially deviant and violent acts the leader further alienates those members from the outside world, fostering paranoia and increasing psychological and emotional dependence on the group. In 1948 the Lady Of Endor Coven was established. It was based on gnosticism and taught that Satan was not evil, but the bringer of wisdom and the messenger of God. Satan was sent to the world to give man occult knowledge or gnosis, so that the divine aspect within humanity could be returned to God. RECENT KNOWN SATANISTS OR CULTS Satanists are the lunatic fringes of the occult. In 1970 Santa Cruz California was dubbed the murder capitol of the world because of all the brutal and bizarre killings. There were rituals involving fire dancing, animal sacrifices, blood drinking/letting, and infanticide. By the 1970's the counter culture had declined and hallucinogens were far less popular. There was much less interest in the occult. Spiritual realization and wicca groups lost membership as people once again became fixated on material goals. The ME revolution was upon us and then the Yuppie generation. For a while the Church of Satan thrived because it fit. It exhorted egotism and a pragmatic selfish brand of ritual magic. In 1975 there was once again very little interest in magical cult groups as the economy took an upswing and people started to get what they wanted (material goods) through more practical means. In the early 80's there was a shocking revival of Satanic related activities across the United States and Canada. Some of the signs and symptoms which only represent the tip of the iceberg were: 1983 = 12 churches in Portland Maine were defaced with Satanic slogans. 1983 = 2 teens in British Columbia were convicted of grave robbery. 1984 = A series of bodies were stolen from a Tampa Florida graveyard. 1984 = Graveyard bodies stolen from Kentucky. There were also many reports of Satanic animal mutilations throughout the Midwest. Most Satanic cults now are made-up-as-you-go affairs. Often they are Stoner gangs into drugs and heavy metal music. Recent known organized cults are: XTUL in New Orleans

Church of Satan in California and many branch offices. The Process Church of the Final Judgment recruited many violent biker groups including: Hell's Angels Gypsy Jokers Straight Satans Satan's Slaves OTC Crossovers. This group operates in 6 major cities of the U.S. Brayton Cult. This has a boardinghouse by the University of California campus in Los Angeles. The Brotherhood of the Ram The Temple of Set The Temple of Nepthys The Church of Satanic Liberation The Moonies The Hare Krishnas The Order of the Golden Dawn Freemasons Our Lady of Endor Coven Ophite Cultus Satanis Church of Satanic Brotherhood Thee Satanic Orthodox Church of Nethilum Rite THE CHURCH OF SATAN The Black Pope is Anton LaVey. In 1970 LaVey quit holding Satanic rituals in his home. He now uses it for administrative purposes. From dusk to dawn most people sleep but LaVey works because it is the peak of psychic receptivity. THE NINE SATANIC STATEMENTS: 1. Satan represents indulgences instead of abstinence. 2. Satan represents vital existence, instead of spiritual pipedreams. 3. Satan represents undefiled wisdom instead of hypocritical self-deceit. 4. Satan represents kindness to those who deserve it, instead of love wasted on ingrates. 5. Satan represents vengeance instead of turning the other cheek. 6. Satan represents responsibility to the responsible instead of concern for psychic vampires. 7. Satan represents a man as just another animal, sometimes better, more often worse than those that walk on all fours, who because if his divine spiritual and intellectual development has become the most vicious animal of all. 8. Satan represents all of the so-called sins, as they lead to physical or mental gratification. 9. Satan has been the best friend the church has ever had, as he has kept it in business all these years. Local chapters of The Church of Satan are called Grottos. Radical right groups saw an ally in LaVey because of his Machiavellian power oriented philosophy and public

statements he made advocating the establishment of a police state. Also the strong Germanic flavor to some of his rituals. THE TEMPLE SET This is a split from the Church of Satan. The headquarters are in San Francisco. Set is the onyx headed god of death and destruction. Probably the earliest manifestation of the Christian Devil. 666 is the symbol of the Antichrist. Probably the main difference between the Church of Satan and Temple of Set is that the Temple of Set sees Satan as a literal reality. They believe they themselves can become super beings or Higher Selves by the process of Xeper (pronounced keffer). One can become a Higher Self by dedicating oneself to reading and knowledge and practicing rituals. The Pylon meetings are held monthly. The emphasis of the Set is the individual growth and development not the group development. Members take on a magical name and attempt to become this other persona or KA. The members are called Setians. Rituals are held in black rooms in front of an altar above which is a silver pentagram. On the altar are a goblet, a bell, a central flame source, and magical paraphernalia. There are no human altars. The Setians or magicians robes are usually black but can be other colors. He or she begins by ringing the bell 9 times while turning counter clockwise. The flame is then lit opening the gate of communication between the magician and the Powers of Darkness. The invocation to Set is read. In the name of Set, the Prince of Darkness, I enter into the Realm of Creation to work my will upon the universe. The Setian then picks up a goblet or grail, which symbolizes truth and contains any beverage except blood and drinks. The appropriate ritual for the occasion is performed. The content of the ritual is left up to the individual and the individual decides what deity he/she wants to invoke. Afterwards he closed the ceremony reversing the opening procedures. The injury or sacrifice of a lifeform is prohibited in both The Temple of Set and the Church of Satan. People are recruited through adds in the yellow pages and computer bulletin boards. It costs $50 to join and then $25 annually. For this money you are put in touch with other Setians and sent a copy of the bimonthly newsletter called The Scrolls of Set. Many Setians are former white lighter or wicca devotees. Most come from a Christian background. They are un-Christian not necessarily anti-Christian. The average member is Caucasian, white collar, middle class, with a high educational level due to the reading requirements. There is emphasis on Nazi occultism. The female counterpart group to this is The Nepthys. Both cults are currently experiencing financial problems. THE CHURCH OF SATANIC LIBERATION This seems to be the newest church on the Satanic scene. It also owes its inspiration to Anton LaVey. It was founded in 1986 in New Haven, Connecticut. There have been over 1,000 members recruited through magazine adds and the Magikal Childe occult shop in New York. The majority of members are female, well educated, upper middle to upper class backgrounds. The highest concentration of membership is in California, Maine, New Hampshire, Texas, Pennsylvania, and Nevada. Their newsletter is called THE DEVILS ADVOCATE. This church believes in the importance of traditional Satanic pageantry and blasphemy as part of the ritual. There is great emphasis on sexual

rituals. (LaVey did not have this) and the incorporation of sexual perversions in the magical rituals. It condemns child abuse and animal sacrifice. CHARACTERISTICS OF SATANISTS With all their differences, neo-Satanic churches share several structural and psychological traits not only with themselves but with any cult. Hero worship of a charismatic leader. This results in a short lifespan of most cults because after the leader dies the cult dies. Most Satanists are frustrated and reacting against the banality and powerlessness of their lives. They feel like cogs in a machine. They seek out a group that will accept them in which they can vent or act out their feelings of hostile alienation without being censured. Through magic they can feel powerful. They become a member of an elect elite. Being a member of an elite group always has side effects. It makes relating to others outside the group more difficult. The Satanist who always felt out of sync with society now realizes why. He was not the one out of sync. Society was out of sync. The inferiority complex is transformed into a superiority complex. Once that happens the need to belong and believe becomes even more important. Any accidental conjunction will reinforce the belief in his own powers. Thus the Satanist or cultist develops magical thinking. As this happens they become more alienated from society and more dependent on the group. They are willing to participate in a wider range of deviant behavior in order to feel a sense of belonging and being needed. There are two types of religions. Humanitarian and Authoritarian. Humanitarian religions concern themselves with goals of self-realization. Authoritarian one's concern themselves with concerns of their own power. From the outside the Set looks like a Humanitarian religion because the goal of the Setian is self realization. But the governing principle of magic is the ability to control people without them realizing that they are being controlled. No brainwashing or programming is employed with the Setarians but in cults like the Moonies and Hare Krishnas there is brainwashing and programming. Some people cannot survive without a master to serve. It's to bad stupidity isn't painful because if it were many of these people would go get some help. The most dangerous Satanic groups are the ones nobody knows about. Many of these are generational. They are very underground. For the most part people who join organized Satanic cults are white, upper middle class, young people. The main reason is power and control. It gives them a presence. Another category of Satanists is dabblers or fringe people. They are in little cult groups or sometimes not associated with a group. They are Self-Styled Satanists. These people tend to use the religion to justify their own criminal behavior, so they don't have to deal with any guilt feelings. These people are dangerous. They often are sociopaths and tend to be loners. They tend to be intelligent and well read. They study and know the basics of Satanism. You can tell how serious someone is by the equipment they have. The robes and chalices are expensive. These are self styled rather than just dabblers. The third category is the youth subculture. These kids are playing with it more than anything. A very small percentage may carry it beyond that level of involvement. These kids are influenced by heavy metal music and fantasy games like Dungeons and Dragons. Kids who go to the next level tend to be problem kids. Kids with problems in school, with family, with peers, and they have a desire for power and control. Most criminal

activity from this group is suicide or homicide of parents or acquaintances. Tend to be more suburban than urban. SATANIC PERSONALITY CHARACTERISTICS: A loner Above average IQ Underachiever Strives for control or power Takes drugs Preoccupation with death Pornographic material Secretive MODERN DAY RITUALS: CIRCLES Most groups use a circle because it provides protection from unruly spirits and a place into which power is conjured. The circle is a space where you can let down your guard. Some people associate it with the womb. Possibly this is where 9 feet came from--like 9 months. The circle has no beginning and no end. It is a space between 2 worlds and therefore doesn't concern the world. You are free to let down your psychic guard and enter the world of dream reality. Enter into an altered state of consciousness and feel safe. There may be a triangle about 2 feet away or an outer circle. This is where the evil spirits stay. The inner circle is the area of protection.

ROBES Red robes are used for sexual rituals. Black is used for most rituals. The Devil's sign is made by holding the 2 middle fingers with the thumb so that the 2 fingers point up like horns. ALTARS Usually made out of wood. May use a naked female on top of them to represent carnal power. THE CHAMBER Usually painted in black and only lit by candles.

WHEN Friday nights and Satanic holidays. BLOOD Blood gives power and that is why they drink it and pour it over themselves. SACRIFICE

When you sacrifice someone, for an instant just before they die they emit their life energy or power. Satanists believe it can be harnessed for their own use. They believe babies are the best because babies are pure and poses a higher power than adults do. The most prized possession of a Satanist is a candle made from the fat of an unbaptized baby. Children in the bible are cast as being much closer to God. BODY PARTS Some Satanists believe that with specific body parts they can use the power contained within. For example the head may contain the spirit, the heart contains the soul. They also like to have a finger of the left hand indicating the left path instead of the right path. If there are any markings or tattoos on Satanists it is usually on the left side of the body. sex organs contain power. Released sexual energy is one way you reach a higher consciousness. For example that is why they may cut the vagina out of a cow. ANIMAL SACRIFICES Usually they will an electric probe to stun the animal. It then is on it's back and they spray Freon on the animals throat. The animal is living but he is not living. They will use an embalming tool to get the blood out. Often times the eyes, tongue, sex organs and sometimes utter will be removed. The blood is used in cult baptisms. They boil the eyes and eat them. Usually the cult prefers dairy cattle but will use other animals like bulls or dogs. Some rituals call for chickens or goats. CANDLES Usually they are black but it depends on the ritual. They could be white or red also. GRAVE ROBBING When a grave is robbed they are trying to get bones. Sometimes they will only take the head and sometimes the left hand. This is called the Hand Of Glory. Sometimes they dry it and then light the fingers on the altar. This pays homage to the devil because the left hand is the path of the devil and the right is the path to righteousness. The skull holds a lot of power and magik. A finger from the left hand is supposed to carry a lot of power also. AFTERLIFE Satanists like the Egyptians believe in the after life. When you die the left side of the body is for Satan and the right for God. You may find left shoes or ironed cleaned and folded clothes for the afterlife. sometimes Satanists believe they are doing the victim a favor by killing him or her because they are raising them to a higher consciousness. WHAT TO DO WITH THE BODIES 1. eat the body parts. 2. have dogs that will eat the body parts. 3. cremate the body. 4. go to a cemetery the day before a funeral and find a grave that has been dug. Dig about a food down more. Put the body or body parts in it and cover it up lightly. Infant

bodies are often times boiled down for the fat. The fat is used for the flying ointment for witches. TRACKERS & RETRIEVERS Part of the cult is to program and brainwash children. The cult will spend 2 or 3 years in this activity. These children become very important to the cult. Most of the programming is done in early childhood. There is a complete perversion of moral values attempted with the children. This is a high investment into the future of the cult. Survivors report that it is common for these children to be re-contacted at about the age of 14. At around the age of 28 they are brought back into the cult in a more formal basis. SATAN'S POWER Children were used in order to get Satan's power. Sexual purification of a child would be that the child would be gang raped until the child vomited or lost control of bodily functions out of the terror. Then the vomit, feces and urine would be used for the rest of the ceremony by ingestion. The terror of the child gave Satanists power. Children would be starved, tortured and raped to gain that power. WHY NOT TELL 1. A good defense attorney can make an adult survivor look like a fool 2. Programmed not to tell or remember. SATANIC BLACK METAL OR HEAVY METAL MUSIC METAL MADNESS Auschwitz, the meaning of pain the way I want you to die Slow death, immense decay. Showers that cleanse you of your life From Angel of Death by Slayer Stepping out? You'll feel our hell on your back Blood follows blood and we make sure, Life ain't for you and we've the cure. Honesty is my only excuse, Try to rob us of it but it's no use Steamroller action, crushing all Victim is your name and you shall fall From Damage Inc. by Metallica So you're looking for an anthem For a brand new age It's not a fad

But it's a rage This method is effective Tried and true It's the only solution Left for you. Kill yourself, kill yourself It's about time you tried Kill yourself, kill yourself It's about time you died. From Kill Yourself by the Nihilistics PALO MAYOMBE, SANTERIA AND VOODOO SANTERIA Although Santeria and Palo Mayombe are two different religions, they are often categorized under the generic term Santeria because of their common characteristics. Both are combinations of African religions and Catholicism and both worship a series of gods by way of rituals, spells and sacrifices (none human). Santeria is a religion which originated in the Yourbna region of Nigeria and arose when the ancient beliefs of captured slaves were mixed with Catholic beliefs of Spanish and Portuguese masters. Santeria, which literally means saint worship is a form of neutral or white magic. There is no dogma in Santeria which tells practitioners how to live their life. They believe they are Catholics, as they interpret it, but will seek and follow the advice of a santero or priest when they need supernatural intervention. They also will blame ill fortune or illness on an angry god or orisha or on a bad spell cast by an enemy. Minor problems can be solved by way of simple ritual at the altar in the home. Major problems require the help of a santero. The most important deities, are known as the Seven African powers. For example the god Chango controls lightening and thunder, punishes by death or suicide or fire. and can be appeased with a sacrifice of a lamb, goat, rodent or red rooster. The witches are called Brujas. PALO MAYOMBE By many this is considered the dark side of Santeria. The origins and practices are similar. Palo Mayombe comes from the Congo or Bantu region of Africa and is a blend of the Mosondi, Mondongo and Loango cultures and the Catholicism of Spanish colonists. Palo Mayombe deals with the dark spirit world. It is also known as Palo Monte. It involves rituals and sacrifices but focuses on the spirit of the dead. Magic is used to bring death, misfortune, or illness to an enemy. Rituals center around the naganga. This is a black cauldron which traditionally contains a human skull, herbs, feathers, railroad spikes, animal bones, sacred stones, human long bones, sticks from a forest or woods, or any other items the mayombero (priest) deems fit for the ritual. Palo Mayombe and Santeria do not require human sacrifice to please the gods. Human bones are bought from stores called botanicas. Sometimes graves are robbed for rituals.

VOODOO Santeria and Palo Mayombe are often grouped under the broad heading of Voodoo. Haitian Voodoo is a blend of West African religions and the 16th century Catholicism. It uses spells, the nagana, rituals and the worship of many gods. This religion seems to be dying out as the new generation focuses on Haitian political problems but still there are some who practice the old rituals. The ritual of Gede is especially practiced. This is a celebration which mirrors Halloween, honoring the spirits of the dead. Hougans (priests) Mambos (priestesses) and worshipers revel for a month in honor of Papa Gede, the mythical keeper of cemeteries in Haiti. Fare for the gods during the celebration include meat from a sacrificed goat, rum spiced with chilies, pepper juice and lusty sex.

NOTICE: These are notes taken from several workshops on cults and Satanism. This is just the opinion of the people leading those workshops. For additional information on the ritual abuse of children and people you may receive a general information pack by sending $1.00 to: Believe The Children, P.O. Box 1358, Manhattan Beach, CA 90266 or call: (213) 379-3514. NOTE: RELATED STUDY IS CULTS