The more I learn about Neo-Satanic groups which consider themselves “theistic” the more I am appalled by what I perceive to be a general dumbing down of Occultism for the masses in the internet age. This is not the case with all groups, but it is definitely the case with certain very literalist, nearly fundamentalist groups who behave just like evangelical Christians in their “absolute truth”. These groups take meditations, rituals and general occult techniques, make wild claims that they receive their techniques directly from “demons” and then they attack all other groups and belief systems as “enemies” – while using their techniques.
I am particularly thinking about groups such as the Joy of Satan ministries. We all know the born-again Christians who claim to be former Satanists; they tell all sorts of wild stories about their days as former “high priests” or “top witches”. Usually these people have very little real knowledge about the occult or about Satanism. Due to Christian scare mongering, Satanism may still be the first stop for young people seeking some alternative answers or paths to power. Unfortunately, the so-called left hand path is not always the best place to start. One needs to see things in proper context….young Satanists or Occultists who know only what they are spoon-fed by certain groups and who don’t know the proper context of occult belief systems provide another fertile ground for the Christian evangelist.
Satanism is firstly a modern religion and a New Religious Movement just like Wicca (and Wicca also had myths about being the “oldest religion” and nearly 25, 000 years old). The original modern satanic movement began with LaVey’s more atheistic ideas. Belief in literal demons or Satan and the idea of worshipping these beings is also modern – there were some historic precursors of course – the medieval witch cult was said to worship the devil at the Sabbath, however these stories are seldom taken seriously today and are seen as lurid tales arising from mass hysteria.
Sure pagan gods were frequently denounced as “demons” and even listed with demons in some magical texts but I will expand on that a little later.
Some of the fantastical JoS claims:
The JoS takes Satan VERY literally. He is not just a spiritual (and physical) being but he is actually the Sumerian god Enki and the Sumerian gods were actually literally ancient aliens, according to them. The JoS even states that Satan is a blonde haired Nordic alien. They seem to draw on controversial theories such as that of the author Zechariah Sitchin – he claimed to read into Sumerian texts actual evidence of extra-terrestrial beings, despite the fact that main stream scholars of the Ancient Near East don’t quite see the same things that this one person (not trained in Ancient Near Eastern Archaeology or Languages but perhaps self-taught) happens to see. Let’s face it, there are no real references to space ships, genetic manipulation of humans and alien planets in actual Sumerian texts, one has to interpret it in that light. Ancient Astronaut theorists usually simply say “these old myths are LITERAL and actually happened but gods are silly notions – it must be aliens!” Such literal flesh and blood gods create an additional burden of proof though. Ancient gods may have been aliens, there may be intelligent life out there – who knows – but to claim this as an absolute truth when it is a mere belief is simply arrogant. Always demand evidence for any statement.
I see no reason to afford Sumerian mythology any more special status than any other mythological pantheon. The gods and spirits of the Sumerian pantheon are personified natural forces just as elsewhere. Sumerian religious texts may be some of the oldest written accounts but it isn’t necessarily the “original religion” or the “true religion”; other mythologies and spiritual beliefs were also well developed around this time. The oldest beliefs were animistic or shamanistic and also included beliefs in an afterlife; these predate any civilization including Sumer.
Satan as Enki
There is nothing wrong with comparative mythology and trying to make sense out of a world where we have numerous gods and mythologies and religions. There is nothing wrong with syncretism in my opinion, the ancients did it themselves. What is a problem is mixing up different mythologies, out of context and stating that this new mish mash is an “absolute truth”. One may draw some parallels between Satan and Enki, if Satan is seen in a positive light – yet both Satan and Enki each have very complicated histories and their own developments. Enki warned humanity about the flood which Enlil wanted to cause due to humanity being noisy. Enki had to promise that he wouldn’t directly warn the humans but he found a way of indirectly sending a warning. Enki saved humanity from the flood which Enlil wanted to send. He is a saviour of humanity and generally was seen as a positive, friendly and helpful deity; sharing divine gifts with humanity, taking part in their creation, helping them develop etc. It is interesting to make the comparison with Prometheus as the JoS does. It is even interesting to make the comparison to Lucifer or Satan. Sumerian and Mesopotamian mythology did definitely have an influence on the Hebrew Bible, including the flood myth. But still what proof can be offered that Enki as Satan is a literal being and is an ancient alien? It is fine making a so-called interpretation – but stating it as absolute truth?
Much is made of the fact that Enki has serpentine and goat connections – it seems clear, but yet again the whole story simply isn’t this convenient.
The serpent-Satan connection of the Bible is one which was made much later in history. Genesis does not mention Satan in the Garden of Eden story. Jewish tradition does not necessarily make this connection. There are actually various traditions and interpretation in Judaism about what the serpent in the garden meant. Most of the interpretations don’t even accept it as a literal story. The serpent is possibly found in earlier Mesopotamian myth as the serpent who stole potential immortality from man as seen in the Epic of Gilgamesh translated from various tablets. Gilgamesh finds a plant of immortality at the bottom of a pool as directed by Ut-Napishtim (the flood story is also recounted in the Epic and Ut-Napishtim is the survivor). Yet, while Gilgamesh is otherwise occupied a serpent slithers up and devours the plant. So the serpent wasn’t a positive sign of wisdom in all contexts. Later Gnostic ideas such as found among the Ophites are interesting – the serpent in the garden is a truth and wisdom bringing being, liberating humankind from an evil demiurge, yet these beliefs are also later ideas.
Satan as an evil being of nearly god-like power developed much later and came to full realization with Christianity – which did make the serpent-Satan connection as in Revelation for instance. But Satan in the Old Testament is frequently seen as subject to God and working for and with God as seen in Job. He visits the heavenly court to which he has easy access and he seems to serve a function as an accuser or tempter of man, yet still an angel and part of God’s creation and divine plan.
The whole kingdom of darkness vs. a kingdom of light idea also developed due to later influences in the Bible, probably from Zoroastrianism. Several ideas in Revelation are quite similar to ideas in Zoroastrianism – the point is, religious ideas develop and change, and cultures influence each other. The JoS’ literal interpretation of Enki is Satan is an ancient alien seems weak.
All gods undergo development and change through the ages. Yahweh may have started as a regional Canaanite deity or variant of El. The Norse Odin has a complicated history among various Germanic tribes. Woden, Wotan, Wuotan, Wodanaz may not be as homogenous a being as sometimes thought. I find the idea of taking deities too literally problematic because myth seldom stands up to the reality of history and archaeology. Christian fundamentalists who take the Bible as literal may accept that Yahweh is eternal and always the same and really created the world but does this stand up to science, history and archaeology?
As for “interpretatio”, we know that the Romans associated foreign gods with their own in this kind of interpretatio Romana. We know that Mercury is sometimes used when referring to Odin and Mars when referring to Tyr. This can be seen in historical works such as those of Tacitus – Mercury and Odin both being psychopomps, tricksters, wise deities etc. Hermes-Mercurius-Thoth-Djhehuti are clearly linked together in the ancient world. There is nothing wrong with comparative mythology and Interpretatio – but don’t claim as an absolute statement of fact that Satan is Enki. JoS derived material and Sitchin claims Marduk is Ra, Enki is Ptah and Ninghizida is Thoth, but why? Why link a solar being such as Ra to Marduk (who is usually linked to Jupiter, which is sometimes called Nibiru, Marduk has some solar connections but it is not the most prevalent)? It is fine doing some comparative mythology but stating as an absolute fact that Marduk and Ra are the same beings who really existed and they are ancient aliens – that stretches things. Azazel is Shamash? – yet Shamash and Sumerian counterpart, Utu, are clearly older than Azazel who definitely first appears in a Jewish mythological context (see more on Azazel below). Stating that Azazel is Shamash as a matter of fact?
Fall of angels
In Christian mythology Satan is the fallen angel sometimes called Lucifer, while Enki is a Sumerian deity. Even the JoS state clearly that Enki is a god, not a fallen angel. However, the whole story about fallen angels is also a later Christian myth and not so strongly an old Hebrew one. The whole idea of “Lucifer” was taken from a passage in Isaiah, which most scholars agree and context suggests refers to a Babylonian King, NOT an angelic being. Some early Christian commentators did take this passage as referring to Satan and the story was basically fleshed out. The only other part in the Bible where we find a fall story is in Revelation – of much later date. We have the story of the Nephilim in the Book of Enoch with a quick reference in Genesis but the book of Enoch was a book not included in the Hebrew canon – and Jewish belief opposes the notion of angels falling and sinning. Indeed, Judaism in its long complicated history had differing views on the notion of “fallen angels”. There are varying interpretations concerning the “Binei Elohim” in Genesis 6 and the significance of their “descent”. Orthodox Judaic commentaries sometimes take a more “down to earth” view in this regard and interpret the term “Binei Elohim” as “sons of nobles” as opposed to the translation as “Sons of God/Gods”. Shimon Bar Yochai strongly rejected the “divine being” interpretation. Needless to say, there is much debate over the real meaning and significance of this strange interlude in Genesis before the flood story continues – but it has certainly captured the popular imagination.
Demons in Judaism were usually a separate class of beings such as the Shedim. Similar ideas are to be found in the Quran with regards to the “Djinn” led by Iblis or Shaitan, they are not fallen angels in Islam but a whole separate race of beings.
The Book of Enoch is a curiosity in both Christianity (except among certain Ethiopian churches) and Judaism, a text on the fringe. The modern stance seems to be that if people considered a book non-canonical for reasons of their own we now have to place extreme importance thereon. The Book of Enoch therefore features in all kinds of wild unsubstantiated theories and conspiracies including the ancient alien idea.
It should be noted that in spite of Sitchin, the Annunaki from Sumerian myth have no connection whatsoever to Nephilim from Biblical myth. The words are not related etymologically, mythologically or historically. Annunaki has something to do with the Sumerian god An/Anu for instance, such as “descendents/offspring of An”. Although the connection has been made between the Anakim (giants apparently descended from Nephilim) in Numbers 13:33 and the Annunaki, such a connection remains speculative and unproven. The Annunaki in Sumerian/Akkadian myth have particular functions such as underworld judges in the Gilgamesh Epic or they are assigned roles by Marduk in the Enuma Elish.
As for Lucifer, why would a being in the Hebrew Bible have a Latin proper name anyway? The Hebrew word Hilel for the morning star was simply translated into Greek and Latin, hence Lucifer. There is no real fallen angel called Lucifer except if you accept that some thought form developed who now has that name.
On “Demons”
A splinter group from the JoS who now claims no affiliation, the Church of the Elders, focuses on Enki without the Satan references. They still use the Sigil of Lucifer for Enki. This sigil first appeared in the 17th/18th century Grimoirum Verum and although it may have had an earlier genesis, there is no evidence that it had anything to do with an ancient Sumerian deity called Enki.
The CoE also states that they worship Sumerian gods, but apparently they know better and the Sumerians misunderstood their gods – who were really ancient aliens – back to the ancient aliens. They claim to worship Sumerian gods and yet like the JoS they mix and match names from Medieval demonology. Spirits of the Grimoire called the Goetia, a book of the Lesser Key of Solomon or Lemegeton, are mentioned with Sumerian deities. While it is true that a few of the Goetic beings are corrupted forms of ancient gods, a few of them are Egyptian or Canaanite, NOT Sumerian. Yet, the CoE state rather absolutely that Sumerian beings are original and everything else is simply a corruption. Ashtaroth is clearly based on Astoreth, Astare, Ishtar and Sumerian Inanna – the only being really traced to Sumeria in the Goetia. Baal is Canaanite, Amon if the same as the Egyptian deity is Egyptian. Haures/Horus is Egyptian etc. At least understand the original context of a deity before you begin with a warped version of comparative mythology. God names from Hebrew, pagan divine names, angel names, demon names etc are frequently used together, such as in the Greek Magical Papyri tradition – however, I do stick to the idea that you need to at least understand what you are doing and it is only respectful to study each deity in their proper context first. Magicians Jake-Stratton Kent and Aaron Leitch go into complex theories about pre-Christian roots of Goetia but I am not going into that now and the demonolatry of the JoS would more than likely qualify under their classification of “dark fluff”. There is no academic depth to the JoS, while Kent makes a detailed argument for the historical value of Goetia in very ancient Greek practices and the purpose and value of chthonic spirits. However, most names in medieval demonology can’t be easily traced to ancient roots. Furthermore, the various versions of Cuneiform and Hieroglyphics could only be translated again in the 19th century – our knowledge of Mesopotamian and Egyptian mythology had huge gaps before then -when the grimoires were authored – and I believe that this provides an argument against the idea that demon names and the demons in grimoires are really ancient gods. They may as well simply be names used in Jewish/Christian sources without understanding of their original context, Baal, Amon etc. being mentioned in the Bible and at least known about.
A name sometimes given in one grimoire as an “angel” is listed among “demons” in the next text – Samael, sometimes angel of Mars is one example and the same would apply to Cassiel and Zazel, angel and spirit of Saturn respectively and to merely scratch the surface. This presents an issue to the strongly dualistic JoS where angels must be “evil” and demons “good”.
The much maligned word “demon” in the original Greek context as Daemon was actually more an intermediary spirit between man and gods. It should be remembered however that all cultures had concepts of harmful spirits which we may call “demons” today. Even among daemons there are distinctions between Agatodaemons and Kakodaemons – good and bad. Such “ancient demon spirits” weren’t evil in the absolute Christian sense but rather they were those natural powers which would be harmful or detrimental to human well-being – Spirits of disease and pestilence. Ironically Mesopotamian culture had numerous methods of protecting against harmful spirits and classes of priests such as the Asipu specialized in exorcism and driving off demons – more ironically frequently with the help of deities like Enki or later Ea who clearly protects against “bad spirits”. Sumerian culture and the later cultures which drew from Sumerian culture (Akkad, Babylon, Assyria) had plenty of evil spirits, Gallu demons killed Tammuz, Utukku and Assaku had to be resisted, Anu had “seven evil spirits” which were plague gods, Edimmu were vengeful human dead. The evil goddess Lamashtu (Sumerian Dimme) seemed to behave in evil manner by her own nature, another plague bringer Pazuzu, sometimes protected against her power. Egyptian texts such as the “Book of the Dead” has plenty of evil spirit names, if the deceased in the Tuat does not know their names they pose a threat.
Judaism and Christianity didn’t create the notion of evil spirits, they merely drew on already old traditions.
If a spirit has a name that essentially means “devourer of human intestines for his own pleasure” – I strongly suspect this spirit was always considered bad and harmful. Since in Ancient Egypt and many other cultures practising magic, names had power, I would take precautions before I invite this spirit into me or treat it as a best friend – this is not to say I am against being bold and taking potential risks to discover new things – I am simply sceptical of the fifteen year old magus with a direct line to the “big baddies” and who has an intimate relationship with such beings. I am also not opposed to work with entities usually considered “darker” or “taboo” or “shadow work” – but the JoS isn’t simply an exploration of darker archetypes – it is more like Christianity with the poles reversed. If you want to explore the shadow side in the Joy of Satan system do you have to work with angels and Yahweh? Like Christianity, the JoS system also seems good at projecting the shadow onto outside forces (Jewish conspiracy and evil aliens) rather than working to integrate the darker aspects. Angels are taboo and even dangerous in the JoS cosmology with there even being claims of attacks by angels.
There is this modern tendency to want to redeem any spirit once considered evil or harmful. The fact remains that it is best generally not to trust any strange spirits or be too familiar with them. All should be treated with caution and the traditional checks of occultism against deception should still apply as opposed to inviting anything in as the overeager JoS sheeple want to do with Goetic spirits. The question remains, why focus on demons at all if you want to get to the real ancient gods? Why use something where the context indicates these beings are considered evil spirits and fallen angels? Look at the deity in its original context and how the being was worshipped – no, it seems some people want the “demon” and “bad” aesthetic.
The absolutes of Christianity of “good” and “evil”, “evil” in the religiously loaded sense, doesn’t really apply to older spirits in pagan systems. Yet, most beings can still be good or bad (harmful, detrimental to well-being) and there are beings out there that are not friendly towards humans or who are detrimental to human life.
The JoS refers to the demon Azazel numerous times; another being with disputed origin and disputes of even originally being a being. The name comes from the Scapegoat rite of Leviticus 16 and from the Hebrew. The term was not always translated as a proper name. More frequently seen as a scapegoat to carry sins into the desert away from the community and referring to a term “for complete removal”. In the Greek version of the Old Testament (Septuagint), the term is also translated by a Greek term “for complete removal” as opposed to a proper name. In the Book of Enoch, Azazel/Azael is mentioned with the angels who fell by taking women as wives. But yet again, there are numerous problems with taking the Book of Enoch too literally or absolutely and the Leviticus passage seems the older source. Debate about the true meaning of Azazel and Leviticus continues – but a literal power who is actually suddenly the Sumerian Utu or Akkadian Shamash – doubt it.
Over reliance on discredited sources such as Sitchen
The Sumerians and Babylonians were diligent astronomers and astrologers. They did associate their deities with stars and planets (sometimes stars and planets also seem to be deities in their own right or at least signs of the deities).
The JoS at one stage recommended Sitchins Lost Book of Enki as important reading. While they seem to think his theories represent reality it should be noted that serious scholars of the Ancient Near East do not take his theories seriously at all. Michael S. Heiser, a Phd student in Biblical and Ancient Near Eastern languages, on his site www.sitchiniswrong.com explores the numerous mistakes Sitchin makes in interpreting source material.
There is no evidence the Sumerians knew of more planets or unknown planets. They had the sun and moon (anciently considered with planets) and Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn – the seven traditional planets of occultism as well. Sitchin bases his ideas of a 12th planet on a misinterpretation of Cylinder Seal VA 243. Heiser argues that the depiction is not the sun symbol (a clear symbol in its own right) but a star surrounded by other stars and a constellation – not the sun surrounded by more planets.
There is no evidence whatsoever that Nibiru is one of these extra planets. There is no evidence whatsoever that Nibiru is inhabited or a home world of beings called Annunaki. Likewise there is no evidence of a deteriorating atmosphere of Nibiru for which the Annunaki needed gold. Nibiru seems clearly associated with Marduk and seems to refer to Jupiter mostly. But there are other meanings of Nibiru as well such as a “crossing point”, a star (debate on which), Mercury in one place. It seems that Nibiru as a crossing point may be the name of a star or planet occupying a specific position in the sky. The term is also found in the the Babylonian Mul.Apin text, which confirms these associations of Nibiru. In Sumerian texts themselves, older than the Babylonian sources Nibiru is not found, instead Nibru, simply refers to the city of Nippur, sacred city to Enlil. So while there is still some unknowns about how to interpret Nibiru, there is still no evidence of alien homeworlds.
The Lost Book of Enki, creates the impression that it is a book directly dictated by Enki to a scribe. But the book is really a narrative, a story constructed around various Sumerian and Babylonian sources (from varying time periods, separated by hundreds of years). Numerous known tablets contributed to Sitchin’s constructed narrative such as the Babylonian Enuma Elish, Adapa and the food of life, Gilgamesh Epic etc. The introduction to the book does state this. The great sin of Sitchin in the Lost Book of Enki is that he doesn’t provide sources for his claims. He further makes wild speculations about the “face of Mars” being the tomb of Alalu, one of the first Annunaki to come to earth. Yet, this “face” as stated by NASA was a trick of light and shadow coupled with the human tendency to look for the familiar and recognize faces. Later photographs of the Cydonia region, where the “face” is located, did make it clear that it was a shadow trick. The Lost Book of Enki is nothing but bad fiction constructed around actual tablets and Sumerian myth and then severely butchering these myths to match an ancient astronaut theory.
It is simple to debunk the Lost Book. One need only read about Sumerian mythology in more scholarly sources such as for instance Samuel Noah Kramer, a real scholar and a real student of ancient Sumerian. One need only look at retellings of Sumero-Akkadian-Babylonian myths in sources other than those by fringe theorists to see the discrepancies. Reading direct translations or conventional retellings you will find no space ships, ME’s as Data discs, alien home worlds, and secret gold mining projects to fix a home planet atmosphere or actual descriptions of genetic manipulation. The foundation of the JoS is weak
The Jewish conspiracy
In JoS very uninformed revisionist history as found in the 666 Black Sun document, they imagine that Judaism is involved in a conspiracy to stifle spirituality and that the true god of the Gentiles is Satan. While it is true that mainstream Christianity, Judaism and Islam are generally against Occult practices – they are actually ignoring the whole of European Occult history. It was Christianity who suppressed a lot of the ancient pagan beliefs and stamped out practices. Many native pagan beliefs died out under Christianity, true.
But if Christianity is a Jewish conspiracy, why did anti-Semitism actually have its origins in Christianity? Jews were demonized and blamed for killing Jesus and rejecting him. Jews frequently became scapegoats and were seen as accursed when things went wrong. Jews were chased out of various European countries in various stages of history for not converting or for being seen as somehow cursed. This was the state of affairs up to the hoax of the Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion and up till Nazi Germany. Anti-Semitism is a very Christian thing. The Protocols of the Learned Elders, which Hitler also drew on, details a Jewish plan of world domination and overthrow of Christianity – but it is fake and a hoax, plagiarised from fictional accounts from Maurice Joly’s Dialogue Aux Enfers entre Montequieu et Machiavelli 1864 – “Dialogue in hell between Machiavelli and Montesequieu”. Also Herman Gödsche’s novel in 1868 Biarritz where two characters spy on a meeting between Jewish Elders and Satan in a cemetery – its fiction – Hitler fell for it. It provided the model for much of modern conspiracy theory. The Protocols were compiled from these sources by Yuliana Glinka a spy for the Russian secret police. (Greer, 2006).
JoS High Priest Jake Carlson wants us to believe that Jews created Christianity as a conspiracy and the idea that “Jews killed Jesus” – a strong influence on Christian anti-semitism – is actually also a part of the conspiracy, a conspiracy within a conspiracy. He also states the Inquisition was Jewish – while the original Spanish inquisition was aimed at Jews and at first at “conversos” and it eventually resulted in the Jewish expulsion from Spain. The “Learned Protocols” in warped JoS justification was also a Jewish conspiracy against Jews – because Jews secretly control everything – it is insane conspiracy theory logic for which not a shred of evidence beyond wild claims can be provided. The JoS sermons by its high priests and priestesses produced on fairly regular basis read like the accounts of foaming at the mouth fanatics; nearly every second word is “Jew” or “Communist”. Oh and Communism is a Jewish conspiracy as well. They also forget the strong anti-Israel and anti-Jewish sentiment in extreme Islam today, drawing on the same myths and “blood libel” from Christian Europe, Nazism and the Learned Protocols.
I don’t agree with the religions of Judaism, Islam or Christianity and I don’t like the fact that these “one absolute truth” systems try and suppress/slander others. But historically modern occultism is also here because of those systems.
For years Western Magic was dominated by Kabbalah, a mystical philosophy that runs deep. A western Kabbalah of Gnostic ideas, Hermeticism and ideas from Neoplatonism had a great impact on modern magic (Hermeticism and Neoplatonism are pagan influenced philosophies). The Kabbalah and its mystical speculation on God goes far deeper than the Biblical notion of God. The true God in Kabbalah is an abstraction and the Kabbalah is all about spiritual growth and development. It is all about penetrating the secrets of the world. If Judaism and Christianity wanted to destroy the Occult then Jewish and Christian mystics really didn’t help.
It was among the magicians of the Golden Dawn that we begin to see some precursors to the modern pagan revival. The Golden Dawn based their system on “Hermetic” Kabbalah. There were some earlier developments as well, Renaissance scholars looked back to classical learning, the corpus Hermeticum was translated by Marsilio Ficino – pagan philosophy and mysticism even somewhat tolerated and respected in Christianity.
Some of the Golden Dawn magicians began looking at the work of the “green ray” and quite a few were fascinated by Celtic myths. Egyptian and other gods were used in the Golden Dawn and associated with the spheres of the Kabbalistic tree of life. If Jewish mysticism wanted to destroy paganism it actually helped revive it. Many methods used in the JoS came out of the Western Mystery Tradition which included Kabbalah, in truth all true spiritual paths contain deeper truths of a universal nature. Spiritual paths such as Kabbalah or Rune Magic have such universal truths.
Satanists and Sethians I respect were all first well versed in conventional western occultism before they moved to the Left Hand Path Occultism. They had the foundation to start new systems and explorations – Individuals such as LaVey, Thorsson (Flowers) and Aquino.
Without LaVey’s bold declaration of an actual organized system called “Satanism”, it is highly unlikely there would have been theistic Satanists or the JoS in the first place. Yet, LaVey is another figure frequently attacked in the JoS material, while they also use his material.
Of course JoS sheeple run out of the room at the mere mention of something being Jewish – I wonder if they know one of their sources, Zechariah Sitchin was Jewish?
Kabbalah produced the complex angelology and demonology of the Middle Ages. Quite a few demon names embraced by the JoS arose in this context.
The JoS want their sheeple to believe Jews are actually reptilian hybrids – reptilians from conspiracy theories such as those of David Icke. Of course they can’t provide real evidence for this so they expect their sheeple to just believe what they say. As proof they offer “look at Jewish physical features including noses to see reptilian features” – sorry I don’t see it. They offer an ancient Near Eastern statue they claim depicts a reptilian but without any context of this statue except it “originates around the same time as the Jewish race”. They mention genetic disease such as Tay-Sachs and a quote from the Al-Jilwah that “Satan” will afflict those that oppose him with disease. However, Tay-Sachs is a disease found in other populations as well. Curiously, the Al-Jilwah is a text associated with the Yezidi belief system as found among the Kurdish Yezidis of Iraq. Yezidi beliefs represent yet another system wrongly appropriated by the Joy of Satan. Yezidis eschew the use of the term “Satan” for the angel Tawus Melek or Melek Taus. While Yezidi’s have been called “devil worshippers” by their Islamic neighbours due to the association between Iblis/Shaitan and Melek Taus, “the peacock angel”, the Yezidis have quite a different perspective. Both Iblis/Shaitan and Melek Taus refused to bow before the created Adam (therefore the connection) but it should be noted that in Yezidi belief, Melek Taus is reconciled with the supreme being or God and also serves as an important angel (one among seven). Yezidis reject the notion of equating Melek Taus to Satan.
Finally, they tell you to do your own research to find their truth – read more unsubstantiated internet rubbish? I see no reason to believe that Jews are anything but Homo Sapiens Sapiens.
Hebrew culture actually arose out of Canaanite culture. A separate identity developed peacefully with the Exodus and the Conquests of Joshua being later foundation myths. Yahweh has strong resemblances to Canaanite El and also Baal, absorbing titles and actions even being associated at times with El’s consort, Ashera. Canaanite material culture and language and Hebrew material culture and language are very close – both the JoS and the Bible don’t stand up historically and archaeologically.
Hebrew is a Semitic Language like Arabic, Assyrian and older Akkadian – and the Akkadians gave us names for the Sumerian gods such as Shamash for Utu, Ea for Enki etc. Jews did not arise suddenly as reptilian hybrids planted by alien beings.
While it is very true that earlier Mesopotamian myth had an influence on the Bible and the Kabbalah was influenced by pagan philosophies such as Neoplatonism and possibly Egyptian ideas, the JoS makes absolutely ludicrous claims of runes as a primal alphabet or runes having an Egyptian origin – this is simply nonsense.
Jewish people are simply human beings and like other groups some are good, some bad, some annoying, some likeable. Many Jews are secular and non-religious or many embrace other religions (there is a growing movement under some Israeli youth to Canaanite Paganism or other forms of Paganism). Many Jewish people have actually worked in human rights movements to defend the rights of other minorities.
I don’t think the modern state of Israel is necessarily innocent and I find their Christian fan boys and girls expecting end-time prophecy fulfilment to be super annoying. I think the notion of having a claim to land based on ancient myth is repugnant. I also find a doctrine of “chosen people” insidious whether this comes from Israel, Christianity or Nazi Aryans.
As Theistic Satanist Diane Vera also points out, Satanism does not go well with Nazism – Satanism usually teaches individuality, individual freedom and free thinking – Nazism, on the other hand is all about conformity and swaggering authority. Not to mention absolute dictatorship is also against the spirit of individual freedom and autonomy that one could find among some early Germanic groups (the Nazi’s were interested in the Germanic past). I wonder if JoS proponents even realize that Nazi’s not only persecuted Jews but also homosexuals and they ensured the closure of occult groups, fortune tellers etc. Neo-Nazism is usually closely linked to Christianity – why support Maxine Dietrich/Andrea Herrington and her National Socialist connected husband if National Socialists will actually hate and reject Satanists, and quite a few JoS adherents seem accepting of homosexuality. The JoS explanation that Nazi homosexuality bans and persecutions were targeted against paedophiles alone holds little water if one examines existing evidence. The JoS spin in this case is contradicted by actual German laws against homosexuality passed at that time and Himmlers speeches about wiping out homosexuality as against the “German ideal”. Not to mention the homosexual camp survivors who were not paedophiles.
The “blood libel” used by Christians against Jews contained accusations that Jews sacrificed children and used their blood in dark Passover rituals. Jews were accused of being blood drinking black magicians. Ironically, the same accusations were and are used by Christians to describe their mostly mythical “Satanists” in order to demonize any real occult practitioners. The same “Jewish conspiracy” utilized by the JoS is also directed at Satanists in versions of “Illuminati/NWO conspiracies” where the “ruling elite” and sometimes “reptiles” are actually devil worshipping black magicians, called Satanists and Luciferians -Very ironic.
A further irony is that at times Christians considered Jews the “synagogue of Satan” and associated Jews with Satan. Yet, the JoS wants to claim that Gentiles are Satan and Satan is the One True God – in their very evangelistic, fundamentalist style.
Conclusion
The JoS claims to have absolute answers for young seekers. But their material is mostly derivative. Their material is filled with numerous historical and linguistic inaccuracies such as reliance on false cognates – such as the name Satan found in Sanskrit sources – Satan is a Semitic language word unrelated to Sanskrit Satnam or Sanatana Dharma Dharma, no connection can be proven, they are not related because they simply appear similar. Satan is not related to Sumerian Satyan – Sumerian is a language isolate not related to Semitic languages. It is also highly unlikely that when Sumerians recorded creation stories, including the one where Enki creates humans, they had “Aryan superiority” in mind.
The Jos’ core ideas are based on controversial theories which usually make huge leaps in logic and many assumptions. Their literal “demons” or “gods” are taken from numerous unrelated myths and traditions at times separated by millennia – comparative mythology and spiritual speculation is okay – statements that a mish mash of myths is absolute reality, is not okay.
Dehumanizing and demonizing others and advocating hatred is never a good thing in any spiritual path. Blind hatred is never good. While the JoS doesn’t seem to advocate direct violence, dehumanization of your perceived enemy makes eventual violent actions against them easier.
I seriously suspect that if you wish to work with a magician and wisdom god such as Enki, you need to use those mental and critical faculties with which you have been gifted. Blind belief is anathema to the Occultist, except in cases where a belief may be useful as a temporary solution or working model.
The JoS does make some good spiritual exercises available to a wider audience but the context is tainted. Offering absolute answers reeks of arrogance and proves the point that a little knowledge is a dangerous thing.
Seriously critical thinking needs to apply. A statement does not become truth because it is written and you read it. It is not simply truth because “high priest or priestess” so and so said so. All opinions are not equal, opinions which can be supported by facts carry more weight – you can’t make up unsubstantiated claims and expect these claims to carry equal weight to claims supported by a consensus within a base of established knowledge. Archaeologists and historians don’t establish chronology and exclude ancient astronaut ideas because there is a conspiracy. They exclude ideas because a chronology is established based on what we have evidence for and can know with certainty, as opposed to wild speculation and fantasy.
The above concept is important in the internet age where people are actually becoming less-knowledgeable when faced with more knowledge along with an inability to discern between “facts” – which facts carry more weight than others. Which facts are based on evidence and can be traced to other sources and which are made up and wild speculations.
Established knowledge isn’t necessarily always flawless or even set in stone, but that is how scientific thinking works, it can change as opposed to religious “truth”.
Fakelore, poor historical research and outright fabrication is not exactly only a JoS problem – it has always been part of Occultism. In a few cases, such as fabricated history for Magical Orders to indicate a remote antiquity, myth-making has its uses. Myths as sacred stories have purpose, one can use myths or find inspirations for sacred drama. Myth-making is a potent and useful faculty in Occultism. But one should not expect that myth necessarily matches reality or physical evidence – the mistake of ancient astronaut theorists. If we truly want to reconstruct and re-establish the pagan belief systems of the past, we equally need a foundation in reality and in established, acceptable and academic knowledge. Some of the problems in the JoS are also the problems in wider movements of alternative spirituality.
Either way, with regards to the JoS, you can’t ignore two thousand years of occult history and claim a recent modern development has the “absolute truth” and final word with regards to demonology and magic.
The JoS is largely American Christian fundamentalism but where “God” has been replaced with “Satan” and “Angels” with “Demons”. The same battle between two opposing forces takes place but the roles are reversed. It is the same “black and white” narrative. The notion of an ongoing war and imminent confrontation creates a purpose and a class of “special warriors” fighting the evil Jewish reptilian threat – but reality is not this mythically black and white epic struggle.
runesterruminations 