part is that somehow the alleged change from Set-being to “Jehovah” escapes me completely. Either I’m too
smart to be taken in by it or too stupid to notice it - I like to think it’s the former.
Since this rather bewildering accusation was first made, a most interesting thing has happened: several
members of the Temple of Set have resigned, giving as their primary excuse the allegation that the Temple has
“become” a religion [as though it had not been one from the beginning]. One would almost think they had never
read our introductory material.
It is tempting to explain all this away by saying that a Master of the Temple renounced his Mastery and elevated
someone to the Priesthood on other-than-III° criteria, who then wrongly elevated Adepts, all of which led to a big
mess.
At the political (organizational) level of analysis, this appears to be true; but it is still an incomplete explanation.
The recent resignation letters of Richard Murad and Howard Sinnott have prompted me to explore this entire
situation in greater depth from magical and philosophical perspectives. As a result I believe I have been able to
identify the major factors involved.
Historically the roots appear to lie in the Church of Satan and conflict resulting from “inner” and “outer”
teachings. At the level of the public and the general membership, the Prince of Darkness was seen as a metaphor - as
is explained in the Satanic Bible.
The “inner circle” of the Elect, however - known as the Order of the Trapezoid and comprising most of the
Priesthood - was engaged in the study and application of “higher Satanic metaphysics”; and for them, as well as for
Anton LaVey as head of the Order, the Prince of Darkness was a very real entity indeed.
This was not communicated to the general membership, since a qualification for admission into that Order was
an independent realization of the reality behind the fantasy. The Church of Satan, in other words, attempted to
have its cake and eat it too by appealing to both a popular movement and an inner elite. The conflicts this
engendered were the subject of innumerable letters between Anton LaVey and Michael Aquino, many of which I
have read.
When the Temple of Set Came into Being it was decided, in accordance with the Book of Coming Forth by
Night, that it would be an elitist order and that the “inner” teachings would be made accessible to anyone with the
capacity to comprehend and apply them. Those who could not do so had no business being here. The C/S degree
system had been breaking down, however, and many of the C/S degree transfers had to be accepted “on faith” in an
effort to be fair to all concerned. The assumption was that any imprecise degree designations would sooner or later
become apparent.
Many of the persons who transferred to the Temple may have failed [or simply refused] to perceive that the
Temple leadership was speaking not allegorically but literally, and they may also have taught the old general-C/S-
symbolic approach to newcomers with whom they came in contact.
Given the open accessibility of our philosophy and our Priesthood, I can only conclude that there was a refusal
to perceive. And when finally pushed to the wall and forced to realize that we actually meant what we were saying,
they would naturally accuse the Temple of Set of having “become” a religion because they had never opened their
eyes and seen the Temple before. [Yet Ethel’s “Word” is “Perceive”. Rather ironic!]
There is also an inherent difficulty in the language we are forced to employ. In the late 1940s, after an eight-year
study of the ancient temple complex at Luxor, alchemist R.A. Schwaller de Lubicz wrote that:
The pharaonic mentality is typically indirect. A defined form is used to evoke the idea of this form - that
is to say, the abstract complex that presides over this defined form. - The Temple in Man
And so it is in our Temple as well. We are speaking literally, but we are obliged to use conventional language and
conceptual terminology in an effort to at least approximately communicate our discoveries and ideas. But the
influence of our typically-Western logical, “linear” type of thinking is such that it creates the tendency to mistake our
defined forms, which are merely shadows, for the actual Forms or Realities which lie behind and cast those
shadows.
picture on the introductory pamphlet of the Infernal Anteater sitting on a throne. But what I mean is a good deal
more complex than that.
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Richard Murad was apparently under the impression that any philosophy is as valid as any other (which
ultimately makes all philosophies meaningless), and rejected ours because he didn’t like it anymore. In a letter to
Priest Lewis announcing his resignation, he said:
Jim, I do not believe in philosophical absolutes. I feel that man has, and always will create his own
truths. None of them are right, and none of them are wrong. Different ones are just that, different.
Murad obviously just hasn’t done his homework. The primary contention of the Platonic dialogues is that what
Plato refers to as the “Forms”, such as “Virtue”, “Justice”, “Truth”, “the Good”, etc. [all of which are aspects of a
greater Form, Principle, or neter which the Egyptians called Maat], do have an actual existence, a greater reality of
which our concepts are only a shadow-play ... and that one can approach an increasingly-clear perception and
understanding of the Forms through the philosophical discipline.
But Plato also recognizes and demonstrates that the logical, “linear” method of analysis is not sufficient in itself
to accomplish this. Thus arises the need for some means of direct apprehension and experience of the neteru or
Forms.
And this is where the working of magic comes into play in the Temple of Set. It is essentially a non-rational,
non-linear sort of process which is complementary to the linear mode. For the transformation ( Xeper) of the
individual into a higher being capable of understanding, perceiving, and experiencing Set (the neter of non-natural,
separate intellectual identity), both methods are essential and balance each other. Neither is complete without the
other; they are inextricably intertwined.
This leads me to what I believe is the most important factor in the recent resignations: the failure of members to
do their homework. Many people try to follow the philosophy without actually experimenting with magic. Thus they
lack any real experiential understanding and are “armchair magicians” who are merely juggling theories.
Others take this imbalance even further and attempt to simply “parrot” things they hear without delving deeper.
At the II° level, for example, a comprehensive reading list is available through the Ruby Tablet of Set. One or more
books in most categories are coded “RL1”. There is a reason for this. The reading of those books is required in order
for the new Adept to be able to begin to really understand what this “thing of ours” is all about.
How many of you Adepts have read them? If you were to enroll in a degree program in any university and refuse
to purchase the required course texts, you would be hopelessly lost by the third lecture. The magical and
philosophical curriculum of the Temple of Set is every bit as demanding, and in many ways it is far more difficult.
The Temple of Set is not for people who simply want to wear pretty medallions and attend fancy ceremonies. It
is for people who want to learn to strengthen and utilize their individual Wills, and who aspire to the knowledge and
understanding which we of the Priesthood possess and are developing.
However our initiatory system is a highly selective process which imposes great stress upon the intellectual and
magical faculties of the individual, Many initiates are unable to withstand these pressures. Those who cannot will,
sooner or later, weed themselves out. That this has been occurring lately is no cause for alarm. It is as much a sign of
the success of our system as is the Coming into Being of a new Priest or Priestess.
Nor should it come as any surprise that those who are resigning are attempting to rationalize their unfitness,
lack of effort, and inability to Xeper any further. No one is likely to feel psychologically comfortable facing himself in
the mirror and thinking, “I’m a ‘deficient intellectual’ who couldn’t make it, freaked out, and went back to being a
nerd.”
This, I think, is another reason for the otherwise-bewildering accusations leveled at the Temple of Set by Ethel,
Holt, and their cronies. The real irony in all this is that Ethel’s intent was treacherous, dishonorable, despicable, and
utterly vile ... and yet, in the end, he is doing us a greater service than he can imagine - by collecting our garbage.
For those of you who are tempted to conclude that the Priesthood feels that the Temple of Set exists for it alone
and that the lay degrees can sink or swim, let me say this: If your motives are sincere - if you want to grow, develop,
Xeper [whether you aspire to the Priesthood or not] - we are here to help you, and we love you. But the impetus, the
initiative to develop and to work, must come from you.
May the Infernal Anteater be with you.
* * * * *
Answer to a Letter Concerning my “Problems of Perception”
- by L. Dale Seago IV°
Scroll of Set #III-12, August 1978
Thank you for responding to my article in the June Scroll. Your letter brings up a few points which I feel should
be addressed in some detail.
As it happens, I do remember corresponding with you when I was a corporal in the Marine Corps, shortly before
I left North Carolina. I was not aware until now, however, that you had joined the Temple of Set at the time it Came
into Being. I had not heard from you for quite a long time, and I did not recognize your name when I saw it on the
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computer printouts. And that fact leads me to a question: You stated that in the Temple “everyone seemed to be
involved” and that you were “used to the opposite”. Why didn’t you become involved, instead of remaining just a
name in a data bank?
Your comments about not being able to afford books on magic even after all these years strike me as a little
strange. The real problem appears to me to be one of priorities, of which things in your life are the most important
to you. Even on my enlisted military salary, I was able to set aside a little for books. If you were to save a couple of
dollars a week [and most people spend at least that much just on junk food and beer], you would be able to buy
about a dozen books a year. If that is somehow just not possible, you are probably within a reasonable distance of a
public or college library. If you do not own your own transportation or are unable to drive to a library, check out the
local bus lines.
You state that you never changed your fortunes [and therefore still cannot afford books], and again I have to
ask: Why? At the inception of the Æon of Set, I was laid off from my job and was unemployed for about six months;
but I drew up a plan of action, stuck with it, and made it work. I came to Santa Barbara two and a half years ago with
an old car, some clothes, eighty dollars, a kitten, no job, and no place to live. I found a place to stay until I could
improve my position and joined the Army Reserve to supplement my unemployment checks. Then I was hired as a
bank teller, enrolled in some evening college courses, and after half a year of that got into the University of
California and its Army ROTC program while continuing to work part-time for the bank. I have just recently
received a degree in political science and have been commissioned a Second Lieutenant in Military Intelligence, and
I will be working in the field of strategic Psychological Operations for the Army while continuing to work for the
bank while pursuing a graduate degree. And I haven’t exactly been inactive in the Temple, either.
All this I have accomplished through my own efforts, with the inspiration and guidance of Set and a lot of very
hard work - because it was my will to Become, and I applied my will. It can be done.
Your equation of the term “elitism” with being “well to do” has nothing to do with the way I have always applied
it in my writings. In an article I wrote in January of this year for a national magazine, I said:
Esoteric orders have generally been successful as esoteric orders to the extent that they have
incorporated such Black elements as elitism [in the sense of genuine rather than presumed intellectual
superiority], individualism, and personal responsibility.
Intellectual superiority does not necessarily have any relationship to one’s occupation or income. When I speak
of elitism, I am speaking of elite minds, not jobs. A self-educated philosopher named Eric Hoffer, who is widely
respected in sociological circles and has written some superbly-insightful books, has for many years made his living
as a longshoreman on the San Francisco shipping docks because he likes that kind of work. And the same situation
can exist in the Temple of Set.
As I pointed out in my article, “The impetus, the initiative to develop and to work, must come from you.” The
Temple accepts I° members as students and apprentices, which is what that degree is all about. It is not the
responsibility of the teacher to run after his students, requesting their permission to “lay the wisdom of the Æon
upon them”. Quite the contrary. It is up to the students to ask questions, make an effort to grasp what is being
taught, and apply it in their lives ... which means a lot of work. If the students will not do this, then they have only
themselves to blame when they “flunk out”.
You mention, finally, that the Prince of Darkness seems to you to be “quite indifferent to anything”. There may
be a reason for this. In fact I think it is stated quite clearly in the Book of Coming Forth by Night: “And I think not
of those who think not of me.” What have you been doing to deserve his attention? From my own experience and
that of many others, he seems to take a very personal interest in his Elect who genuinely seek him. But it appears to
me from all available indications that, frankly, you don’t give a damn.
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A40: The Third Year
- by Michael A. Aquino V°, High Priest of Set
Scroll of Set #III-11, July 1978
On each anniversary of the founding of the Temple of Set, I have prepared a report for the Scroll summarizing
the past year’s developments and outlining some prospects for the future. During the first two years of the Æon, it
seemed that these reports could be justifiably positive. Everyone appeared to be enjoying the Temple, contributing
to its overall creativity, and cooperating in a spirit of friendship, trust, and mutua
l respect.
As it turned out, however, our utopian expectations were a bit premature. This past year the momentum of the
Temple was interrupted by two unfortunate incidents.
In November our first Executive Director, Priest William F. Murray, experienced an emotional and physical
breakdown, necessitating his resignation from office, retirement from the Priesthood, and convalescence under
medical supervision.
Twenty-four hours after Murray’s breakdown, Magister Robert Ethel, Chairman of the Council of Nine, resigned
from the Temple to form an organization of his own. After trying unsuccessfully to get me to turn my back on the I°/
II° Initiates and Priesthood of the Temple and cooperate with him, Ethel suddenly reversed himself. He leveled
charges of corruption at me, sneered at the Temple and Priesthood whose care and guardianship he had accepted
only four months earlier [upon reappointment to the Council Chairmanship], and endeavored to lure personal
friends into his new group with promises of higher titles than they had been able to attain within the Temple.
Ultimately two Priests - Roland Holt and Howard Sinnott - opted to follow Ethel, as did about six or seven I°/II°
Setians who believed his accusations. A few other Temple Initiates, presumably dismayed by the very fact of the
crisis, have since resigned from the Temple without affirming a position one way or the other.
In terms of numbers the schism affected the Temple very little, but the Temple has never measured itself in
terms of numbers. Psychologically the damage was serious. The reputations of the Priesthood, the Masters of the
Temple, and the Council as groups of high integrity and impeccable motives were shaken. My own ethics and
credentials as High Priest of Set and a Magus V° were attacked not partially, but with venom as sudden as it was
extreme.
It would have been a farcical situation save for Ethel’s high degree and office, and for the unfamiliarity of many
of our newer Initiates with the actual facts. In the resulting confusion the Council and I were forced to state, restate,
and document the truth to such an extent that many of our other projects and responsibilities came virtually to a
standstill for the ensuing eight months. At this writing I think we’ve cleaned up the bulk of the damage and deceit