Healing the Spiritual Rift: Wicca and Satanism

Religious bickering is frequently little more than an absurd show of one-upsmanship, and that is certainly my opinion of the decades-old rift between Wiccans and Satanists.

On one side, Wiccans frequently insist that "we're not Satanists," sometimes in the same breath that they beg for religious tolerance. While they claim we should respect the beliefs of others, they systematically condemn Satanism as something vile and to be avoided.

On the other hand, Church of Satan founder Anton LaVey's own writings make numerous digs at Wiccans and "white witches," accusing them of hypocrisy, self-deceit, and pretentiousness.

The fact is miscreants on both sides are guilty of working with exaggerations, half-truths and misinformation. Anti-Satanist Wiccans are commonly attempting to distance themselves from things that Satanists don't actually do, while LaVey seems to have only a vague notion of what all Wiccans believe, instead presuming all of us act and believe like fluff-bunnies.

I am absolutely a Wiccan. I am very comfortable with that religious identification. Recently, for my work at About.com, I've been reading a number of works from the Church of Satan, and I'm also quite comfortable with admitting that I agree with the large majority of what the Church teaches.

Sure, there are differences. I am a polytheist, while LaVeyan Satanists are atheists. But, quite frankly, there's at least as many similarities as differences. Magic is about expression of will and emotion. Humanity is a part of nature and we should be proud of that, not ashamed of it. We should follow our needs and wants, but we should also be aware of the ramifications and consequences of those actions and act accordingly. Miscreants should get what they deserve; thus, acting badly will bring trouble upon yourself.

The male/female dynamic is prevalent in both Satanic and Wiccan ritual, which should be of little surprise. Both groups are heirs of older occult movements which likewise emphasized the male/female dynamic. The two groups certainly went their separate ways, but the common foundation is still easily evident.

In all seriousness, I suggest to any non-beginner who is tired of fluffy-Wicca sources to take a look at some of LaVey's works. I don't mean copying his rituals, and I certainly don't mean looking for "spells," which he doesn't offer. He has a very no-nonsense view of magical workings that are hugely refreshing in light of the piles of "teach me to fly" requests that I get.

Much of his philosophy of life I likewise find perfectly acceptable and a nice change from the "whitelighters" who tell us we're supposed to be all altruistic dolphins and butterflies. He gets overly harsh at times, but you know what? I'm a grown up. I can decide what I should embrace and what I should not. Want to know something else? Self-determination is something Anton LaVey strongly emphasizes. Reading a Satanic book does not make you a Satanist.

The fact that I'd even recommend LaVey's works will most likely earn me hate mail. Real Wiccans don't mess with Satanic stuff. Seriously, grow up. Real Wiccans avail themselves of available resources and decide for themselves what to accept as their own. Real Wiccans don't cower from gossip and rumor about topics they've never bothered to study.

But you'll encourage the Christian notion that we worship Satan! Perhaps, but only in stupid Christians, and I can't fix stupid. Considering that LaVeyan Satanists don't even worship Satan, the idea that we're doing so by reading some of their books is ludicrous. Besides which, if you're going to have public opinion dictate your religious studies, I'm not sure if Wicca is really for you.