Dark Matter
Satanic Readings : Theistic or Traditional Satanism
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Some comments on Azazel and Lilith in Theology of the Church of Azazel.

In Theology of the Church of Azazel (see http://www.angelfire.com/ny5/dvera/CoAz/belief/theology.html), Ms. Diane Vera has outlined the basic articles of faith shared by those who follow the CoAz. Since I am in basic agreement with Ms. Vera, I have quoted her text rather extensively. However, the following does not necessarily express the opinions etc. of Ms. Vera, or of the CoAz.

1. Azazel is the entity mentioned in The Book of Enoch, who "defies Yahweh by teaching various forbidden arts to humans" (D. Vera). This entity is identical to the entity which Christian tradition has usually referred to as Satan. Azazel in 1 Enoch: "Thou seest what Azazel hath done ... [he has] revealed the eternal secrets which were (preserved) in heaven" (1. Enoch 9:6) is similar to the serpent in Genesis: "But the serpent said to the woman, "You will not die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil" (Genesis 3:4-5) in that Satan in both cases is the bringer of heavenly wisdom. Also, the mythology of Lucifer in Patristic literature is basically in agreement with The Book of Enoch in that Satan is considered a fallen angel.

2. "The Church of Azazel venerates only two deities - Satan/Azazel and Lilith" (D. Vera). The entity Lilith is mentioned in Isaiah 34:14: "The desert creatures will meet with the wolves, the hairy goat also will cry to its kind; yes, the night monster (ie. Lilith) will settle there and will find herself a resting place." According to tradition, Lilith was Adam's first wife, a human. She rejected Adam, and then mated with Azazel, giving birth to demons, and becoming herself immortal. Lilith is venerated as a goddess, and as the "Queen of our age" (D. Vera). Not only does she 'represent' the feminine aspect of Satanism; she is also the final fulfillment of the Satanic promise of transformation from mere human (the Fool of the Tarot) to enlightened being. Therefore she is in a sense the very personification of Satanic knowledge.

3. "The gods are distinct entities" (D. Vera). Azazel and Lilith are actual beings; they are not "mere personifications of the things they specialize in, nor are they mere personifications of any alleged cosmic "essences" behind their specialties, nor are they limited to their specialties" (D. Vera). In lack of a better term for it, Azazel and Lilith are spiritual beings who have the power to to attain own physical existence, ie. to manifest themselves in physical forms.

4. "We regard Satan as the God of this world, God of our flesh, God of our mind, and God of our own innermost Will, immanent in both the world and our own nature. We regard Satan as the most powerful of the gods concerned with human affairs, and therefore as a God whose Will is reflected in our own True Will" (D. Vera). True Will has been a widely misunderstood term in Satanic literature. Simply put: One's True Will is not necessarily what one consciencely wants; it's what one cannot stop wanting. When Paul in Romans says, "I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate" (Romans 7:15), he is referring to his True Will. Thelema's "Do what thou wilt" is not an excuse to just go ahead a do whatever one feels like; it's an urge to listen to one's True Will, and to follow it.