Recently there have been some questions raised as to why The Black Order of Azazel uses the name "Azazel". Though we don't feel it necessary to explain ourselves to the paranoid, close minded or afraid, we decided to take the time to address the exact reason why we chose the name of Azazel in the naming of this Order.
To begin, using the New Ĉon English Qabala system of Gematria, the name Azazel has a numeric value of 45. Using the same system, the name of Horus, The Crowned and Conquering Child and Falcon Headed God of the Egyptians, shares the value of 45. Horus is the male component of the Thelemic Magickal Current of Horus-Maat, which the Order flows with as part of the Shadowism Spirituosophy. There are also deeper meanings, which we will explore below.
Traditionally, Azazel is the Hebrew demon of war, who showed the human race how to build weapons of war and the use of cosmetics, and has made several other appearances in various pantheons of demons and Grimoires throughout history.
However, those facts had no bearing in the choice on the name of this Order. The choice came from the role the name of Azazel played in classical literature.
Classical literature, you ask? That's right...
Centuries ago, a tormented man by the name of John Milton first put his visions of rebellious angels, deadly sins and eternal attrition to paper in the form of an epic poem. The name of this enduring work was "Paradise Lost". In the Chapter I, verse 534, it is revealed that the standard bearer of the rebel angels was called Azazel.
That fact struck the founders of this Order as a fitting tribute to the Spirit of Balance that Shadowism represents. The Black Order observes ancient tradition in very non-traditional ways, and the Order constantly raises the bar in Magickal Work and Innovation. This has made us the somewhat rebels of the Magickal communities all over the world. We are very comfortable with this fact, because that's exactly what we feel the Magickal world needs... A good shaking up; A revolution to break up the stagnation and has resulted from a century of complacency on the part of many founded "Magickal" Orders and Traditions.
It is we who bear the Falcon Standard of Change, Balance and Enlightenment; it is we who rebel against those who would say nay...
It is we who embody the Spirit of Azazel.
