Ritual practice is very personal. Some rituals are shared within a local community or passed from one individual or family to the next generation, others can be found in books and many are written by those who participate and used only once. If you think about it, all of us practice ritual in various forms every day. Some are intentional and unique, while others are routine. I’m not going to list our rituals here because it feels like somewhat of a violation to those who have taken part in them.

We often come across people who practice forms of Satanism different than our own. However, sacrifice is not tolerated (because there’s nothing to sacrifice to), and we don’t permit the promotion of social darwinism - because it’s been largely discredited. Usually it sorts itself out.

I feel personally connected to the Satanic ideal. I did attend Christian churches on and off when I was younger, and I learned from them that we are to feel ashamed of who we are, of our instincts and inclinations, we are weak and flawed. I don’t believe any of that is true. The more I was told that I was a ‘sinner’ or tempted by ‘Satan,’ the more I felt I understood my own humanity. I understand that Satanism is somewhat of a taboo, but really, I think that’s absurd. It tells us more about the power of the church than it does about what Satanism actually is. I have the privilege of advocating for my rights as a Satanist, but it’s almost impossible to conceive of someone being able to do this in any other period of history, and for that reason we are challenged to reconsider how we define religion, and what kinds of privileges we grant to institutions of religious power. It’s an important conversation to be having.