Course Six: Spectrum, Part 2 295
themselves standing in opposition as each other’s
nemesis (ultimate enemy). In the stories, Merlin,
Gandalf, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Albus Dumbledore are
Wizards. Morgan laFey, Saruman, Darth Vader, and
Lord Voldemort are Sorcerers.Sorcerers are the performers of black magic and
dark spells, who can call up the spirits of the dead
and the Underworld. Above all, sorcerers seek
unlimited knowledge, with a lust for power, control
and mastery of the universe. They wish to use their
powers to make them, in essence, gods. For some,
the knowledge gained through the intense study
of occult books and secret tracts is sufficient. For
others, the cabalistic learning is used to summon
up demons and spirits to do their bidding. Often
a pact is signed with the Devil in exchange for
earthly omnipotence and omniscience. Sorcerers
do not worship Satan nor work on his behalf;
instead, they seek to dominate and to control the
powers of evil in an attempt to become divine
themselves. —Tom Ogden,
Wizards and Sorcerers, p. ixLesson 3: Satanism
Whenever there are two clear
sides in a conflict, some people
will choose one, and some the
other. Medieval Christianity
conceived a notion (originally
called the Manichaen heresy)
that Jehovah (“God”) and Satan
(“The Devil”) were equally powerful deities of Good
and Evil, engaged in an eternal struggle for dominion
over humanity and the universe. The Devil ruled this
world, and God ruled the hereafter. The existence of
the Devil as an actual entity was officially declared by
the Church’s Council of Toledo in the year 447 CE.
The Medieval Christian Church, calling itself
Catholic (“universal”), rose to full political power after
the sack of Rome in 455, the Pope replacing the
Emperor. For the next thousand years—until the
Renaissance and Reformation—“The Holy Roman
Empire” was the sole “superpower” in the Western
world. Declaring relentless war on all “heretics” and
“unbelievers,” including Jews, Witches, Pagans, and
Moslems, the Church made a lot of enemies. Because
the Church of the Crusades and Inquisition claimed to
be on the side of God, some of those it persecuted
inevitably decided to throw their lot in with God’s
proclaimed opponent, Satan. Hence was born a counter-
cult of Satanic devil-worship, coming into being as
the antithesis (“opposite”) of a corrupt Christianity
and all it stood for.
Unfortunately, what that meant for many was re-jecting the excellent moral and ethical teachings of
Jesus as well, which, in any case, were inaccessible to
most people, as the Church maintained a tight mo-
nopoly on literacy; and the Bible (written only in Latin)
was confined within the Church monasteries to be read
only by celibate (that is, having nothing to do with
women) priests.
So Satanists reveled in all that the Church declared
to be wicked, sinful, and accursed. Defrocked Catholic
priests performed inverted “black masses” and “black
magick.” All manners of evil were glorified, including
the desecration of sacraments, sexual abuse, and even
infant sacrifice. Satanism became the blasphemous
parody of Christianity, mocking its most sacred rites
and tenets. In the 18th century, Satanic “clubs” were
formed, achieving a certain public notoriety and attract-
ing jaded young noblemen who enjoyed throwing wild
parties and riding around at night scaring people. (This
is called “Freaking the Mundanes....”)
In the late 20th century, several Satanic Churches
were legally incorporated, adopting the image of Satan
as the archetypal “rebel-against-authority.” Most of
these, however, dogmatically disbelieve in his actual
existence and automatically expel members caught
breaking the law.
At the same time, an entire genre of Satanic movies
and Fundamentalist Christian literature came into
being, resurrecting the old Medieval mythology of
Satan vs. God, war between Heaven and Hell, pacts
with the Devil, demonic possession and exorcism, the
“Anti-Christ,” Apocalypse, and Armageddon. A new
generation of sick, twisted psychopaths—called “self-
styled Satanists”—began using this mythos as a
justification and model for demented criminal behavior.
I have included this information out of a sense of
responsibility to put out a “warning label” for you.
Satanism is the darkest of the “dark arts,” and has
nothing whatsoever to do with Wizardry or Witchcraft.
Satanic “ethics” are entirely self-serving and mani-
pulative, and most Satanists will
routinely lie about their
intentions, actions, and
objectives to gain control
over others, whom they
consider as cattle. Do
NOT trust such people!
If you should encounter
any of them, avoid them
like the plague!Lesson 4: Demonology
Demonology is a form of sorcery popular in the Middle
Ages and Renaissance, in which the aid of Demons is
enlisted by the magician. Believed by such magicians
to be powerful intelligences, Demons have been
catalogued and ranked into complex hierarchies since- Spectrum 2.p65 295 1/15/2004, 9:31 AM