Greetings! I would like to welcome everyone to the Gate-Walker’s Journal! Please feel free to review some of our previous articles located to the right of this page. Stay Blessed 🙂
In May 2010 sparks began to fly between the Cult of Cthulhu (CoC) and the Gate-Walking Community as someone posing to be from the CoC Administration began sending threatening comments to both, Dan Harms and Warlock Asylum’s blog pages. history of these events can be seen in the following post:
http://warlockasyluminternationalnews.com/2010/05/05/rebuttal-to-venger-satanis-and-is-cult-of-cthulhu-for-attacking-dan-harms-and-warlock-asylum/
For the moment, it appeared that groundwork was being laid down for an unprecedented occult war that hasn’t occurred since the days of the OTO conflicts. Fortunately, it seems that some members of the Gate-Walking community were members of the CoC forum and many members of the CoC forum were also avid readers of the Gate-Walker’s Page.
Although these two are of differing opinions when it comes to the Necronomicon Tradition, each in their own way have contributed to the development of the Tradition in a special way. Over the weekend, Warlock asylum got a chance to interview the “controversial” Venger Satanis. I think you will find this interview very useful in understanding CoC perspectives in terms of Lovecraftian spirituality.
Warlock Asylum: For our readers who are unaware of who you are and some of your accomplishments, can you kindly share a little bit about yourself and your experience in the occult?
Venger Satanis: I’m not sure where my burning desire to know, to understand came from, probably installed in my machine by the Ancient Ones millennia ago. As a youth, I struggled to find a logical and intuitively accurate representation of the world. This led me to the belief that reality was an interpretive art or science. Things were not as concrete as I originally took them for… a lot could be changed! So, I’ve always had a penchant for magic and the occult.
After dabbling with the Church of Satan, Temple of Set, and being involved in other websites, forums, and magicians… I decided to strike out on my own. In 2004, the Cult of Cthulhu was conceived, a Left Hand Path religion, magical order, and Fourth Way school influenced by H.P. Lovecraft’s Mythos, Satanism, Chaos Magic, as well as, the teaching of Gurdjieff and Ouspensky. As the founder and High Priest of the Cthulhu Cult, I endeavor to lead my organization into the 21st century and beyond.
Warlock Asylum: What inspired you to organize and register the Cult of Cthulhu as a recognized religion?
Vanger Satanis: I thought modeling ourselves after Christianity, up to a certain point, would be useful. Tax breaks, charitable donations, grants for a non-profit spiritual institution such as ours, etc. I hope that would assist us in buying land and building temples one day.
I suppose it was also a challenge to me and to the world. I wanted the CoC to be recognized as a “real” or established viable religion. Things have been so busy for me that I haven’t had a chance to enjoy the fruits of our non-profit status. Still looking for knowledgeable individuals to come forward and take that aspect of our Cult to the next level.
Warlock Asylum: What are the goals of the Cult of Cthulhu?
Venger Satanis: While I could go on and on… I’d rather answer this question as briefly as possible. Our primary goal is to Awaken! Opening our intellectual, emotional, and physical centers to higher consciousness… the full potential we’re capable of. This alone will facilitate the Great Old Ones’ return to this dimension while allowing us to achieve wondrous things in our lifetime.
Warlock Asylum: How did you become involved in Lovecraftian spirituality?
Venger Satanis: I was always attracted to monsters and darkness, that which lies beneath the surface. Reading Lovecraft crystallized certain things inside of me. I became a fan and then, after discovering Anton LaVey’s Satanic Bible, realized the Cthulhu Mythos would make an excellent backdrop or paradigm for personal evolution.
Warlock Asylum: Many people have said controversial things about you, including myself; Why do you think people make these assumptions?
Venger Satanis: Probably because I’m a larger than life public figure. I have a grandiose and theatrical personality (some of the time), and an inexhaustible sense of humor. I like big words, big actions. I’m diplomatic, but then again I don’t want to pull punches. Occasionally I’ll irritate people deliberately just to get a specific reaction.
The things I choose to believe in are considered insane by a lot of people. That combined with my audacity to form a religion around such a weird belief system causes indignation, and perhaps I’m the one who is right… and if that’s true, then I probably induce fear which certain individuals unconsciously feel in my presence. As we know, fear breeds anger and hate. I’ve had to learn to take ridicule with a smile.
Warlock Asylum: What other forms of spirituality have inspired you to be the person you are today?
Venger Satanis: Lots of stuff… Gnosticism, Esoteric Christianity, Buddhism; some practices and beliefs of ancient people like the Egyptians, Scandinavians, Europeans, and Asians. I’m open to a lot of stuff, but realize that a lot of it has degenerated from higher spirituality’s conscious roots.
Warlock Asylum: What is your opinion about the Simon Necronomicon?
Venger Satanis: I get asked this question a lot which makes me think there must be something to it. However, I just don’t see it as any more valid or aesthetically pleasing as any other book of magic.
Lovecraft’s Necronomicon was symbolic of everything forbidden and dangerous and potent. No matter how much man tries, I don’t think he could come close to what H.P. Lovecraft envisioned. Still, the idea of a “real” Necronomicon is fascinating and seems to drive us to madness.
Warlock Asylum: What advice, if any, would you give to the Gate-Walking community, or anyone just starting off in the mystical and occult arts?
Venger Satanis: Start with Simon and Crowley and LaVey and Lovecraft, then read stuff I’ve written (Cthulhu Cult and Liber A:O), Postmodern Satanism by Jason King, Lords of the Left Hand Path, Warlock Asylum’s concepts, Kenneth Grant, Phil Hine, Ouspensky and Gurdjieff. Work your way down until you have a decent grasp of what others do. Then throw all that stuff away!
Come up with your own gates and your own ways to walk them. If you want a Necronomicon, then create your own horrid fragments of that book. Forge a personal Gate-Walking ritual or tome using your dreams, artwork, or fiction. Fashion your own sigils and names for entities! Why limit yourself to what Simon wrote? Try communicating with the Ancient Ones in some way… perhaps they will illuminate the path.
A system doesn’t have to be validated by prior usage. By that, I mean Cthulhu and Yog-Sothoth don’t have to correspond with Gods from thousands of years ago in Sumeria or Mesopotamia. If you choose to believe in a certain pantheon, then it has just as much “reality” as Set or Odin. Do what thou wilt, for God’s sake!
Warlock Asylum: Where do you see the Cult of Cthulhu over the next ten years?
Venger Satanis: I believe the Cult of Cthulhu will have a huge impact on consensus reality and the world at large. I believe objective reality will either be destroyed or altered to such a degree that no one could deny the involvement of Lovecraftian agencies. I also believe that certain human beings will have evolved to a state where they will be regarded as either living Gods or monsters or possibly both. Struggling to become and remain Conscious is the key to everything we’re progressing towards; develop that to a higher level and you’ll be on your way to self-deification.
We would like to thank Venger Satanis and the CoC administration for taking the time for the interview, and there is a renewed peace and tranquility in the cities of R’lyeh and Urilia, as we close yet another chapter in the Necronomicon Tradition.
Simon Magus
