You Are Your Own God - Self Worship in Satanism
Often in Satanism you will find Satanists discussing ideas on self worship and being a god. What does it really mean to be your own god, and where did this idea originate from? This article discusses Satanic self worship and the idea behind becoming a god in Satanism.
There are certain values that Satanists promote, such as pride, individualism and personal liberty. Having pride in one’s self allows you to make the best of what you have. Being able to have personal liberty allows you to have the choice to be an individual. So instead of just going along with what everyone else is doing you have the opportunity to be a unique individual.
LaVey on becoming your own god
According to the Church of Satan, Satan is a metaphor for these things, a symbol of what humans can potentially be if they allow themselves to. “(Satan) serves as an external metaphorical projection of our highest personal potential.” This potential is what Satanists speak of when they refer to becoming one’s own god.
Instead of relying on an external source of power to achieve this, atheistic Satanists use the symbol of Satan to represent the things that they want to emulate. It is through this that a person’s true potential is achieved. The idea originated through the philosophy of the Satanic Bible that discusses a separation from the Christian god, and making the focus instead, on the self.
And, instead of relying on some moral code meant for those who belong to religion, the Satanist is free to chose who they will love or who deserves their punishment. This places the satanist at the center of their own world, their own universe with the self being the most important aspect of all.
Becoming Your Own God
The Church of Satan offers a few insights on their views of the cosmos in this regard. According to them, “In Satanism each individual is his or her own god—there is no room for any other god”. This includes Satan, Lucifer or any other god, since to them, Satan is only a symbolic ideal.
Anton LaVey believed that gods were created by humans, stating in the Satanic Bible, “Man has always created his gods, rather than his gods creating him”. This idea makes sense if you consider the many thousands of gods found throughout history that reflect the cultures from which they were created from.
Humans want to have a sense that there is something divine and greater than ourselves in the universe. It’s an awful thought to think that we could be all alone in the universe. Having gods allows us as humans to have a divine reflection of something larger than our own being. Satanists, however, see it quite differently and instead, create themselves as their own gods instead.
We can not take this idea in a literal sense, however. Typically, gods have certain powers that make them stand out above mere mortals. Gods are often said to be omnipotent, omniscient, and eternal. These are not the kinds of things that humans can achieve. However, in discussing ideas about gods, their stories of incredible powers are dependent on whatever mythology and beliefs that people ascribe to them.
For Satanists, becoming a god is more about manifesting your own personal will. Everyone has free will to do what they want with their life, whether they recognize it or not. As a Satanist, part of the process of becoming a god is to be mindful of your own free will and to exercise it whenever you can.
This means that you are independent and liberated from ideas that many people believe about life, among them, the idea that life is beyond your control and there are outside forces directing you in some way creating your good fortune or bad fate.
Satanic Self Worship
As your own god, it is up to you to participate in the act of self-worship. Because you are the center of your own universe it is said that there is no god but yourself and that entitles you to self-worship. The idea that worshiping something will bring you benefits is well and good, but in the end every decision you make is up to you.
One Satanist in particular from the Satanic Views blog stated: “Regardless if you believe Satan is a real entity, symbol or aspect of nature, Satan must exist as a tool or adviser assisting you, but not enslaving you in a master-slave relationship in your own life.” Satan, as a god (or demon, entity, or spirit) is a point of guidance for your own personal actions. The responsibility lies with you, in the end.
Another theistic Satanist has a similar view, that self-worship is an essential part of being a Satanist. At his blog, Satan’s Den, he states “Even if we say that we serve Satan or demons, in reality we serve ourselves, because our deities don’t require us to do anything but to be true (to) self.” Even in working with Satan as a god, the self is still the center of your own world and it is up to you to manifest your own will.
Satanic Self-Actualization
Satanic self worship may or may not include personal rituals that allow you to connect with yourself in a divine or spiritual way. Even if it is only symbolic, the act of doing this allows you to focus and center your will, and manifest what you desire in your life.
One such example of this is the recognition of the birthday as being the central, most important holiday that a Satanist can celebrate.
This is best illustrated by Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs:
First, you must take care of your physical needs, having stable housing and food and the basics of survival.
Beyond that you need security to ensure that your physical needs will not be in danger of being lost.
Afterwards, you have social needs including finding work (to take care of your security and your physiological needs) and to be able to find your place in the world.
All of this leads to a stable self image and your ability to manifest your will. While Maslow never intended this method to be used by Satanists it is a great overall approach to becoming the best person that you were meant to be.
You can not live your true potential if you fail to recognize your talents and fail to take advantage of them. At the same time, you also can not live up to your true potential if you fail to recognize your weaknesses as well, and work on making them a strength instead.
This requires serious self-introspection and it is up to you to take the initiative to do this on your own. Of course, nothing will ever be perfect, but perfection is not the point. The idea is to optimize your living so that you can manifest your will in the best way possible.
I believe that this is what Satanists mean when they speak of becoming a god; that you have the responsibility to take control of your own life and to live your life in the best way possible. You also have the option of working with Satan as a god, but remember that in the end your own life and your own decisions are yours to make. Satan provides to us a symbol of enlightenment, personal freedom and will that enables us to reach towards this goal and become a living god.
References:
https://studybreaks.com/2017/04/07/satanist/ 5 Things You May Not Know About Satanists
http://www.churchofsatan.com/faq-fundamental-beliefs.php Fundamental Beliefs of the Church of Satan
https://satanicviews.wordpress.com/tag/becoming-your-own-god/ Satanic Views, Becoming Your Own God
https://zalbarath666.wordpress.com/articles/worship/ Worship In Theistic Satanism