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Church of Satanic Brotherhood 51
Witches’ Sabbath, and marks the founding night
of the organization; and Halloween, is also a night
that, according to legend, is a time when dark
forces are unleashed.
Rituals are regarded as psychodramas and as
magical acts focusing upon psychokinetic force.
“Le Messe Noir,” the text used for the traditional
Black Mass ritual, is contained in Anton LaVey’s
The Satanic Rituals (1972). The mass is conceived
as a purging ritual during which psychodrama is
used to free individuals from the influence of
sacred intimidation. Contrary to the popular
myth that it is a staple rite, the black mass is only
rarely performed and then only by individuals
who feel Christianity has played a negative role in
their lives.
In 1967 the church received the attention of the
media when LaVey performed both the first publicized
Satanic wedding (an earlier one was private
and no media was invited) and a Satanic funeral
for a sailor. Membership grew rapidly, though it
has been speculated that the active membership
rarely exceeded 1,000.
In 1969 LaVey published the first of three
books, The Satanic Bible, containing the basic
philosophy of the Church of Satan. It was followed
by The Compleat Witch (1970), and The Satanic
Rituals (1972). He also began to work as a consultant
for the movie industry, becoming the occult
advisor on several films. He claimed to have
appeared briefly in Rosemary’s Baby as the Devil,
although critics have disputed this claim.
By the 1970s, the Church of Satan had a
national membership and groups (referred to as
grottos) in many cities around the United States. At
one time it was considered the largest occult
organization in America. The Cloven Hoof, edited
initially by LaVey and later by others, was the
newsletter of the church.
The Church of Satan was a rich source of splinter
groups. In 1973 the Church of Satanic
Brotherhood was formed by grotto leaders from
Ohio, and had templums (their terminology for
grottos) in Michigan, Ohio, and Florida. The
church lasted only until 1974, when one of the
founders announced his conversion to
Christianity in a dramatic incident staged for the
press in St. Petersburg. Other members of the
Church of Satan in Kentucky and Indiana left to
form the Ordo Templi Satanas, also short-lived.
LaVey subsequently disbanded the remaining
grottos, the local units of the Church of Satan, and
decided to reorganize the church as a fellowship of
individuals. According to LaVey, grotto activities
were curtailed because he felt that more attention
was being given to having position inside the
church than to accomplishments in the outside
world. This decision prompted yet another schism
by Michael Aquino and others who left to form
the Temple of Set.
LaVey died in 1997, and the leadership passed
to his longtime companion, biographer, and
personal assistant, Blanche Barton, who is the
mother of his son. On Walpurgisnacht of 2001,
Peter H. Gilmore was appointed High Priest of the
Church of Satan. The headquarters of the church
is presently located in New York City where the
High Priest resides.
See also LaVey, Anton
For Further Reading:
Aquino, Michael A. The Church of Satan. 4th ed.
Self-published, 1999.
Barton, Blanche. The Church of Satan: A History of
the World’s Most Notorious Religion. New York:
Hell’s Kitchen Productions, 1990.
Flowers, Stephen E., Lords of the Left Hand Path.
Smithville, TX: Runa-Raven Press, 1997.
LaVey, Anton Szandor. The Satanic Bible. New York:
Avon, 1969.
Church of Satanic Brotherhood
The Church of Satanic Brotherhood was founded
in March 1973 by John De Haven, Joseph M.
Daniels, Ronald E. Lanting, and Harry L. Booth
as a result of the controversy that developed
among the Midwestern grottoes of the Church of
Satan. The Stygian Grotto of the Church of Satan
in Dayton, Ohio, dissolved on February 11, 1973,
for “having been acting in violation of the law,”
according to Anton LaVey. The Church of Satanic
Brotherhood followed the practices of the
Church of Satan, although many exceptions grew
out of the controversy, and the intense polemic
against LaVey.
The church spread rapidly, and grottoes were
opened in St. Petersburg, Florida; Dayton-