TEMPLE OF SET
POST OFFICE BOX 29271
SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94129

GENERAL INFORMATION STATEMENT REVISED 2/XXII AS-

following is a summary of the organization and philosophy of the temple of 
set for members of the compuserve religion forum: 

history of the temple

while the temple of set as an organization was formally incorporated in 1975 
ce, its magical and philosophical roots are prehistoric, originating in 
mankind's first apprehension that there is "something different" about the 
human race - a sense of self-consciousness that places humanity apart from 
and above all other known forms of life. 

ancient religions - of which those of egypt are generally acknowledged the 
eldest - either exalted or feared this self-consciousness. those which 
exalted it took the position that the human psyche is capable of opposition 
to and domination of the forces of nature. those fearing it warned man that 
such a presumption of independence would be sinful and dangerous. therefore, 
they said, such "will to power" should be concealed, sublimated - and if 
necessary punished and exterminated - that mankind might return to an eden-
like "state of nature" untroubled by the burdens of having to take 
responsibility for decisions, judgments, and actions based upon an 
essentially personal determination of "good" and "evil". 

the psyche-worshipping religions were more intellectually demanding than 
their nature-worshipping counterparts, since it is more difficult to reason a 
path through one's span of conscious existence than it is to be swept along 
by a current of semi-rational stimulus and response. the reasoning religions 
- or schools of initiatory philosophy -attained levels of abstract knowledge 
that made them mysterious to the masses. in a few societies, such as egypt 
and greece, such groups were respected and admired. more often, however, 
their exclusive elitism and "supernatural" activities made them objects of 
resentment and persecution. 

while all philosophical schools embraced the psychecentric consciousness to 
some degree, there were a very few that made it avowedly and explicitly the 
focus of their attention. the divine personifications ("gods") of such 
schools have come down to us as symbols of what worshippers of non-
consciousness consider the supreme "evil": the prince of darkness in his many 
forms. of these the most ancient is set, whose priesthood can be traced to 
predynastic times. images of set have been dated to ca. 3200 bce, with 
astronomically-based estimates of inscriptions dating to ca. 5000 bce. 

the original priesthood of set in ancient egypt survived for twenty-five 
recorded dynasties (ca. 3200-700 bce). it was one of the two central 
priesthoods in predynastic times, the other being that of harwer ("horus the 
elder"). unification of egypt under both philosophical systems resulted in 
the nation's being known as the "two kingdoms" and in its pharaohs wearing 
the famous "double crown" of horus and set. 

originally a circumpolar/stellar deity portrayed as a cyclical counterpart to 
the solar horus, set was later recast as an evil principle by the cults of 
osiris and isis. during the xix and xx dynasties set returned as the 
pharaonic patron, but by the xxv dynasty (ca. 700 bce) a new wave of osirian 
persecution led to the final destruction of the original priesthood of set. 
when the hebrews emigrated from egypt during the xix dynasty, however, they 
took with them a caricature of set: "satan" (from the hieroglyphic set-hen, 
one of the god's formal titles). 

after the eclipse and extinction of the original priesthood of set during the 
osirian dynasties of egyptian decadence, few "satanic" sects have been able 
to survive long enough, or to carry on their activities openly enough to rise 
to significant heights of sophistication. most remained at the level of 
primitive "devil-worship" or "witchcraft" -ironically the very stereotype 
assigned to them by monotheistic religious establishments. adoption of such 
"blasphemous and diabolical" practices by ignorant people who were crying out 
to unchain their souls as best they could only made them easier targets for 
persecution, which was generally meted out with sadistic enthusiasm. it is 
historically estimated that some 13 million accused satanists were tortured 
and burned to death in medieval and renaissance europe alone. many european 
museums still display the grisly, almost unbelievably cruel devices used in 
such torture, and detailed records of the "trials" and "confessions" of the 
victims survive in shameful abundance. cases of torture, murder, and 
genocidal extermination of "infidels" and "heathens" in other areas of the 
world similarly abound - and stand collectively in testimony to the appalling 
legacy of the world's major monotheistic religions. it must further be 
remembered that the more "tolerant" climate of modern times did not come 
about through the wishes of conventional churches themselves, but rather 
through their increasing rejection by a mankind exhausted by religious 
warfare and terrified by the wanton viciousness of such establishments as the 
"holy office" (better known as the inquisition). 

if the "enlightenment" of the 17th and 18th centuries succeeded in reducing 
christianity - the dominant monotheism of europe - to a secular moral 
metaphor, it was not until the late 19th century that the so-called "black 
arts" began to be tolerated, and then only in their most sanitized and pious 
form. from freemasonry came a ceremonial magical offshoot - rosicrucianism - 
which became increasingly more sophisticated in the rosicrucian society of 
england (s.r.i.a.) and then in the famous hermetic order of the golden dawn 
(g.'.d.'.). 

in 1904 an adept of the g.'.d.'. named aleister crowley broke away from that 
disintegrating body to form his own order of the astrum argenteum (a.'.a.'.). 
to the rosicrucian/ceremonial magical philosophy of the g.'.d.'., crowley 
added first a strong emphasis on attainment of the highest level of self-
consciousness ("knowledge and conversation of the holy guardian angel") and 
later the masonic/sexual magic practices of germany's order of oriental 
templars (o.t.o.). the latter practices, together with crowley's cavalier 
lifestyle, brought him public notoriety. his organizations survived his 1947 
death only in highly-fragmented and doctrinarily degenerate factions. 

in 1966 a san francisco sorcerer named anton szandor lavey founded the church 
of satan as a medium for the study of the black arts and as an ethical 
statement repudiating the religious hypocrisy of conventional society. the 
church remained principally a san francisco phenomenon for its first four 
years, then during 1970-1974 branched out across the united states and canada 
with local "grottos" headed by those ordained to the satanic priesthood (the 
priesthood of mendes). 

the church of satan's attitude towards magic was more pragmatic and 
utilitarian than that of such mystically-based organizations as the g.'.d.'. 
and a.'.a.'. it saw no need for exhaustive studies into the often incoherent 
and inconsistent concepts of the cabala, nor did it see anything 
extraordinarily significant in sex-magic. rather it chose to approach the 
occult arts and sciences more rationally and even scientifically, employing 
"occam's razor" to design and conduct workings of ritual magic that were 
simple and direct, yet effective. in this the church was generally 
successful, but it continued to experience increasing difficulty with the 
basic nihilism and negative connotations of its religious imagery. it could 
not escape the self-assumed limitation of being "anti-christian", and of 
course the parameters of philosophy and metaphysics have been extended far 
beyond the primitive and superstitious conceptual and symbolic limits of the 
judaic/christian tradition. 

it also proved to be a misfortune of modern satanism that, en route to 
divinity, the psyche is prone to superficial egotism. the church suffered 
periodically from petty crises and scandals among the general membership, and 
finally anton lavey lost confidence in its organizational viability. in 1975 
he made a decision to redesign it as a non-functional, insincere showcase for 
his personal glamorization and financial income. this decision was 
emphatically rejected by the majority of the priesthood, who immediately 
resigned from the church in protest and denied its legitimacy as a true 
church of satan henceforth. the senior initiate, michael a. aquino, invoked 
the prince of darkness in quest of a new mandate to preserve and enhance the 
more noble concepts which the church of satan had conceived and outlined. 
that mandate was given in the form of the book of coming forth by night - a 
statement by that entity, in his most ancient semblance as set, ordaining the 
temple of set to succeed the church. 

the temple was incorporated in california as a non-profit church in 1975, 
receiving both state and federal recognition and tax-exemption later that 
same year. it has since remained the sole satanic religious institution 
possessing these legal credentials. 

the setian philosophy

since movements dedicated to the prince of darkness have been so ill-
tolerated by the masses of humanity wherever and whenever they have appeared, 
why have they survived at all? why do they continue to exercise such unique 
attraction, and why now should the temple of set be of particular interest? 

the appeal of occultism is much the same as that of conventional religion: 
logical positivism and scientific materialism, though they have made great 
strides towards explaining the "how" of existence, have failed entirely to 
explain the "why". hence the curious seek answers in metaphysical philosophy 
or religion. metaphysical philosophy requires a logical base from which 
various suprarational principles are induced. conventional religion is the 
simplification of such a philosophy into a crude ideology, which adherents 
need not understand, but only accept as an act of blind faith. 

conventional religions, with their colorful mythologies analyzed in terms of 
the underlying philosophical principles, represent simply the primitive 
longing of mankind to feel "at one" with the universal harmony he perceives 
about him. "white" magic, as practiced by primitive pagan and modern 
institutional religions, offers devotees the illusion of "re-inclusion" in 
the universal scheme of things through various ritualistic devotions and 
superstitions. 

the black magician, on the other hand, rejects both the desirability of union 
with the universe and any self-deceptive antics designed to create such an 
illusion. he has considered the existence of the individual psyche - the 
"real you" of your conscious intelligence - and has taken satisfaction from 
its existence as something unlike anything else in the universe. the black 
magician desires this psyche to live, to experience, and to continue. he does 
not wish to die - or to lose his consciousness and identity in a larger, 
universal consciousness `assuming that such a universal consciousness 
exists\. he wants to be. this decision in favor of individual existence is 
the first premise of the temple of set. 

the second premise of the temple is that the psychecentric consciousness can 
evolve towards its own divinity through deliberate exercise of the 
intelligence and will, a process of becoming or coming into being whose roots 
may be found in the dialectic method expounded by plato and the conscious 
exaltation of the will proposed by nietzsche. 

ironically it is the very ease with which any individual can apprehend and 
appreciate his or her personal psyche that has frightened the many religions 
of the world which deny and oppose the power of that psyche. clothed though 
they may be in riches, ritual, and respectability, they always have been and 
remain obsessed with the suppressed knowledge of their own essential 
insubstantiality. they endeavor to distract attention from this by sponsoring 
shows of mind-numbing drugs, mantras, masses, privations, entertainments, and 
penances to coax or cow their flocks of adherents into a confused, 
apprehensive, but trusting state of faith and automatic obedience. they 
shudder with horror at the psyche; they paint it red and add horns, cloven 
hooves, and a forked tail to dramatize how "dangerous" it is. yet they can 
never escape it or defeat it, because they have never really succeeded in 
opposing themselves to it - merely in distorting and perverting it. how could 
they destroy something which, in the final analysis, is the conscious self of 
every human being? 

the "worship" of set is thus the "worship" of individualism. in the church of 
satan this was taken to mean indulgence in all `legal\ desires of the body 
and ego. since many such desires are impulsive and destructive, the church 
found itself in the awkward position of de facto endorsing many practices 
which were degrading rather than exalting, and which simply accelerated the 
tensions resulting in the eventual crisis of 1975. the temple of set 
determined to preserve the principle of individualism, but to add to it the 
"higher self" aspirations of aleister crowley's pre-o.t.o. philosophy of 
thelema. glorification of the ego is not enough; it is the complete psyche - 
the entire self or soul - which must be recognized, appreciated, and 
actualized. the process by which this exaltation of the psyche is sought is 
called by the name xeper `pronounced "kheffer"; it is the egyptian 
hieroglyphic term for "to become" or "to come into being"\. 

the means by which setians seek to xeper are many. as a matter of principle 
the temple declines to standardize its approach to initiates. each may pursue 
topics of greatest personal interest with whatever emphasis and at whatever 
rate desired. the temple seeks merely to be a forum for setians to 
communicate and cooperate with one another constructively and courteously. 
many ideas and philosophies are discussed within it, but such discussion does 
not constitute the dictation of dogma. indeed dogma - to include fixed 
ideology in any form - is repugnant to the temple. we strive rather towards 
an atmosphere of "best possible premises", which are always subject to 
constructive, intelligent examination and criticism. that same atmosphere is 
socratic, however, in that foolish, pretentious, or destructive egotism under 
the guise of exploration is neither respected nor endured. 

while it is obvious that setians have more than enough interests to occupy an 
organization with many times our membership and resources on a full-time 
basis, the temple of set is not intended to consume the energies or 
lifestyles of its initiates. since a truly adept magician must interact 
constructively and comfortably with conventional society, encouragement of 
monastic isolation within temple circles would be counterproductive to 
personal development and even constrictive of the flexibility necessary to 
the entire temple. setians are accordingly advised to pursue as wide a 
variety of secular interests as possible, and to let setian philosophy apply 
to them only as reasonably appropriate. 

structure and operation

the deliberately individualistic atmosphere of the temple of set is not 
easily conducive to group activities on a routine or programmed basis. there 
are no congregations of docile "followers" - only cooperative philosophers 
and magicians. 

supreme authority in the temple is held by the council of nine, which 
appoints both the high priest of set and the executive director. initiates 
are recognized according to six degrees, based upon western magical tradition 
and incorporating features from many black magical societies: setian i', 
adept ii', priest or priestess of set iii', master of the temple iv', magus 
v', and ipsissimus vi'. recognition as an adept constitutes certification by 
the temple that one has in fact mastered and successfully applied the 
essential principles of black magic. the priesthood and higher degrees are 
conferred by set alone, and recognized by the temple according to his will. 

the design, care, and operation of the temple are entrusted by set to the 
priesthood. all initiates of the priesthood are originally highly qualified 
adepts in the black arts. most setians' contact with them will be in this 
context. because they are responsible for the integrity of the temple as a 
whole, however, initiates of the priesthood have the authority both to 
evaluate and recognize initiates' competence and, if necessary, to suspend or 
expel individuals who have proven themselves incapable of maintaining setian 
standards of dignity and excellence. the priesthood takes all of these 
responsibilities extremely seriously, since it regards its name literally and 
its trust as sacred. in this respect it stands significantly apart from 
conventional religious clergy, who de facto consider their "priesthoods" as 
social professions and their deities as mere symbols and metaphors for their 
institutional or personal moral ideologies. 

the knowledge of the temple of set is made available through four principal 
avenues: an extensive, annually-updated reading list of published works in 
over twenty specialized fields; the newsletter scroll of set, the newsletter 
runes of the temple's order of the trapezoid; and the series of loose-leaf 
encyclopaedias entitled the jeweled tablets of set. the contents of the 
scroll and runes are time-dated, of course, but the contents of the tablets 
change periodically as ideas are advanced, improved, or disproved; or as they 
become more or less relevant to the temple's areas of concern. 

in the old church of satan and in the present-day temple of set, most 
initiates have been geographically distant from one another. this has 
necessitated organizational services geared more towards the individual than 
to local groups `though the temple has provision for "pylons" just as the old 
church did for "grottos"\. it has also meant that setians supervise the 
temple and interact with one another largely by correspondence. 

setians tend to form friendships and to meet with one another on an 
individual or group basis `the larger gatherings are called "conclaves"\, but 
there is no requirement for either group activity or regularly-scheduled 
"devotions" of any sort. affiliation is kept confidential. in summary, 
setians may apply the services and systems of the temple as they wish, and as 
they deem most complementary to their xeper. 

an important clarification

as noted above, much of the vicious propaganda concerning medieval satanism 
became self-fulfilling prophecy as ignorant would-be witches and sorcerers 
superstitiously experimented with cannibalism, drugs, grave-robbing, church 
desecration, and sexual violence. regretfully there still exist some 
individuals whose idea of "satanism" is largely a simple-minded synthesis of 
christian propaganda and hollywood horror movies. the temple of set enjoys 
the colorful legacy of the black arts, and we use many forms of historical 
satanic imagery for our stimulation and pleasure. but we have not found that 
any interest or activity which an enlightened, mature intellect would regard 
as undignified, sadistic, criminal, or depraved is desirable, much less 
essential to our work. 

the temple of set is an evolutionary product of human experience. such 
experience includes the magical and philosophical work of many occult 
organizations and orders which have preceded us. some of these groups were 
socially acceptable by contemporary or modern standards; others were not. 
some individuals or groups made brilliant discoveries in one field of 
interest while blighting their reputations with shocking excesses in others. 
in examining the secret and suppressed corners of history for valuable and 
useful material, the temple must be at pains to insist upon its ethical 
presentation and use of such discoveries as it makes. setians who are in any 
doubt as to the ethics involved in any of the fields which we explore should 
seek counsel from the priesthood. all setians are further expected to display 
a high measure of common sense in this area. 

the black arts are dangerous in the same way that working with volatile 
chemicals is dangerous. this is most emphatically not a field for unstable, 
immature, or otherwise emotionally or intellectually weak-minded people. such 
are a hazard to themselves and to others with whom they come into contact. 
the temple endeavors to not admit them to begin with. if such an individual 
should gain admittance and later be exposed, he will be summarily expelled. 
in cases of doubt the temple may be expected to place the burden of proof on 
the individual, for the sake of all setians and the temple's integrity. 

the temple of set evaluates conventional religions - in which we include 
"white" occultism and neopaganism - as outlets for emotional expression 
rather than as systems for personal initiation. our position is that they may 
indeed serve a useful social function as purveyors of soothing myths and 
fantasies to humans unable to attain setian levels of self-consciousness. 

these clarifications are not intended to be oppressive or intimidating, but 
they should be taken seriously. the temple is a forum for the investigation 
of many subjects which conventional society finds odd, mysterious, and even 
extremely frightening. the temple will be tolerated only to the extent that 
it is known to be pursuing its interests carefully, expertly, and 
responsibly. it occupies a delicate position in a world which is largely 
unhappy with itself, and which is ceaselessly searching for scapegoats. hence 
the temple must take care to maintain its social balance with prudence and 
dignity. 

affiliation

in the church of satan we learned that there were many people who wished to 
"visit", to "study", and to "observe" without the least intention of a 
personal commitment. for many years the church endeavored to accommodate such 
dilettantes on the assumption that, upon exposure to the philosophy, they 
would appreciate its essential requirement for such a commitment. we were 
wrong. once being in the position to enjoy the "accessories" of the 
philosophy without having to confront its core principle, they continued to 
vampirize the church indefinitely. they contributed as little as they could, 
took as much as they could, and ultimately constituted the single most 
destructive influence leading to the church's corruption in 1975. 

the temple of set has determined that it will not make the same mistake. its 
activities, publications, knowledge, and services are reserved for those who 
affiliate with it, or on an individual-case basis, for non-setians who 
request assistance from the temple that we deem to be in our interests or in 
the interests of the community as a whole. 

admission information

information concerning admission to the temple may be requested from priest 
mitchell wade, executive director, temple of set, post office box 29271, san 
francisco, ca 94129. 

       --------------------------------------------------------

James Joyner
Secretary
James Lewis
Grand Master
Post Office Box 723
Baxley, Georgia 31513 U.S.A.


The Order of Leviathan began as an avenue for the exploration of the concepts 
and paths of immortality of the being, and as a framework for the 
comprehension of the "Statement of Leviathan" from the DIABOLICON. It has 
developed into the foundation from which the Word REMANIFEST was Uttered, and 
as such has its own raison d'etre within the Aeon of Set. It is devoted to 
the accumulation of individual and collective wisdom for the benefit of all 
who aspire to the knowledge of Set. 

The Order of Leviathan pledges its loyalty to the Temple of Set as the gem 
from which it operates and through which it can achieve maximum use for its 
Initiates. The OL is not designed to be competitive with the Temple's other 
Orders. It instead recognizes the presence and place of each as necessary to 
the path of the Aeon. All Orders are related in the search for knowledge 
specific to their areas of interest, and the OL draws from Ð and adds to Ð 
their banks of information. 

The field dealing with the questions of life and eternity is broad and not 
yet completely grasped by mankind. As a result the Order often may take 
unexpected turns in its explorations. The aims and goals of the Order of 
Leviathan have been defined as those of endless continuity and the 
exploration of true immortality, a concept which has been seen only faintly 
through the ages. Those objectives cannot be easily confined to one certain 
area and therefore the Order frequently finds itself faced with multifaceted 
possible answers ranging from the easily-overlooked basics to those requiring 
a forum setting which end with answers marked by exacting precision. The 
Temple's Reading List will be accessed and augmented by those volumes 
recommended by the Order as a part of the BOOK OF LEVIATHAN.  One of the 
greatest hindrances to the translation of gathered knowledge into dynamics is 
the presence of the flaws and fictions the questing mind will so frequently 
encounter. The OL keeps a Setian [and Satanic] eye out for such useless 
lumber, and endeavors to extract the gems for the use of ourselves and those 
future Setians who will come after us. 

The knowledge available for the taking, even at the First Degree level, is 
staggering once put to the test and proven viable to the Initiate's 
satisfaction. Those Initiates who express and then demonstrate an interest in 
the Order of Leviathan may expect the Grand Master's attention and 
cooperation in gaining as much knowledge and understanding as they Will to 
gather unto themselves. The topics seekers may expect to find available will 
range from LBM [Lesser Black Magic] to GBM [Greater Black Magic] techniques 
along with any number of topics and points in between. 

The Word of the Magus who emerged from the Order of Leviathan is REMANIFEST, 
a further explanation of the Word Xeper, itself the first Word of the Aeon of 
Set. Papers dealing with the Word Remanifest can be found in the RUBY and 
ONYX TABLETS OF SET, but First Degree Initiates should not feel the subject 
is forbidden to them. A Word, once Uttered, is for all, and First Degree 
members will find the time spent in gathering knowledge of Remanifest's 
nuances and implications an excellent tool both for understanding something 
as simple as the actions of others and for grasping Lesser and Greater Black 
Magical Works.  Remanifest is defined as THE EMERGING OF A NEW STATE OF BEING 
RESULTING FROM WORD WITH PAST AND PRESENT AEONIC WORDS. Stated simply, it is 
the emergence of a newly aware individual presence made stronger and more 
acutely aware of itself, its powers, and the cosmos as a direct result of its 
own efforts. Originally felt to be an answer to the question of Being 
extending beyond the limits of the biological envelope known as the body, 
Remanifest has shown itself to have more immediate intimations for those who 
make the deliberate choice to separate themselves from the lowest common 
denominator pull of the cosmos. The Word, Uttered in November of XXI and 
coming from the second kind of Magus described in "One Star in Sight," was 
brought forth by Set that his Elect might Xeper to a greater extent and 
receive more of the essence spoken of in the BOOK OF COMING FORTH BY NIGHT. 
The Order of Leviathan acknowledges and affirms Xeper as the Aeonic Word of 
our time, and works to emphasize it rather than conflict with it. Promoting 
the knowledge and understanding of the combined effects of Xeper and 
Remanifest is another priority of the Order and it welcomes questions and 
comments regarding them. 

A certain amount of time and attention is given to the study of the 
"Statement of Leviathan" in the DIABOLICON. That Statement, the last of the 
document, presents difficulties in understanding and is easily 
misinterpreted. The Grand Master's own Understanding of the passages causes 
the development of an inner urge to Work with the meanings, and to discover 
the applicabilities of the Statement for others who feel similar stirrings 
deep within themselves. 

The Order of Leviathan is open to Second and Third Degree members of the 
Temple of Set. Entry is by application to the Grand Master and a period of 
dialogue between the applicant and the Grand Master may be required before 
entry is approved. The Temple asks that First Degree Initiates concentrate 
their efforts in the direction of attaining the skill and knowledge which are 
the hallmark of the Adept before considering affiliation with any of the 
Orders. The Fourth Degree plus are considered members of the OL by virtue of 
their Understanding and Tasks. The Order of Leviathan underwent a time when 
it was not accepting members due to reconfiguration and new approaches to its 
goals. That time has now passed and interested Initiates may apply to the 
Grand Master for further information about the Order and affiliation with it. 

The Order publishes a monthly newsletter, THE TRAIL OF THE SERPENT, which is 
made available to Order members at no charge. Non-affiliates of the Order may 
request a limited subscription to allow becoming familiar with the philosophy 
of the Order of Leviathan. Requests for TRAIL OF THE SERPENT subscriptions 
should be sent to the Order's secretary, James C. Joyner, at Post Office Box 
723, Baxley, Georgia, 31513, U.S.A.. Requests for subscriptions can also be 
submitted through electronic mail on MCI Mail, CompuServe, and American 
PeopleLink. The TRAIL OF THE SERPENT is restricted to Intra-Temple 
distribution only. The Order of Leviathan has also produced the BOOK OF 
LEVIATHAN, a survival manual in the true sense of the word. Carrying written 
works specific to the Order, the BOOK OF LEVIATHAN is issued only to members 
of the Order, although its contents can be seen in the RUBY TABLET Table of 
Contents. 

Those interested in information regarding the Order of Leviathan may contact 
the Grand Master through the Post Office Box 723 address if using 
conventional mail. Initiates with electronic mail access may contact the 
Grand Master through the following electronic addresses: 

MCI Mail:  336-6615
CompuServe: 70327,1216
American PeopleLink: IPSISSIMUS

The Word of the Aeon of Set is Xeper, to Come Into Being. Its result and 
further concretization is that the Initiate of the Black Arts will 
Remanifest. 

Revised September 13, XXIV A.S.
Prepared for IllumiNet January 6, XXVI A.S.

NOTE TO ILLUMINET USERS:
The Order of Leviathan can be contacted through those electronic sources 
above. The Grand Master is on CompuServe and MCI Mail. The Secretary is on 
American PeopleLink and IllumiNet. The Statement of the Order appears in the 
CRYSTAL TABLET OF SET, the introductory volume sent to all new Initiates of 
the Temple of Set. We extend to sysop Ron Bonds our appreciation for his open 
minded [and refreshingly non-hysterical] approach to the Temple and its 
members. The Order's Secretary and its Grand Master will be happy to answer 
any questions users might have about the Temple of Set and its approach to 
and use of Black Magic. The Grand Master's European address is BM Box 4793, 
London WC1N-3XX, England. He can be contacted on the west coast at Post 
Office Box 470307, San Francisco, CA 94147, USA. 

       --------------------------------------------------------

"Orders of the Temple of Set"
Reprinted from: _The Crystal Tablet of Set_
(c) Temple of Set, January 1, 1990 CE
Weirdbase file version by TS permission

by Michael A. Aquino, Ipsissimus VI* Temple of Set
Electronic mail: MCI-Mail 278-4041

Within the Temple of Set there exist a number of specialized Orders, each 
supervised by a IV*+ Initiate as Grand Master of that Order. Perhaps the best 
way to visualize the Temple of Set's concept of Orders is to think of the 
Temple as a university, with the Orders as the various academic departments. 
Students at the university, in the course of their general education, may 
sample subjects at appropriate introductory levels in various departments. 
Upon completing their general education, students with an interest in or 
aptitude for a particular department may "major" in that department and 
possibly go on to graduate work in that field. Nonetheless all the 
departments cooperate in the operation of the university as a whole, and its 
general academic environment lends a sense of perspective to the various 
departments - so that their faculty and students can relate to a world beyond 
their field of specialization. General guidelines concerning the Temple of 
Set's Orders are as follows: 

1. Only a IV* Initiate may establish an Order within the Temple. This has 
been the traditional prerogative of this degree since the time of the 
G.'.D.'. and the A.'.A.'. 

2. An Order is characterized by special interests and emphases, which may be 
formalized by special introductory and ritual procedures within that Order. 
Such interests and emphases may not clash with those of the Temple of Set as 
a whole, and an Order's initiatory system must be subordinate to and 
supportive of the system of the Temple as a whole. 

3. The Grand Master (presiding IV*+) of each Order exercises complete 
authority over that Order, subject to the review of the High Priest of Set. 

4. Subject to exemptions approved by the High Priest, Orders will accept only 
II*+ Setians as Initiates. This is based on the premise that I* Setians 
should concentrate on their "general magical education" prior to specializing 
within a particular Order. 

5. While an Adept II* may specialize indefinitely, a Priest or Priestess of 
Set III* must possess a high level of general knowledge. IV*+s who are Grand 
Masters of Orders will not Recognize new III*s solely on the basis of their 
competence within a particular Order, but rather according to their broader 
skills and State of Being within the Temple of Set and the AEon. 

6. The fruits of an Order's work must actively extend beyond the Initiates of 
that Order to the Temple of Set as a whole. The only exception to this is 
that initiatory ceremonies within an Order may be private to that Order, per 
the magical principle that uninvolved observers at such ceremonies can impair 
their effectiveness. 

7. A Setian may belong to only one Order [in addition to the Order of the 
Trapezoid] within the Temple of Set, on the premise that personal efforts 
would otherwise be diluted. On the same premise, personal movement between 
various Orders will be discouraged. Aspirants are advised to interview and 
correspond with various Orders before making a personal commitment to any one 
in particular. 

8. It is not necessary for a Setian to affiliate with any Order. Setians of 
all degrees may freely visit activities of all Orders, except as noted in #6 
above. 

9. There is no required or standard internal design for an Order, save that 
each be headed by a IV*+ with the formal title of Grand Master. 

10. Order insignia may be worn either together with Temple of Set insignia or 
alone. When it is worn with Temple insignia, it must not conflict with, 
cover, or displace it. 

11. The Order of the Trapezoid (O.Tr.) will be accorded the distinction of 
"first among equals" as an Order, due to its legacy in the Church of Satan 
and Temple of Set. This is an honorary distinction alone and infers no "rank 
above" any other Order. The O.Tr. incurs a special responsibility to "set the 
example" for other Orders, and to creditably represent the institution of 
Orders within the Temple of Set. 

12. Priests and Priestesses of Set III* will be encouraged to involve 
themselves with specialized concerns of an Order only after their Priestly 
affairs are amply in hand. In all cases this means active involvement with 
potential Setians and I*/II* Setians who are working to become fully Adept at 
the Black Arts at a personal level. In many cases it further means the 
establishment and leadership of a Pylon of the Temple. [The effect of this 
provision is that an enthusiastic II* member of a particular Order will have 
to resolve to put Order-specific interests on the back burner should he or 
she be Recognized to the Priesthood of Set. Active work within Orders will be 
done mostly by II* and IV* Initiates, with III*s contributing only after 
their more general responsibilities within the Temple are fulfilled. Hence 
II*s who are intensely interested in a particular Order should consider this 
provision before aspiring to the III*.] 

13. Orders' areas of focus may be historic, philosophical, geographic, 
psychological, or almost anything else that does not conflict with the Temple 
of Set's basic ethical guidelines. 

       --------------------------------------------------------

"Order of the Trapezoid - Statement"
Reprinted from: _The Crystal Tablet of Set_
(c) Temple of Set, January 1, 1990 CE
Weirdbase file version by TS permission

Stephen E. Flowers
Magister Templi IV* Temple of Set
Grand Master, Order of the Trapezoid
Electronic mail: MCI-Mail 319-0074
 
Statement author: M.A. Aquino
Ipsissimus VI* Temple of Set
Grand Master Emeritus, O.Tr.
Electronic mail: MCI-Mail 278-4041

"When once the restraining talisman of the Christian cross is broken in 
Germany, then the fury of the ancient warriors, the berserk rage of which the 
Nordic poets sang, will surge up again. The old stone gods will rise from 
long-forgotten ruins and rub the dust of a thousand years from their eyes; 
and Thor with his giant hammer will leap up and smash the Gothic cathedrals. 
And when that crash comes, it will be like nothing heard before in history." 
- Heinrich Heine, 1834 

The "mainstream" of the Western magical tradition may be said to have a 
Mediterranean origin: Egypt, Mesopotamia, Greece, and Rome - and the later 
syntheses of these ancient cultures through the Medieval, Renaissance, and 
Enlightenment eras. 

In marked contrast to the Mediterranean tradition is the school of thought 
which originated in the northern areas of Europe and Scandinavia: the Nordic 
or Germanic tradition. Most notable in this tradition, of course, is its lack 
of features either derivative of Judaeo/Christianity or prior to and 
prototypical of it. The Germanic metaphysics developed in an alien 
environment, remained largely isolated from the Mediterranean influence 
during the Roman Empire, and were suppressed rather than assimilated during 
the Christian centuries which followed. 

It was in the late 19th century CE that this ancient Germanic tradition 
returned to play more than a mere mythological part in European affairs. It 
is perhaps not surprising that it surfaced during the Second Reich of Kaiser 
Wilhelm I and Otto von Bismarck. Until their unification by Prussia, the 
Germanic states had been weak and unstable in comparison to the larger 
nation-states of the continent. Periodically ravaged by foreign armies, 
Germany had earned the unenviable title of the "battleground of Europe". The 
19th century heralded the onset of a new movement in European culture: 
Romanticism. It was a reaction to and a rejection of the methodical, 
practical - but just as often frustrating and stifling - scientific 
materialism which had resulted from the industrial revolution. In its 
original, more transcultural sense, Romanticism implied uninhibited 
individualism. In German, however, it gripped the imagination to a somewhat 
deeper degree. Gustau Pauli, in Dehio's _Geschichte der deutschen Kunst_ 
(1919-1934), states: 

"Romanticism is Germanic and reached its purest expression in those 
territories which are most free from Roman colonization. Everything that is 
regarded as an essential aspect of the romantic spirit: irrationalism, the 
mystic welding-together of subject and object, the tendency to intermingle 
the arts, the longing for the far-away and the strange, the feeling for the 
infinite and the continuity of historic development - all these are 
characteristic of German Romanticism, and so much so that their union remains 
unintelligible to the Latins. What is known as Romanticism in France has only 
its name in common with German Romanticism." 

Crucial also to German Romanticism were the concepts of _dynamism_ and _life-
worship_. The former term represents an urge towards constant movement and 
evolution, whether intellectual, artistic, or social. It differs from the 
Setian concept of _Xeper_ in that Romantic dynamism is non-Platonic; it is 
supra-rational rather than guided by logic, ethics, and Noetic apprehension. 

German Romantic life-worship was not love and respect for the phenomenon of 
life per se, but rather a compulsion to exercise one's _own_ life - to 
"really live" rather than to simply exist. Again this is commendable, but as 
with dynamism it can be dangerous in excess - when one's "rage to live" 
interrupts and consumes the lives of others. 

The uncanny attraction of the Third Reich - Nazi Germany - lies in the fact 
that it endorsed and practiced both dynamism and life-worship without 
restraint and to a world-shaking degree of success. In _The Revolution of 
Nihilism_ (1939), Herman Rauschning said: 

"This irrational element in National Socialism is the actual source of its 
strength. It is the reliance on it that accounts for its 'sleepwalker's 
immunity' in the face of one practical problem after another. It explains why 
it was possible for National Socialism to attain power almost without the 
slightest tangible idea of what it was going to do. The movement was without 
even vague general ideas on the subject; all it had was boundless confidence: 
things would smooth themselves out one way or another ... Its strength lay in 
incessant activity and in embarking on anything so long as it kept things 
moving ... National Socialism is action pure and simple, dynamics _in vacuo_, 
revolution at a variable tempo, ready to be changed at any moment." 

Similarly the life-worship of the Third Reich was not what the 
"Mediterranean" mind understands by this term. The "life" is the life of the 
state, or more precisely the _Volk_ (perhaps best translated as the "soul of 
the people"). The individual achieves self-realization as, through his 
efforts, he contributes to the strengthening of this "soul". 

Just as the Third Reich's dynamism got out of hand, leading it to embark on 
irrational and destructive foreign invasions, so its life-worship - which 
could have been a truly evolutionary synthesis of the most sublime concepts 
of Hegel and Nietzsche - became perverted into crude xenophobia, hatreds 
built upon superficial notions of "race", and ultimately a maddened stampede 
towards a Wagnerian _Goetterdaemmerung_ in defiance of a return to 
rationalism. Said Heinrich Himmler on April 21, 1945: 

"We have made serious mistakes. If I could have a fresh start, I would do 
many things differently now. But it is too late. We wanted greatness and 
security for Germany, and we are leaving behind us a pile of ruins, a fallen 
world ..." 

The Order of the Trapezoid (O.Tr.) extracts the positive, the constructive, 
the exalted, and the Romantic from the Germanic magical tradition - and just 
as carefully avoids and rejects those excesses, distortions, and cruelties 
which have made this tradition an object of the most extraordinary fear, 
condemnation, and suppression in the postwar period. The Germanic tradition 
is also part of the legacy of the Prince of Darkness, hence is appropriate to 
an Order within the Temple of Set, which embraces all manifestations of the 
Powers of Darkness in the world. 

Nevertheless the care required in any investigation into this tradition 
cannot be overemphasized. Magical and research ability are not enough; 
ethical sensitivity and social discretion are just as important. The 
prospects for new and wondrous perspectives on the Black Art are 
exhilarating, but success will come only if the Order conducts its affairs 
with the same dedication and nobility that have made the Temple of Set a 
legend in its time. 

LINEAGE OF THE ORDER

The O.Tr. was founded as an informal Order within the Church of Satan by the 
authority of Anton Szandor LaVey as High Priest. Its existence was first 
announced in the December V/1970 _Cloven Hoof_: 

The O.Tr. is the "board of directors" and security staff of the Church. Its 
functions are many, and its members are chosen by appointment, according to 
the special abilities and attributes of each. All Priests and Priestesses are 
automatically admitted into the Order, although the identities of most 
members of the Order are unknown even to each other. Members of the Governing 
or Grand Council of the Trapezoid are known only to the High Priest, who 
solicits their aid when required. 

There was a strong Germanic element in the rituals of the early Church of 
Satan, deriving from the musical imagery of Richard Wagner and from the 
visual imagery of Weimar-era Expressionism (Max Reinhardt, Hans Poelzig). The 
significance of the trapezoid itself came from its suggestion of perspective 
and the distortion of that perspective in such UFA films as _The Cabinet of 
Dr. Caligari_ and _The Golem_. From ritual use of similar angles and planes 
in such ceremonies as "Die Elektrischen Vorspiele" [in _The Satanic 
Rituals_], Anton LaVey made observations culminating in his "Law of the 
Trapezoid": 

"All obtuse angles are magically harmful to those unaware of this property. 
The same angles are beneficial, stimulating, and energizing to those who are 
magically sensitive to them." 

In the December V/1970 _Cloven Hoof_ article, five literary sources for this 
principle were identified: William Mortensen's _The Command to Look_, Louis 
McCarty's _The Great Pyramid Jeezeh_, Sheila Ostrander & Lynn Schroeder's 
_Psychic Discoveries Behind the Iron Curtain_ (Chapter 27), Frank Belknap 
Long's _The Hounds of Tindalos_, and H.P. Lovecraft's _The Haunter of the 
Dark_. The Council of the Trapezoid, alternatively identified as the Council 
of Nine, was in fact an informal, unofficial cabinet without fixed 
membership, terms, or functions - and with no binding decision-making power. 
In X/1975 it attained formal status as the corporate board of directors and 
supreme executive body of the Temple of Set. 

Apart from early Council meetings, which ceased ca. late V, no Order meetings 
or functions distinct from those of the Priesthood were held in the Church of 
Satan. In VI the Order was officially defined as comprising the III*-V* 
initiates within the Church, i.e. the collective Satanic Priesthood. In VIII 
Anton LaVey again re-constituted the Order, this time to identify significant 
contributors to and representatives of the Satanic tradition, within or 
without the formal Church and Priesthood. Again there were no meetings, 
functions, or publications of this Order. 

From X to XIV the Order was again used as an alternate designation for all 
degrees within the Priesthood of Set, and at the Set-I Conclave in XIV the 
Council of Nine replaced the Satanic trident in its emblem with the _Tcham_ 
sceptre of Set. At the Set-III Conclave in XVI the Order was once again 
reconstituted, this time as an honorary designation for all present and past 
members of the Council of Nine, and its emblem was condensed to a pentagram 
within a trapezoid. 

In the _Walhalla_ or "Hall of the Dead" at Castle Wewelsburg, Westphalia - 
the subterranean sanctum sanctorum of the German castle which Heinrich 
Himmler had reconstructed for his own Workings in the Black Art - Michael A. 
Aquino, High Priest of Set, conducted a Working on October 19, XVII. One of 
the results of this Working was the reconstitution of the O.Tr. as a truly 
functioning Order under the authority of the Temple of Set. 

The O.Tr. is an Order of knighthood characterized by strict personal honor 
and faithfulness to the quest for the Grail. The Order is a knighthood in 
that its members are pledged to the traditional chivalric virtues as 
appropriate to each situation encountered. By honor is meant a sense of 
justice, ethics, and responsibility prior to personal comfort, convenience, 
or advantage. This honor is known by one's faithfulness to the Quest for the 
Grail, which is the self, soul, or psyche made perfect through conscious 
refinement and exercise of the Will. Attainment of the Grail results in 
transformation of the individual into a state of dynamic existence energized 
by the psyche, not by the physical body derived from the objective universe. 
Hence the O.Tr. is the gate to psychecentric immortality beyond physical 
death. 

The insignia of the O.Tr. is an inverse pentagram whose four upper points 
define the limits and angles of a _phi_-trapezoid. From the nethermost point 
of the pentagram radiates the Black Flame of Set, whose nine tongues signify 
the Council of Nine and complete the angular relationships of the pentagram 
and trapezoid. Rising from the Black Flame is a _Tcham_ sceptre, symbol of 
Pharaonic authority in ancient Egypt, bearing the head and forked tail of 
Set. The sceptre faces to the left, symbolic of the Left-Hand Path of Black 
Magic. The space between the Black Flame and the _Tcham_ sceptre forms the 
letter "W", signifying _Walhalla_. This is both the name of the chamber in 
the Wewelsburg, Westphalia wherein the Order was consecrated; and the famous 
hall of eternal life to which ancient Teutonic heroes were brought by the 
Walkyries and admitted by Wotan. Thus the letter "W" has a fivefold meaning 
(including the Motto of the Order) in addition to its primary reference. In 
the topmost three gaps between the pentagram and the trapezoid are the 
numbers 666, symbolic of the Prince of Darkness and of the First and Second 
Beasts revealed of him. The three sixes add to XVIII, the first Working Year 
following the creation of the Church of Satan, and the year in which the 
O.Tr. was returned to life. In the entire emblem there are no curved lines, 
signifying the Black Magical power of angular relationships and the Law of 
the Trapezoid. The emblem is further mathematically keyed to the _phi_-ratio. 

Admission to the O.Tr. is by invitation only. To be considered, one must 
first achieve the degree of Adept II* in the Temple of Set, and evidence a 
sufficiently comprehensive involvement in the Temple as a whole to preclude 
over-concentration in the magical philosophy of the Order. 

_RUNES_

_Runes_ is the newsletter of the O.Tr. It is named in honor of the _Runen_ 
newsletter of the _Germanen Orden_, an esoteric society in pre- and post-
World War I Germany. The Fenris Wolf on its masthead comes from ancient north 
European mythology. Fenris was one of the daemonic offspring of Loki, and the 
brother of Hel and of the Midgard Serpent. Growing up in Asgard among the 
gods, he eventually became so huge and fierce that the gods decided to bind 
him. The only cord which could hold Fenris was made of the elements of the 
Earth by the dwarves. It was said that at _Ragnaroek_, the end of times, 
Fenris would break free. According to the _Voeluspa_ (ca. 9th century CE), a 
text from Norway and Iceland: 

"The chains that hold the Fenris Wolf are rent asunder, and the Wolf courses 
about. Brothers shall fight and slay one another; sisters' sons shall break 
the bonds of kinship. It shall fare hard with the world: great whoredom, an 
axe-age, a sword-age, shields shall be cloven, a wind-age, a wolf-age, ere 
the world sinks in ruin. No man shall spare the other." 

Fenris as _Runes_' masthead thus symbolizes the Powers of Darkness 
temporarily constrained by the objective universe. It is also a reminder that 
the price of loosing the Wolf - to energize evolutionary consciousness in 
humanity - is to risk chaos in the natural order by lesser humanity's misuse 
of its power over nature. This is the AEon of Set, when the human psyche can 
soar free of its animalistic fetters; but it is also a wolf-age in which much 
of the planet suffers through human carelessness and callousness - the result 
of corruption of the powers of high intelligence. The O.Tr. seeks to allow 
Fenris to run free in his magnificence - as the Prince of Darkness created 
him - but further to show that his freedom through initiation of the Will 
will exalt, not debase mankind. 

The artistic rendition of Fenris is reproduced from the cover of the August 
1941 issue of _Germanien_, official journal of the _Ahnenerbe_, the elite 
section of the SS concerned with the theory and practice of the Black Arts. 

"Let none who fears
The spear of Wotan
Adventure across this fire!"
- Richard Wagner, _Die Walkuere

       --------------------------------------------------------


TEMPLE OF SET STATEMENT FOR THE U.S. ARMED FORCES
- as of February 17, XXVI/1991CE

The U.S. Army publishes a book entitled _DA Pamphlet 165-13: Religious 
Requirements and Practices of Certain Selected Groups - A Handbook for 
Chaplains_. This book was contracted to/prepared by the Institute for the 
Study of American Religion (ISAR), publishers of the _Encyclopaedia of 
American Religion_. The first edition of 165-13 was published in 1978, and it 
is presently being revised and updated by ISAR. Following is the Temple of 
Set's information as provided to ISAR for the new edition: 


1. NAME OF GROUP:

Temple of Set

2. OTHER NAMES OR DESIGNATIONS BY WHICH THE GROUP IS KNOWN:

Within this religion its principles are termed "Setian", and individual 
affiliates are termed "Setians". As the original god Set was later 
caricatured as the "Satan" of Judaeo-Christianity, Christians often interpret 
this religion as "Satanism" and its affiliates as "Satanists". Setians accept 
such labels only to the extent that the Christian Satan represents certain 
qualities of individualism and independence. Setians reject any 
interpretation of Satanism that glorifies or promotes evil or 
destructiveness. 

3. ADDRESS:

International & United States Office:

Temple of Set
Post Office Box 470307
San Francisco, CA 94147
Telephone: (415) 771-9155
Electronic Mail: MCI-Mail 314-3953
Telex: 6503143953

Temple offices & officials in other countries may be contacted in care of the 
International Office. 

4. NAME/TITLE OF CURRENT INTERNATIONAL LEADER:

Michael A. Aquino
High Priest of Set

5. NAME/TITLE OF CURRENT UNITED STATES LEADER:

[Same]

6. MEMBERSHIP:

Not published.

7. HISTORICAL ORIGINS:

Together with the Priesthood of Horus, the original Priesthood of Set was the 
most ancient of the Egyptian religious orders, dating (by surviving 
predynastic images of Set) to at least 3200 BCE and by the Egyptians' own 
astronomically-based records to approximately 5000 BCE. The Setian religion 
played a prominent role in Egyptian society throughout its development, to 
include being the state religion of the XIX-XX dynasties of the New Empire. 
It appears to have been eclipsed approximately 1000 BCE. 

Thereafter what may be termed the "Satanic tradition" survived in successive 
Western civilizations in the form of philosophies and/or god-figures focusing 
on "awareness and activity beyond the natural order". Such range from the 
Prometheus of the Hellenes and the Lucifer of Christianity to the 
individualistic philosophies of Pythagoras, Plato, and Nietzsche. The 
Romantic movement of the 1800s dramatized the Christian Devil as a heroic, 
Miltonian symbol, thus setting the stage for the eventual formation of the 
Church of Satan in 1966. 

The Temple of Set was founded in 1975 by the international Priesthood of the 
Church of Satan to supersede that institution (whose founder, Anton LaVey, 
had announced intentions to commercialize it). Simultaneously the anti-
Christian mythology and orientation of the Church of Satan were discarded in 
favor of the completely distinct character of the original Egyptian 
Priesthood of Set. The Temple of Set was incorporated as a non-profit church 
in California in 1975, and qualified for U.S. federal and state tax-exempt 
status that same year. 

8. BASIC BELIEFS:

The Temple considers itself to be consecrated by and dedicated to Set, 
originally an ancient Egyptian deity. One rival cult, that of Osiris - whose 
myths were erroneously assumed to be "pan-Egyptian" by later civilizations - 
portrayed Set as the god of evil. Setians themselves, however, did not then 
and do not now consider Set an evil figure, nor consider the Setian religion 
merely a refutation of conventional religion. 

Setians perceive the universe as a non-conscious but ordered environment 
within which Set has, over a period of millennia, altered the genetic 
development of at least one form of life to create a species - humanity - 
possessing an enhanced, self-conscious intelligence. The techniques and 
teachings of the Temple are designed to identify and develop this higher 
evolutionary potential in appropriate individuals. 

9. COMMON PRACTICES AND BEHAVIORAL STANDARDS:

While Setians focus on their own individual capabilities, they are also 
expected to have an appreciation of and respect for ethical behavior, to 
include the ideals of whatever social group - or political state - they have 
chosen to identify themselves with. 

In addition to conventional means of influencing the environment about them, 
Setians also employ "magic", by which they mean universal forces and 
psychological influences generally unknown to or unrecognized by society. 
Setian magic is referred to as "Black Magic" to distinguish it from "White 
Magic" (invocation of non-existent forces/influences for purposes of self-
delusion). The term "Black Magic" carries no connotation of evil or 
destructive intentions or ends. 

10. ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE:

The individual initiate is the conceptual focus of the Temple, as it is a 
device for the interaction of individuals as such. It is not a "mass" 
organization. Such structures as it incorporates are merely to enhance 
personal opportunities. 

The Temple as a California corporation is the property of the international 
Priesthood of Set, which delegates governing authority to the Council of Nine 
(board of directors). The Council in turn appoints the High Priest of Set, 
the Executive Director, and other officers of the Temple. 

The Temple includes a number of Orders, each supervised by a Grand Master. 
These Orders may be somewhat likened to the academic departments of a 
university, being vehicles for concentration and cooperation in specialized 
fields of philosophy and magic. 

Setians may also interact in Pylons, which are normally under the guidance of 
a Priest or Priestess of Set. Pylons are normally geographically localized, 
but also may extend over international distances. 

11. NATURE AND ROLE OF THE MINISTERIAL LEADERSHIP:

The Priesthood of Set is not understood to be a "leadership" or "pastoral" 
function in a structural or organizational sense. It is rather the direct, 
specific, and willful consecration of a particular individual by Set himself, 
formally recognized as such by the Temple of Set. Each Priest or Priestess of 
Set thus exercises the full religious authority of the entire Temple, subject 
only to the guidance of the Masters of the Temple. One member of the 
Priesthood is determined by the Council of Nine to serve as High Priest or 
High Priestess of Set. 

The Priesthood of Set is responsible to Set for the care of his Temple, and 
for reasonable guidance of and assistance to individuals who enter the 
Temple. The Priesthood is also responsible for dismissing from the Temple any 
person who cannot or will not uphold its initiatory or ethical standards. 

12. WORSHIP:

There are no regularly-scheduled, group "services" in the Temple. Nor would 
individual Setians be comfortable with the term "worship" - conveying as it 
does admiration of or devotion to a god or gods based on fear and faith. What 
the Setian performs instead are Workings of "Greater Black Magic" (as 
distinct from LBM discussed above), in which the personal consciousness is 
raised to direct association with that of Set. Collective GBM Workings 
involving any number of Setians may take place over great distances, or at 
gatherings called Conclaves. 

13. DIETARY STANDARDS:

It is the individual consciousness that is sacred within each Setian. 
Therefore any substance which impairs or distorts the consciousness, such as 
hallucinogenic drugs or excessive alcohol, is disapproved of by the Temple. 
Other than this there are no dietary guidelines. 

14. FUNERAL OR BURIAL PRACTICES:

The center of self-consciousness of each initiated Setian - the _ba_ of the 
ancient Egyptians - is perceived to separate from the physical body when that 
body ceases to be serviceable to it. The bodily remains themselves are then 
not considered to be sacred in any sense, though they may be cared for in any 
memorial way desired by the individual and his or her relatives. 

The _ba_ itself does not separate from the consciousness of Set, nor from 
those of other Setians via GBM Workings. Therefore no ritualized mourning is 
necessary. Nor are non-initiates of the Temple, whether officials of 
conventional religions or not, able or expected to perform any ceremony 
affecting the _ba_. 

15. MEDICAL PRACTICES:

The Temple has no prohibitions concerning medical practices save those that 
would be offensive to the ethics of the individual Setian. 

16. OTHER CONSIDERATIONS:

--- a. BELIEFS OR PRACTICES WHICH MIGHT CONFLICT WITH A MEMBER OF THE GROUP 
SERVING IN THE MILITARY OR OBEYING AN ORDER OF A DULY-APPOINTED SUPERIOR: 

As an institution the Temple of Set has no policies which in themselves 
prohibit or inhibit an individual Setian's national military service. Mention 
should again be made, however, of the Temple's strong emphasis upon 
individual and social ethics. If a Setian in the military of any country were 
given an order which he or she determined to be unacceptably unethical (not 
merely unpleasant or dangerous), the Temple would endorse that Setian's 
decision not to comply. The Setian would, of course, be expected to explain 
precisely upon what ethical grounds such a refusal appeared necessary. 

This expectation that any ethical refusal be explained is essential. Merely 
citing affiliation with the Temple of Set would not suffice. On the other 
hand, the mere fact that the Temple of Set did not have a written prohibition 
against some specific act would not prevent the Temple from endorsing a 
Setian's refusal to perform it if that refusal were precisely and 
conscientiously articulated. 

--- b. ATTITUDE TOWARDS PACIFISM:

The Temple of Set deplores violence or harm to any living being unless 
necessary for personal self-protection or preservation. Where an individual 
Setian's service in a national armed force is concerned, the Temple accepts 
this as a device for the security of political states which humanity has not 
yet outgrown. If a Setian accepts citizenship in a particular state, then 
along with that social contract come certain obligations of citizenship, 
military service perhaps among them. 

--- c. RECRUITMENT OF NEW MEMBERS:

The Temple of Set considers a metaphysical philosophy to be an intensely 
personal decision, and that the Setian state of awareness and being cannot be 
"advertised" or "merchandised" in any way. An individual either inclines to 
this state or does not. Therefore the Temple does not "recruit"; rather it 
simply makes the fact of its existence known and explains enough about itself 
when approached to interest persons with Setian potential and disinterest 
those without it. 

17. AUTHORIZED CONTACT PERSON: 

The Temple of Set does not participate in, or accept representation by the 
Corps of Chaplains in any branch of the armed forces of any nation. Inquiries 
may be addressed to the Executive Director at the Temple's office, and will 
be forwarded as appropriate. 

18. BOOK-LENGTH WORKS CONTAINING AN ACCEPTABLE DESCRIPTION OF THE GROUP: 

Annotated reading lists of published works in many categories relevant to the 
Temple of Set may be obtained through the Temple office.  
 
       ---------------------end of file------------------------