At first glace, the skeptical reader might look at the diverse currents gathered here, and expect little but a nastier grade of nerdiness: admitted influences are the yogic philosophy of G.I. Gurdgieff and P.D. Ouspensky; the aggressive and antinomian individualism of Anton Szandor lavey’s particular brand of Satanism, H.P. Lovecrafts’ mythology of utterly alien beings, Godlike yet the products of a materialist universe, and the yet-more alien speculations of Thomas Ligotti, all mixed in with the authors own role-playing game, the Empire of Satanis, and bundled together with the Chaos Magick of Peter Carroll and Phil Hine. Yet the author has done far more than curry-comb the items on his perhaps geek-tinged bookshelf: He has found the common question in all of those canons: in effect arguing that the common cowardice decried by LeVay is held in place by the collective sleep-walking targeted by Gurdjieff and Ouspensky, and further cemented by the actual objective magickal effect of this psychological morass upon collectively created reality, and recalling the call to old individuality and awakening and creativity that these author aimed at, the author yelps: "Hell no!", and never one to be stuck in the negative, looks to Ligotti, Lovecraft and his own RPG to howl in reply to his own challenge: "Hell? Yes! HELL YES!!"

The model that Ligotti and Lovecraft give us, where all we know is but a membrane—perhaps a mucus membrane—across something vast and dark, this essay dares us—and isn’t waiting for a reply—to sunder our own crass mediocre reality—and not merely that sad symptom called “society”—as the Cthulhu gods or yet more tenebrous entities of Ligotti have done for us in their fiction. In this work, the principle means of defeating the plan of the Great old Ones is to not wait around on our asses for them to do what we might do for ourselves. Yet there is more than a fascinating synthesis of transgressive ideas: there is coherence, style, wit, and sudden turns of phrase and logic such that the reader soon ceases waiting for the juggler to drop all these bizarre objects of contemplation—instead the reader participates in seeing how the motion weaves a pattern of meaning that is so much more than the trick that first brings it together. The different things going into the book are diverse enough that anyone familiar with one might well not know some of the others: yet the synthesis is intuitive and logical, and well set forth, with just enough over-the-top stuff that we see that the author of this philosophy of transcendence -by-excess means business; more than that, we see that the author means aesthetics, after he has aptly demonstrated that aesthetics is the fabric which allows the stuff of busi-ness (action towards a goal) to have tangibility.

The graphics, all paintings by the author, are disturbing, exquisite, bluntly wierd and hinting, in their forms, of yet more behind them. The graphics alone are proof that a more creative, if more monstrous reality can be met by some version of this flexible, yet pointed and distinct system. We note that the authors RPG "Empire of Satanis" and it's source-book were received, on the whole, with the kind of frightened knee-jerk moralizing that demonstrates the current essays' entire point. Hopefully the positive reception of this work will cause Empire of Satanis to meet the long-overdue reappraisal by more discerning and creative minds that it deserves.

(a sample from Cthulhu Cult)

VI.

Satanic Providence

Howard Phillips Lovecraft lived and worked in opposition to this world, this life. Lovecraft wanted to escape. I knew this was true even before reading Michel Houellebecq's excellent analysis. Lovecraft was a dreamer, too sensitive to allow a mechanical existence to be the limit. His imagination went farther than his conscious mind could ever hope to.

H.P. Lovecraft, like Thomas Ligotti, knew that a secret order was at work, a vital mystery which leads straight into the horrible gulfs of the unknown void. This tainted knowledge is somehow central to humanity. We intuitively understand this despite the alien nature of Lovecraft's entities. The Old Ones are ancient and extra-terrestrial, so what could they have to do with us?

Lovecraft also pioneered the ancient astronaut theory: the idea that human civilizations were visited and given aid by alien beings long ago. These beings taught man an advanced wisdom and even possibly gave birth to our species. The popularity of this theory flourished in the decades that followed. Not because a reclusive antiquarian from Providence wrote about them, but because they struck a primal chord within us… the seekers, the dreamers, and the outsiders.

Now the entire occult world is filled with Lovecraftiana. His Mythos has infected Satanism, Setianism, Chaos Magic, Crowley's Thelema, Witchcraft, and Paganism. Most pedestrian HPL fans recoil when I mention Satanism in the same breath as their beloved atheist writer. Can they not read the voluminous verbiage for themselves? Can they not see what is written? Do they intend to save their precious secularist from the fires of Hell by denying the countless references to all things demonic?

If you doubt me, then go back and read his stories. No wonder Anton LaVey and Michael Aquino used the Mythos as a springboard. I can't think of a more Satanic writer than H.P. Lovecraft. His was a nebulous creed of fear; tapping into the metaphysical folklore of our past and the unexplored science of our future.

Yes, he has earned a seat at the left hand of The Horned One. And if so, then the Lovecraft circle is a feverish coven of insidious warlocks ready to do Satan's bidding. This Cult of Cthulhu bible, which you now hold, suggests that there is enough blasphemous lore to sustain a paradigm of Cthulhuism and Yog Sothothery. And not only a paradigm, but a religion. An evil religion without age or limitation; born of misanthropic, morbid, Byzantine fantasy and ready to take over the world!

Also, it should be noted that one doesn't need to be a believer to enjoy Cthulhu Cult. For instance, a Call of Cthulhu gamer could get a lot of use out of this tome. Yes, the cult's bible can be taken as fiction - merciful fiction where one can ignore the possibility that all of it might just be true...

Here is the link to order a copy from the publisher:

http://www.lulu.com/content/606582

Discord out! Slime on!

Benjamin

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