priorities, and ambitions. There is room for all of these things in the Temple of Set; indeed such diversity and
egocentrism are vital to development of the true Black Magician.
Additional supplements to Setamorphosis will be along as the course of events makes updates and additions
necessary. But Setamorphosis should be considered a sort of “sum of the future parts” of the Temple and not “the
most important part”.
(3) The entire “tone” of Setamorphosis seems very futuristic, very cold-blooded scientific, and very indefinite/
uncertain. By definition, religions are supposed to have pat answers and be comforting They are not supposed to
keep you awake at night wondering how many dimensions you exist in, etc.
Even the Church of Satan was a comforting religion in the old sense: It said that, even if appeals to God &
Jesus would not work, appeals to the Devil and his demons would. The C/S was a Dennis Wheatley novel come to
life, with necessary modifications to ensure that it would not actually violate any laws. And, even though we knew
that many of the demons in the Satanic Bible were Judaic/Christian creations and that some were scattered willy-
nilly across many religions and many civilizations, we still felt “deep down” that there was something really
authentic here that was not to be found in any other church.
In the Temple of Set this “something” was finally brought into crystal-clear focus as Set - who is undistorted,
underivative, uncompromising, and even uncontroversial.
Then, just as everyone’s Set-tling down in ancient Egypt, along comes Setamorphosis, and zoooom - we’re
talking in terms of the most advanced concepts in physics and metaphysics.
In point of fact it’s all quite consistent, because the Book of Coming Forth by Night makes it clear that the new
Æon is a formula for the future and not a mere retreat to the pastoral existence of ancient Egypt.
Yet we can’t help feeling a certain amount of culture shock. And nostalgia. Must we say goodbye to werewolves
and vampires and ghosts and goblins and horned entities from the Pit and the rest of the gang? Must a Setian be so
cerebral that every romantic superstition be abandoned?
I have thought this over very carefully, and my feeling is this:
The old C/S assumption that demons. were independent entities and intelligences which could be addressed
and activated through ritual is indeed obsolete. There is only one such independent entity -Set/HarWer in its
complete aspect, and Set alone in its fully-directed intelligence.
The other gods, goddesses, and demons do enjoy existence -but with an important difference: They are
derivative of the human mind.
This is not the same thing as saying that they are merely figments of imagination. The mind is capable of
imagination, yes, but it is also capable of creation in a far more substantive sense. It can literally give life to
stereotypical, archetypical, or unique gods or demons - very much like the creation of the id-monster that took place
in the famous film Forbidden Planet.
The difference between the magician and the non-magician is thus easy to identify: The non-magician is
subject to spontaneous creation of such entities from his non-conscious Id, but the magician is able to create them
deliberately from his conscious Ego.
Indeed this explains a number of things:
•
It explains why the rituals of the Church of Satan worked.
•
It explains why a god, goddess, or demon could be evoked simultaneously in many different ritual
chambers.
•
It explains why the same entities have often appeared spontaneously to non-magicians.
•
It explains why interpersonal curses and possessions work: because a magician implants the
creation of a certain demonic entity in the id of the victim’s mind.
•
It explains why the magician can effectively evoke Yog-Sothoth, even though Yog-Sothoth seems to
be only a fictional character invented by HPL. [The magician, in practice, creates a real Yog-
Sothoth from the “stereotypical blueprint” supplied by HPL.
•
It explains a great deal of Aleister Crowley.
•
It explains the direct access to the Powers of Darkness that characterizes the Priesthood of Set.
And it does something else. It enables us to use the old ceremonies and rituals without feeling that we are
kidding ourselves and doing something “stupid and primitive”. The difference is that now we know what it is that
we are actually doing. We know what the effect will be upon magicians who are present, and we know what the
effect will be upon non-magicians who are present. We know what remote results can be expected and why.
Never were these things formulated, much less conceived, during the Age of Satan. Not even Anton LaVey, I
think, realized them. If you examine the magical instructions in the Satanic Bible and Satanic Rituals, you will find
that they advocate procedures for influencing the non-conscious id of the magician to produce results. They do not
train the ego to create the desired results deliberately and consciously.
This realization is a bit of Setamorphosis, if you will, that could not Xeper until “orthodox Satanism” had been
swept aside by the new Æon.
- 164 -
I might add that this new concept of the basis for ritual magic is quite a valuable weapon in the hands of the
Setian Priest. It is also valuable as a device for education and instruction. Therefore be careful to whom you explain
it. As is my custom, I make no prohibitions. But I would recommend that this knowledge be discussed no lower than
the III°, for the reason that it could be damaging and even self-destructive to a mind that is not sufficiently self-
reliant and self-conscious.
- 165 -
A12: Temple of Set Reading List
- by Michael A. Aquino V°/VI° (Ed.)
1976-2003
Introduction
The magical and philosophical interests of the Temple of Set span a wide range of disciplines. Use of
commercially-published reference works, despite their respective drawbacks, is thus both essential and economical.
It enables the Temple to concentrate its internal publications in areas in which critical information is either
seriously substandard or altogether lacking.
When using this reading list, keep in mind that the Temple is not a book club, but rather a religious institution
in which Initiates are expected to be practicing magicians. These books are recommended not merely to entertain
[though many of them are good at that too!], but more importantly to impart principles which may be applied and
to provide facts which are helpful or essential to an understanding of these principles.
Ideally this list should contain only those works which are currently in print or which are generally available
through libraries. Unfortunately the unusual and exotic directions of our interests frequently necessitate titles which
are neglected, suppressed, and/or out-of-print. Some of these works are available only at excessive prices through
rare-book dealers; others seem to have vanished altogether.
If you keep your eyes open while browsing through new/used bookstores, however, and if you make
maximum use of library and inter-library-loan services, you should be able to track down the materials of greatest
interest to you. Many of the most interesting and valuable
books may be discovered by accident [?], when you are
looking for something else entirely [or just rooting around in dusty, dark stacks in the Arkham University Library].
The only thing you can’t do is grumble about the fact that the book you want isn’t presented to you on the
neighborhood supermarket rack for $2.50. “Those who seek shall find.”
In earlier editions of this list, notations were made as to whether a given book were in or out of print,
including foreign editions. Experience has shown that this information, as well as pricing, changes so frequently as
to be unreliable. Setians seeking a particular book should check with Internet search engines, libraries, bookstores,
or book-search services for current availability. Lending-library options are particularly to be recommended, as
prices for many of these works - particularly the out-of-print ones in “collector’s” fields - may be excessively high. If
you have doubts as to the worth of a given book at a price quoted to you, check with the source recommending the
book.
- 166 -
Internet Book Sales and Search Services
The following three websites (none of which are connected with or officially endorsed by the Temple of Set)
may be useful to you in locating/acquiring desired books:
http://www.amazon.com
http://www.bookfinder.com
http://aol.alibris.com
Use of the Reading List
The reading list is not intended to be doctrinal or dogmatic. The inclusion of a book in it should not be taken
to mean that all or even most of its premises and conclusions are endorsed by the Temple of Set. Most have been
written by very wise people. A few have been written by cranks who just happened to blunder into something that
we want to know about. Hence your own discernment is critical. Bear in mind that few if any books are written for
the disinterested transmission of facts. Every author necessarily writes with a motive [besides the profit one] and
from a point of personal perspective and/or bias.
The reading list is selective but not exclusive. For each book on the list, many alternatives may have been
considered and rejected for one reason or another over the last two decades.
On your own you may - and probably will, if you pursue your initiation aggressively and conscientiously -
discover works which appear preferable to some of those on the list, or which you think should be added to it. In
such cases you are invited to send particulars. If your recommendation is adopted, the book will be added to the
next update of that category of the list, with your name as the recommender.
Updates
This reading list is continuously and incrementally updated, and the most current list is included with each
new Crystal Tablet sent out. Current updates of this introduction and all Categories are available in the Crystal
Tablet area of the Temple of Set Intranet.
Letter Codes
After each book title you will see one or more letter codes, which identify the book as relevant to a particular
initiatory system currently embraced by the Temple of Set. “TOS” = Temple of Set generally. “COS” = Church of
Satan (I-X AS). “TRP” = Order of the Trapezoid. “SHU” = Order of Shuti. “VAM” = Order of the Vampyre. “LVT” =
Order of Leviathan. Other codes may be added at any time to identify works pertinent to specific Orders of the
Temple.
Comments By
Before the comments to each book are either initials (MA = Michael Aquino VI°, JL = James Lewis VI°, DW =
Don Webb VI°, AL = Anton LaVey V°) or the name of the commenter.
Non-English Languages
The Temple of Set has reached the point in its development where we have a growing number of Initiates in
countries whose native language is not English. We are now experimenting with German annotations to this list to
see if this will be useful and practical to German-speaking Setians. Annotations in other languages may be added
later. This is not only because of non-English-speaking cultures’ interest in translations of English-language books.
Some invaluable reference works exist only in non-English originals, and gradually the Temple will want to identify
them. [Roland Winkhart, Magister Templi IV°, Deutschland: “Diese Leseliste erhebt keinen Anspruch auf
Vollständigkeit. Alle Setianer werden gebeten, ergänzende Informationen beizusteürn. Dies gilt insbesondere für
fremdsprachige Titel oder Titel, die im Buchhandel nicht mehr erhältlich sind und nur noch über Ausleihe oder
Fernausleihe von Bibliotheken (unter Nennung der Signatur) zu bekommen sind. (‘WU’ = Württembergische
Landesbibliothek, Stuttgart.)”]
- 167 -
Research Level Numbers
You will see a research level number attached to each letter code. These are explained as follows:
-1:
The specific information contained in this book is generally essential to Initiates of all degrees.
The book’s treatment is unique, and substitution of another book on the same subject is not
recommended.
-2:
The topical information contained in this book is generally essential to Initiates of all degrees.
The book’s treatment is not unique, and other books covering approximately the same material
may be substituted.
-3:
This book should be considered supplementary to -1/-2 books in the same category. It is not
essential, but is recommended rather for those who have a special interest in the topic.
-4:
This book is suitable primarily for highly-specialized, technical research and is liable to be
confusing or misleading to readers without previously-acquired, basic knowledge of the field in
question. It should be considered supplementary to any -1/-2/-3 books in the same category.
-5:
The contents of this book may be dangerous if applied by inexperienced magicians. III°+
consultation and guidance strongly recommended.
Films/Periodicals/Music/Organizations/Websites Sections
Sections are gradually being added to each category to cover films, periodicals, recorded music, special-
interest organizations, and Internet websites relevant to that category. Entries in these supplementary sections will
appear gradually over time - and when entries initially appear, they may be fragmentary and even inaccurate until
we have had time to check the data out and update/verify the entry in question. [Your recommendations and
feedback will be very helpful in this regard.]
The RL-# coding system will not be used for these supplementary sections. Films and music, in particular, are
artistic items subject to personal taste. The presence/description of a film or recording on the list, therefore, should
be understood merely as a suggestion of something you might like to investigate, not as “sanction”.
Film
Entries in this section will be designated with an “F” in front of the entry-number.
There are many ways to see non-current films, of which the easiest are (a) waiting for them to come around on
television and (b) renting or buying them on videocassette or DVD. The Temple of Set can’t help you much with the
former option, save to alert you to some titles to keep an eye out for.
In the case of the latter option you can prowl your local video rental stores, or you can purchase a particularly-
desired item by mail order. Two possible sources:
Movies Unlimited. MU publishes a massive annual c
atalogue of VHS (NTSC) films, from which
you can order at prices about as low as you’ll find anywhere. There is a charge of +/-US$8 for the
catalogue, but it is so massive and comprehensive that it’s easily worth the price. For exact information,
contact MU at 6736 Castor Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19149, USA or telephone (800) 523-0823 for
ordering information or (215) 722-8398 [9-5 Eastern US time] for customer service. Website: http://
www.moviesunlimited.com
A Million and One World-Wide Videos: Post Office Box 349, Orchard Hill, GA 30266-0349.
Telephone: (800) 849-7309. This company specializes in finding and mail-ordering almost every video
that exists worldwide. You don’t even have to be sure of the title; just give them something to work with,
such as the name of the director or an actor, and they’ll send you a list of films they worked on. Website:
http://www.wwvideos.com
Periodicals
Entries in this section will be designated with an “P” in front of the entry-number.
There are some excellent professional and special-interest magazines and journals covering areas addressed
by various categories of the reading list. As we narrow our survey down to the best, we will begin to include them
here.
- 168 -
Music
Entries in this section will be designated with an “M” in front of the entry-number.
This will be an effort to accumulate commercially available recordings of music appropriate to the reading list
category in question, which may range from classical to electronic to soundtracks to rock, etc.
Organizations
Entries in this section will be designated with an “O” in front of the entry-number.
In addition to specialized periodicals, and usually in concert with them, are special-interest groups and
societies. If we come across a particularly good one, we’ll discuss it here.
Table of Contents (Number/Category)
1. Ancient Egyptian History
2. Ancient Egyptian Philosophy
3. Religion and Dæmonology in Historical Perspective
4. Occultism in Contemporary Perspective
5. Atlantis
6. Satanism
7. H.P. Lovecraft
8. Vampirism and Lycanthropy
The Temple of Set II Page 38
