One year ago today, I decided once and for all that I am a Satanist.

I was traveling up the California coast on vacation and doing some serious soul searching. I'd been an atheist for almost two years and read The Satanic Bible, but I wasn't sure what I really believed in.

Then, on the morning of June 1st, 2008, I stopped in a used bookstore along the way. There, something very unusual happened. I saw that they had an abundance of copies of one book: Anthem by Ayn Rand. The piles of this one title were huge. I remembered reading somewhere that it was a good book but I couldn't remember where. The owner of the store, noticing my interest, told me he had way too many copies and I could have one for whatever price I wanted. I decided I couldn't go wrong and grabbed one for a nickel or so.

At first I was skeptical of the book. I'd heard Rand was dogmatic and I didn't feel like nailing another dogma in my head after trying virtually every major religion. But something drew me to the book still. I kept putting it away then pulling it back out.

Then, I remembered where I'd read the recommendation: The Church of Satan website. Intrigued, I opened it up.

I read the entire book in one sitting, on the way to San Diego. My heart rushed over and over at different parts of the short novel. At times, I laughed with joy at the ideas contained within.

When I was done, I was so overjoyed that I pulled out a paper and pen and copied the last two chapters of the book word by word, just so I could feel them resonate with me again.

I stopped for the night in a town along the way. There, I went in a Borders to use the restroom. On the way out however I noticed a small pile of books on a table just outside the restroom, where someone had been sitting. It was as though someone put them there for me to find. They were: Satan Speaks, The Satanic Rituals and Lucifer Rising.

I sat down and started looking through them. I'd never read any of them before and I soon found myself frantically copying down notes from them- "Look up Boyd Rice," "Anton LaVey called 'Doktor'," etc. I started reading "Sound Retreat" and pretty soon, the employees were telling me they had to close up for the night.

As I left for the hotel, I suddenly understood what I had to do.

On a lonely beach outside San Diego, I did an improvised Satanic baptism on myself. I used the last two chapters of Anthem and lines from the original ritual as my liturgy, all whispered in case anyone walked by. Then, I went into the waves and sand for the "baptism."

I was overwhelmed with joy. I finally knew what I was.

I was a Satanist.

It was the best day of my life.

Hail Satan!

That was an enjoyable story.
Thanks.

Amazing. I am yet to have such a baptism, but I was raised by the ideas of LaVey and so it has rather become a part of me. It has been eight years since I bought my first copy, but I hope to have such an experience myself.
Congratulations!

My Satanic inauguration was somewhat similar, except My "baptism" was more of declaration much in the fashion of the infernal dialogue stated in the baptisms in the "The Satanic Rituals".

It held in the second story of an old and decayed abandon house in My local woods in the twilight part of the day -for atmosphere and psychodrama of course- and to add to the theatrics, the second and first stories had caved in so as to overlook the dark flooded-out basement of which the floor was unseen- like standing before the very gate of the abyss its self. To reserve the impact of the ritual, I never entered the house again.
About a year and a half later, after moving in with My fiance, she wanted to experience it as well after sending out for her CoS membership. So we drove to the beach to collect sea water and came back home for privacy purposes,and held the full ceremony with Me as "priest" and to this day remains our most intimate activity save being there when our son was born.
We were going to Baptize him as well, but figured we'd let him make his own choice when he's ready.

The band Rush has a song called Anthem, based upon the novel, I believe. They are Rand fans, so their music often echoes those themes.

It sounds like I need to pick up a copy of Anthem. From your description, it sounds like I won't be disappointed.