Hello to everyone,
New here, but not to Satanism.
Reason I say that is for about the last ten years, I have been learning and formulating a self-made (or what I thought to be completely invented by myself) philosophy of athiesm and existentialist philosophy. It all started over 11 years ago in a 12 step recovery program where I had been trying to gain sobriety through the belief in a higher power for actually six years before that with no success whatso ever. It was over 11 years ago that I decided I had to do it myself and if I can't do it than no one could have. I developed a philosophy that I thought was unique to myself. Just recently, I discovered the Satanic Bible and the CoS. I read the whole thing in just a couple of days and my discoveries were amazing. As I read more, I kept finding so many of the things I've been saying for years that I thought I was the first to think of. Come to find that it was all already written four decades ago. I'm so amazed that LaVey wrote a perfect description of me and my personality. I don't have to "change my mind" in any way to be a Satanist. It simply is what I've always been. Describes me perfectly and puts into text what I've learned about all this enculterated crap around me. I'm about to start reading the book of rituals I just got today and then this other book I found at B&N that I'm going back to get later.
Hope to meet some of you soon enough.
Hail Satan!

Welcome!

I enjoyed your intro, and can certainly relate! Before actually finding The Satanic Bible, I had gone on a search mission towards discovering exactly what religion I fall into. I started calling myself an Individualist, because Atheist just wasn't cutting it. Reading through LaVey's work, and even further essays from others, it still feels as though I'm reading texts written about my philosophies, rather than my philosophies matching what has been defined. It's like looking in a mirror and ACTUALLY seeing yourself, not your shell.

Have you read The Devil's Notebook yet? I like this one a lot

Welcome! I am new to Satanism myself and have had a similar experience. Have you read the essays at the Church of Satan website? The website is a treasure trove of discovery.

Greetings, and welcome to the board!

Welcome to the Forum, mercfocus.

It's interesting, isn't it, that such well thought-out and put together descriptions of reality are just waiting to be discovered.

Thank you all very much. This is so very welcoming.
In the midst of xtrianity, I too called myself an individualist and also back in high school come to think of it.
I just started The Satanic Rituals yesterday. That makes only 2 books I've had any chance to get into so far.
I mean it's only been a few days, not even a whole week, that I discovered what all this is.
It still amazes and amazes and amazes me to no end how as I keep reading, I feel like it's reading my mind or something. It really feels like something I wrote.
The next book I really have my eye on is the Stanic scriptures. I don't know why, but that just really fascinates me.

I learned a great deal from the Satanic Scriptures. I highly reccommend it.

Welcome, and I second Robert K Stocks suggestion. I too throughly enjoyed The Satanic Scriptures. A good bit of knowledge to be had from that book.

Thank you.
I'm definately drawn to the Stanic Scriptures. It just fascinates me as my next read.
Right now, I'm trying to get through the Rituals. Fascinating to say the least, but I'm having trouble with the small print.

This just makes getting glasses a higher priority.

Welcome to the forum! I am newer then you are I think, but I have a feeling we'll be great friends. If you continue to use this forum, that is.

Thank you Dark_Mystery.
I havn't logged on in a couple days, but it's nice to be welcomed.
I'll be continuing to use this forum. It's very enlightening.

I'm thrilled to hear you say that you have been working on sobriety, Mercocus. It's a worthy endeavor to obtain control over the things that we realize have control over us. Keep at it.

Yeah... So you developed a philosophy and found out it wasn't so original after all. Welcome to the club.

Here's the good news: It gets even better than you might have imagined. You just have to keep digging.

There is more to discover that someone else already figured out. Keep looking.

It all started over 18 years ago actually. I first started trying to get sober in churches. I read the whole bible (from genesis to revelation, every word on every page) . Did all their prayers the way they said to, tried to be of every kind of service I could like they said to, and still no recovery. I was in and out constantly for about 6 years or more. I even got court ordered into AA in the last 2 of those years.
My sobriety date (the one that finally worked) is March 17, 2001. It was at about that time that I decided, all that shit was a waste of time and I'm going to have to do this myself. If I can't do it, then nobody ever could have. I did go back to AA and never stepped foot in another church ever again unless a AA meeting was there.
What I remebered about AA is I could customize it. So I made "reality/the air around me" my higher power. I felt like, and still do, the air we breath has more substance than all this "only god can do it" bullshit. I never prayed ever again and decided faith was an "f" word I will live just fine without.
It has been over 11 1/2 years of successful sobriety. In that time, I've earned 2 college degrees, both with highest honors, and I no longer need those meetings. I didn't go to hardly any when I was in school for over 5 years. I graduated last December and have since started going back to meetings so I can be part of the population that helps keep the doors open for someone who might need help. I don't talk with them too much about my concept of higher powers and recovery. Most of those people are confused about the strength of "self-will". They think it's dangerous.
Reality as my HP evolved into MY RIGHTFUL PLACE in reality and then just recently, I found the Satanic Bible that COMPLETELY confirmed my experience.

Welcome, I'm not on a lot (the interwebs) just the same its nice to see more people finding resonation with TSB when I do get on. ;D