Photograph by Vanessa Sinclair
I was recently interviewed by Der Rabe, a German Church of Satan-affiliated site. The interview has now has also been posted in English at COS’ news site. You can read it in the original HERE or just keep reading here below. Thank you.
9 QUESTIONS, 9 SATANIC ANSWERS – MAGISTER CARL ABRAHAMSSON
Conducted & Translated by Der Rabe
Hello Carl. Thank you for taking the time to give an interview to Der Rabe.
As a starter, how would you explain Satanism to someone who comes again and again with the same old arguments like child molestation, animal sacrifice, and church burnings, to name but a few? It is after all difficult to make it clear to these bigoted humans and also to the media that this is bollocks.
I think the main thing to do is point to the web site of the Church of Satan, where everything is so clearly stated. And, in extension, to LaVey’s own writings. If the people in question are intelligent enough to do that, then maybe A) nothing needs to be explained by you, or B) an interesting conversation could arise.
How did you personally arrive at this philosophy?
In my teens I felt attracted to Nietzsche but also to a magical approach to life. Of course, Aleister Crowley pops up immediately with his Thelemic philosophy. And LaVey. So that’s what happened. I read a lot of books, and resonated with some of these writers and ideas. LaVey and his Satanism was one of these things I found invaluable, giving credence to both psychological and magical facets of the human mind, and connected to a Nietzschean philosophy.
We know each other for quite some time now and I do know that you personally got to meet Anton Szandor LaVey. How did you meet him and what person was he?
I was fascinated by LaVey and his Church and had read all of his writings. At the same time I was also obsessed with American pop culture, including movie stars like Jayne Mansfield. Given that she knew LaVey, I was inspired to write a song called Sweet Jayne, which I recorded with my band at the time: White Stains. I sent him the record and he wrote a really nice letter back, and making me a member at the same time. Then I went over to San Francisco to see him several times. He was an amazingly intelligent and humorous man who led a very interesting life. He was also supportive of what I was doing in terms of my own writing and publishing, and that initial inspiration has never really faded away for me.
You are not only a musician and a filmmaker but you also write and publish books. Your new book “California Infernal“ was published recently. A wonderful collection of photographs of LaVey and Jayne Mansfield. How did you get to make this project and what does it mean to you?
It was like a ”full circle” experience. My original inspiration (meaning LaVey’s relationship with Jayne Mansfield) and that record led to my meeting LaVey. This was in 1987/88. In 2013 or thereabouts a Swedish collector, Alf Wahlgren, showed me his collection of photographer Walter Fischer’s prints and negatives. And they were all of LaVey and Jayne, and also the early days of the Church. I was thrown back into the original inspiration and it was really fun. We decided to make a book, and that became California Infernal. That gave me a chance to tell that old story again, and also to have LaVey’s old friend Kenneth Anger write a short memento-text. It really became an amazing book!
As you know, Der Rabe is a German speaking outpost for the Church of Satan. What is your opinion in general on the understanding of Satanism in German speaking countries? Do you see any differences when one considers that the founder of modern day Satanism and the Church of Satan, Anton Szandor LaVey, lived in America?
Hard to answer. The philosophy of indulgence and life enhancement with inclusions of ritual is of course universally applicable. LaVey wove in sources from many parts of the world to create an ultra-pragmatic and applicable method. And of course the information should be available in different languages and cultures. So Der Rabe is an inevitable manifestation of that need.
Do you think that Satanism and the understanding for its philosophy have changed after LaVey’s death, considering that one has to keep up with the times?
Movements or groups always encounter many difficulties after a strong leader has passed. But I’m happy to say that the Church of Satan seems stronger than ever before. The publishing of new canonical books (Gilmore, Johnson et al) is a sign of health and a movement forward. I think that general understanding and tolerance of the Church has increased greatly. It’s all in the presentation, isn’t it?
Is occultism and Satanism similar to surrealism and realism? Or how do you connect to the occult part of the philosophy, if such a thing does exist after all?
Although the Church has declared a secular and atheist stance, there is still an open-minded attitude towards occult technologies and methods. It all lies with the individual; to what degree he or she wants to include occult methods or mind-frames. The hocus pocus is not at all necessary. On a personal level, I integrate ritual and have a belief in “supra-causal” methods for affecting changes in life. But that’s me.
I would like to address an actual subject. The cruelty we encounter today with war and terrorism in God’s name is hardly imaginable. I want to mention that this drama repeats itself in history again and again and what is considered normal in some Muslim circles is not different from how Christians acted during the crusades. What do you think how this is going to develop and how Europe will look like in the future?
It certainly seems like an increased polarity is happening, in the US and Europe. I find this very unfortunate because it simplifies the game considerably and thereby decreases the potential for creative pragmatism and a genuine appreciation of individualism and liberty – two seminal Satanic qualities. Action now merely triggers reaction, and when people and cultures are afraid, this process goes spiral. I’m a strong believer in cultural heterogeneity, and the monotheistic mind-frame always brings a weak “monoculture” (Christian, Muslim, Jewish etc). Unenlightened monotheism is to blame for basically everything that’s going wrong today, and it even endangers the planet as such. If I were in charge, I’d make sure that people keep their religion at home. It should be banned in public places and dialogues. If people in public offices are publicly devout within any form of monotheism, they should be fired. It’s especially sad that Christianity, which is the weakest form of these three evils, is allowed to permeate political life, like it apparently is in the US. Applying a Christian matrix on anything is a guaranteed path to rapid failure.
Finally, what are your plans for the future? Do you have any new projects we can be looking forward to?
I’m doing my best at trying to enjoy life to the maximum, and I’m pretty good at that now. So I write, make music and films, and also publish books that interest and inspire me (and hopefully others), like The Fenris Wolf series. So the future basically means more of that: life enhancement via culture. It’s great now and also will be in the future!
Thank you for your time and all the best for the future!
Thank you! And the same to you and Der Rabe.
