Tragic Beautiful curates a growing collection of books on witchcraft, spells, and the occult. In this collection are a number of works by Anton LaVey, founder of Laveyan satanism.  His works, and his church, have often been misconstrued or misinterpreted in popular culture and news media. 

About LaVeyan Satanism

Satan is symbolic to this religion, but is as much myth as any other god or deity. Satan is symbolic of the self, as a core instruction of the church is to believe in yourself and reject society's self-denying lessons.

Satanism is one of the most misunderstood religions in history. The 'satanic panic' of the 1980s associated it with a range of illegal and antisocial behaviours from drug use to child harm. But the central message is really that humans should be free to pursue their own happiness, while taking control of their lives and being responsible for consequences of all actions.  

The Satanic Bible

“Stupidity—The top of the list for Satanic Sins. The Cardinal Sin of Satanism. It’s too bad that stupidity isn’t painful. Ignorance is one thing, but our society thrives increasingly on stupidity. It depends on people going along with whatever they are told. The media promotes a cultivated stupidity as a posture that is not only acceptable but laudable. Satanists must learn to see through the tricks and cannot afford to be stupid.”  ― Anton LaVey

The Satanic Bible lists the nine satanic statements and the eleven satanic rules of the earth. It also outlines nine satanic sins, or actions that are unacceptable for members. These include pretentiousness, self-deceit, and herd conformity.  

The Satanic Rituals

"The rituals contained herein represent a  degree of candor not usually found in a magical curriculum. they all have one thing in common - homage to the elements truly representative of the other side." - Anton LaVey, The Satanic Rituals

LaVey goes on to explain that understanding of 'the devil' and his works is subjective and very culturally dependant. Almost every group in existence, whether religion, race, or culturally formed connection identifies some sort of devil, but most don't agree on who that devil is or what they do, aside from this devil representing the object of their particular fear or derision, or the promise of punishment for not adhering to the group's beliefs.

Satanism is the opposing viewpoint. It is the catalyst to challenge the status quo and what the definition of 'the bad guy' should really be. The idea of a devil is necessary in order to sell the notion of an opposing idea being 'good'.

'the rites in this book call the names of devils - devils of all shapes, sizes and inclinations. The names are with deliberate and appreciative awareness, for if one can pull aside the curtain of fear and enter the Kingdom of Shadows, the eyes will soon become accustomed and many strange and wonderful truths will be seen. '

The Satanic Witch

“The sexually over-aggressive man can be collected easily by the naturally dominant woman, who can accumulate an entire slave camp simply by allowing herself to appear on the scene wearing the accoutrements of the “push-over” as bait.” 
― Anton Szandor LaVey, The Satanic Witch

This book isn't about spell casting, but is rather a writing on discoveries Anton LaVey made when working in carnival shows and Mitt camps in his youth. It is a book of psychology based on 'undiluted gypsy lore regarding the forbidden knowledge of seduction and manipulation. Its content is controversial and perhaps not translated well to the modern era, but is fascinating to read even from a historical perspective.

The Devil's notebook         

 A collection of observations and writings by Anton LaVey on nonconformity, occult fads, the politics of erotica and other topics. 

Find out more about these books and browse the rest of our occult book collection here.