The Secret Life of a Satanist steps behind the curtain with the founder and High Priest of the Church of Satan. What is contemporary Satanism, and why would one start a church dedicated to the Dark One? It wasn't a rebellion against an oppressive religious upbringing; it was Anton Szandor LaVey's disgust with most of humanity. Drawing from Jack London, H.L. Mencken, Friedrich Nietzsche, Marquis de Sade, George Bernard Shaw, John Milton, Benjamin Franklin, and a host of reprobates, with a large dose of alchemy and black magic, LaVey formulated a philosophy that deeply resonated with him. LaVey did not worship Satan; he paid homage to the rebellious spirit of innovation, defiance, and self-reliance that the archetype embodied. His background as a musician, circus lion trainer, hypnotist, and police photographer is covered here. The author, who later became his paramour and mother to his only son, was allowed extraordinary access to documents concerning his life, testimonies from people who had known him for years, and, most importantly, anecdotes and fond memories from a man living out of his time. After the original publication of this biography in 1990, LaVey and Blanche Barton fought through the Satanic Panic together, and guided the Church for another seven years. This revised edition adds a dozen new and never-before-seen images.

The true story, from inside, of Anton LaVey.

The last book of essays by Church of Satan founder LaVey.

Blanche Barton traces the roots of Anton LaVey's notorious religion to ancient Epicureanism and Middle Eastern traditions, through the medieval alchemists and Romantic poets, flavored by the decadence of the Hellfire Clubs and the courts of Europe, intertwined through the fin de siècle diabolists to reveal how modern Satanists express and explore this thoroughly contemporary philosophy. You will meet healthcare workers, creative artists, VR developers, scientific innovators, teachers, military personnel, and business leaders who have boldly made their pacts with Satan, reaping considerable rewards. Through Barton's intimate knowledge and extensive interviews with current Satanists, as well as her behind the black curtain access to the present High Priest and Priestess of the Church of Satan, this book provides an unprecedented glimpse into this shadowed, secretive world.

"This book offers a fascinating account of the development of Western sexual magic through the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Urban focuses on an extraordinary set of historical figures, and his rich analysis illuminates the sexual—and supernatural—undercurrents that have shaped modernity."—Randall Styers, author of Making Magic: Religion, Magic, and Science in the Modern World