Image: Juliette Bates
“They used to call the devil the father of lies. But for someone whose sin is meant to be pride, you’d think that lying would leave something of a sour taste. So my theory is that when the devil wants to get something out of you, he doesn’t lie at all. He tells you the exact, literal truth. And he lets you find your own way to hell.”
Mike Carey
This topic keeps coming up over, and over, and no matter how much explaining is done, or how many references sourced there is still much confusion.
“What is Luciferianism?” is the number one question I get asked, and I refer them to the usual books and sites (my top choice, Lords of the Left Hand Path by Dr. Stephen Flowers).
It seems that after reading the written works of fellow Occultists and Luciferians more questions arise, or people notice the similarities between Luciferianism and Satanism and become even more confused than when they initially started.
To put it simply, Luciferianism falls under the esoteric Philosophy known as the Left Hand Path, and the most important aspect of Luciferianism is the individual–we do not look outside of ourselves for anything.
It means that we do not worship, some of us may do ritual to certain deities; some may not do anything ritualistic at all. We do not look to the Gods to help us, we go within, find our strength, listen to our intuition and make our decision accordingly. There are some of us, like myself who identify as a Witch, and we will incorporate Magick.
There ARE major similarities between Luciferianism and Satanism, and I am going to try and break it down for you the way I break it down for myself.
Satanists can be either Atheistic (LaVeyan Satanism) or can be Theistic, or what is known as Spiritual Satanism; which is the belief in a supreme power/being(s) but much like most theistic Luciferians they do not worship, merely acknowledge, occasionally paying their respects to their deities in casting or ritual. So, where do we differ?
Satanism is based upon the force of Satan: The Adversary.
Whereas Luciferianism is based upon Lucifer: The Light bringer.
There are some Luciferians who also view Lucifer as an Adversary, but he is the Light Bringer before he is an opponent of God; at least in my opinion.
I discuss Luciferianism openly and often because I like to get people to think, I even enjoy the look of fear on people’s faces when I tell them that I am a Luciferian because immediately they think I am a Devil worshiping, child sacrificing, animal abusing, psychopath. I am sure my Sisters and Brothers over in the Satanist world get much of the same reaction.
As I mentioned before some of us (Luciferians) believe in Lucifer an actual being, whereas others believe in the metaphor of a rebellious Angel who fell from the Kingdom of God BUT it seems the majority don’t pay any attention to the Christian story and view Lucifer as a figure of true, and pure enlightenment; his name literally translates to “bringing light”, derived from Latin lux “light” and ferre “to bring”. In Latin this name originally referred to the morning star, Venus, but later became associated with the chief angel who rebelled against God’s rule in heaven. Even later being associated with Satan, which is up for much debate; as with most figures who “defied God”, Lucifer has been demonized.
The path itself leaves much room for interpretation which I think is where a lot of the confusion comes from, people need clear definition. I personally think that the beauty of this path is how personal, and individualistic it is, that’s what brought me to this side.
I view Lucifer as many things; I do believe in an actual being, I believe He represents rebellion, freedom, going against the status quo, breaking free of the confines religion and society have put us in, and he is a figure of illumination and a bringer of knowledge.
He is an advocate for the individual and for truth along with being the Black Dragon, the Black Serpent, and the Black Flame.
This path gives us the freedom to practice, and believe how we want. That is what I believe Lucifer, as a being or metaphor would want us to do; live on our own terms.
For further research on the topic I have to shamelessly self promote the book I contributed to; if you are interested in purchasing it click here.
Most Christianity confuses me. So many contradictions, like if Angels supposedly not have free will as humans do, how did one rebel? But this sheds some light on how I grew up not praying, but looking inside myself and trying to create my own solutions.
I read your article/post/apply-correct-title-here on Luciferianism. What I found most interesting was that you didn’t define anything. You made personal observations but didn’t lay any groundwork for those observations.
What I find most peculiar about any of this Lucifer business is where it came from. Paradise Lost, by Milton. The Scriptures make no reference to any supposed “war in heaven” (which, of course, would be antithetical to any concept of omniscience), so the basis for “Luciferianism” appears to originate in poetry. That’s fascinating.
I found this assertion most interesting, and I quote – “He represents rebellion, freedom, going against the status quo, breaking free of the confines religion and society have put us in, and he is a figure of illumination and a bringer of knowledge.” You could be speaking of Jesus Christ. Curious.
Best to you, and yours.