Anton LaVey

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Anton LaVey

Howard Stanton Levey Born April 11, 1930 Chicago, Illinois, U.S.

Died

October 29, 1997 (aged 67) San Francisco, California, U.S.

Known for LaVeyan Satanism

Religion

Satanism (Church of Satan)

Carole Lansing (1935-1975) (m. 19511960) Spouse Diane Hegarty Blanche Barton

Children

Karla LaVey (born 1952) Zeena Schreck (born LaVey - 1963)

Satan Xerxes Carnacki LaVey (born 1993)

Anton Szandor LaVey[1] (April 11, 1930 October 29, 1997), born Howard Stanton Levey, was the founder of the Church of Satan as well as a writer, occultist, and musician. He was the author of The Satanic Bible and the founder of LaVeyan Satanism, a synthesized system of his understanding of human nature and the insights of philosophers who advocated materialism and individualism, for which he claimed no supernatural or theistic inspiration.

Contents

1 Biography o 1.1 Ancestry and early life o 1.2 Beginnings as a Satanist o 1.3 Church of Satan o 1.4 Death 2 LaVey related books o 2.1 Books by LaVey o 2.2 Books featuring writings by LaVey o 2.3 Books about LaVey 3 Recordings of Anton LaVey 4 See also 5 References 6 External links o 6.1 Writings by LaVey o 6.2 Interviews with LaVey o 6.3 About LaVey

Biography
Ancestry and early life
LaVey was born as Howard Stanton Levey in Chicago, Illinois. His father, Michael Joseph Levey (1903-1992), from Chicago, Illinois married Lavey's mother, Gertrude Augusta Coultron who was born to a Russian father and Ukrainian mother who had immigrated to Ohio in 1893; both became naturalized American citizens in 1900. According to his biography, however, his ancestry includes Georgian,[citation needed] French, Russian, Ukrainian, Alsatian, German, and Romanian.[2] LaVey's family moved to California, where he spent his early life in the San Francisco Bay Area and in Globe, Arizona. His parents supported his musical interests, as he tried a number of instruments; his favorites were keyboards such as the pipe organ and the calliope. He did covers of instrumentals like Harlem Nocturne by Earle Hagen.[3] LaVey's biography claims he dropped out of Globe High School in his third year to join a circus and later carnivals, first as a roustabout and cage boy in an act with the big cats,

then as a musician playing the calliope. LaVey later claimed to have seen that many of the same men attended both the bawdy Saturday night shows and the tent revival meetings on Sunday mornings, which reinforced his increasingly cynical view of religion. He would later work as an organist in bars, lounges and nightclubs. In the foreword to the German version of The Satanic Bible, he cites this as the impetus to defy Christian religion as he knew it. He accused church-goers of employing double moral standards.[4] While playing organ in Los Angeles burlesque houses, he allegedly had a brief affair with then-unknown Marilyn Monroe when she was a dancer at the Mayan Theater. This is challenged by those who then knew Monroe, as well as the manager of the Mayan, Paul Valentine, who said she had never been one of his dancers, nor had the theater ever been used as a burlesque house.[5] According to his biography, LaVey moved back to San Francisco, where he worked for three years as a photographer for the San Francisco Police Department (SFPD). He dabbled as a psychic investigator, looking into "800 calls" referred to him by the police department. Later biographers questioned whether LaVey ever worked with the SFPD, as there are no records substantiating the claim.[1][6] During this period, LaVey was friends with a number of writers associated with Weird Tales magazine; a picture of him with George Haas, Robert Barbour Johnson (whom he had met in the circus as an animal trainer and painter of carnival scenes) and Clark Ashton Smith appears in Blanche Barton's biography The Secret Life of a Satanist. In 1950, LaVey met Carole Lansing and they married the following year. Lansing gave birth to LaVey's first daughter, Karla LaVey, born in 1952. They divorced in 1960 after LaVey became entranced by Diane Hegarty. Hegarty and LaVey never married; however, she was his companion for many years and mothered his second daughter, Zeena Galatea LaVey, in 1963.[7] At the end of their relationship, Hegarty sued for palimony.[8][9]

Beginnings as a Satanist
Becoming a local celebrity through his paranormal research and live performances as an organist, including playing the Wurlitzer at the Lost Weekend cocktail lounge, he attracted many San Francisco notables to his parties. Guests included Carin de Plessin, Michael Harner, Chester A. Arthur III, Forrest J. Ackerman, Fritz Leiber, Dr. Cecil E. Nixon and Kenneth Anger.

Church of Satan
LaVey began presenting Friday night lectures on the occult and rituals. A member of this circle suggested that he had the basis for a new religion. On Walpurgisnacht, April 30, 1966, he ritualistically shaved his head, allegedly "in the tradition of ancient executioners", declared the founding of the Church of Satan and proclaimed 1966 as "the year one", Anno Satanasthe first year of the Age of Satan. Media attention followed the subsequent Satanic wedding ceremony of radical journalist John Raymond to New York socialite Judith Case on February 1, 1967. The Los Angeles Times and San Francisco Chronicle were among the newspapers that printed articles dubbing him "The Black Pope". LaVey performed Satanic baptisms (including the first satanic baptism in history for Zeena, which garnered world-wide publicity and was originally recorded on The Satanic Mass LP)[10][11][12][13] and Satanic funerals (including one for naval

machinist-repairman third-class Edward Olsen, complete with a chrome-helmeted honor guard), and released a record album entitled The Satanic Mass. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, LaVey melded ideological influences from Friedrich Nietzsche, Ayn Rand,[14] Aleister Crowley,[15] H.L. Mencken, and Jack London with the ideology and ritual practices of the Church of Satan. He wrote essays introduced with reworked excerpts from Ragnar Redbeards Might is Right and concluded with Satanized versions of John Dees Enochian Keys to create books such as The Complete Witch (re-released in 1989 as The Satanic Witch), and The Satanic Rituals. The latter book also included rituals drawing on the work of H.P. Lovecraft which were actually penned by Michael A. Aquino who would later found the Temple of Set. Due to increasing visibility through his books, LaVey was the subject of numerous articles in the news media throughout the world, including popular magazines such as Look, McCall's, Newsweek, and TIME, and mens magazines. He also appeared on talk shows such as Joe Pyne, Phil Donahue, and Johnny Carson, and in a feature length documentary called Satanis: The Devil's Mass in 1970. LaVeys third and final companion was Blanche Barton. Barton and LaVey are the parents of Satan Xerxes Carnacki LaVey, born November 1, 1993. Barton succeeded him as the head of the Church after his death, and has since stepped down from that role and handed it to Magus Peter H. Gilmore.

Death
Anton LaVey died on October 29, 1997, in St. Mary's Medical Center in San Francisco of pulmonary edema.[16] He was taken to St. Mary's, a Catholic hospital, because it was the closest available. For reasons open to speculation, the time and date of his death was incorrectly (by two days) listed as the morning of Halloween on his death certificate. A secret Satanic funeral, attended by invitation only, was held in Colma.[citation needed] LaVey's body was cremated, with his ashes eventually divided among his heirs as part of a settlement.[citation needed]

LaVey related books

The Satanic Bible (Avon, 1969, ISBN 0-380-01539-0) The Compleat Witch, or, What to do When Virtue Fails (Dodd, Mead, 1971, ISBN 0-396-06266-0); republished as The Satanic Witch (Feral House, 1989, ISBN 0-922915-00-8); re-released with an introduction by Peggy Nadramia, and an afterword by Blanche Barton (2003, ISBN 0-922915-84-9). The Satanic Rituals (Avon, 1972, ISBN 0-380-01392-4) The Devil's Notebook (Feral House, 1992, ISBN 0-922915-11-3) Satan Speaks!, introduction by Blanche Barton, foreword by Marilyn Manson (Feral House, 1998, ISBN 0-922915-66-0)

Books featuring writings by LaVey

"Misanthropia", Rants and Incendiary Tracts: Voices of Desperate Illuminations 1558Present!, edited by Bob Black and Adam Parfrey (Amok Press and Loompanics Unlimited, 1989, ISBN 0-941693-03-1) "The Invisible War", Apocalypse Culture: Expanded & revised edition, edited by Adam Parfrey (Amok Press, 1990, ISBN 0-922915-05-9) "Forward", Might is Right, or The Survival of the Fittest by Ragnar Redbeard, LL.D., edited by Katja Lane (M.H.P. & Co., Ltd, 1996, ISBN 0-915179-12-1)

Books about LaVey

The Devil's Avenger: A Biography of Anton Szandor LaVey by Burton H. Wolfe (Pyramid Books, 1974, ISBN 0-515-03471-1, Out of print) The Black Pope by Burton H. Wolfe (a drastically revised and updated edition of The Devil's Avenger; available at http://mindopeningbooks.com/) The Secret Life Of A Satanist: The Authorized Biography of Anton LaVey by Blanche Barton (Feral House, 1990, ISBN 0-922915-12-1) Popular Witchcraft: Straight from the Witch's Mouth by Jack Fritscher ; featuring Anton LaVey (University of Wisconsin Press : Popular Press, 2004, ISBN 0-299-20300-X, hardcover, ISBN 0-299-20304-2, paperback) The 2009 play 'Debate' by Irish author Sen Ferrick features LaVey as a character. He is one of four witnesses in a case between God and The Devil, and events from both his life and after his death are used as evidence. He was portrayed by Mark O'Brien and Fiachra MacNamara

Recordings of Anton LaVey

The Satanic Mass, LP (Murgenstrumm Records, 1968; re-released on CD with one bonus track, "Hymn of the Satanic Empire, or The Battle Hymn of the Apocalypse", by Amarillo Records, 1994; Mephisto Media, 2001) Answer Me/Honolulu Baby, 7" single (Amarillo Records, 1993) Strange Music, 10" EP (Amarillo Records, 1994; now available through Reptilian Records) Satan Takes A Holiday, CD (Amarillo Records, 1995; now available through Reptilian Records)
Religious titles

Preceded by Church established

High Priest of the Church of Satan 1966-1997

Succeeded by Peter H. Gilmore after vacancy

See also

Satanism: An interview with Church of Satan High Priest Peter Gilmore

References
1. ^ a b Wright, Lawrence - "Its Not Easy Being Evil in a World Thats Gone to Hell", Rolling Stone, September 5, 1991: 63-68, 105-16. 2. ^ Barton, Blanche The Secret Life of a Satanist 3. ^ YouTube 4. ^ LaVey, Anton Szandor (1999). Die Satanische Bible (Satanic Bible). Berlin: Second Sight Books. 5. ^ The Church of Satan by Michael Aquino p. 17-19, detailing information from Harry Lipton, Monroe's agent, Paul Valentine and Edward Webber" 6. ^ Lewis, James R. (2003). Legitimating New Religions. Rutgers University Press. p. 109. ISBN 0813533244. http://books.google.com/books?id=hdYSdts1udcC&pg=PA109. 7. ^ Lattin, Don (January 25, 1999). "Satan's Den in Great Disrepair". San Francisco Chronicle. http://www.sfgate.com/cgibin/article.cgi?file=%2Fchronicle%2Farchive%2F1999%2F01%2F25%2FMN77329.D TL. Retrieved 2009-09-16. "Both Karla LaVey [sic] and Schreck were the product of LaVey's common-law marriage to Diane Hegarty from 1962 to 1986. One of the highlights of that unholy union was Schreck's 1967 satanic baptism at the Black House, when she was three years old." 8. ^ "Palimony Suit Rests on Bed of Nails". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. September 11, 1988. http://nl.newsbank.com/nlsearch/we/Archives?p_product=SL&p_theme=sl&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200& p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EB328CE29A0D936&p_field_direct0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM. Retrieved 2009-09-16. "On paper, the agreement seemed friendly enough: She got the 1967 Jaguar. He got the 1936 Cord, the 1972 Datsun 280 and the 1976 Cadillac limousine. Still to be decided were the medieval torture implements, the crystal ball, the devil bust, the bed of nails and the classic wooden coffin. But now, the whole thing has become a devil of an issue in San Francisco Superior Court, as the nation's first prince and princess of darkness square off in legal proceedings." 9. ^ Phillips, Richard (September 13, 1988). "The End is Near". Chicago Tribune. http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/chicagotribune/access/24828128.html?dids=24828128:248 28128&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Sep+13%2C+1988&author =Richard+Phillips&pub=Chicago+Tribune+%28pre1997+Fulltext%29&desc=THE+END+IS+NEAR-AGAIN&pqatl=google. Retrieved 2009-09-16. "Anton Szandor LaVey, high priest of San Francisco's Church of Satan, lived with Diane Hegarty for 22 years. Now they are squaring off in a palimony suit over household property." 10. ^ "The Satanic Mass/Zeena's Baptism Track A9 go to 3:42". http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&v=s_M09vuLQAc&NR=1. 11. ^ "The Satanic Mass, Track A9 (Zeena's Baptism)". Murgenstrumm, 1968 Vinly LP. http://www.discogs.com/Anton-LaVey-The-Satanic-Mass/release/1166426. 12. ^ "Satanist Anton LaVey Baptising Daughter". San Francisco, California, USA: Bettmann/CORBIS. May 23, 1967. http://www.corbisimages.com/stock-photo/rightsmanaged/U1556387/satanist-anton-lavey-baptising-daughter. "LaVey [...] said the mystic ceremony was the first such baptism in history."

13. ^ "clippings of Zeena's baptism world wide". http://zeena.eu/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=109%3Apresscoverage-of-zeenas-baptism-1967-1968&catid=41&Itemid=57. 14. ^ Lewis, James R. "Who Serves Satan? A Demographic and Ideological Profile". Marburg Journal of Religion. June 2001. 15. ^ Chruchofsatan.org 16. ^ "Anton LaVey; Founded the Church of Satan". Los Angeles Times. November 8, 1997. "Anton LaVey, who founded the Church of Satan in 1966 and wrote the "Satanic Bible" as a guide for international followers, has died at the age of 67. LaVey was cremated Tuesday after a satanic funeral at Woodlawn Memorial Chapel in Colma. Security concerns led his daughter, Church of Satan High Priestess Karla LaVey, to demand "absolute secrecy from all who knew of LaVey's death and satanic funeral," family spokesman Lee Houskeeper said. ..."

External links
Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Anton LaVey

Writings by LaVey

The Nine Satanic Statements The Eleven Satanic Rules of the Earth The Nine Satanic Sins Pentagonal Revisionism: A Five-Point Program, 1988 The Worlds Most Powerful Religion Enochian Pronunciation Guide Letters From The Devil from The National Insider, Vol. 14, No. 17, April 27, 1969. On Occultism of the Past from The Cloven Hoof, September 1971 c.e., Volume Three, Number Nine.

Interviews with LaVey

Section concerning Anton LaVey in Chapter XII (Satan in the Suburbs) of "Occult America" by John Godwin (Doubleday & Company, Inc., 1972) Section concerning Anton LaVey in "Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Sorcery, But Were Afraid to Ask" by Arlene J. Fitzgerald (Manor Books, 1973) Anton LaVey: Americas Satanic Master of Devils, Magic, Music, and Madness by Walt Harrington in "The Washington Post Magazine", February 23, 1986. Anton LaVey / The Church of Satan Interview by Eugene Robinson in "The Birth of Tragedy", No. 4 The God Issue, November 1986 - January 1987 "Dinner with the Devil: An evening with Anton Szandor LaVey, the High Priest of the Church of Satan" by Reverend Bob Johnson in "High Society", August 1994. "The Doctor is in......" by Shane & Amy Bugbee in "MF Magazine" #3, Summer 1997.

Interview with Anton LaVey by Michelle Carr and Elvia Lahman, originally published in the September 11, 1997 Velvet Hammer souvenir programme.

About LaVey

Anton Szandor LaVey: A Biographical Sketch by Magus Peter H. Gilmore, on the Church of Satan's official website. Anton LaVey: Legend and Reality Anton Lavey by Alex Burns at disinformation. Anton LaVey at the Internet Movie Database Find A Grave Entry People of Significance entry for LaVey Anton LaVey entry on NNDB Short biographical sketch with particular focus on his influence on Marilyn Manson, taken from "Spin magazine" (February 1998, pg. 64).

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LaVeyan Satanism

Associated organizations

Church of Satan First Satanic Church

Prominent figures

Anton LaVey Peter H. Gilmore Diane Hegarty Karla LaVey

Concepts

Left-Hand Path Pentagonal Revisionism Suitheism Might is Right Lex talionis

Publications

The Satanic Bible The Satanic Rituals The Satanic Witch The Devil's Notebook Satan Speaks! The Black Flame The Church of Satan The Secret Life of a Satanist The Satanic Scriptures

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