Luciferianism
Luciferianism is a belief system that includes both theistic and atheistic denominations and is, therefore, heavily influenced by differing personal beliefs. Considered by many to be a religion, and by some to be a philosophy or way of life, Luciferianism as a whole has no specific dogma to which its followers adhere. Rather, it encompasses a broad range of beliefs with numerous personal variations, ranging from the veneration of a literal deity and the practice of occultism, to a secular set of principles that use mythological references as a form of symbolism and cultural tradition.
General beliefs
Although sometimes mistakenly associated with Satanism due to the Christian interpretation of the fallen angel, Luciferianism is a wholly different belief system[1] and does not revere the devil figure or most characteristics typically affixed to Satan. Rather, Lucifer in this context is seen as one of many morning stars, a symbol of enlightenment,[2] independence and human progression, and is often used interchangeably with similar figures from a range of ancient beliefs, such as the Greek titan Prometheus or the Jewish talmudic figure Lilith.
They support the protection of the natural world. Both the arts and sciences are crucial to human development, and thus both are cherished. Luciferians think that humans should be focused on this life and how to make the most of it every single day. The ability to recognize both good and evil, to accept that all actions have consequences, both positive and negative, and to actively influence one's environment, is a key factor.
For Luciferians, enlightenment is the ultimate goal. The basic Luciferian principles highlight truth and freedom of will, worshipping the inner self and one’s ultimate potential. Traditional dogma is shunned as a basis for morality on the grounds that humans should not need deities or fear of eternal punishment to distinguish right from wrong and to do good. All ideas should be tested before being accepted, and even then one should remain skeptical because knowledge and understanding are fluid. Regardless of whether Lucifer is conceived of as a deity or as a mere archetype, he is a representation of ultimate knowledge and exploration: humanity’s savior and a champion for continuing personal growth.
Theistic Luciferianism
Some Luciferians believe in Lucifer as an actual deity, not to be worshipped as the Judeo-Christian God but to be revered and followed as a teacher and friend, as a rescuer or guiding spirit, or even the one true god as opposed to the traditional creator of Judaism.[3] Theistic Luciferians are followers of the Left-Hand Path and may adhere to different dogmata put forth by organizations such as the Neo-Luciferian Church or other congregations that are heavily focused on ceremonial magic, the occult and literal interpretations of spiritual stories and figures.
Historical Luciferianism
The Gesta Treverorum records that, in 1231, heretics began to be persecuted throughout Germany. Among them were Luciferians, principally in the Archdiocese of Trier, but also Mainz and Cologne. Over the following three years, several people were burned as a result. According to a papal letter from Gregory IX, Vox in Rama, dated from July 13, 1233, one of the claims made by the Luciferians was that Lucifer had been cast out of Heaven unjustly.
On the other hand, Richard Cavendish has argued that some evidence of Satanism may have been uncovered during these investigations into heresy:
The confessions Conrad of Marburg extracted [in Germany during the early 1200s] were apparently made without torture, but under the threat of death if the victim did not confess. If these confessions were accurate, the Luciferans were full-blown Satanists. They worshiped the Devil as creator and ruler of the world, complained that he had been unjustly and treacherously banished from Heaven, and believed that he would overthrow the God of the Christians and return to Heaven, when they would enjoy eternal happiness with him. They reveled in whatever displeased the Christian God and hated whatever pleased him...[4]
Lucifer the Lightbearer was an american individualist-anarchist journal published by Moses Harman in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It has been reported that "The title was selected, stated Harman, because it expressed the paper's mission. Lucifer, the name given the morning star by the people of the ancient world, served as the symbol of the publication and represented the ushering in of a new day. He declared that freethinkers had sought to redeem and glorify the name Lucifer while theologians cursed him as the prince of the fallen angels. Harman suggested that Lucifer would take on the role of an educator. "The god of the Bible doomed mankind to perpetual ignorance," wrote Harman, "and [people] would never have known Good from Evil if Lucifer had not told them how to become as wise as the gods themselves."[5]
Lucifer was a publication edited by the influential occultist Helena Blavatsky. The journal was first published by Blavatsky. From 1889 until Blavatsky's death in May 1891 Annie Besant was a co-editor.
Madeline Montalban was an English astrologer and witch. She co-founded the esoteric organisation known as the Order of the Morning Star (OMS), through which she propagated her own form of Luciferianism. In 1952 she met Nicholas Heron, with whom she entered into a relationship. An engraver, photographer and former journalist for the Brighton Argus, he shared her interest in the occult, and together they developed a magical system based upon Luciferianism, the veneration of the deity Lucifer, or Lumiel, whom they considered to be a benevolent angelic deity. In 1956, they founded the Order of the Morning Star, or Ordo Stella Matutina (OSM), propagating it through a correspondence course.[6] The couple sent out lessons to those who paid the necessary fees over a series of weeks, eventually leading to the twelfth lesson, which contained The Book of Lumiel, a short work written by Montalban that documented her understanding of Lumiel, or Lucifer, and his involvement with humankind.[7] The couple initially lived together in Torrington Place, London, from where they ran the course, but in 1961 moved to the coastal town of Southsea in Essex, where there was greater room for Heron's engraving equipment.[8]
Organizations
Greater Church of Lucifer
In 2014 Luciferians founded a worldwide organization for Luciferians from Houston, Texas known as the Greater Church of Lucifer under the leadership of Jacob No, Michael W. Ford and Jeremy Crow, founder of the Luciferian Research Society. In January 2015 the founders of GCoL filed paperwork in the Austin County Courthouse in order to do business under the GCoL name. Jacob No describes GCoL as an organization that "follows a philosophy and is a non-dogmatic religion".[9] The GCoL focuses more on teachings based on the practical world. Family and personal progression are among its key tenets.
In 2015, the GCoL opened a parish in Old Town Spring, Texas, with several dozen members. Over a hundred local residents, mainly Catholic, protested the opening of the church.[10]
Neo-Luciferian Church
The Neo-Luciferian Church (NLC) is a Gnostic and Luciferian organisation with roots in western esotericism, Voodoo, Luciferianism, Thelema, and magic.
Circulus Pueri
The Circulus Pueri is a European based secular Luciferian order.[11]
Fraternitas Saturni
Stephen Flowers in his book on the German magical order Fraternitas Saturni says that "the FS is (or was) the most unabashedly Luciferian organization in the modern Western occult revival."[12] It is also reported that thr Fraternitas Saturni holds the view that "Also the A Logos was necessary in order for the light to dawn; and this Logos was Lucifer, the Light-Bringer. Lucifer is the demiurge, who created our visible world by breaking the static cosmic order. The result was War in Heaven, by which death entered the world. Lucifer is regarded as the “higher octave” of Saturn (Satan representing its “lower octave”), the outermost planet and polar opposite of the Sun in ancient cosmology. Because of this ongoing opposition Lucifer is still fighting the Solar Logos. The principal battlefield is our earth, which contains a negative-astral and a positive- mental sphere apart from its physical form. Saturn is seen as the great judge with scales and sword, entrusted with weight, measure and number. He is the Guardian of the Threshold, or the gateway to transcendence. Because he betrayed divine mysteries to mankind, he has been punished. His heavy, dark, leaden qualities must be transformed into gold by the magician, in an alchemical process involving the “repolarisation of lights”.[13]
See also
- Atheism
- Lucifer and Prometheus
- Lucifer of Cagliari, a schismatic early Christian bishop whose followers were known as Luciferians
References
- ↑ Catherine Beyer. "How Luciferians Differ From Satanists". About.com Religion & Spirituality. Retrieved 16 September 2015.
- ↑ Catherine Beyer. "Lucifer (Who Is He?) - Lucifer versus Satan". About.com Religion & Spirituality. Retrieved 16 September 2015.
- ↑ Spence, L. (1993). An Encyclopedia of Occultism. Carol Publishing.
- ↑ Cavendish, 1983, pp. 296-297, The Black Arts
- ↑ "The Moses Harman Story" by William Lemore West at Kansas Historical Society
- ↑ Philips 2012, pp. 81–82.
- ↑ Philips 2012, pp. 95–97.
- ↑ Philips 2012, p. 81.
- ↑ The Sealy News, 29 Jan 2015, "Greater Church of Lucifer files to do business in Austin County"
- ↑ "Greater Church of Lucifer opens doors despite protests in Old Town Spring".
- ↑ http://www.luciferian.eu
- ↑ Stephen E. Flowers. Fire & Ice: The history, structure and rituals of Germany´s modern magical order. The brotherhood of Saturn. Llewellyn. pg. xv1994
- ↑ "Fraternitas Saturni" by Hans Thomas Hakl in Wouter Hanegraaff (ed). Dictionary of Gnosis & Western Esotericism. pg. 381
Philips, Julia (2012). Madeline Montalban: The Magus of St. Giles. Bloomsbury, London: Neptune Press. ISBN 978-0-9547063-9-5.
