LA CARMINA sheds some light on Lucifer

Satanism is too often misunderstood as a religion that makes blood sacrifices to an evil, horned Prince of Darkness. In reality, modern Satanists are nonviolent and nontheistic, and consider the Devil to be a meaningful metaphor for the pursuit of knowledge, reason, and justice.

Written by award-winning alternative culture journalist and blogger La Carmina, The Little Book of Satanism details the “mark of the beast” in cultural and historic movements over the centuries, which have informed the sincerely held beliefs and practices of Satanists today. In this interview, La Carmina digs further into the details of her book and why she thinks it is a timely and culturally important publication.

Interview by Interlocutor Magazine

What was the major impetus for you to write The Little Book of Satanism? As far as you know, is this one of the only (or the only) comprehensive “primers” to the Judeo-Christian historical origins of Satanism and its cultural evolution all the way up to the present day?

There’s so much blatant misinformation in the public consciousness about Satanism. As a result, many people have a negative knee-jerk reaction to the idea of Satanists, and automatically assume that they’re practitioners of an evil religion. I hope The Little Book of Satanism can make a difference in reversing this narrative by relaying Satanism’s actual origins, values, historical development, and more.

There are academic books out there on this topic, such as Satanism: A Social History and Children of Lucifer (both are cited in my bibliography and were essential to my research) – but these excellent texts are too long and comprehensive for most readers. Other books cover specific aspects of Satanism (such as rituals, pop culture, witch trials, Hellfire Clubs, Satanic Panic), but I don’t think there is a guidebook out there that has all this and more in a short and accessible format.

For the development of the book you worked closely with Dr. John Skutlin, who has a Ph.D. in Japanese Studies and is a researcher of Goth subculture, body mod, and the occult from a cultural anthropological perspective. How did you come to work with Dr. Skutlin and in what ways did he help you distill the long history of Satanism and organize this topic in such a thorough way?

Dr. John and I go back over a decade – we were both part of the electrifying Japanese Goth / alternative subculture and became close friends and collaborators. Both of us were inspired by the Japanese Satanists we met in Tokyo, Kobe, and Osaka, as the religion has a unique expression in a country without a predominant Christian culture. (If you’re curious, Dr. John and I discuss this in detail in our OnlySky conversation about Satanism in Japan). We also host “Satanic Show + Tell” for The Satanic Temple TV, an interview show about notable guests’ devilish possessions.

When I was writing The Little Book of Satanism, Dr. John was an invaluable sounding board for ideas due to his long-time interest in Satanism and academic studies on the subject. I’m grateful for the in-depth feedback he gave me on the manuscript, particularly on topics I know less well such as the Biblical elements.

The Little Book of Satanism, 2022 - Ulysses Press/Simon & Schuster

Lucien Greaves, spokesman and co-founder of The Satanic Temple also wrote the foreword to the book. How did you originally get acquainted with Lucien and in what ways do you think his introduction helps to bolster the book’s overall content and credibility?

Lucien Greaves and I have long inhabited the same “circles of Hell” – we have many mutual friends in the worlds of Satanism and alt/dark culture. Over the past few years, we’ve collaborated on a number of endeavors. I hosted Lucien’s album release party for his band Satanic Planet and interviewed him for publications like Roadtrippers and Riot Fest. So far, readers have told me they love his elegant foreword to The Little Book of Satanism, which I think adds an important voice to the conversation of what Satanism really is about.

A very important element of your book is the emphasis on how the Lucifer persona has been embraced in a positive frame — as a symbol of rebellion against arbitrary authority and tyranny and as an example of freedom of expression and identity (such as Milton portraying Satan as a heroic character in Paradise Lost, and Romantic writers like Blake and Shelley reframing him positively).

Do you see a more positive shift in perception of Satanism now as even more necessary given the increasingly repressive political climate worldwide and the spread of online disinformation?

I see both perceptions developing in real-time. On one hand, the past decade of “socially engaged Satanism” has helped in re-framing Satanists as “the good guys.” Satanists (particularly in The Satanic Temple, but independent groups and practitioners as well) are becoming known for engaging in community good works like food and menstruation product collections, and standing up for free speech, reproductive rights, and equal representation. On the other hand, the Satanic Panic persists, and anti-Satanic rhetoric is prevalent in “fake news” such as QAnon conspiracy theories. I talk a lot about “The Collapse,” or society inevitably going into decline and disorder, and think we’ll see more extreme views all around as it accelerates.

La Carmina

Throughout history, there has been so much irrational and reactionary behavior associated with Satanism (such as the 15th-century Malleus Maleficarum witch-hunting guide, the Salem witch trials, the Affair of the Poisons hysteria in the 1600s, all the way to the 20th-century with the debunked Satanic ritual abuse book Michelle Remembers and the Satanic Panic of the 80s).

Did you ever have any reservations about writing and publishing a book that risks being weaponized against you or your publisher, or do you think that there is enough openness around the topic now that it's ready to be received in a more nuanced way by a wider audience?

My book is nonfiction, and I don’t insert myself into the narrative. Rather, I did my best to report on Satanic history, literature, culture, and practices based on my substantial research. The Little Book of Satanism doesn’t aim to “convert” anyone to the religion, or even make a case for it as a path to be followed. General audiences can view it in the same way as a primer to a lesser-known religion such as Baháʼí or Jainism. Hopefully they’ll read it with an open and curious mind and take from it what they will.

There is such a colorful and kind of wild cast of characters who appeared throughout the centuries and utilized the persona of Satan/Lucifer for their own promotional ends or to truly help others (or maybe a little bit of both, for some) - who is one of your personal favorites or someone who you found the most flamboyant or intriguing when you researched this project?

I’m fond of Aleister Crowley, whose unconventional life and views are chronicled in one of my chapters. While Crowley did not identify as a Satanist, he gleefully played into his childhood nickname – The Great Beast 666 – with anti-Christmas cards, poems like Hymn to Lucifer, and macabre photoshoots involving dark robes and a pentagram-marked tome. Crowley’s Thelemic ideas and theatrical antics had an immeasurable impact on Modern Satanism and Satanic aesthetics today.

Do you have any plans to promote the book via a reading tour, or in what other ways do you and your publisher plan on spreading the word about this unique project?

I’ve done book tours in the past, but I’m focusing on online interviews and promos for now. I might have some in-person talks and events later on, including one at The Satanic Temple and the spring SatanCon convention. I’ll be sharing plenty of updates on The Little Book of Satanism, and I am glad to speak to anyone interested in it. Please reach out to me at @LaCarmina on social media, and through my site lacarmina.com (my blog has over 10 years of firsthand reports on Satanism and Gothic culture worldwide)!

Buy The Little Book of Satanism

La Carmina is an award-winning alternative culture journalist and TV host. She runs the leading blog about Goth travel, fashion and Satanism (LaCarmina.com/blog), which was featured in The New York Times and Washington Post. La Carmina is the author of four books including Crazy, Wacky Theme Restaurants: Tokyo and Cute Yummy Time, published by Penguin Random House. She received a journalism prize from the Society of American Travel Writers, and her writing has appeared in Time Magazine, CNN, Business Insider and Architectural Digest. As a TV personality, La Carmina has danced with William Shatner and Henry Winkler on NBC’s Better Late Than Never, dined with Japanese monsters on Andrew Zimmern’s Bizarre Foods, negotiated a $666 taxidermy head on Discovery Channel’s Oddities, cooked cute food on The Today Show, and debated “bagelhead” body modifications on The Doctors. She is a graduate of Columbia University and Yale Law School. Follow La Carmina’s Gothic adventures in over 70 countries on LaCarmina.com and social media @LaCarmina. 

Related: read our November 2020 interview with activist Jex Blackmore