183 lines
10 KiB
Plaintext
183 lines
10 KiB
Plaintext
This file is an exerpt from The Book of Darkness, an official work
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of the Ordo Templi Satanis, P.O. Box 1093, Atwater, CA 95301. It is
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copyright 1991. All persons are hereby given permission to make
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copies and/or distribute this exerpt, so long as in so doing the
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contents of this work is not altered in any way, including this
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paragraph.
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Organization of the Order
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(From the Book of the Order)
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The Order of the Satanic Temple (Ordo Templi Satanis) is to
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be organized along lines similar to those employed by the medie-
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val orders of chivalry. Each member of the Order, once recognized
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as a full member in good standing of the Order, is considered to
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be as part of the natural Satanic elite, and as such part of the
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new aristocracy which we are attempting to emplace in the land.
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To rise within the organization, a member must prove himself
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worthy-- not by financial contributions to the Order, nor by ones
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standing in the outside world, but in terms of services done to
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further the cause of the Satanic movement, and the Order's works,
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both magical and mundane. Standing within the Order shall be
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systematized, with a specific plan of ranks.
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Rank Title Honorific Color
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I Aspirant Hopeful -none-
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II Esquire Squire white
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III Knight Sir (or Lady) black
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IV Knight-Bachelor Worthy Sir (or Lady) blue
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V Knight-Companion Honorable Sir (or Lady) red
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VI Knight-Commander Revered Sir (or Lady) purple
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The first rank is known as the Aspirant, because the holder
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is not yet a full member in good standing within the Order, but
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is merely aspiring to be so. This is a period of trial and test-
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ing on the part of both the Order and the Aspirant, to see if
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each is what the other is looking for. The period of Aspirantship
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shall last no less than six months, which should be spent in
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serious and frequent contact with other, higher-ranked, members
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of the Order. The leader of the local group responsible for the
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Aspirant shall make the determination of when and if the Aspirant
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shall be raised to the rank of Esquire.
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The second rank within the Order is that of the Esquire. The
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Esquire has been recognized as possessing the potential to be a
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productive and useful member of the Order, and it is during this
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time that the members most intense training, practice, and demon-
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stration of devotion should come. Now that the basics are out of
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the way, and the member has been accepted within the ranks of the
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Order, the final finishing touches on his or her training are to
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take place, so that the member may serve a productive and useful
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function within the organizational structure of the Order. The
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Esquire wears the color white on his insignia, symbolic of the
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purity of Will which must exist ere the final steps along the
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left hand path may be taken. There is no time limit on holding
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the rank of Esquire, but when the Esquire is deemed worthy, his
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local group leader shall raise him to the rank of Knight.
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The third rank is that of the Knight. This is the rank
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intended to represent that of the majority of the members of the
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Order; it is the rank that shows the member has accepted the
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responsibility and has been shown to be able to significantly
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contribute to the cause of the Order. Knights wear the color
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black on their uniform insignia, symbolic of the Dark side they
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have chosen. The Knight should not forget that, like his medieval
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namesake, he should be the embodiment of chivalry, justice, and
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strength. The Knight is the shining example of what a Satanist
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is, to be shown to the rest of the world. Every Knight should
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take his role of ambassador to the non-Satanist world quite
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seriously. If a particular Knight indicates an interest, and has
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proven a consistent ability, the local group commander may recom-
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mend him for promotion to the rank of Knight-Bachelor.
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The fourth rank is that of the Knight-Bachelor; this is the
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first of the ranks of command, which are given only to those
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members of the Order who are willing to accept the further re-
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sponsibility of a position of leadership within the Order and who
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have a demonstrated ability to do so. The Knight-Bachelor wears
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the color blue on his insignia, signifying the assumption of the
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responsibility of a role of leadership within the organization.
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Any member of the rank of Knight-Bachelor and above may hold any
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position of leadership or responsibility within the Order. Only
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an action by the Knight-Commander of the Order may raise a member
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from here to the rank of Knight-Companion.
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The next rank is that of the Knight-Companion. These are the
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highest of the command ranks of the order, and as such are recog-
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nized as those individuals who have made significant contribu-
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tions to the cause of Satanism and the Order. It is more a title
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of respect and reward than the assumption of any additional
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duties and responsibilities, and is bestowed as a token of recog-
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nition of a complete and total dedication to the Order. Knight-
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Companions wear the color red on their insignia to symbolize
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their ties, thick as blood, with the other members of the Order.
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The final rank is that of the Knight-Commander. There can be
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but one Knight-Commander of the Order at any given time; whenever
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the position becomes vacant (for whatever reason), a new Knight-
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Commander is chosen by secret ballot from among the Knights-
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Bachelor and -Companion. The Knight-Commander serves as the
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titular and actual chief of the Order as a whole, directing its
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various components, acting as its ultimate spokesman, and serving
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as arbiter of any disputes and conflicts within it. The Knight-
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Commander may make statements of policy for the Order, and is
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empowered to make appointments and promotions within the ranks.
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The Knight-Commander wears purple on his insignia, symbolic of
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royalty from time immemorial.
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While the Knight-Commander may wear the color of royalty, he
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must never forget one of the most basic rules of political life;
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without the consent of the ruled, the rulers are soon out of a
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job. So too is it with the Knight-Commander. He may possess near-
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autocratic power within the Order, but he should be cautious when
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exercising it. The opinions of the Knights-Bachelor and -Compan-
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ion should be solicited for major decisions of policy, and their
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word heeded when they appear to be of one mind. The voices of the
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Knights and even Esquires should be heard as well; the Knight-
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Commander should never become so proud that he fails to listen to
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those around him. And, one of the most important lessons to be
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learned; the Knight-Commander should never place himself in a
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position where his subordinates are fearful of speaking the
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truth. When the Knight-Commander punishes the bearer of bad news,
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all he is ensuring is that the next news he receives is good--
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and possibly inaccurate.
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The Order is divided into several Regions, each of which may
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be further subdivided into Priories, all of which are based on
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geographic location. Recommendations for the establishment of new
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Priories are made by the Regional commander, to be approved by
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the Knight-Commander. While Regions may encompass several states
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and contain many thousands of members each, each Priory is likely
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to be centered around a specific urban or suburban area, where
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there is a high density of membership. There is no necessity for
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each member to live within a Priory, but all members will fall
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under the jurisdiction of one of the Regions. Commanders of
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Regions and Priories may be no less than IVo members of the
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Order, and it should be recommended that no Priory commander
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outrank his Regional commander, if only to keep the chains of
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command from getting tangled, and to make the river of protocol
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flow smoothly.
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All members of the Order should engage in the proper forms
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of protocol when in uniform. That includes a polite respect when
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addressing Knights of higher rank especially, but all members
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should show common courtesy when dealing with other members of
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the Order. While the Order may sometimes seem like a paramilitary
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organization, salutes and the like are not required, unless they
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are specifically to be included as part of a ritual (certain of
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the Order's rituals, which emphasize discipline and militarism,
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do specify such things).
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Members should show the same respect to their uniforms as
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they do to themselves, and should always strive to project a
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neat, competent, and professional appearance. The official uni-
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form of the Ordo Templi Satanis (to be worn at all official Order
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functions) is a black Battle Dress Uniform (BDU) worn with combat
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boots (such uniforms are available at most military surplus
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stores for around $50 a set). A t-shirt should be worn under the
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uniform conforming to the color associated with the rank of the
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member. Unit patches and insignia may be worn on the pockets, as
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directed by the group in question (and which should be confirmed
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with the Knight-Commander), but all uniforms should, at the very
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least, have the inverted pentagram on the left breast pocket
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(possibly with the motto "Ordo Templi Satanis") and a trapezoid-
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shaped insignia on the collar tabs bearing the color designated
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for the rank of the individual. A color-coded shoulder braid rope
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may be worn if desired (usually only worn on formal occasions). A
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black BDU hat or baseball hat may be worn indoors or out. Addi-
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tional details may be added at the discretion of the individual,
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but the overall effect should be in keeping with the paramilitary
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image that the uniform is designed to project. This image is
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quite important to the idea of self-image, which is vital to the
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conclusion of successful Satanic Magic Workings.
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If, for whatever reason, a uniform is not available to the
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individual during an official function of the Order, the member
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should wear plain dark clothing (preferably black) with some
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indication of their rank. A color-coded pentagram necklace is
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adequate for this purpose.
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