Lilith Starr - The Happy Satanist: Finding Self-Empowerment

The Happy Satanist

Finding Self-Empowerment

by Lilith Starr

THE HAPPY SATANIST

Finding Self-Empowerment

Lilith Starr

Copyright 2015 by Lilith Starr

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

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LILITH STARR STUDIOS

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3400 Harbor Avenue Southwest, Suite 109

Seattle, Washington 98126

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First Printing, 2015

Lilith Starr Studios

ISBN: 1501021737

ISBN-13: 978-1501021732

DEDICATION

To Uruk Black, devoted slaveboi, husband, and priest.

Thank you for bringing me back to life with your love.

FOREWORD

by Melanie Strong

I first met Lilith about 15 years ago at one of her infamous S&M parties. I wasnt into S&M myself but I found her a warm and welcoming host who made sure everyone was happy and comfortable. I was pleased that we became friends. We lost touch when I moved out of the country but have recently found each other again online and I am happy to be able to reconnect.

It was difficult to hear about the hard time shed been through, but I was amazed at her courage and resilience to keep fighting no matter what. I think many people would have given up long ago in similar circumstances.

I first read these essays when they were published online. I dont consider myself to be a Satanist, but I do understand their philosophy. I think these essays offer a very personal and moving account of the positive effects that their philosophy can have on individuals and society. Contained in these essays are stories of battles, the lowest of the lows and also great hope.

Lilith went through dark times but was able to empower herself with the skills and wisdom to make it through those times and build a new life for her and her love. Now she is sharing her experiences and what she has learned with others in the hopes of being able to encourage and help them.

I believe that there is much people can learn from these essays; courage, hope, wisdom, and love shine through them. I believe they will offer readers an insightful glimpse into a belief system that is often misunderstood at best and vilified at worst. Often when we read about anothers journey we find guidance for our own. While our circumstances are different, there is a truth that can speak to us and help us in our own path. This has been my experience reading these essays and I hope it is yours too.

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

I wrote these essays over 2012 to 2013 for the Facebook Satanism page, where I was the editor-in-chief. It was an exciting time. Social media had suddenly exploded, and Satanists from all walks of life and all corners of the globe were finally coming together on a public forum. We grabbed the chance to educate many of the curious and provide a public face for the modern Satanism movement.

In these fellow Satanists I found the most honest, kind, clear-headed people Ive ever met. Daring to write about Satanism openly on a public forum took a certain amount of guts. It was rewarding to see actual Satanic issues openly discussed, instead of suppressed by a fearful media and a judgemental theocracy.

Now in 2015, Satanism has really come into the limelight as a formidable weapon to fight for the separation of church and state. The Satanic Temple is currently making headline after headline as they show up the hypocrisy of Christian legislation, demanding equal rights for Satanists wherever Christianity is inserted into our governments, schools and laws. I joined the Temple and was recently chosen to head its Seattle chapter.

Im proud to be part of a movement that dares to stand up to the increasingly shrill voices of the American theocracy, the intolerant religious bigots, and the abusers who use Christianity as an excuse for their evils.

Satanism has also played a central, very personal role in my own life, allowing me to finally blossom into my full potential. The self-empowerment at the core of the philosophy gave me the inner strength I needed to beat a lifetime of addiction, including a near-fatal heroin addiction. It gave me the impetus to seek effective treatment for my severe clinical depression and finally find the right combination of psych meds, meditation and exercise to heal my broken mind and body.

And its given me the strength to keep going even in the face of debilitating chronic pain. Every day, my pain threatens to take me down, but my passion and personal drive keep me living the meaningful life Ive always dreamed of. I have at my command all the power that lies within me, without needing to depend on outside sources or authorities. Satanism was exactly what I needed to shake the self-hatred that had derailed me at every step since childhood. These essays are my gift of gratitude to the philosophy that finally brought the healing and recovery Id desperately sought for 39 years. I hope you enjoy reading them as much as I enjoyed writing them.

I believe that I am the highest power in my own life, which entails not only self-empowerment, but self-responsibility.

I believe that I and all beings deserve compassion, self-compassion and freedom from shame and stigma.

I believe in the Seven Fundamental Tenets of the Satanic Temple :

One should strive to act with compassion and empathy towards all creatures in accordance with reason.

The struggle for justice is an ongoing and necessary pursuit that should prevail over laws and institutions.

Ones body is inviolable, subject to ones own will alone.

The freedoms of others should be respected, including the freedom to offend. To willfully and unjustly encroach upon the freedoms of another is to forgo your own.

Beliefs should conform to our best scientific understanding of the world. We should take care never to distort scientific facts to fit our beliefs.

People are fallible. If we make a mistake, we should do our best to rectify it and resolve any harm that may have been caused.

Every tenet is a guiding principle designed to inspire nobility in action and thought. The spirit of compassion, wisdom, and justice should always prevail over the written or spoken word.