Anyway, I still find plenty of value in the principles. Intelligence and individualism are two attributes which I value very highly, and which I believe are under an insidious, sustained attack in my society (call it The Modern World, The Western World, whatever).
1. Do not give opinions or advice unless you are asked.
This is especially difficult for me, with my habitual interjections and urge to play "Devil's Advocate". It can be extremely exasperating to hear or read statements of sloppy thinking and outright falsehood. Perhaps I merely desire attention, and/or want to be seen as some sort of authority on certain topics.
I've heard 'Satanist' interpretations that regard this as a more or less disposable rule, which is admittedly consistent to the spirit of Satanism, but seems to miss the point -- which to me is: shut up and listen, and let idiots say and think whatever they want.
If you really believe that what you have to say will be helpful or revelatory, you may consider this as being tacitly "asked".
2. Do not tell your troubles to others unless you are sure they want to hear them.
Basically, 'don't be a complainer'. While I've certainly been accused of 'whining' in the past, I am far more likely to keep my internal conflicts to myself (unless you count my writing, which is only slightly more social than complete silence). I aspire to only express my problems (internal or external) by way of solving them.
The dilemma for me is to recognize when the answer lies outside myself...and if so, where it can best be found. In my experience, friends (even the most sympathetic) simply do not want to hear your random complaints. If you are (like me) helpful by nature, you will ultimately resent being told problems that you cannot do anything about, or if your seemingly-sought advice falls on deaf ears. And pointless commiseration is all too often a way to sink to the lowest common denominator, rather than to rise to either person's potential.
3. When in another’s lair, show him respect or else do not go there.
A man's home is his castle. If you enter someone else's 'space', you are being given the opportunity to see and understand their individual way of living. Again: shut up and listen. You are no longer in a public place.
Even if you observe your host doing or being something in direct opposition to your beliefs, or those of the society in which you both live, you should maintain a respectful tone and behavior. If you find you cannot do this, consider yourself unwelcome.
4. If a guest in your lair annoys you, treat him cruelly and without mercy.
Simply an extension of #3. Satanists do not believe in 'turning the other cheek', and a disrespectful guest is an attack upon the host.
I am personally in favor of mercy, and deplore cruelty (unnecessary cruelty, and a fair amount of so-called 'necessary' cruelty as well; "the truth hurts" is a great example of a rationalization often used to mask your pleasure at someone else's suffering).
However, I sincerely feel that there should be far more leeway for retribution when someone disturbs or mocks your personal space, compared to the same disturbance in a public setting, or in someone else's space. See Rule 11.
5. Do not make sexual advances unless you are given the mating signal.
This one can be tricky. Like many nerds, I've had a very difficult time recognizing the mating signal, or knowing the right thing to do from there.
On the other hand, unwelcome or even just casual sexual advances are rather obviously disrespectful. I resent being made to feel uncomfortable by such advances, and I regret the negative fallout usually caused by rejection.
I can only imagine how much this is compounded when one feels a potential danger in the situation (the classic example is a woman feeling threatened by a man, but there are many dangers that have nothing to do with physical size and strength, just as there are many women who can take care of themselves against many men. And obviously, not all sexual advances are heterosexual!).
Ultimately, if there is any question that your advances may be unwelcome, you are advised to err on the side of restraint and respect.
6. Do not take that which does not belong to you unless it is a burden to the other person and he cries out to be relieved.
This may be my favorite, simply because it is inherently ambiguous and controversial.
The definition of 'theft' is one which traditionally supports waste -- and by that I mean selfish hoarding, conspicuous displays of affluence and materialism. I place myself at odds with many Satanists by my rejection of the 'holiness' of personal property. I am largely in favor of digital 'pirating' and consider many of the goods of modern industry to be disposable and meaningless, and therefore debatable as personal possessions.
I have far more respect for the few cherished possessions of a poor man than I have for the vast inventories of wealthy people and corporations -- to me, 'personal possessions' implies a certain amount of care and attachment, regardless of any printed receipt or legal right.
7. Acknowledge the power of magic if you have employed it successfully to obtain your desires. If you deny the power of magic after having called upon it with success, you will lose all you have obtained.
This is even trickier. Satanism is all about intelligence, and reason will tell you that a belief in 'magic' is an unhealthy superstition that denies the true forces of cause and effect in the world.
However, Satanism's ritual magick may be less akin to primitive superstition than it is to an entirely different set of beliefs. For one thing, the most intelligent among us admit that our understanding is limited about the real forces that compose and influence our existence. A Nobel Prize-winning theoretical physicist may have very little insight into the power of art and emotion, and the sum total of our knowledge (even if it could be generally understood by any given person) is still not comprehensive.
So by 'magic', we may be using a shortcut to express the way in which we can effect changes without a scientific understanding of the underlying processes -- something that each of us does all throughout each day. The next time someone slights magic, ask them to explain how cell phones really work. Unless you're talking to one of the relatively few people who understand wireless digital communication, the answer may as well be 'magic'.
Can we make things happen simply by exerting our will? I believe that I have, and I also believe that there are ultimately concrete causes and effects that could explain such things in more rational terms. They escape pure 'scientific' explanation simply because they may be far too subtle and immeasurable, and not reproducible. Therefore, they can be called 'magic', and one would be a fool to deny them.
The latter half of this rule is also problematic, as one would think that results are results whether or not you deny the actual process that created them. Perhaps the loss is a personal one, in that "what you have obtained" means more than simply the desired result, but also a belief and acknowledgement of the forces that enabled you to obtain it.
You can come up with a system and find success with it, but without an understanding of what makes it work, you are at the mercy of any of the variables changing unexpectedly. This is basically what separates real intelligence from the mere ability to learn the rules well and follow them diligently.
8. Do not complain about anything to which you need not subject yourself.
Very similar to Rule 2. Ask yourself: do you REALLY care about the thing that you're protesting, and does it actually affect your existence in any meaningful way? This is equivalent to "if you don't like the program, change the channel or turn it off".
There are all sorts of things that get me worked up, and half of the time I'm simply looking to get worked up by something, anything. If you have any control over the situation, work to change it more to your liking. If you don't have control, ask yourself: can you simply leave the situation? If the answer is no, then perhaps it's acceptable to complain. I'd still prefer not to complain at all, but sometimes that is the only sort of control you possess.
9. Do not harm little children.
I've read some Satanists who explain that this was included to address the semi-hysterical view that Satanism is synonymous with child abuse and sacrifice. Whatever the case, this is undoubtedly a good rule. Decent people will never struggle to keep it in mind, and anyone unhealthy enough to consider harming children will probably be beyond the capacity to follow such rules anyway. Seems clear cut enough.
However (and this is kind of a huge exception), you may wish to ask yourself to what extent your actions contribute to the harming of children. Perhaps you buy goods provided by a corporation that is indeed harming children, via labor practices, pollution, support of a violent political regime, lobbyists for policies that cause children to suffer, and so on. In that case, you may in fact be harming children simply by your lifestyle. Can you improve this situation in any way?
10. Do not kill non-human animals unless you are attacked or for your food.
Heh heh. Yes, it does say "non-human animals", implying that the rule does not prohibit murder. I'll leave that part alone, because many people immediately object to my view that human life is not inherently sacred or precious. Plus, I think it leaves far too much leeway for a military excuse, which I reject (for one thing, the military is typically anti-intellectual and anti-individualist, requiring a person to violate ethics and reason almost by definition).
One of the extremely attractive aspects of Satanism for me is that human beings are rightly regarded as animals. While we have advantages that some or all other species lack, we also have complimentary disadvantages (who hasn't envied wings, or a hard shell, or the ability to breathe underwater, for example?). The circumstances that enabled us to assume dominance over this period of evolutionary history are too often interpreted as license to impose, squander, and waste. This is a weakness, not a strength, and more people are beginning to recognize this as time goes on.
Plus, I love animals. I find them aesthetically, emotionally, and intellectually satisfying in countless ways. As a leather-wearing omnivore, I nevertheless respect and often regret the sacrifices that are made for my needs and my pleasure. An individual of any species should be able to make a significant contribution, rather than contribute to waste and meaninglessness.
Ideally, I would prefer to eat and wear only what I personally kill, but like most ideals, this is dramatically unrealistic. So I compromise by using 'animal product' as sparingly as my needs allow, and seethe at the thought of the excessive mass-production and waste that goes on simply to provide disposable consumer goods. It's not a happy compromise for me.
11. When walking in open territory, bother no one. If someone bothers you, ask him to stop. If he does not stop, destroy him.
"Open territory" can be defined as public places, but this is not a precisely legal definition (especially with so few places being ultimately public). Part of this rule is meant to advise the common-sense view that looking for trouble usually ends up finding it. Also, don't be a pest.
Mine may be a particularly nuanced view, but I feel that this applies to the 'open territory' so regularly violated by commercial pursuits. Salesmen and advertisers (not to mention missionaries) are regularly encouraged to break this rule. I don't think that it takes too much of a stretch to regard the near-constant bombardment of our senses with commercial pleas as 'bothering us in open territory'. While it may seem like a rationalization, I find it perfectly justifiable to resist, even 'destroy' the sources of this bother.
I don't mean that one should kill door-to-door salesmen, but once you've made a 'good faith effort' to turn them away with respect and courtesy, you have fulfilled your ethical imperative. Any further bother justifies retribution (in my case, that usually involves nothing more violent than humor at their expense, and a rational critique of their product and pitch -- neither of which most salesman have any real defense against!)
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