COS Handbook, Section 8




Section EightDiabolical TheatreAccording to the Bard, "All
the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players..." We would do
well to heed these words. Dr. Lavey has been accused of being too theatrical or
dramatic in his presentation of our religion. But it is exactly the theatre of
Satanism that should be fostered, as in the original Magic Circle days. The
great strength of Satan is not only in His advocacy of rationality and science,
but in the imagination, the theatrics, the pomp and true magic that can be
evoked by and beyond that. Since grotto opportunities have been discouraged,
that aspect of Satanism has been downplayed and atrophied. Social changes and
shifting spirits dictate that it's time to revive it.The Devil is always
a showman - whether it's in the guise of the omniscient Stage Manager, or a
stage magician, a carny huckster, or Puck - He is the Master behind the scenes,
pulling the strings, steering the audience and the other characters in the play
toward their destiny. There is sinister purpose in studying the methods and
trappings of the theatre and applying them to a successful life. By doing this,
you create a play for yourself, and cast yourself in the starring role, our
anti-hero. You create a fabric of the Is To Be, writing your fiction as you live
it. Thinking of yourself as an actor in the world, and of your fellow Satanists
as your dramatic comrades, makes you aware that there's always a difference
between the performers in life and the audience, between what goes on on-stage
and what goes on backstage. The audience doesn't know the mad scurrying and
last-minute scenery touch-ups that take place just before the curtain goes up.
They don't want to know; the audience only wants to be entertained. The actors
remain poised and in character - the show always goes on.To be able to
switch instantaneously between the mundane and the magical, takes the kind of
applied schizophrenia for which actors train all their lives. In a magician,
this translates to being able to enter a "theatrical" mode whenever it's
required. The solemnity of your Intellectual Decompression Chamber should always
be accessible, even during the most informal group activities. You should be
able to switch immediately at a single word, as a group, from one mode to
another. Theatrical training is perfect for that. You work with others on a
stage to pick up cues, cover for flubbed lines of dialogue or movement, stay in
character, and maintain the illusion.You learn how to ad lib and keep
smiling, and how to work in non-verbal communication with your fellow actors.
The audience will never know you've missed your line if you or the others don't
telegraph it. It trains you to act as a troupe, supportive of each other, not
trying to upstage or undermine each other.An actor also trains himself
to observe people very closely, knowing he may be called upon at any time to
play someone very old, or very young or quite different from himself. He has to
have a repertoire of details from which to draw, to evoke the feelings his
character requires. This encourages a magician's powers of observation,
attention to detail, evocation of mystery, and the projection of
character.The theatre also conditions you to the importance of timing.
Timing and phrasing is often what distinguishes a fine actor or comedian from a
mediocre one. You learn to give portent and fresh meaning to lines you may have
recited a thousand times, by phrasing and pausing to communicate the emotions
and subtext of the play.Think of these kinds of details when you perform
ritual magic. Rehearse rituals as you would rehearse a play; memorize your lines
until you can recite them without thinking about it. Then, when you are
performing the actual ritual, you can concentrate on the emotions and
transcendence rather than the rubrics and movements themselves. Don't fear that
repetition will defuse the potency of the ritual if you rehearse it again and
again until you have it letter-perfect. It will intensify the power once the
words and actions become second-nature and seep into your unconscious. With such
intensive practice, you'll find yourself integrating the rituals into your
dreams and will eventually find yourself experiencing the same out-of-body
separation some actors describe when they "watch" themselves give a flawless
performance.The greatest nations have been cemented by theatrical pomp
and stirring music. We cannot have a lasting movement which doesn't excite the
imagination. Learn the tools of illusion. Join a local theatre group. Even a
small community theatre will give you training in techniques in staging,
lighting, makeup, costuming, directing, dramatic writing and acting that will
improve both your ritual and everyday magic. Within your grotto, perform scenes,
explore spontaneous theatre, practice accents, experiment with subtle
modifications of facial features with makeup techniques, fabricate dramatic
costumes. Learn and use every special effect in your arsenal. For us, there is
no distinction between "magick" and "magic"; stage magic becomes "real" magic,
if you dress the stage properly. Your success depends on creating an engaging
performance for a most discriminating Diabolical patron.




Chapter 7

Chapter
9