Celebrations in Dark Guise : A Definitional Study of Contemporary Satanic Ritual

Abstract: This thesis aims to answer the question “what is contemporary Satanic ritual?” It explores the historical development of Satanic ritual from being a fictional nineteenth-century literary concept, to a means of giving voice to 21st century activism and identity. From its roots in Christian history when the Satanic Black Mass was once a polemic instrument for subduing the other, and its transformation into a meaningful practice with which the oft subdued raise their own voice. Through interviews with members of the Global Order of Satan, a non-theistic religious organization that adheres to a positive reading of the Satanic figure as a rebel and adversary to despotic, arbitrary and patriarchic rule, I have concluded that contemporary Satanic ritual can be defined by division into four categories: activism, identity, community and play. The traditional definition “Black Mass” is refuted as a commonly usable term within contemporary Satanism due to irrelevance. This study serves the overall purpose of clarifying a concept often pre-convinced by the greater public based on medial and political propaganda or religious polemics. In a modern multi-religious society, it provides an analysis of an often-stigmatized group and widens the scope of understanding of what we normally may perceive as acceptable religious beliefs or even, what counts as religion.