The Black Mass is divided
into five segments which, for the sake of clarity, are given separately
with a brief commentary upon each one. The first segment is the INTROIT
and consists of a preparatory dialogue between the celebrant and his server(s)
which helps to set the tone for what is to follow. This segment closely
follows the form of the Christian Mass, yet the dedication has been reversed,
with the name of Satan substituted for that of Jehovah or Christ. This
part of the mass is brief and private, with no rubric to define the actions
of the priest or his server(s) during its recital, and no call upon the
assembled worshippers to assist in any way with its performance.
The very first words of
the Introit may well signal what is to follow, but without any rubric must
be regarded as merely a conjecture as to the actual actions of the celebrant.
The woman who is to serve as altar for the mass, it must be assumed, has
by this time been conducted to her place. The acolytes have ignited the
censers and candles and made all ready for the rite blaspheming Jesus Christ
which is about to be performed. The celebrant and those who are to assist
him, in the case of this ritual a boy child and a girl child, traditionally
past the age of seven, which is regarded as the philosophical age of reason,
approach the tabernacle. The priest, if such we may call him, may well
make a brief initial penetration of the altar at this point, as suggested
by the formula here given. The remainder of the Introit may well be taken
up with a ritual surveyal of the items disposed for the celebration of
this unhallowed rite.
The altar-boy is a byword
in Catholicism. It is therefore most appropriate that a Satanic Mass makes
use of both a boy and a girl for its servers, with the girl, as appears
later, taking the most active part. That there should be no overtly sexual
usage attached to her presence is perhaps more due to the restraint of
C19th Satanic ritual than to anything else. In view of the copulation to
come later and the rubric attaching to it we may not be wholly mistaken
in regarding the girl server's role as somewhat sublimated.
The paraphernalia of the
Satanic Mass, conveniently set to hand within the sanctuary, if we may
use such a term, will, from an examination of the extant rubric, be as
follows:
b) Thorn Apple, Datura stramonium, has very similar properties with regard to drying and storage. It is a notorious poison and regarded as a dangerous psychedelic deleriant, as is Henbane, as is
c) Deadly Nightshade, Atropa belladonna. Atropos, in Greek myth, was the third fate, the one who used her shears to cut the threads of men's lives. Its poisonous alkaloids, like those of Henbane and Thorn Apple, withstand boiling and drying and, like them, it was a traditional ingredient of witches' flying ointment and a psychedelic, creating excitement and delirium.
vi) A bell.
vii) Candles and candle-holders. Huysmans' candles were black, as demanded by tradition, and contained coal-tar and pitch for their colouring. Today, with black candles available from most department stores for dinner-party entertaining, less dramatic colouring us used. Stearin has also replaced baby's fat which used to be a staple ingredient of sabbatic lighting. The number and design of the candelabrum is not stipulated by the rubric. The author possesses a pair of candelabra, made for a C19th Scottish occultist, which are two-branched and, at the union of the branches, bear a double-horned head with a typically Luciferan expression.
viii) A small cauldron.
ix) An aspergillus. LaVey inists that this should be phallic in shape. Such insistence is at least I accord with the spirit of Satanic ritual. By tradition only the altar is naked at the outset of the celebration of the Black Mass. The celebrant, the servers and the congregation at least wear token clothing. Indeed, throughout history elaborate and full descriptions of the robes worn by the alternative priest have been given by a variety of sources. These range from a simple smock to full Satanic canonicals, embroided with anything from acorns and phalli to rams, goats and other Satanic beasts. It would seem logical from the present rubric that the congregants should wear robes which they will find easy to remove at the appropriate juncture.
V: In nomine Magni Dei
Nostri Satanus introibo ad altare Domini Inferi.
In the Name of our Great God Satan I will
go in to the altar of the Infernal Lord.
R: Ad Eum Qui laetificat
meum.
To Him Who gives joy unto me.
V: Adjutorium nostrum
in nomine Domini Inferi.
Our help is the Name of the Infernal Lord.
R: Qui regit terram.
Who reigns on earth.
V: Domine Satanus, Tua
est terra. Orbem terrarum et plentitudinem ejus Tu fundasti. Justitia et
luxuria praepartia sedis Tuae. Sederunt principes et adversum me loquebantur,
et iniqui persecuti sunt me. Adjura me, Domine Satanus meus.
Custodi me, Dominue
Satanus, de manu peccatoris.
R: Et ab hominibus iniquis
eripe me.
V: Domine Satanus Tu
conversus virificabis nos.
R: Et plebs Tua laetabitur
in te.
V: Ostende nobis, Domine
Satanus, potentiam Tuam.
R: Et beneficium Tuum
da nobis.
V: Domine Satanus exaudi
meam.
R: Et clamor meus ad
Te veniat.
V: Dominus Inferus vobiscum.
R: Et cum tuo.
V: Gloria Deo Domino
Inferi, et in terra vita hominibus fortibus. Laudamus Te, benedicamus Te,
adoramus Te, glorificamus Te, gratias agimus tibi propter magnam potentiam
Tuam: Domine Satanus, Rex Inferus, Imperator omnipotens.
Thine is the earth, Lord Satan. Thou hast
founded the earth & the fullness thereof. Justice and luxury are the
preparation of Thy Throne. Princes sat & spoke against me, & the
wicked persecuted me. Help me, Lord Satan.
Keep me, Lord Satan, from the hands of the
wicked.
And from unjust men deliver me.
Lord Satan, Thou shalt turn again & quicken
us.
And They people shall rejoice in Thee.
Lord Satan, show us Thy power.
And grant us of Thy bounty.
Lord Satan, hear me.
And let my cry come unto Thee.
The Infernal Lord be with you.
And with you also.
Glory to God the Infernal Lord, & on
earth life & strength to man. We praise Thee, we bless Thee, we adore
Thee, we glorify Thee, we give thanks to Thee for They great power; Lord
Satan, Infernal King, Almighty Emperor.
The first segment of the Black Mass to involve both the celebrant and the assembled worshippers is the Offertory, in which the kinds relevant to the black communion to follow are exposed and tacitly accepted by the congregation. The black priest shows the wine and the wafer, the latter traditionally consecrated host stolen from a church or concealed during the hypocritical communion of a false Christian. He then censes the altar and all upon the table the altar rests upon. During a series of versicles and responses he involves the congregation in the rite, thus assuring himself of their loyalty to his infernal master and their fitness to participate in what is to follow. The Offertory culminates in a hosanna which is offered, as might be expected, to the depths and not to the heights as custom demands.
The chalice & paten, upon which rests the wafer, are uncovered by the Celebrant. He takes the paten in both hands & raises it breast-high in an attitude of offering, then speaks the following words:
V: Suscipe, Domine Satanus,
hanc hostiam, quam ego dignus famulus Tuus offero Tibi, Deo Meo Vivo et
Vero, pro omnibus circumstantibus, sed ut pro omnibus fidelibus famulis
Tuis: ut mihi et illis proficiat ad felicitatem in hanc vitam. Amen.
Lord Satan, receive this host which I, They
worthy servant, offer to Thee, my True and Living God, for all here present,
as also for all Thy faithful servants, that it may avail for my own &
their rejoicing in this life. Amen.
Replacing the paten and the wafer he raises the chalice in like manner, saying:
V: Offerimus Tibi, Domine
Satanus, calix carnis stimulos ut in conspectu majestatis Tuae, pro nostra
utilitate et felicitate, paceat Tibi. Amen.
Lord Satan, we offer to Thee the chalice
of fleshly lust, that it may arise in the sight of Thy majesty for our
use & gratification & be pleasing unto Thee. Amen.
He replaces the chalice upon the altar, then extends his hands, the palms downwards, and says:
V: Veni Satanus, Imperator
Mundi, ut animabus famulorum famularumque Tuarum haec prosit oblatio.
Come Satan, Emperor of the World, that the
souls of Thy servants & handmaids may profit by this sacrifice.
The thurible & incense boat are brought forward & the celebrant thrice sprinkles incense upon the burning coals, saying:
V: Incensum istud ascendat
ad Te, Dominus Inferus, et descendat super nos beneficium Tuum.
May this incense rise before Thee, Infernal
Lord, & may Thy blessing descend upon us.
He then takes the thurible & censes the altar & gifts. First he censes the chalice & wafer with three swings widdershins and bows. Then he raises the censer three times towards the Image of Satan, then bows again. Lastly he censes the top & sides of the altar three times, by circumnambulation if the appointments of the temple be convenient.
V: Dominus Inferus vobiscum.
The Infernal Lord be with you.
R: Et cum tuo.
And with you also.
V: Sursum corda.
Lift up your hearts.
R: Habemus ad Dominum
Inferum.
We lift them up to the Infernal Lord.
V: Gratias agamus Domino
Inferno Deo Nostro.
Let us give thanks to the Infernal Lord our
God.
R: Dignum et justum
est.
It is meet & just so to do.
The celebrant raises his hands, palms downward, and continues:
V: Vere dignum et justum
est, nos Tibi semper et ubique gratias agere: Domine, Rex Inferus, Imperator
Mundi. Omnes exercitus inferi Te laudant cum quibus et nostras voces ut
admitti juberas deprecamur, dicentes:
It is truly meet & just that we should
at all times & in all places give Thee thanks: Lord, Infernal King,
Emperor of the World, Jubilantly all the infernals praise Thee, & with
them we join our own voices, saying:
The Celebrant bows & says:
V: Salve, Salve, Salve.
Hail, Hail, Hail.
The bell is rung three times at this point.
V: Dominus Satanus Deus
Potentiae, pleni sunt terra et inferi gloria Tua. Hosanna in profundis.
Lord Satan, God of Power, Earth & Infernus
are full of Thy glory. Hosanna in the depths.
The third segment of the
five comprising the present recension of the Black Mass is the Canon. Up
to this point the mass has been blasphemous in language and accoutrements
but has refrained from any abnormal or deviant behaviour on the part of
the worshippers. In the Canon, however, we begin to appreciate the abandon
required not only of the celebrant but of the participating congregation
as well.
The asexual and, in its
relegation of the role of woman to that of participant but never priest,
male dominated nature of Christianity is noted and openly challenged by
the words of the celebrant and the actions of the congregation in exposing
themselves as the saying `let the sighing of the prisoners come before
thee' is uttered. Thus is the tone set for all that may follow and the
worshippers prepared to take their part in whatever may be required of
them. The contact of the priest with the genitalia of the altar is both
an extension and a confirmation of the action noted above.
Aspersion with the urine
of an acolyte is traditional to the Black Mass, dating back to the undefined
and ill-understood practices of the sabbat of the witches performed in
ages long gone. That the acolyte should be female is appropriate, according
to the anonymous French author previously cited, who regarded the foul
rites of the sabbat in part as the revenge of woman upon her male persecutors.
V: Domine Satanus, gentes
christianorum, quae in sua feritate confidunt, sinisterae tuae potentia
conterantur. Pone illos ut rotam, et sicut stipulam ante faciem venti.
Excite, Domine Satanus, potentiam tuam et veni. Vindica sanguinem servorum
tuorum, qui effusus est; intret in conspectu tuo gemitus compeditorum.
Lord Satan, the christians, who trust in
their own fierceness, may be crushed by the power of Thy left hand. Make
them like a wheel, & as a stubble before the face of the wind. Stir
up Thy might, Lord Satan & come. Avenge the blood of Thy servants which
has been shed; let the sighing of the prisoners come in before Thee.
Here the Celebrant and the congregation expose their genitalia to the image of Satan, standing naked before Him as Adam before Lilith. The Celebrant then says:
Credo in Satanus, qui
laetificat juventum meam. Oramus te,
I believe in Satan, Who gives joy to my youth.
We praise Thee.
Here the Celebrant kisses the Altar upon her genitals.
Dominus Inferus, miserere
nobis. In spiritu humilitatis, et in animo contrito suscipiamur a Te, Domine
Satanus; et sic fiat sacrificium nosterum in conspectu tuo hodie, ut placeat
tibi. Veni a porta inferi, redime me at miserere mei. Veni, Magister Templi.
Veni, Magister Mundi. Pleny sunt terra majestatis gloriae tuae.
Infernal Lord, have mercy upon us. In a humble
spirit, & with contrite heart, may we be received by Thee, Lord Satan;
& may our sacrifice be so offered as to be pleasing in Thy sight. Come
from the Gate of Hell; save me & have mercy upon me. Come, Lord of
the Temple. Come, Lord of the World. Earth is full of the majesty of Thy
glory.
The Celebrant extends his hands, palms downwards, over the offerings on the Altar. The bell is then sounded. The Celebrant continues:
Hanc igitur oblationem
servitutis nostrae sed et cunctae familiae tuae, quaesumus, Domine Satanus,
ut placatus occipias; diesque nostros in felicitate disponas, et in electorum
tuorum jubeas grege numerari.
We therefore beseech Thee, Lord Satan, to
be appeased & to accept this offering of our bounden duty as also of
Thine whole household; order our days in joy & count us within the
fold of Thine elect.
R: Ave Satanus.
Hail Satan.
The girl acolyte presents herself and raises her robe to reveal her genitals. The boy acolyte holds a small cauldron beneath her whilst she urinates into it.
V: Ecce sponsa Satanus.
Domino Inferi in medio ejus est. Fluminis impetus laetificat vivos et mortuos.
Behold Satan's bride. The Infernal Lord is
in the midst of her. The stream of the river makes joyful the living &
the dead.
She completes her urination and the cauldron is handed to the Celebrant, who raises it high to the image of Satan above the Altar.
V: Domine Satanus, torrente
voluptatis Tuae potabis eos. Quoniam apud te fons vitae; et in lumine tuo
videbimus lumen.
Lord Satan, they shall drink of the torrent
of Thy pleasure. For with Thee is the well of life, & in Thy light
shall we see light.
Domine Satanus corda
nostra mundet infusio; et sui roris intima aspersione foecundet.
May our hearts be cleansed by the inpouring
of our Lord Satan; & may he make them fruitful by sprinkling them with
the dew of His grace.
The Celebrant hands the cauldron back to the girl acolyte, who holds it out for him to dip the aspergillus into her urine.
V: Qui stitit, veniat;
et qui vult, accipiat aquam vitae.
Let that thirsteth, let him come; & he
that will, let him take of the water of life.
He asperges the congregation, saying:
V: Ego vos benedictio
in nomine Satanus.
I bless you in the Name of Satan.
R: Ave Satanus.
Hail Satan.
Here, with the fourth segment
of the Black Mass, the Consecration, we are arrived at the very stuff of
blasphemy itself. All that has gone before, however foul it may have been
adjudged, was simply a prelude to the actions which here occur.
The wafer, the consecrated Host stolen from
the tabernacle of a nearby church, is here subjected to such shameful infamy
as would cause any Christian to cry out in horror. The purpose of the naked
women serving as an altar is made all too clear by the actions of the priest
during the Consecration. The congregation, together with the celebrant,
recites a parody of the Lord's Prayer which, in its context, is both orison
and creed of the Satanic rite.
In this segment, the penultimate
division of the Black Mass, the genitalia of the altar and the Body of
Our Lord are brought into contact for the first time. It is by now a foregone
conclusion that worse is soon to follow, and a mounting excitement, encouraged
both by the actions of the celebrant and the intoxicants and stimulants
ingested prior to and during the ritual, is the lot of each and every worshipper
preset as the climax of the rite approaches.
The Celebrant takes the wafer in his hands & bows low over it, saying:
V: Hic est corpus Jesu
Christi.
Here is the body of Jesus Christ.
He then elevates the wafer, places it between
the breasts of the altar, then touches it to the altar's vagina. The bell
is rung.
The Celebrant replaces the wafer on the
paten & picks up the chalice, bending low over it and saying:
V: Hic est calix carnis
stimulos.
Here is the chalice of fleshly lust.
He raises the chalice above his head, showing it to the assembled worshippers. The bell is rung. The thurifier gives three swings, then the chalice is replaced.
V: Oremus. Infera institutione
formati, audemus dicere:
Let us pray. Taught by infernal example we
may presume to say:
V/R: Pater Noster, Qui
es in Inferis, Sanctificetur nomen Tuum; Adventiat regnum Tuum; Fiat voluntas
Tua, sicut in Infero et in Terra; Cucem nostrum quotidianum da nobis hodie;
Emitte spiritum Tuum et renovabis faciem terrae; Libera nos ad luxuria;
Libera nos ad ubertate domus Tuae; Sicut in die ambulemus; Comedite pinguia
et bibite mulsum; Fornicemur; Adquae ut ferventius corda nostra praeparentur,
Flammis adure Tuae caritatis, Domine Satanus.
Our Father, Who art in Hell, Hallowed be
Thy Name; Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth as it is in Hell;
Give us this day our daily light; Send forth Thy spirit & renew the
face of the earth; Deliver us unto luxury; Deliver us unto the plenteousness
of Thy house; Let us walk as in the day; Eat fat meats & drink sweet
wines; Let us fornicate; And, that our hearts may be prepared for it, Inflame
them with the fire of Thy live, Lord Satan.
V: Ego sum radix et
genus Lucifer, stella splendida et matutina. Transite ad me, omnes qui
concupiscitas me, et a generationibus meis implemini. Tenebrae conculcabunt
me, et nox illuminatio mea in deliciis meis.
I am the root & stock of Lucifer, the
bright and morning star. Come over to me all ye that desire me and be filled
with my fruits. Darkness shall cover me, & night shall be my light
in the pleasure.
R: Quia tenebrae non
obscurabuntur, et nox sicut dies illuminabitur.
But the darkness shall not be dark, &
night shall be as the light of day.
V: Gratias agamus Domino
Infero Deo Nostro
Let us give thanks to the Infernal Lord,
our God.
R: Dignum et justum
est.
It is meet & just so to do.
The Celebrant raises his hands palms down & says:
V: Vere dignum et justum
est, nos tibi semper et ubique gratias agere: Domine, Rex Inferus, Imperator
Mundi. Omnes exercitus inferi te laudant cum quibus et nostras voces ut
admitti juberas deprecamur, dicentes:
It is truly meet and just that we should
at times and in all places give thanks to Thee, Lord, Infernal King, Emperor
of the World. Jubilantly all the infernals praise Thee, & with these
we join our own voices to say:
The Celebrant bows and says:
V: Salve, Salve, Salve.
Hail, Hail, Hail.
The bell is rung three times.
V: Dominus Satanus Deus
Potentiae, pleni sunt terra et inferi gloria Tua. Hosanna in profundis.
Lord Satan, God of Power, earth and Infernus
are filled with Thy Glory. Hosanna in the depths.
In this final segment,
the Repudiation, all that has gone before approaches and reaches its terrible
and incredible climax. Here the machinations of the priest and the perverse
worship of the congregants are both fulfilled in a manner as difficult
of description as it is of Christian approbation. Now is the culmination
of the Black Mass. Now is both the ultimate blasphemy and the dismissal
to whatever recreations they may desire of the assembled worshippers. The
Repudiation is both the final consecration and the ultimate form of Satanic
rebellion, if the historical practice of a vile and depraved human sacrifice
be not incorporated.
The actions of the celebrant
regarding the host have already been intimated, and are now blatantly to
be described in the rubric of the Black Mass recension here published.
The orgy indulged in by the Satanists present has been described by our
anonymous French writer in speaking of the culmination of the witches'
sabbat. `They couple monstrously' he says. `The god of incest weds a son
to his mother, a brother to his sister, a young bitch and an old greybeard
or, conversely, a stripling and some toothless old woman.' And these, it
must be remembered, are simply the heterosexual manifestations of the orgy.
Our Frenchman continues his catalogue with pederastic and even more refined
examples of sexual behaviour.
There may well be some
error in the text which has come down to us in so far as the fornicemur
precedes the ecce calix. It is both more logical and more in keeping
with the abandoned spirit of the rite for the order to be reversed, with
the fornicemur being in a closer proximity to the ite, missa
est.
V: Ecce corpus Jesu
Christi, dominus humilim et rex servorum.
Behold the body of Jesus Christ, lord of
the humble & king of the slaves.
The Celebtant elevates the wafer to the Image of Satan, then touches it to the altar's breasts & briefly into her vagina, saying:
V: Beatus venter qui
te portavit et ubera quae suxisti.
Blessed is the womb that bore thee and the
paps that gave thee suck.
He then continues the Repudiation, holding the wafer aloft once again:
V: Jesu Christi, dominus
humilim et rex servorum, universi qui te exspectant confundentur. Absque
synagogis facient vos et timebis a timore nocturno. Non dormietis et gladius
transebit terminos vestros. Filii hominum in tegmine alarum tuarum, Domine
Satanus, sperabunt.
Jesus Christ, lord of the humble and king
of the slaves, them that wait upon thee shall be confounded. They will
put you out of the temples & you shall be afraid of the terror by night.
You shall not sleep and the sword shall pass through your quarters. The
children of men put their trust under Thy wings, Lord Satan.
R: Domine Satanus, salvos
fac servot tuos.
Lord Satan, save Thy servants.
He sets the wafer on the end of his penis, saying:
V: Liberabo eum ad aspidem
basiliscum, as leonem et draconem, ad oni peccato, ad subitanea et improvisa
morte, ad fulgure et tempestate, ad flagello terraemotus, as peste, fame
et bello, ad morte perpetua, ad ira Satanus.
I shall deliver him unto the asp & the
basilisk, to the lion & the dragon, to all sin, to sudden & unprovided
death, to lightning and tempest, to the scourge of earthquakes, to plague,
famine, & war, everlasting death, to the wrath of Satan.
The celebrant inserts his penis, with the wafer attached, into the vagina of the altar, saying as he does so:
V: Domine Satanus dicit:
In comessationibus et ebrietatibus resurgam. Desideria carnis perfic ietis.
Manifesta sunt autem opera carnis, quae sunt fornicatio, impudicitia, luxuria,
veneficia, ebrietates et comessationes. Caro mea vere est cibus.
Lord Satan saith: In rioting & drunkenness
I rise again. You shall fulfil the lusts of the flesh. The works of the
flesh are manifest, which are fornication, immodesty, luxury, witchcraft,
drunkenness and revelling. My flesh is meat indeed.
R: Caro mea vere est
cibus.
My flesh is meat indeed.
V: Adoremus Te, Domine
Satanus, et benedicimus tibi; quia per spermem tuam redemisti mundi.
We adore Thee, Lord Satan, and blee Thee;
for by Thy sperm Thou hast redeemed the world.
R: Revelabitur gloria
Domini; et videbit omnia caro salutare Dei nostri Satanus.
The glory of the Lord shall be revealed;
and all flesh shall see the salvation of our God Satan.
V: Fornicemur ad gloria
Domine Satanus.
Fornicate to the glory of Our Lord Satan.
The worshippers now fornicate indiscriminately, without regard to privacy, sex or relationship with their partners. As their efforts terminate the Celebrant takes the chalice and says:
V: Calicem voluptatis
carnis accipiam et nomen Domini Inferi invocabo.
Accept the chalice of voluptuous flesh which
gives joy to our life. Accept the chalice of voluptuous flesh in the Name
of the Infernal Lord.
The Celebrant drinks first, then presents the chalice to each worshipper in turn, refilling it as required and saying:
V: Ecce calix voluptatis
carnis qui laetitiam vitae donat. Accipe calicem voluptatis carnis in nomine
Domini Inferi
Behold the chalice of voluptuous flesh which
gives joy to our life. Accept the challice of voluptuous flesh in the Name
of the Infernal Lord.
When all have taken their fill he returns the chalice to the altar with paten & veil in place. The Celebrant then extends his hands, palms downwards, and says:
V: Pleni sunt terra
majestatis gloriae Tuae.
Earth is full of the Majesty of Thy Glory
R: Tuere nos, Domine
Satanus.
Shield us, Lord Satan.
V: Protege nos, Domine
Satanus, Tuis mysteriis servientes.
Protect us, Lord Satan, who assist at Thy
mysteries.
R: Domine Satanus dabit
benignitatem et terra nostra dabit fructum suum.
Lord Satan will give goodness and the earth
shall yeild her fruits.
V: Placeat tibi, Domine
Satanus, obsequium servitutis meae; et praesta ut sacrificuum quod occulis
Tuae majestatis obtuli, tibi sit acceptabile, mihique et omnibus pro quibus
illud obtuli.
May the homage of my service be pleasing
unto Thee, Lord Satan, and grant that the sacrifice I have offered in the
sight of Thy majesty may be acceptable to Thee & win forgiveness for
me & for all those for whom I have offered it.
The Celebrant bows to the altar, then turns to the congregation with his left hand extended in cornu, saying:
V: Fratres et sorores,
debitores sumus carni et secundum carnem vivamus.
Brothers and sisters, we are debtors to the
flesh, to live according to the flesh.
Ego vos benedictio in
Nomine Magni Dei Nostri Satanus.
I bless you all in the Name of our Great
God, Satan.
R: Ave, Satanus!
Hail Satan!
V: Ite, missa est.
Go, you are dismissed.
This is not the first time that a version of the Black Mass has been published in English. At least one other edition is known to the author, though it has never seen print in Great Britain. It was one of the rites given by the modern American Satanist Anton LaVey in his book THE SATANIC RITUALS < LaVey's Black Mass>, and an examination shows that it was culled from a similar source to that used herein. There are, however, significant problems for anyone who attempts to study it.
LaVey's recension is flawed in certain respects. To begin with it may have suffered some mistranslation from the French. Its title is given as Le Messe Noir, a mistake a French scholar would not make. All French nouns have a gender. Messe is feminine, and so the definite article and adjective would be la and noire respectively, their own gender deriving from that of the noun they accompany. Additionally, the Latin of the text is not translated, and also contains misprints. Long passages in English with no Latin or French text equating are given. The rite requires the use of three different languages, Latin, French and, of course, our own English. And last but by no means least, both the rubric and content of LaVey's Black Mass differ at certain crucial points. It is thus confusing and difficult to study.
There can be little doubt that this work will have its critics from both directions, that some will offer opprobrium because such blasphemous matters have been made public, whilst others may well know sufficient from sources of their own to believe that they can criticise either its text or its authenticity. To all these we can respond by saying that exposure to the public gaze is one of the best ways of destroying the appeal and novelty of a thing. That there are different sects of Satan's worshippers is as true that there are many forms of Christian worship. There must be several other forms of the Black Mass in both Christian hands and those of the diversity of Satanists. Let some of these also be published. Let those that should have knowledge of these things have that knowledge so that they may work in the interests of us all. Only then will the cloak of secrecy be pulled away and the true nature of Satanism revealed.
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