The Cloven Hoof, Issue 91

The Cloven Hoof

Vol. XIII, #4 91st Issue

Entire contents by Anton Szandor La Vey

Spinoza said that all forms of ritual are based on fear, which is why it holds such an important place in everyday life. When I am asked about Satanic rituals I cannot help but bear this in mind. An organized, formulated ritual directed towards a specific goal is, after all, a form of insurance against the natural despair of failure or threat of rejection. It is actually offensive defense. That is why the effectiveness of a formalized ritual depends much upon how satisfied one feels after performing it. What amazes me, though, is how often those who place the greatest emphasis on Greater Magic (big ritual) are the most deficient when it comes to Lesser Magic (everyday ritual). They are also the ones whose big rituals never seem to work.

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Concurrent with pretentiousness is an inability to "gloss." The term is used by behavioral scientists to describe the little rituals people go through in order to gain acceptance, win confidence or alleviate suspicion from others. Even if one doesn't care what others think of him, the ability to effectively gloss is important to survival. An example of glossing is, say, if you have trouble getting your car door unlocked, you hold up your keys and examine them so that everyone nearby can see you're not stealing the car. It is preceding a statement with "Well..." or "I was wondering" or "It just occurred to me. Too much glossing can be annoying, but none at all can be disasterous. It is the ability most lacking in those extreme social opposites known as smart asses and creeps. It has a great deal to do with defining the elusive qualities, personality and charisma. Yet, millions. of people have been carefully conditioned away from the fine art of effective glossing, because it is (they feel) antithetical to self-confidence and decisive assertiveness.

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Akin to glossing is "stroking," which is simply making someone else feel good, or the old art of flattery. It, too, has become a lost art. A competent Lesser magician is a master at it. Whenever you encounter a person who never glosses or strokes, it is a sure sign they are in worse shape than you.

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The most demanding people are those who must themselves most often take orders. The fussiest and most unreasonably demanding diner in a fine restaurant is the waitress on her night off, and a lousy waitress at that. Virtually every authority figure has a nagging wife; every glamor queen, a critical or demanding agent or lover; every success-driven professional woman, a spouse who has achieved status with little or no effort; every blatant intellectual, a brother or sister who has made it on their looks.

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There used to be movie villains you loved to hate. Now there are heros you hate to have to love.

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Returning to the mechanics of sorcery: a careful understanding of relative values can turn almost any otherwise bad situation into a good one. Loud noise is a welcome sound to one who has been suppressing a fart.

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I understand that there is someone doing Le Petomane's old night club act--farting musical selections. Any information on the new artiste would be appreciated. I await the report.

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Which reminds me: a few months ago I retraced Ben Franklin's wanderings through the Hell-Fire Club's caves in West Wycombe, where he met with Sir Francis Dashwood to work out the deal which led to the founding of the U.S. as we know it. The recent royal wedding, with its religious pageantry, was viewed by millions of Americans totally unaware of the Satanic origins of their heritage, or of the group of British Satanists Franklin petitioned for the working. "God Save the King" and "In God We Trust" notwithstanding, the Devil has always pulled the strings.

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Lamparski's Hidden Hollywood, just released, is a must for lovers of the bizarre and depicts many of the sites mentioned in Kenneth Anger's Hollywood Babylon. Exact addresses are provided.

MESSAGES AND ERUDITION: ZZZ925, The reason for the sudden disappearance from late night (TV) movie slots of low-budget 30's and 40's stuff is that the Ministry of Propaganda doesn't want to disenchant teen viewers by overexposing inevitable economic comparisons, e.g. 75¢ dinners, $30.00-a-month rent, classy looking $250.00 cars, etc. Similar restriction checked certain depression-reminder films and songs during the 50's. Present generations must always be given the present as the best, to avert economic collapse. SZZ926, Having been "born into" Satanism in 1899 would have been sufficient pedigree to mark you as one of the elders--your exploits since then reserve you, a place next to the Infernal throne. CZZ693, Keep the words on your trunk; people need to be shocked. RAZ695, The-tiny Casio VL-Tone can be tuned to any frequency within the useable range. LZZ661, Dr. Zomb was Ormond McGill. EZZ773, Correct pronunciation is Geeger. WZZ496, The Wallace's recent The Intimate Sex Lives of Famous People has a section on Seabrook. Cornell Woolrich aired his views on religion in Blues of a Lifetime. He did the titles for Seven Footprints to Satan in '29, sixteen years before his Night Has a Thousand Eyes. Renewals: If address label reads 7/XVI or 8/XVI, send $10 ($15 couples). ¿NOV SHMOZ KAPOP?