Prince of Darkness,
'First One' of Darkness
('Princeps' in Latin means 'first'.)

I've been chasing the article which contained this quote around the web for years. It's disappeared!

It was written by someone who calls himself Geifodd. However, I am delighted to hear from him and that he has sent me the article and given me permission to publish it:

Who is the Dark Lord? By Geifodd ap Pwyll [Author's Note: This article was written sometime during the Fall and/or Winter of 2002. While it did a good job of expressing my personal beliefs about the Prince of Darkness during that time period, I feel that my beliefs have become somewhat more articulated since then. Therefore, I feel that this article no longer does justice to my current-day belief system, although it does represent a "stepping stone" to where I am today. For more detailed information about my current-day beliefs, please visit my website: [http://www.geocities.com/geifodd] The Dark Lord is the spirit of freedom, ecstasy, rebellion, indulgence, self-transformation and an unbridled love for life -- both in its carnal and spiritual forms. He answers to many names, including Set, Pan, Loki, Hades, Tezcatlipoca, Arawn, Gwynn ap Nudd, and many others. He even has many feminine faces, as this deity is both male and female (a few examples would be Lilith, Ishtar/Inanna, Ereshkiga, Astarte/Ashtoreth/Astaroth, Kali Ma, Durga, the Morrigan, and even the Lady Babalon of Thelema). I have experimented with the feminine aspect of this deity, but I have found that I am happiest in perceiving it as male; hence my preference to refer to it as the "Dark LORD" rather than the "Dark Lady" (although "Dark Lady" is just as valid). The Dark Lord ultimately wants human beings to indulge in life, to enjoy themselves carnally and spiritually, and to accumulate more knowledge. Whereas the Christian deity wants human beings to remain stupid and easily manipulated, the Dark Lord desires human beings to grow in intelligence and ultimately become their own masters. He does not demand or even request worship, though some Satanists (like myself) choose to worship him, not because we believe our "salvation" depends on it, but simply because we find it to be in our interests to do so. Any other reason would be considered offensive to our God. Worshiping the Dark Lord is only admirable when you do it because YOU want to, not because somebody else wants you to, or because you believe the Dark Lord "demands" it of you. Incidently, there are many Satanists who believe in him and yet who do not worship him, and there are also many Satanists who see him as nothing more than a symbol. The Dark Lord really doesn't care how he is perceived, or whether he is worshiped or not, so long as those who take up his name continue to follow his teachings. Ultimately I view the Dark Lord as the Dark Side of the Universal Mind or Psyche. I believe that the power of divinity resides in the psyche -- i.e., our very ability to perceive reality. The reason for this is that reality cannot possess any meaning unless it is first *perceived* to exist; therefore, perception, which is the beginning and end of all meaning in human life, is "God." The Dark Lord represents the "dark" or "subconscious" side of consciousness -- the animal aspect of divinity that refuses to be ruled, but wishes to remain Wild for all eternity. He is the goat leaping on the mountaintop, refusing to let even the most painful aspects of life defy his ecstasy. So, in this sense, the Dark Lord is not so much a being that exists *out there*, but is more a psychic construct that exists within each and every living thing. This does not make him any less real, it simply means that he is a part of us, and we are a part of him. In Satanic magic, the Dark Lord reveals himself through the Four Crowned Princes of Hell, each of whom is symbolic of one of the elements. As Satan, he is god of fire and the power of Will. As Lucifer, he is god of air and master of the intellect. As Belial, he is god of earth and indulgence in carnal pleasures. As Leviathan, he is the primordial serpent of chaos. To exclude either of these Crowned Princes in one's practice as a Diabolaor is to be blind to the totality of the Dark Lord's existence. Therefore, a good Diabolator must work to keep all four of these Princes -- Earth (Body), Air (Mind), Fire (Will), and Water (Emotions) -- in balance with one another, for only when joined together in balance do they reveal the Dark Lord in his entirety. Together, the Four Princes are known in Satanism as Baphomet -- the Dark Lord of All Things. (Incidentally, the name Baphomet, which originated with the Knights Templar, is used in many different magical traditions with different meanings. The O.T.O.'s use of the term "Baphomet," for instance, does not necessarily refelct the nature of its use in Satanism. In Satanism, Baphomet is the name of the Dark Lord as he is revealed through all four of his elemental "faces" at the same time.) ======= Invocation to Set By Geifodd ap Pwyll O Dark One of Starry Wisdom, Rise up from Neter-khertet* And ride the mists of time! Open Thy eyes and Thy heart Shimmer forth from the Black Flame. O Thou mighty dragon, Great Slayer and Thunderer, Enemy of the Undead One! Stretch forth Thy Will And render the body of Osiris Into pieces, the stuff of dreams. Help us to find ourselves in Darkness And to survive the hunger of Apep. Jump forth from the Nether regions, And spread Thy Thunder throughout the skies! Grab hold of Osiris, break him fast Undo his legacy of unctuous deceit. Rip asunder the body of Apep, And give us Thy sight That we may rebuild our world from his remains. Help us to find ourselves in Darkness And to achieve the Eternal Dreaming. Hail Set, Prince of Darkness Bringer of the Life-From-Death God of the Light-In-Darkness First Son of Xeper and Lord of this World! All delusion shall burn before Thine serpentine eyes! So it is, and so it shall be, forever within the Circle of Time! *Neter-khertet - "the divine subterranean place"

Geifodd now calls himself a Devil Worshipper, a sticky title many of the Left Hand Path won't touch. Yet, SET roars mightily, and if in your fear, you think him a 'Devil', he will laugh thunderously in delight. I think it is better to understand his workings as essential to the cosmos. For without chaos, there can be no order, without darkness, there can be no light. In this understanding, there is the beginning of wisdom. Returning again to Geifodd's unique view, he calls the Prince of Darkness his 'master'. This is something I would not do by my very nature, for no one is my master, however I am pleased to know the joys of happy alignment, in which our Wills are sympatico.

Yet the diversity of dark side views is good, and lends richness to the expression of the dark essence.

Another view of the Prince of Darkness is at http://www.balanone.info/pod.html

I also answer the question, Who is the Dark Lord?

Go to INDEX of Markings Of My Path