Church of Azazel > Beliefs & principles > Rising gods

The rising gods of the modern West

by Diane Vera

Copyright © 2006 by the Church of Azazel. All rights reserved.

1. The rising gods and their role in the pantheon of the Church of Azazel
2. The rising gods
1. Lilith
2. Prometheus
3. Ishtar
4. Pan
5. Lucifer-of-Sophia
3. Polarities and pentagram points
4. Call to the rising gods of our age

1. The rising gods and their role in the pantheon of the Church of Azazel

Our primary god is Satan/Azazel. He is the main focus of our devotion.

However, on a secondary basis, we also revere and call to a set of five other deities: Lilith, Prometheus, Ishtar, Pan, and Lucifer-of-Sophia. Collectively we refer to these five deities as the rising gods of the modern West. With only one exception - Prometheus - these gods are all revered by large and rapidly-growing numbers of people, the vast majority of whom are not Satanists. And they all - including Prometheus - are associated with unique and highly desirable features of modern Western culture that are under heavy attack by Abrahamic (Jewish, Christian, and Muslim) fundamentalists and traditionalists. We see them as distinct from Satan, but we see them as acting in the modern Western world in ways that effectively oppose the Abrahamic would-be monopoly. Hence, to any modern Western polytheist who opposes the Abrahamic would-be monopoly, and who does not limit oneself to the pantheon of one particular ancient culture, it makes sense to call upon these five gods as allies.

Christian fundamentalists would most likely see our five rising gods as demons and as mere servants of Satan. We see the relationship between Satan and the five rising gods as much more complex than that. We see them as deities in their own right, not just servants of Satan.

We see all five rising gods as having important commonalities with Satan. But we see Satan as a being more protean and multi-faceted than any of them, with the possible exception of Ishtar, and we see Satan as having a trickster aspect as well. We see Satan as a being who enjoys challenging stasis and dogmatism of all sorts, not just Christian/Islamic dogmatism. He challenges not just Christians and Muslims, but also the worshipers of the rising gods - and, for that matter, Satanists too - when they get too dogmatic or fluffy. Satan also has a "darker" feel than any of the rising gods with the possible exception of Lilith.

Given the Church of Azazel's here-and-now approach to theology, we see religious and cultural trends as the main indicators of how the gods are dealing with humans in a given time and place. We see the gods' interaction with humans as something that changes from one era to another and from one culture to another; we do not see the gods as universal, timeless constants.

The five rising gods are all associated with a post-Christian social and cultural order that has been emerging in the West since the mid-1960's, and which the Abrahamic fundamentalists/traditionalists fervently oppose. We believe that Satan has helped this emerging order come into being. And, at least at the present time, it is in our own best interests to support it. But we should not expect Satan to champion any particular social or cultural order for all time. Unlike the five rising gods, Satan is not tied to any particular social or cultural order.




2. The rising gods

1. Lilith

In medieval Jewish demonology, Lilith was considered to be the queen of the demons, the wife of Satan/Samael, and the mother of succubi.

In recent decades, Lilith has attracted quite a few worshippers, including not only some Satanists but also some Pagans and quite a few ethnically Jewish feminists. See, for example, The modern Lilith on The Lilith shrine.

The vast majority of Lilith's worshippers are not Satanists. Yet they celebrate a medieval myth of Lilith that is remarkably similar to the Islamic myth of Satan/Iblis. Lilith and the Islamic Satan were both said to have disobeyed God in the exact same way, namely by refusing to bow down before Adam.

Today, Lilith is seen by many as a feminist role model. Her worshippers today also associate Her with sexuality and sexual freedom, especially nonreproductive sex and various traditionally forbidden forms of sexuality.

Lilith's traits, as seen both in medieval legend and by her modern worshippers, correspond closely to social trends of the past century, especially the past several decades. We regard Lilith as the rising Queen of our age. In 1966 C.E., Anton LaVey proclaimed the beginning of the "Age of Satan," which could more accurately be called the Age of Lilith.

Until around 1970 or so, Lilith had always been seen as a malevolent demon, nothing more. She is now seen by many people in a more favorable light, though still associated with "infernal" imagery. We believe that the relationship between Lilith and human society has in fact changed, thanks to modern technlogy. The things associated with Lilith today - including sexual freedom, nonreproductive sex, and feminism - are all very much affected by the level of technology. In many older societies, sexual freedom would have been inescapably deadly. In today's world, it need not be deadly as long as people make responsible use of the relevant technologies.

Lilith today is also associated with the modern, glamorized image of "vampires" in an era which has forgotten the utterly unglamorous origin of the vampire myth. Vampire beliefs were originally a superstitious explanation of the many deadly contagious diseases that have since been wiped out by medical technology. "Vampires" today are associated with the dream of eternal youth, a dream with which many people today are obsessed, and which may someday be attained via medical technology. Until then, even the modern glamorized "vampire" remains an "infernal" creature. If and when the dream of eternal youth is ever attained, it would certainly deal a heavy blow to Christianity and Islam, given their focus on an alleged afterlife, and it would also almost eliminate any need for reproductive sex.

Of all the rising gods of the modern West, Lilith is the one associated with those facets of modern Western culture that are under greatest attack by Abrahamic fundamentalists and traditionlists. For that reason, our ritual call to the rising gods focusses more on Lilith than on the other rising gods.

2. Prometheus

In ancient Greek myth, Prometheus was a Titan who was punished by Zeus for stealing fire from heaven and teaching humans how to use fire.

The use of fire by humans was one of the first forms of technology. In various ancient myths, some gods have favored human scientific and technological achievements, while other gods have opposed them. An example of the Biblical god opposing a human technological achievement can be found in the myth of the Tower of Babel (Genesis 11:1-9).

The Tower of Babel story is commonly interpreted as condemning pride, not technological achievement. But the story itself suggests that sheer human technological ability, not just pride, was what the Biblical god was worried about and wanted to put a stop to.

Nevertheless, technological taboos generally don't last very long. The ancient Greeks did not have a general taboo on the use of fire, to avoid offending Zeus, just as Jews, Christians, and Muslims do not have a general taboo on the building of towers. It would seem that the divine opponents of technology do get used to it eventually. Technologies are subject to taboo only when they are relatively new. Today's technological taboos pertain mainly to the medical and biological fields, such as stem cell research and the teaching of evolution in Bible Belt schools.

During the past two centuries, many opponents of Christian religious interference in scientific research or education have instinctively gravitated to the myth of Prometheus. In most cases, these defenders of unfettered science don't worship Prometheus as a god; most of them are atheists. (For example, one of the leading atheist/humanist/skeptical publishing companies is Prometheus Books.) However, because today's defenders of science have gravitated to the name "Prometheus," we consider "Prometheus" to be an appropriate name for a god of science and technology in today's world.

Satan/Azazel, too, is a god who favors science and technology. The myth of Azazel in the Book of Enoch has many parallels with and was probably influenced by the myth of Prometheus. However, Satan/Azazel is a much more protean, complex, and multi-faceted being, associated not only with technology but also with wild places untouched by human technology.

Today's science and technology are the central defining feature of modern Western culture, without which many of its other unique and most desirable features would not be possible. Therefore it makes sense to include a god of science and technology among the rising gods of the modern West.

Technology changes everything. Many things that were once deadly have been rendered harmless. Conversely, many things once relatively harmless are now potentially deadly.

3. Ishtar

Ishtar was the high Mother Goddess of ancient Babylon. She was also known, elsewhere in the ancient Middle East, as Astarte or Ashtoreth.

The Babylonian Ishtar was the first known historical instance of a syncretic Goddess similar to modern Wicca's "The Goddess." The ancient Babylonians beleived that many earlier goddesses were aspects of Ishtar, just as many of today's Wiccans believe that all ancient goddesses are aspects of "The Goddess." (For details, see this page about the Goddess Ishtar on Shrine of the forgotten Goddesses.) Like modern Wicca's "The Goddess," Ishtar was very multi-faceted. For example, Ishtar was both an Earth-goddess and "Queen of heaven," and She was both a goddess of love and a goddess of war. Other modern Wiccan ideas about "The Goddess," too, such as the idea of Her having a male consort who is also Her son, seem to be derived primarily from the ancient Babylonian myths about Ishtar.

While we have many disagreements with Wicca, it important to recognize that Wicca and related forms of modern Paganism are one of the most significant and vigorous religious movements of our time. In the modern West, they are the fastest-growing alternative to Abrahamic monotheism. Unlike many other new religions, they have managed to grow rapidly without blatant attempts at proselytization. And many Wicca-based Pagans are drawn specifically to "The Goddess," more so than to "The God." Hence, if the Wicca-based Pagan movement continues to grow rapidly, "The Goddess" will soon be the Abrahamic god's number-one competitor for human worshippers here in the modern West, just as Ishtar was in Bible times.

In our polytheistic view, with a leaning toward hard polytheism, we do not accept the idea of a single all-encompassing Goddess - just as we also do not accept the idea that the Abrahamic god is the true cosmic God. To us, even "The Goddess" is just one of the many goddesses. We do not see her as actually encompassing all ancient Goddesses; we see Her as a distinct goddess with the characteristic that many of Her worshipers see Her as encompassing all ancient goddesses. But we do regard "The Goddess" as a real entity, even if She is not as all-encompassing as most Wiccans and Wicca-based Pagans believe She is. And, as the Abrahamic god's up-and-coming leading competitor, she is certainly one of the rising gods of today's world.

Moreover, although the Wiccan Rede ("An it harm none, do what ye will") may be way too simplistic as an ethical principle, it is at least far less limiting and far more compatible with the individualism of the modern West than are the strictures of Abrahamic fundamentalisms and traditionalisms.

"The Goddess" also champions a needed counterbalance to modern technology - an appreciation of the Earth and the wild. We need our technology, but, for the sake of our children's well-being, the modern West also needs to be mindful of our impact on the Earth.

Thus "The Goddess" deserves a place in our pantheon of rising gods. But, because we do not accept the idea of a single all-encompassing Goddess, we will not refer to Her as simply "The Goddess." Instead we will refer to her by a specific name. The most appropriate specific ancient name is Ishtar. Although "Ishtar" is not the most popular name of "The Goddess" among today's Wicca-based Pagans, Ishtar does indeed seem to be the ancient Goddess most closely resembling "The Goddess." We cannot be absolutely sure that "The Goddess" is the exact same entity as the ancient goddess Ishtar, but, at the very least, Ishtar is the most appropriate ancient goddess to have "The Goddess" as Her modern namesake.

Ishtar/Astarte is also revered by quite a few theistic Satanists these days, most likely because "Astaroth" is a high-ranking demon according to various well-known grimoires.

We revere Her not as the white-light Goddess of the fluffier Wiccans, but as the more multi-faceted Goddess revered by the better-educated Wiccans, the Goddess of natural forces here on Earth, "Mother Nature" in all Her aspects, both beautiful and fierce.

4. Pan

By "Pan," we mean the god revered by many modern Pagans and occultists as "Pan," who is not necessarily identical with the ancient Greek god Pan. The ancient Greek god Pan was a god of fertility and a god of shepherds, whereas most modern Pagans and occultists are neither shepherds nor very concerned about fertility. (Even though the word "pagan" originally meant "country hick," most modern Pagans and occultists live in cities or suburbs, where, if the crops fail in one region, the supermarket chains will simply buy their food from another region. These days the leading de facto fertility god is not Pan but Jehovah, to whom many Bible Belt farmers pray to bless their crops.)

"Pan" today is one of the names of Wicca's "Horned God," who is seen as a multi-faceted god encompassing many ancient male gods. Multi-faceted though He may be, He is seen and appreciated primarily as a very down-to-Earth deity. Today's Wicca-based Pagans revere Him primarily as a god of the wild, associated with pristene forests and the plants and untamed animals therein. As such, He stands in de facto opposition to Jehovah, who is traditionally said to want humans to "fill the earth" (Genesis 1:28, which ultra-Orthodox Jews take as literally a command to have as many babies as they can possibly squeeze out). The "Horned God" is also associated, strongly, with sexuality, sensual pleasure, and masculine vigor. And He is associated with music, especially the more vigorous and sensual kinds such as rock music and the various genres of dance music.

There are many similarities between Pan and Satan, starting with the traditional "horned" image of both. Satan and Pan are both primarily very down-to-Earth beings, associated with wild places, sexuality, sensual pleasure, and the more sensual genres of modern Western music. But modern Pagans insist that Pan is not Satan - and we agree, though for different reasons. We see Satan as more multi-faceted, associated with science, technology, and the human will to power, as well as with the wild, whereas the modern Western Pan is much more strongly associated, specifically, with the plants and animals in wild places.

5. Lucifer-of-Sophia

Sophia was an ancient Gnostic goddess of wisdom. In some ancient Gnostic writings, She was identified with the serpent of the Garden of Eden myth. She was believed to have brought spiritual wisdom to humanity, in opposition to Jehovah, who was regarded as the Demiurge - an evil, very insecure lesser god who created the physical universe and tried to keep humans ignorant and isolated from the spirit realm. In The Hypostasis of the Archons, "the female spiritual principle" (apparently Sophia) Herself came to Adam and Eve in the form of "the snake, the instructor." (See also The Genesis Factor by Stephan A. Hoeller.) In some other forms of Gnosticism, Sophia did not appear to Adam and Eve Herself but sent an emissary ("Lucifer" or the Gnostic "Christ" - very different from the Christ of orthodox Christians) who appeared to Adam and Eve in the form of the Serpent. Among many other differences between Gnostics and orthodox Christians, the Gnostics were much more individualistic.

Although the ancient Gnostics did not identify Sophia or the serpent with Satan/Azazel, many forms of theistic Satanism have made a similar use of the Garden of Eden myth, seeing Satan as the Serpent who brings wisdom or knowledge. Some theistic Satanists (including Herbert Sloane's pre-LaVeyan Lady of Endor Coven) have adopted other aspects of the Gnostic worldview as well, such as the idea of Jehovah as the Demiurge. However, most of today's theistic Satanists - including the Church of Azazel - do not share the world-hating views of many of the ancient Gnostics. Many of us - including the Church of Azazel - also do not regard the Abrahamic god as the true Creator of the cosmos, even as a Demiurge.

These days, there are also quite a few "Luciferians" who revere a "Lucifer" whom they insist is distinct from Satan, and whom they see as a bringer of occult wisdom, in many cases similar to the Gnostic myths about Sophia and/or Her emissary. The "Lucifer" of modern Luciferians, too, is often seen as a "Serpent of Wisdom" and is often indentified with the serpent of the Eden myth.

Many of the more influential occultists, including H.P. Blavatsky in the nineteenth century and the Feri Witch tradition in the twentieth century, have had an explicitly "Luciferian" component to their belief system.

The name "Lucifer" originated as a Latin common noun meaning "light-bearer." We regard "Lucifer" as a valid name for Satan/Azazel, because it has indeed been used as a name of Satan for nearly 2000 years. But, historically, the name "Lucifer" has also been used to refer to, among others entities/concepts: (1) the planet Venus as the morning star, (2) a minor ancient Roman god identified with the planet Venus as the morning star, and (3) Jesus Christ (2 Peter 1:19 and Revelation/Apocalypse 22:16, in the Latin Vulgate). Obviously these are all distinct from Satan/Azazel. There is not a one-to-one correspondence between entities and names. Historically, the name "Lucifer" has been used in different contexts to refer to an assortment of different entities/concepts, not just one.

Given the many modern occultists who have experienced a "Lucifer" whom they see as a bringer of occult wisdom, and whom they insist is distinct from Satan, it makes sense to regard their "Lucifer" as an entity distinct from Satan - despite similarities. We see their "Lucifer" as a spirit who specializes in inspiring esoteric religions and philosophies, whereas we see Satan/Azazel as more multi-faceted entity, one who draws people's attention to the material plane as well as to the occult realms, and who encourages people to take care of themselves on a material level.

It makes sense to include a muse of esoteric religions/philosophies in our pantheon of rising gods. Some of the esoteric religions have given rise to new popular religions, thereby sparking religious diversity, in opposition to the Abrahamic would-be monopoly. Moreover, one esoteric philosophy - Hermeticism - historically played a role in the development of modern science.

We do not, by any means, completely agree with the worldviews of the occult traditions. From our perspective, they have too much of a tendency to overgeneralize (e.g. not everything has polarity; electromagnetism has polarity but gravity doesn't). We see them as having too much of a tendency to think in cosmic terms, and we see them as having too much of a tendency to pigeonhole the deities of unrelated cultures in correspondences to elements, planets, Sephiroth, etc., reducing these gods to one-dimensional stereotypes, rather than appreciating the gods as full-fledged unique and multi-faceted personalities.

Nevertheless, the occult traditions clearly do contain wisdom that has had a major shaping influence on today's world. Even their weaknesses can be seen as an over-reaching of their strengths.

So it makes sense to include the "Lucifer" of many modern Western occultists in our pantheon. But, in our rituals, we need some way to distinguish the "Lucifer" of non-Satanist occultists from "Lucifer" as an aspect of Satan. Since many Luciferians sharply distinguish "Lucifer" from "Satan" but at the same time do associate "Lucifer" with "Sophia," we will refer to the muse of esoteric religions and occult systems as "Lucifer-of-Sophia."

Just as ancient Gnosticism was far more individualistic than ancient Christianity, so too modern Luciferianism is a highly individualistic form spirituality. Therefore, Lucifer-of-Sophia can be seen as a muse of individualistic spirituality.

Lucifer-of-Sophia is also a bringer of intuitive insights into matters that have not yet yielded themselves to scientific or technical methodologies.




3. Polarities and pentagram points

The pentagram is an ancient symbol which has had many different meanings through the millenia. It has been used by many different groups of people, in all orientations - point-up, point-down, and sideways. The point-down pentagram first acquired a "Satanic" connotation in the writings of Eliphas Levi, a nineteenth-century occultist, in his book Transcendental Magic.

We use a point-down pentagram to represent the five rising gods, each of the five rising gods corresponding to a point. Each line of the pentagram represents a pair of gods, as follows:

1. Lilith (bottom point) is "infernal" whereas Prometheus (top right point) can be seen as "heavenly." Prometheus is "heavenly" both in the ancient mythological sense of having stolen fire from heaven and in a more literal modern sense - the key role played by observations and explorations of the heavens in the development of modern science and technology. The medieval Jewish myth of Lilith and the ancient Greek myth of Prometheus both have strong parallels with, respectively, the Islamic and Second Temple Era Jewish myths of the "fall" of Azazel. Another connection between Prometheus and Lilith is that the things associated with Lilith (sexual freedom, nonreproductive sex, and feminism) are all dependent on technology. Conversely, modern science would not be possible without Satanic/Lilithian pride:  the great scientists refused to bow down uncritically to traditional ideas about the universe, but, instead, insisted on verifying ideas for themselves.
2. In today's world it is common for people to see a contrast between technology (Prometheus, top right point) and "Mother Nature" (Ishtar, left middle point). Together they represent a vital balance in human affairs. Thanks to the gifts of Prometheus, we humans are now, to "Mother Nature," more like rambunctious small children than like totally helpless babies, but we still cannot live without Her, and it would still behoove us to respect Her.
3. Ishtar (left middle point) and Pan (right middle point) are the Earth-based Goddess/God polarity so beloved by a great many modern Pagan Witches. And indeed, the idea of gender polarity really makes sense only in terms of life here on Earth. Gender is not cosmic. Gender is, as far as anyone knows for sure, a feature only of the more complex species of animals and plants here on Earth. Any ascription of gender to anything else is purely symbolic and at least somewhat arbitrary.
4. Pan (right middle point) is associated with fleshly pleasures, whereas Lucifer-of-Sophia (top left point) is associated with spiritual insights. (We see these two as complementing each other rather than in opposition.) The imagery associated with both Pan (horns and hooves) and Lucifer-of-Sophia (the Serpent of the Eden myth) have been strongly associated with the Devil in modern Western culture and throughout most of the history of Christianity; yet these two deities are both sharply distinguished from the Devil by the majority of their own modern worshipers.
5. Lucifer-of-Sophia (top left point) is "heavenly" whereas Lilith (bottom point) is "infernal." Both are strongly associated with individuality. Both are part of an emerging order in which human individuality is accepted and championed to a greater degree than in many past cultures.

The central pentagon of the pentagram represents the emerging post-Christian cultural and social order in the modern Western world - an order that has been emerging since the mid-1960's and will continue to emerge insofar as the Abrahamic reactionaries don't succeed in smothering it.

Satan can be thought of as both pervading and surrounding the entire pentagram. But the pentagram represents something distinct from Satan. The pentagram, especially its central pentagon, represents an order which Satan has helped to bring into being, but which Satan also challenges as well as encourages. Satan is not attached to any order. (For more about Satan and His relationship to the other gods, see Our core beliefs and their here-and-now basis.)

Note that, in our pentagram symbolism, the five points do not correspond to the four elements plus the quintessence, as they do in some other systems. However, in our rituals, we do use the usual corresponce between the four elements and the four directions, and we use a corresponce between aspects of Satan/Azazel and the four elements plus quintessence.




4. Call to the rising gods of our age

The following call is recommended at the beginning of a typical Church of Azazel ritual, to be followed immediately by a longer invocation to Satan/Azazel.

Hail to the rising Gods of this age,
Gods of the world we love!

Hail, Lilith!
Queen of Hell,
Destroyer of the traditions of tyrants!
Bringer of pride and forbidden pleasures!

Hail, Prometheus!
Bringer of fire and knowledge!

Hail, Ishtar!
Great Goddess of old and of today!
Mother of the free!

Hail, Pan!
God of the wild!
God of fleshly delight!

Hail, Lucifer-of-Sophia!
Serpent of Wisdom!

Hail, Lilith!
Rising Queen of our world,
Queen of this age!

Gods of the world we love,
May we stand firm against the tyranny of Your enemies!

Lilith is emphasized because She represents those aspects of modern Western culture that are under greatest attack by Abrahamic fundamentalists and traditionalists - and by traditionalists of various other religions too, for that matter.

In addition to its use within a Church of Azazel ritual, our call to the five rising gods can also be used in rituals performed by Church of Azazel members together with eclectic Pagans or occultists who are not Satanists.

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