LHP

If anyone is curious about the Left Hand Path and what it is then Id really not advise you go straight to the 'famous' church and religion creators such as La Vey or Ford first but look more into the works of those writers who have practised Left Hand Path living for a good part of their lives who write about the Left Hand Path in more of a life style sort of way rather than a religious or shock tactic way. The shock tactic writers are, in my own experience only trying to create a 'church' or 'following' for themselves as did Le Vey who is now very often hailed almost as a 'god' himself and seemingly worshipped by those who are his 'followers' more than likely without checking out any other sources and they appear to appeal to people who are at emotional odds with society anyway.

But LHP isnt not only about religion and 'Satanism' or even Luciferianism for that matter (which is often, even by some practitioners and believers of Luciferianism, not always considered to be Satanism as some see Lucifer and Satan to be totally different entities and some see them not as entities at all but as methods of philosophy and thinking, the inner shadow) as it is often expounded by those writers attempting to make a name, fortune and career for themselves by creating some half baked religion.

There are definitely no 'set in stone' ways of Satanism and Luciferianism. They are personal paths which are created in the practitioners own image so to speak since there are so many different and even very conflicting outlooks to it. You may have noticed yourself that Satanists are always bickering between themselves about which 'version' is the 'True' version.

So my own advice is to forget the 'religious' and ritual grimoirs for a while at first and look into the more general writers who write from their own true experiences of LIVING the Left Hand Path in all its daily and psychological aspects and not just of ritual and religion.

One book I would happily recommend is UNCLE SETNAKT'S ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO THE LEFT HAND PATH by Don Webb. A quote from this is from his FAQs

Quote...

" Q. I met a group of teenagers that say they are LHP, but they pray to Satan, and I know a nominally Christian group that practises magic. Are either of these groups LHP?

A. Nope. Teenagers shouldn't really be on any religious path, because they have othter life issues to deal with. The LHP is a philosophical and magical discipline, not an excuse to wear ragged black T-shirts. The "Christian" group wants the best of both worlds - the "Thy Will be done!" of the RHP and the "My Will be done!" of the LHP. They will piously explain how both are possible. This lets them off the hook for making decisions and gives them a good excuse if their magic fails."

" Q. Isn't the LHP just Satanism?

A. If you mean does the LHP postulate a Cosmos run by a good guy and a bad guy, and that we're on the side of the bad guy - no, we are emphatically not Satanists. If you see a Cosmos run by regular laws, which is opposed by desire, and you use "Satan" as an emblem of that desire, then we are Satanists. The archetype of the rebel against cosmic injustice is a powerful one for many people beginning the LHP; Such a model can help the Initiate (someone stepping onto the path) burn off guilt and complexes and free him/herself of the debris of past belief systems. But such a Model will not sustain one very long - to simply oppose what Is, is to be chained to it. In the dimmest levels of our society now, there is agreat opposition to what Is; this is understandable as part of the process of historical change. Unfortunately that has made Satan into a very commercial symbol that can sell clothes, magazines, and music. For the serious LHP practitioner, Satan became powerless when he became cool."

...Un-quote.

I thoroughly recommend this book for anyone who wants to get a SENSIBLE understanding of what the Left Hand Path actually is. It is available at Amazon.co.uk at the moment via the traders. If you buy new it is printed off for you as you order it so takes a while to deliver but there are used ones on sale too that you will have in your hands sooner should you be in a rush to get it.