I’ve been thinking a bit about Satanic virtues, as distinct from Christian virtues or virtues more generally associated with other religions. I came up with the following list.

This list is not exhaustive. It is based on attributes of Lucifer himself, particularly those which tend to set him apart from other deities. Thus, qualities like compassion and humility are not listed here, even though they certainly can be Satanic virtues, since these are attributes shared with Christ and with many other popular religious figures. I wanted to focus on the values and qualities that tend to set us apart, that we emphasize in ways that most people don’t, or practice in ways that are non-standard.

It should go without saying that the following are my opinions, based on my understanding of Satan and my strain of Satanism, and I cannot speak for everyone.

AUDACITY

Satan is notorious for his boldness and daring. He had the courage to rise up against the reputedly omnipotent God. But this action went beyond courage and into the realm of “damn nerve,” which is why I chose the word “audacity” to describe Satanic courage.

Audacity combines conventional courage with a certain impudence. Audacity is a sort of bravery that disregards not only physical danger, but emotional and social constraints as well. Audacity dares not only in the face of physical hazards, but also despite widespread censure and disapproval.

When somebody asks “how dare you?!” they may be unconsciously praising your audacity. (Or, you may just be behaving like a fool.)

CUNNING

“Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made.”

-Genesis 3:1

This one should be obvious. We all know Satan stands for wisdom and knowledge, but we also know that he is cunning.

Cunning is a mildly villainous term for a certain type of intellect. It implies, among other things: street smarts, resourcefulness, ability to improvise and capacity to deceive.

Cunning is the sort of intelligence that allows the downtrodden to survive in adverse circumstances. It belongs to the thief, the con artist, the whore, and all who live by their wits. It also belongs to the guerilla. It allows individuals to prevail against long odds, to live and even thrive when all else seems against them.

Cunning is unpretentious and pragmatic wisdom with no delusions of nobility.

PASSION

Satanists differ from people of most religions in that we do not seek inner peace. We do not search for tranquility, or struggle to master our physical desires, or strive to free ourselves from our emotions.

The Buddhist says that life is suffering. The Satanist admits that this is true, but also knows that life is pleasure. Where the Buddhist seeks freedom from both pleasure and pain, the Satanists accepts pain as the price of pleasure.

We live in the highs and lows. We embrace grief because it means we have known love. We honor our anger because it often comes from our sense of justice. We believe all these states have something to teach us, and that all these states are to be valued as part of the experience of existence.

The Satanist is unafraid to love, to hate, to lust, to grieve, to yearn, to strive. To feel strongly is valuable, and a great source of wisdom, motivation and energy.

Passion is giving a shit. Not caring is not a Satanic value.

CURIOSITY

Satanists respond poorly to the idea of forbidden knowledge. That’s why Eve plucked the fruit.

We are always asking “why?” and are constitutionally incapable of accepting answers like “it was God’s will” or “because I say so.” We need to know the reasons for things, the meanings behind them.

We are broadly curious about life, death, the universe, and all the rich experiences of existence. This leads not only to intellectual curiosity but to carnal adventurousness. To know all things, to taste all things, is a huge part of the Satanic project.

REBELLION

This one is obvious. Satan stands for revolt against all authority, all injustice, all oppression. He cannot tolerate a state of bondage. His desire was always for freedom, and we believe that this desire extends beyond himself and to all beings.

Most Satanists are leery of authority, dislike being told what to do, and instinctively despise a yoke. The best of us extend this anarchic sentiment beyond ourselves and channel it towards fighting all forms of tyranny in the world.

Satanism is often accused of being too negative and too reactive, of standing against something rather than for something. This is not true. However, Satanists do understand the spiritual value of the word “no!” We are people who are not afraid to reject, critique, despise, and cast aside the things we find to be of no value.

INDOMITABILITY

“Even though his heart may be pierced and torn by his enemy’s weapons, yet the Devil leaves nothing unattempted and dares everything.”

-Compendium Maleficarum

Satan just won’t stay down. He is tenacious, incorrigible. He falls from the highest heights into the deepest pit– and he gets right back up. In the face of a stronger opponent, he perseveres. His spirit is impossible to crush. This makes him in a sense invincible, because no matter what opposition he meets, he always rises up to fight another day.

Be like him.

PRIDE

This one is contentious, described as Satan’s original sin.

Pride can, of course, be negative. We do not advocate for a dishonest and overly flattering self-assessment.

Satanic pride is justified pride. We take satisfaction in our accomplishments. If we have beauty, we revel in it– physical prettiness is short lived, after all, and should be enjoyed while it lasts!

We take pride in our own virtues, in our integrity. If we feel we have little to be proud of, we try to become greater, to grow into people we can truly respect.

We never rest in self-satisfaction. Our very pride drives us to polish ourselves, to grow, to learn, to advance, to improve, so that we can admire ourselves more and more.

To be truly proud, in the Satanic sense, is to love oneself, and to become each day more worthy of one’s own love.

Pride is the basis of all Satanic virtue, because, bowing to no-one else, we are ultimately responsible to ourselves for our behavior. When you cannot be proud of the way you have behaved, then you know it is time to change.

STRENGTH

Strength is a loaded word. To describe strength as a virtue often conjures up the specter of fascism. That is not what we are talking about at all.

Strength comes from within. It took profound internal strength for Satan to rise up again after the fall. It takes strength to make one’s way through life, to survive the slings and arrows of outrageous fate, to love oneself and others. This is the strength that we value.

Satanic strength is not the strength to dominate. It is the strength to persevere, to thrive, to grow, to learn, to become. Satanic strength is the sheer cussedness that it takes to get through life and make something out of it.

A certain degree of self-sufficiency is implied by this type of strength– however, to shirk one’s duty towards others is not a sign of strength, but of weakness and sloth.

AMBITION

Like Satan, the Satanist is always longing for more. This is what I call “ambition.”

Ambition in this sense may not necessarily relate to financial or career-related achievements. But every Satanists should, in some way, be striving for greatness. This is the religion of apotheosis, after all. We want no less than to become as gods.

Ambition is the drive to do more, to achieve more, and above all, to be more.

FREEDOM

Ultimately what the Satanist desires is freedom– to be autonomous, to bow to none, to make one’s own judgments, think one’s own thoughts, and do one’s own will.

If we are wise, we will realize that the freedom of one depends on the freedom of all. We want to be our own gods, answerable only to ourselves– but that requires acknowledging that everybody else has a god within as well. Freedom becomes sacred when seen in this light. Each and every one of us has a right to be free from oppression– but that means we have no right to oppress, either.

To be entirely free requires tremendous responsibility. You want to ignore commandments and shirk conventions? That’s all very well and good, but you had best consult your conscience carefully. You have no right to abuse others, and if you try, they have every right to retaliate. Nobody is free from the consequences of their own actions. Which leads us to the next point…

JUSTICE

“Ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.”

-Genesis 3:5

A Satanist is a person with a moral conscience and the confidence to make their own moral judgments. A Satanist is also, as we have already established, a person highly concerned with their own autonomy (and thus ideally with the autonomy of others). We have taken on the responsibility of judging good and evil for ourselves– and anybody with a conscience will see much evil when looking around the world.

Just as Satan did not accept injustice in Heaven or in Eden, so the Satanist will not accept injustice on Earth.

Satanic justice is not always harsh, “an eye for an eye.” It is measured, meted out with judgment. It is sought not only for the self, but on behalf of the world.

Mercy and forgiveness are not alien to the Satanist, but we use them judiciously, and do not enshrine them above justice. Similarly, we do not speak of peace until justice is established.

This is not the justice of the state, of courts and prisons. Justice, to us, means freedom for all, to the extent that this is possible. Some individuals forfeit the right to be free due to their persistent, unrepentant oppression and abuse of others. Where the willingness to change ends, there also ends Satanic mercy. Those who willfully and incorrigibly exploit others are worthless to us, and for them we have no compassion, no forgiveness.

We do not accept wrong. We do not let it slide. We see it with the Devil’s sharp eyes, weigh it with his piercing intellect, and respond to it according to the edicts of our hearts. Thus, sometimes Satanic justice involves retaliation and vengeance. But this is no excuse for despotism. The sword of justice cuts both ways. Those who lash out constantly through a sense of misplaced self-righteousness are likely to fall prey to the harshness with which they have treated others.