Million d'Arlequin,

Besti la Giubba, et al.

But the theater itself seems to me so puny as
against the hourly drama of life itself that for me
at least it becomes an anticlimax. -- Gene Fowler
It has often been said, "The world's a stage, and we're all actors." Interpreted
in its most ego-gratifying way, this
maxim closely rivals lpsissimus Crowley's "Every man and woman is a star." Reali
ty, however, like the theater, is far less
democratic in its central casting office.
The world is a stage, but few qualify as bonafide actors. Most are spearcarriers
, supporting players -- in short, reactors.
Although these players are necessary foils for the few true actors, even they mu
st be selected with care. A mammoth
spectacle employing a "cast of thousands" is not necessarily good, any more than
is a world made better by overpopulation.
The big trouble is, as Jimmy Durante used to say, "Everybody wants ta get inta d
e act." Satanism has done nothing to
discourage the would be fool to step on stage, it has left him at the mercy of t
he severest critics -- his fellow creatures. He has
no God smiling from the balcony and provoking him with even a scant round of app
lause. No kindly deity will chuckle at his
lousy jokes nor nod approval at his histrionics.
Thus, Satanism serves as the Great Separation Process. Consequently Satanism can
be disastrous for those who see it as a
short-cut to gods-manship. I have often said that the popularity of occultism an
d the waning of orthodox religion can be
attributed to the "do-it-yourself-God kit" factor. Man feels he can control, at
least in part, his own destiny, rather than the
Greyhound Bus deity doing the driving for him. As such, occultists in general an
d Satanists in particular place themselves on
stage in a manner never before seen.
Obviously one alternative to obstacles arising from such "mastery" of one's self
is to grab a spear and try to support the
leading players as competently as possible. Another alternative is to leave the
stage completely and become part of a
discerning audience. The third and only other escape from the drama is to leave
the theater. What then can one do? Search for
other spectacles and amusements where a measure of recognition or at least enjoy
ment might be found? Impossible. The
World Stage never varies in its presentation. To become an actor one must be uni
que. To become a member of the audience
requires discrimination. To leave the theater means annihilation of mind and bod
y.
Yes, the world is not simply a stage, but a Barnum and Bailey world, just as pho
ny as it can be. For the world to become
any more truthful, we'd all better come to grip with the facts. I like to think
that Satanists are more likely to have the scales
fall from their eyes. It helps me keep the faith.