Never Underestimate Anton LaVey
How modernity’s premiere Satanist changed our culture
Amid the occult’s late-1960s entry to bestseller lists, how-to guides, and even toy aisles, it could be fairly asked: were the “dark arts,” or their most popular variants, growing grandmotherly?
Not if Anton LaVey had anything to say about it. “There is always a risk to underestimate LaVey,” writes sociologist Massimo Introvigne of modernity’s best-known Satanist. [1]
On the evening of April 30, 1966 — Walpurgisnacht, a Christian holiday that coincides with pagan rites of spring (sometimes considered the witches’ sabbath) — the goateed San Franciscan shaved his head and declared the founding of the Church of Satan, designating 1966 “the Year One,” Anno Satanas. In the Year Two, secular New York City novelist Ira Levin published his classic Rosemary’s Baby — soon widely known for Roman Polanski’s screen version — with coven leader Roman Castevet declaring at a New Year’s celebration: “To 1966, The Year One.” The die was cast.
With his founding of the Church of Satan, Anton became the first spiritual rebel to attain superstar status since Aleister Crowley. No one since Anton’s death in 1997 has filled that role. New Agers and self-helpers have hit bestseller lists, run for president, and attracted millions of screen viewers…
