The following is a letter from Anton LaVey’s daughter, Zeena LaVey to Michael Aquino in which she exposes and denounces his father. Go here for more interesting quotes on Anton Lavey.
Dear Dr. Aquino:
With the dawning of a new year, I felt this to be an ideal time to
communicate some thoughts to you that I trust shall bring about a
new awareness in many regards.
First of all, you should be aware that as of 30 April, 1990 (Anno
XXV) I officially and ritually ended my position as Church of Satan
representative-defender and daughter of Anton LaVey. This ritual
brought all contact between myself and the Church of Satan,
including my unfather, to a complete cessation. Although I felt it
my responsibility as a sincere advocate of the unnamable forces we
experience to attempt to fight off the Judeo-Christian hysteria of
the ’80s, I became too disgusted with the organization and the
individual I was foolishly standing in for to continue this charade
in “good” conscience.
While I have no regrets in my battle with the forces of ignorance,
and my own unswerving dedication to _my_ religion has only grown, I
could no longer defend such an ungrateful and unworthy individual as
the so-called Black Pope.
I feel it is only just that I give credit where credit is due, and
acknowledge that you have been quite correct about many aspects of
the modus operandi of the Church of Satan’s fearless leader.
Essentially, he is a coward and could not possibly deal with the
hostility that we have had to encounter in publicly defending our
beliefs. Despite this repellent lack of warrior spirit or pride on
his part, he was filled, and still is, with petty jealous criticism
of my efforts. This was easy for him to do from the safe vantage
point of the comfortable and risk-free easy chair we know he has
lived in for decades.
Besides my public appearances, I have also made many valuable and
unprecedented contacts with police and law enforcement officials in
the interest of providing more enlightened treatment of Satanists
everywhere. Of course, the mighty “High Priest” succeeded in
sabotaging these efforts to his own disadvantage, in addition to the
disadvantage of all practicing magicians. I believe he is, through
his ostrich-in-the-sand stance, a detriment to any attempt at
halting the scapegoat fever that has entered all of “our” private
lives. Indeed, his irresponsible laziness has repeatedly and
ignorantly endangered my life as well as the lives of many who were
misguided enough to support him.
The most recent and blatant example of this may be found in the
publication of the absurd catalogue of lies entitled _Secret Life of
a Satanist_ by (as told to) Blanche Barton. This fluffy PR release
masquerading as a book included, with typical irresponsibility, a
photo of my son without ever seeking his or my permission. Like all
of the self-serving bullshit printed in this volume, the malignant
use of an innocent child to buttress a flagging reputation and self-
esteem is a new low point in a career already dotted with depths.
For your information, despite Barton’s claim, Anton LaVey has never
given “tutelage” of any sort to his grandson. In fact my son was
shocked and angered at being hypocritically exploited by his
grandfather’s pathetic effort to portray himself as a loving family
man.
Furthermore, despite the fact that this biography was printed long
after my resignation, Barton knowingly lied by perpetuating the idea
that I have anything at all to do with CoS and its founder. If
Barton chooses to spin other falsehoods about her subject’s life,
that’s fine, but she has crossed the line by including my son and
myself. You and I are both aware of the countless untruths contained
in this book, but I felt you should be illuminated on points
relating to myself (at least).
Another fact conveniently not included is the common knowledge that
as the co-director of the Werewolf Order, I have paved a unique path
of my own inspired by the Western European magical tradition. These
very European magical traditions, which I have always maintained as
my own, are of more personal importance to me than the largely
Eastern and negative Judeo-Christian imagery still so boringly
peddled by the CoS. In the desire to appeal to the masses, Barton’s
book makes it glaringly clear that the real motive of the Church of
Satan is to attract cash from “economic power brokers”; what other
reason could justify the sickeningly repetitive flattery she (he)
extends to Zionism, Bolshevism, and the state of Israel while safely
negating any Norse or Teutonic mythology?
Of course the reason Barton prefers to present me as loyal daughter
and #1 fan is to obscure the fact that my real activities in the
world are no longer connected to her mentor. The Werewolf Order is
and always has been a sovereign entity. Those participants in our
magical and public activities are now bound to a state of strict
neutrality. Far from wishing to continue the pointless bickering and
in-fighting, I speak for myself and the Werewolf Order in declaring
that there is no use for these hollow animosities which can, after
all, be no part of a truly initiated world view. Under the aegis of
Radio Werewolf, my music, writings, videos, and performances are
expressions of my _personal_ magical vision. Any other claim
concerning my activities is purely to feed the parasitic hunger of
that which you have dubbed “the Kennel”.
While we may find some theological differences in our approach, I
know you are sincere in your beliefs and have continued to publicly
defend them, for which I congratulate you. Laying aside these
differences, I’m sure you can comprehend the deeper and more
intangible aspects of all of this.
My unfather should never have carelessly tampered with the authentic
forces of darkness that he now idiotically believes are his own
creation. In fact, many times he has implied that he regrets opening
the “Pandora’s box” of Satanism. I have seen first-hand what his
insincere and cynical approach to these nameless cthonic powers can
do to one shaky and uncertain ego.
_I_ was born a Satanist; my unfather was raised in the mundane world
of humankind where he remains. He unwittingly served as the agent of
the true daemonic energy needed to sire me as a genuine magical
child. I have never seen any evidence that he honestly believes in
the force whom he has for so long exploited as a “good gimmick”.
Nevertheless he did succeed in attracting the ideal sorceress needed
for my conception. My mother, a natural magician as incarnation of
Diana the Huntress, was the driving force of the most positive
aspects of the Church of Satan. As you are aware, her design of many
of the magical insignias of the Church, her organizational and
administrative abilities, her uncredited contributions to the
_Satanic Bible_ and _Rituals_, and her charisma are but some of the
elements that proved her to be the backbone of what was once a vital
entity. As duality is a necessary dynamic in any form of progress,
it is mathematically easy to see that when one portion of the
duality is repelled, the other collapses into passivity. I am the
living essence of this particular duality maintained at its peak.
In light of all of the factors herein, I also officially severed my
given surname and now prefer to be known only as Zeena. As I feel
naturally aristocratic, I also have no need for the empty titles of
Magistra or High Priestess that have been bandied about and fought
over.
Anton LaVey has degraded his own claimed religion, his family, his
supporters too often and too ignorantly. He created a monster in me,
for perhaps I am too serious about all this for the likes of the
High Priest who would prefer movie stars and “expensive” restaurants
to any meaningful magical experience. In the end the “balance
factor” he smugly refers to will be his ultimate undoing, for the
cosmic cards are stacked against him. We shall see where this
monster leads.
My last word on this tiresome subject relates to the film _Sunset
Boulevard_. You will recall the aging silent star portrayed by
Gloria Swanson. Indeed LaVey has shown himself to be the Norma
Desmond of Satanism, lost in decadent, nostalgic reverie, glaring
into the camera one last time, announcing, “I’m ready for my close-
up now, Mr. Bougas.” Tango music _up_. Fade to black.
I close this in hopes of ending any lingering antagonisms between
us, and to leave this psychic vampire behind us. By imparting this
to you, I trust it will be of service to all dedicated travelers of
the Left-Hand Path. May this letter bring a longstanding, unresolved
chord to its end with best wishes for the coming new year.
In the Promethean flame,
Zeena
