#A Satanist

[kat2107]

I heartily disagree.

Humans DO need some kind of spirituality in their lives. We've seen this over and over throughout the ages, starting with Neanderthal burials.

Sacred wells, deposits, the house burning horizon, ritual killings, the veneration of Roman Emperors. And so on.

Which form that spirituality takes, though, is as personal and multi-faceted as there are people.

Atheism can take spiritual forms, where there non-belief in any form of higher being becomes a dogma and a way to feel connected to a higher conscience of more enlightened people.

Politics can because some kind of spirituality with political rallies taking the place of religious, sometimes ecstatic experiences, not unlike ecstatic pilgrimages in the middle ages.

Same with belief in certain political issues.

Gambling is inherently spiritual, believing in luck and that good things have to happen at some point.

Wishing wells. Talking to plants, cars, the universe - is that really so different than leaving little offerings to a spirit of a grove or a tree or a well in Roman times?

I daresay that even the veneration we heap on some sports or TV stars borders on spiritual veneration, sometimes.

Believing in aliens definitely is.

Throwing rice at weddings.

The list is endless.

Humans are inherently spiritual beings, but which form that takes is completely up to each person. But spirituality is, in the end, nothing but the need to communicate with the natural surroundings, in a way that makes the overwhelming accessible.

And yes, it can be community. Community and rituals are a big part of it, though they can exist outside of spirituality.

Rituals are also a way to define society and socially acceptable behaviour (and can be as a small as a secret handshake between friends). Shaking hands is a ritual - we are confirming our mutual understanding of this social norm and thus our common base of communication.

Some sociologist probably has some other thoughts on this. I'm just a small archaologist who has seen a lot of weird shit that has absolutely nothing to do with Christianity.

Not sure if it's healthy. Better be a Satanist. Being something is always better than making not being something the center of one's world view, in my opinion.

Saying hello is a ritual. Christmas is a ritual. Spitting over a stage performers shoulder. Getting a tattoo with a significant date can be a ritual and so on.

A ritual doesn't have to be spiritual. And being spiritual doesn't have to be ritual, though it often is.

“humans need spirituality/religion in their life to some degree” [BUZZER SOUND] wrong, anecdotal, vaguely christian (atheists are lost souls who need saving and whos atheism damns them to a life of meaninglessness and therefore crime and vice).

[bizarreaizen]

it's always "i don't judge !!" until a person is a therian or just alterhuman in general, their religion is something they don't agree with or don't see as a "real or a valid" religion [like satanism or autotheism], they identify with xenogenders and use neopronouns or xenopronouns, they have a unique style like emo, scene, goth, or harajuku fashion, they're disabled, they act childish and age regresses, they have extreme intrusive thoughts, they have "cringe" interests or hyperfixations, they don't have proper hygiene because of poor mental health, their identity "doesn't make any sense", they're "too fat" or "too skinny", or they're just "not attractive" stop cherry picking, you can't claim "you don't judge" when you can't accept these people, please be better ^-^ /gen

[the-mortuary-witch]

THE SABBATS

[unholeystudio]

[j0celynh0rr0r]

[devilsorceress]

Dirty nuns

[strangersteddierthings]

Eddie blinks. Once. Twice. And a third time for good measure. The scene before him doesn't change. Steve Harrington stands off to the side of the lunch table, behind Jeff and Frankie who have both gone still as statues like they think if they don't move, King Steve won't see them.

"Uh, what?" Eddie finds himself saying, against his own will. He heard Harrington the first time, doesn't need or want him to repeat himself, but his disbelief seems to have won out against his grudge for all jocks and his indifference to Steve Harrington in particular.

Harrington's face pinches, like he's three seconds away from rolling his eyes. He doesn't do that, though, which Eddie will give him one brownie point for. "I asked if you had a minute to talk." Eddie's taking away his brownie point because Steve 'asks' in a way that sounds more like a demand.

Hearing the question and or demand a second time doesn't lower Eddie's hackles, but it does pique his curiosity. He drums his fingers atop his lunchbox, thinking it over. He wishes he could say he's pretending to think about it before he tells Harrington to fuck off, but the truth is he actually is thinking about it.

What could Harrington possibly have to say to him? They very much do not run in the same circles. Eddie only talks business at the picnic table past the edge of the woods out back and everyone who buys from him knows that. They share several classes, since they're both seniors, but everyone knows Eddie's on a track to not graduate (again) so he can't possibly be coming to discuss Mrs. Click's homework assignment.

"Sure. Should we go elsewhere or...?" Eddie trails off, lifting a hand to wave in a circle in Steve's direction, questioning.

Steve looks over his shoulder, back towards the side of the cafeteria taken up by the 'popular' crowd. When Steve turns his face back, he looks- well, kind of sad for a moment before it's smoothed over with indifference.

Interesting.

"No. It's probably good that the rest of your friends hear it anyway," Steve answers.

Jeff's eyebrows rise to his hairline, and Frankie frowns as his eyebrows raise at the same time, showing an expression of interest. Eddie's got no idea what Gareth's face is doing because Eddie can't see him unless he wants to turn his face away, but he's certain it's probably a glare of some sort.

Eddie leans back in his chair, wiggling like he's getting extra comfortable before he says, "Well, alright Harrington. Shoot."

"I'm graduating this year, so I just wanted to give you a heads up for next year. I tried to curb the bullying, but I know it still happened. So, since I'm not going to be here to watch out for that, you're gonna wanna up your," Steve gestures to all of Eddie, "everything."

He knew Steve curbed the bullying a bit, heard the confirmation of that last year from Jason Carver and Tommy Hagan, when he'd stepped in to save Gareth. Or rather, Gareth had come flying in to save him and then Eddie had to save Gareth- well, the details don't matter really.

"My everything?" Eddie asks, more confused than angry. He thinks he should be angry. Harrington has all but outright said he doesn't think Eddie's going to graduate with him, after all. But no. The main emotion now is confusion.

"Yeah. Your, y'know, freakinesss or whatever. Be more of it."

"Be more of a freak?" It's fascinating, that Harrington just keeps talking like he thinks anyone at this table care for his opinion.

"Yeah!" Harrington says, cheery like he thinks that Eddie's agreed with him somehow, complete with a stupid snap of his fingers that turns into a finger gun pointed at Eddie. "You've already got this like unapproachable mad dog kind of look about you, most of the JV team is already scared of you. Just like, up that a bit more and they'll probably steer clear of you and your friends." Then Harrington frowns deep, looking around the table of nerds and dorks before looking down at the top of Gareth's head to add, "well. Except probably curly here. No offense, but you seem an easy target."

"Fuck off," Gareth growls, because of everyone at the table, Gareth does have the most bite. (Most bark goes to Eddie himself). Eddie's more prone to run from a problem than engage in it, unlike Gareth, who he's had to pull off of a few people this year.

"Or not," Harrington retracts his previous statement and Eddie will grant the man another brownie point, which brings the total up to one.

"Good to know my reputation precedes me," Eddie grins, wild and a bit manic.

Harrington is unphased. "Yeah! Do that more. I think it really freaks Jason out and he's most likely to take the captain slot next year, so if you get him afraid of you, the rest of the team'll fall in line and leave you alone too. I think he's super religious, so like, lean into the satanic panic thing people are up in arms about and next year will be a breeze. And-"

Eddie lifts a hand, a motion for Harrington to stop talking. It surprised him a little that Harrington does. Even more interesting. "Stop me if I'm wrong here, Harrington, but are you suggesting that I become the bully?"

Harrington's mouth opens and closes a few times before his face pinches again. Instead of looking like he's going to roll his eyes and be bitchy, Harrington looks confused and then like he's deep in thought. An uncomfortable amount of awkward silence falls over there table, but it's just when Eddie's about to break that silence that Harrington finally speaks. "No. I'm saying just like, be you but bigger. Like, you don't even gotta look in the team's direction. If you're just more of a freak than you usually are, they'll steer clear without the bullying."

"You sure know how to compliment a guy," Eddie deadpans. He's not even upset that Steve's called him a freak. He's spent the majority of his high school career cultivating that outlook. He wasn't just a freak, he was The Freak.

Now a look crosses Harrington's face. One Eddie's not sure he's interpreting correctly. If he had to take a guess, he'd say the look was calculating, knowing, in a way that Eddie doesn't think Harrington could actually achieve. Then it's gone, replaced with the bitchy, eye-rolling look Eddie's used to seeing, and Harrington says, "I haven't said anything untrue."

Hmm. The most interesting thing yet. Eddie might not be graduating (again) but he's not dumb. He didn't survive this far in his life, with a father like his, without learning to read people. He wasn't as good as he wanted to be at reading people last year, but he's definitely good enough know to think that, maybe, just maybe, Harrington also knows a thing or two about cultivating a public perception. Making sure people only see a certain side of you.

"Alright," is what Eddie answers, "I'll take what you've said under advisement."

"Uh. Okay," Harrington says before he just walks away. Conversation over.

"Well," Jeff says, "that was strange."

"Very," Eddie agrees as he watches Harrington walk away, tracking him until the cafeteria door slams shut behind him when he exits.

Eddie has always wanted to up the ante, so to speak. Jump on a cafeteria table and rant about capitalism and organized sports. He never has before but next year seems like a great time to try.

[myrtles-and-blood]

Discovering that stuff in your life aligns a lot with correspondences of the deities your worship is so weird and comforting at the same time.

Like, you've been there all my life and you didn't tell me you sneaky bitch, I love you.

[ernestoednrec]

[metalheadgirlie]

[wehadfaces]

it’s soooooo funny how Damar is like “anything 🏃‍♂️ for you Dukat🧍‍♂️I am your strongest warrior 💪 your right hand arm man” and Dukat proceeds to task him with things like hand-delivering Major Kira a couture party dress, convincing his angry daughter to like him again, and *checks notes* arranging his cosmetic plastic surgery

[6-satans-book-club-6]

The Satanic Philosopher by Rev Cain

[veexx13]

[j0celynh0rr0r]

Weird I am

[devilsorceress]

Satanic Aesthetic 🖤

[666slf]