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The Army's Satanist | The Untold Story Of Michael Aquino · Mystery Archives Episodes

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Satanism has always lived in the space between fear and
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fascination, a word capable of provoking outrage, curiosity and
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myth in equal measure. But few figures embodied that
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tension more than Michael Aquino.
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He was AUS Army officer, operating within the structured
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machinery of government and would ultimately reshape modern
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Satanism. His life would become a
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collision of discipline and defiance, symbolism and reality.
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So join me as we step into the Dark Ritual Chamber and explore
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the story of Michael Aquino and the Temple of Set and Theistic
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Satanism here on Mystery Archives.
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Michelangelo Aquino Junior was born on October 16th, 1946 in
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San Francisco, CA. He was the son of Michael, A
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Aquino senior and Betty Ford, and from a young age he
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demonstrated discipline and leadership potential.
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As a teenager in Santa Barbara, Aquino became deeply involved in
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the Boy Scouts of America, ultimately achieving the rank of
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Eagle. Scout.
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In fact, he graduated. From Santa Barbara High School
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in 1964 as an Eagle Scout and later served as a national
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commander of an Eagle Scout Honor Society.
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This early distinction hinted at the ambition and organizational
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talent that would characterize Aquinos later endeavors and both
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the military and religious spheres.
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Following high school, Aquino enrolled at the University of
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California, Santa Barbara. There, he majored in political
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science and participated in the Reserve Officers Training Corps
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program, which paved the way for his military career.
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He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science in 1968,
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graduating as a Distinguished Military Graduate of the Army
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ROTC, an honor that conferred upon him a Regular Army Officers
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Commission upon graduation. Upon receiving his Army
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Commission in 1968, Michael Aquino embarked on a military
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career during a tumultuous period of American history. the
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United States was deeply involved in the Vietnam War, and
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Aquino's first assignments reflected that reality.
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He was trained as a specialist in psychological warfare, a
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discipline focused on influencing enemy morale and
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perceptions, A fitting speciality for someone who would
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later delve into the psychology of religion and magic in 19. 69
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As a young Lieutenant, Aquino was deployed to Vietnam with the
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6th SIOP Battalion, an Army unit dedicated to psychological
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operations. He later recounted that he
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directed SIOP campaigns from a base and lyke South Vietnam.
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His duties included crafting propaganda, analyzing enemy
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propaganda, and attempting to win the hearts and minds of the
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local population and enemy troops through leaflets,
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broadcasts, and other non lethal means.
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It was challenging work conducted amid an active war
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zone. Aquino would recall writing
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notes or reading literature and moments between operations,
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sometimes interrupted by incoming rocket fire and the
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rush to bomb shelters. This environment honed his
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ability to focus under pressure and perhaps fostered A lifelong
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interest in how belief systems and narratives can affect human
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behavior, a theme that would resonate in his later occult
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writings. While in Vietnam, Aquino also
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found an outlet for his creative and philosophical interest in
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his spare moments. Surrounded by those realities of
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war, he started writing in a cult inspired manuscript he
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titled The Diablocon. As he later.
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Explained he was inspired by John Milton's Paradise Lost and
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its depictions of Satan as a complex, even heroic figure.
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Aquino began composing the Diablocon in early 1970 during
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Lols in his military duties, riding in bombed out buildings
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and jungle encampments. The text was a reinterpretation
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of the War in Heaven, the biblical story of the rebel
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angels expulsion, told from the perspective of Satan and his
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fellow fallen angels. Akino imagined these beings not
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as evil caricatures, but as principled entities, championing
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individual will and enlightenment against what they
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saw as a tyrannical cosmic order.
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In essence, the Diablocan was a statement of Aquino's emerging
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personal philosophy, a form of Satanism that emphasized Satan
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or Lucifer as a symbol of radical individualism,
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knowledge, and defiance. Of.
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Orthodoxy. By March of 1970, still in
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Vietnam, Aquino completed the Diablocan and sent the
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manuscript back to the United States.
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He forwarded it to Anton Lavey, the founder of the Church of
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Satan, who responded with enthusiasm, recognizing the
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literary effort as a valuable contribution to Satanic thought.
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This exchange is significant because it shows that Aquino,
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even before meeting Lavey in person, was actively engaging
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with and contributing to the Satanic movement.
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Intellectually, his wartime riding served as a bridge
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between his military life and his occult interests,
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demonstrating how he could compartmentalize and pursue both
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tracks simultaneously. By 1971, Aquino had returned
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from Vietnam to the United States.
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His military career at that point paused briefly as he
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immersed himself more deeply into the burgeoning Satanic
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movement of the late 1960s and early 1970s America.
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With his uniform and a head full of esoteric ideas, the stage was
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set for the next chapter of his life, joining forces with Anton
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Lavey's Church of Satan and quickly rising through its
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ranks. The Church of Satan had been
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founded by Anton Lavey in 1966 and had garnered public
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attention with theatrical rituals and celebrity
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associates. In March 1969, shortly before
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deploying to Vietnam, Michael Aquino and his first wife Janet
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attended an event at Lavey's infamous Black House in San
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Francisco. The event was a lecture on
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fortune telling and character analysis, but Aquino found
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himself more fascinated by Lavey and the ambience of modern
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Satanism rather than the lecture itself.
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Soon after, Aquino and Janet sent in their applications for
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membership to the Church of Satan, signaling the beginning
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of Aquino's formal involvement and organized Satanism.
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Even though his active participation was briefly
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interrupted by his Vietnam tour, Aquino remained in
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correspondence with Church of Satan members and Levy himself.
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After returning to the US in 1971, Aquino resumed his
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activities with renewed energy. That year, Levy ordained Aquino
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as the Satanic priest, the second degree known in the
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Church. As the priest.
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Of Mendes and authorized him to found a local grotto or chapter
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in his home. Aquino's home Satanic group
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became an act of grotto, conducting rituals and study
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meetings, effectively bringing the Church of Satan's work to
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the communities level. Aquino's rise through the ranks
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was swift. Only two years after joining, he
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had attained the 4th degree rank of Magister Caverns, indicating
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a senior leadership position within the church's hierarchy.
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He took on multiple responsibilities.
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He became the editor of The Cloven Hoof, the Church of
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Satan's newsletter and official publication, and this role
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Aquino wrote articles disseminating Lavey's
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announcements and helping shape the intellectual discourse of
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the church. He also contributed to Lavey's
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The Satanic Rituals in 1972 by writing portions of text
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providing rituals with historic and esoteric flair.
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For example, Aquino authored The Ceremony of the Stifling Air and
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the Call to Cathuli rituals in October of 1970.
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As a relatively new priest, Aquino had performed what is
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noted as the first Misa Solemnist ritual with the Church
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of Satan. The ritual was a solemn satanic
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mass that underscored his devotion and showmanship.
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He also officiated at one of the earliest Satanic weddings on
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record, the second ever performed under the Church.
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These activities demonstrated Aquino's flair for ritual and
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earned him respect among his peers.
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Within the churches governing body, the ruling Council of
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Nine, Aquino secured a seat, meaning that he was one of
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Lavey's trusted inner circle advisors.
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He became, in effect, Lavey's right hand.
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During the early 1970's, the two men were close.
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They first met not in a dark ritual chamber, but at a San
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Francisco film screening of Rosemary's Baby.
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After the showing, Lavey reportedly handed Aquino his
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business card and impressed by the young man's evident interest
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in Satanic themes. This chance meeting sparked A
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mentorship. Lavey and Aquino bonded over
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their shared interests in Satanism, philosophical
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underpinnings, and the pageantry of ritual.
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Lavey appreciated Aquino's military like discipline and
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scholarly approach, while Aquino was drawn to Lavey's charisma
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and the boldness of creating a religion centered on Satan.
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They grew to be very close during these years.
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Aquino would later recall that the Church of Satan's rituals
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often felt genuinely charged with the Presence, an extra
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physical or supernatural force, which he and others interpreted
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as the literal Satan, or Prince of Darkness.
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Making himself known, Aquino observed that even Levae, who
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outwardly spoke of Satan in symbolic terms, behaved during
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ceremonies not as an actor playing a role, but as a sincere
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priest of a dark power. This impression would inform
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Aquino's later theological divergent from Lavey's stance.
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By the mid 1970s, Michael Aquino stood at the pinnacle within the
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Church of Satan. However, fault lines were
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forming beneath the surface. The organization was grappling
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with an internal identity crisis.
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Was Satan merely a symbol for materialistic self indulgence,
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as Lavey often told the media, or was Satan an actual
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metaphysical being with whom practitioners could commune
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With? Many early Church of Satan
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members, Aquino among them, privately leaned toward a
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literal or semi literal belief in Satan as an entity.
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Lavey's public atheism clashed with some of the experiences
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that some members felt in ritual.
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For a time, this ambiguity was left unpoliced.
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It allowed the church to attract both skeptics drawn to Satan as
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a metaphor and a cultist who sensed A genuine dark force in
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their workings. Aquino later claimed that Levey
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himself revealed to him in 1974 a secret pact with Satan that
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Levey had allegedly written, implying that even the founder
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harbored A genuine belief in the being that they called Satan.
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No one else ever saw this pact, and scholars debate whether
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Levey meant it sincerely or allegorically regardless by
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1970. 4. Aquino's and Levey's views on
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the nature of Satanism were suddenly diverging.
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Aquino was gravitating towards a atheistic or esoteric type of
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Satanism, one that acknowledged spiritual realities, whereas
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Lavey increasingly presented Satanism as an aesthetic, A
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carnal philosophy using Satan as a symbol of rebellion and ego.
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The breaking point came in 1975. The Church of Satan, despite its
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notoriety and colorful ceremonies, was not a large or
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wealthy organization, and Lavey often struggled financially.
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In May 1975. While Aquino was editing an.
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Issue of The Cloven Hoof. Lavey sent him a draft article
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announcing A controversial new policy.
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Henceforth, higher initiary degrees in the Church of Satan
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could be obtained in exchange for financial or material
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contributions. In other words, Lavey proposed
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to sell the priesthood and the higher titles for cash or
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valuable gifts, rather than awarding them purely on merit or
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magical achievement. The draft stated, as Aquino
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later quoted, that professional services, real estate, objects
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of value, etcetera, which contribute to the tangible
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worldly success of the Church of Satan, our qualification for
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elevation. Aquino was stunned.
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He viewed this as a critical corruption of everything that
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the Church had stood for, a betrayal of the principal, and a
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descent into crass commercialization.
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He cordially but forcefully. Objected to Lavey attempting to
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dissuade him from this course, but despite Aquino's protests
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and alternative suggestions for raising funds, Lavey remained
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adamant the newsletter would publish his policy is written
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and anyone that was dissatisfied could leave.
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When this decision became public to the Church's membership, it
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ignited A firestorm many dedicated Satanic priests and
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priestesses were indeed infuriated by.
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What they saw as a. Sell out move.
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Among them was High Priestess Lilith Sinclair, the East Coast
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leader who had Co founded a New York grotto and who shared
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Aquino's theistic leanings. Lilith Sinclair, who would later
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become Aquino's second wife, felt as betrayed as he did in
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open disgust. She and a number of other
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prominent members resigned from the Church of Satan in the
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spring of 1975. Letters of resignation poured
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into Aquino's mailbox from around the country.
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By late June of 1975, the Church of Satan, as originally
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constituted, had effectively collapsed, with dozens of key
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members, including nearly the entire council of Nine, leaving
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Lavey's organization. Aquino himself formerly tendered
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his resignation letter in a letter to Anton Lavey and Diane
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Lavey on June 10th of 1975, explicitly repudiating their
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decision to commercialize the degrees.
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In that letter, Aquino declared that the churches infirm
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mandate, the mandate supposedly given by Satan to lead humanity,
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was withdrawn from Levay. Aquino did not take this step
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lightly. In the weeks between Levay's
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announcement and Aquino's resignation, he struggled to
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resolve the crisis. He exchanged extensive
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correspondence with other members, hoping that Levay might
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reverse course. But Levay was resolute, perhaps
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believing that attracting wealthy patrons was necessary
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for the church's survival, or possibly viewing the whole
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religious edifice as something that he could modify at will for
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practical reasons. Faced with this impasse, Aquino
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decided that if Satan's church had been corrupted by ego and
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greed, then Satan, or the Prince of Darkness, as Aquino preferred
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to say, would have to intervene directly to set things straight.
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Aquino later explained his mindset that he still revered
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Anton Lavey for originally inspiring modern Satanism, but
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he felt that Lavey had abandoned his own vision in that fateful
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spring of 1975. And to Aquino, the essence of
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Satan as a powerful cosmic force of individualism and
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enlightenment needed a new vehicle if the Church of Satan
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could no longer serve. And so, with equal measure of
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indignation and mystical fervor, he prepared to undertake a bold
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ritual that would change the course of contemporary Satanism
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forever. On the night of June 21st, 1975,
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the summer solstice, Michael Aquino performed a solitary
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ritual that would become the foundational event of a new
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religious movement. Conducting what he called a
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Greater Black Magic working, Aquino sought guidance from the
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Prince of Darkness on how to continue this Satanic tradition
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outside of La Vey's shadow. He performed the ritual at his
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home in Santa Barbara Barbara, casting a magical circle and
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using the tools of Satanic ceremony he had mastered.
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By his own account. Aquino recited invocations and
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focused his will, essentially asking what is the will of Satan
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now? I asked Satan for advice on what
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to do next, Aquino recalled. The answer he received would
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become legend among his followers.
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According to Aquino, in the dark still hours of that summer
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solstice night, something profound occurred.
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He described experiencing a presence, an ageless
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intelligence of the universe manifesting in response to his
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call and what Aquino later categorized as an episode of
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automatic writing or inspired dictation.
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His hand began to write words unbidden.
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Over the course of that night and early morning, he produced a
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text. Titled The Book of Coming Forth
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by Night, this document, Aquino claimed, was not composed from
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his conscious mind. Rather, it was a.
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Revelation from the entity he had invoked an entity that
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identified itself by a very. Ancient name in the book, the
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speaker announced. I Satan appear now in the form
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of Set declaring that Satan was actually a mask or misnomer for
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the true Prince of Darkness. The being said it no longer
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wished to be addressed by the Hebrew derived name Satan, which
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had become confused by centuries.
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Old cultural baggage. But instead by Set the name it
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was called an ancient Egypt. Set was the God of darkness,
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storms, and desert places in Egyptian mythology, a complex
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figure who, unlike the purely evil Satan of Christian lore,
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had both destructive and protective aspects.
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The Book of Coming Forth by Night is a brief text, but
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loaded with implications. In an Aquino addressed
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personally by name, is proclaimed to be the New Magus.
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The text acknowledges Anton Lavey as having carried an
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infernal mandate for a time, the reconsecration that began in
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1966, year 1 of Satanism. But declares that Lavey's era is
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over set speaking through the. Text effectively deposed Lavey
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as the representative of the Dark Powers and transferred that
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mantle to Aquino. Aquino's mandate was to found a
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new temple that would carry forward the true essence of the
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Satanic, now SETI in religion. The text even directly
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referenced Aleister Crowley's precedent.
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Justice Crowley had received the Book of the Law in 19 O 4 and
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declared a new Aeon of Horus. Aquino's reception of Coming
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Forth by Night marked the dawning of the Aeon of Set.
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The document furthermore introduces the concept of
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keeper, an Egyptian word meaning I've come into being or to
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become. It implies that the word of the
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new eon is Keeper, a principle of self-directed evolution or
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transformation. Keeper would become the central
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philosophical tenant of Aquino's new religion, encapsulating the
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idea that through magic and self realization an individual can
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become spiritually evolved into something greater.
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Aquino emerged from this intense mystical experience feeling, by
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his own admission, stunned and profoundly changed.
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He spent the following days analyzing and interpreting what
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he had written in the trance like state.
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Even for Aquino, who had expected perhaps a symbolic
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vision or personal inspiration, the formality and clarity of the
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text were surprising. He hadn't anticipated that the
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answer to his ritual would be the announcement of a new aeon
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and essentially A directive to start a new church.
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Without wasting time, Aquino took action to fulfill the
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mandate. He shared his new book with the
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other disenfranchised Satanists who had resigned with him, and
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on the very next day, June 22nd of 1975, he began gathering a
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new group of followers around this revelation.
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Many of those who had left the Church of Satan priests,
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priestesses and dedicated members across the country
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responded enthusiastically. By September of 1975, Aquino
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circulated a letter to the emerging priesthood of the new
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organization, outlining the principles of what would be
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called the Temple of Set. He articulated that the Temple
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of Set was not founded in opposition to the Church of
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Satan per SE, but as the next step of evolution of the Left
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Hand Path tradition. Nevertheless, the Temple's
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creation was undeniably rooted in a schismatic response to
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Lavey's perceived failings, giving it a reformative
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character. On the bureaucratic side, Akino
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moved to quickly formalize the Temple of Set.
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He, along with a group of initial trustees, drafted by
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laws for the new entity and filed for incorporation as a
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nonprofit church in California. The Temple of Set was legally
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incorporated on the symbolic date of the northern autumnal
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equinox, 1975, which was September 21st of that year, and
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promptly applied for federal tax exempt status as a religious
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organization. The status was then later
21:23
granted within the year. The Council of 9A Governing
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Council, intentionally echoing the name of the body that once
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guided the Church of Satan, was established to provide
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leadership beyond just the High Priest.
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And initially, since many senior Satanists had come over, the
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Council of Nine featured individuals like Thomas
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Huddleston, Ronald K Barrett, Lois Sinclair, and Jenny Janine
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Bast, representing a geographic spread from Ohio to California.
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Doctor Aquino, of course, assumed the position of high.
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Priest of set. And Magus of the New Aeon.
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But notably in the Temple's founding documents, Aquino
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inserted a provision that the High Priesthood was not to be a
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lifetime personal office. The Temple of Set's early months
22:08
were busy with both practical organization and the development
22:12
of its distinct theology. Aquino penned a series of
22:15
letters to the fledgling membership explaining Setian
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concepts and how they differed from Levaean Satanism.
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One immediate change was theological.
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Whereas the Church of. Satan under Lavey publicly
22:26
espoused atheism and used Satan as a metaphor.
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The temple of Set openly embraced theistic Satanism, or
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rather Setianism. They proclaimed that Set is a
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real metaphysical entity, not a creator God, but a powerful self
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aware being or principle that represents isolate intelligence
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and individual divinity. In practice this meant that
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Temple of Set members or Setians could approach Set as a deity or
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teacher in their magical work rather than just treating him as
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an archetype. The Keno explained that Keeper
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was the process of coming into being and each Setians task was
23:04
to cultivate their own self development and spiritual
23:07
evolution. Structurally, the Temple of Set
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also diverged from its predecessor.
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It established 6. Degrees of initiation expanding
23:15
on the Church of Satan's system. These were SETI and 1° Adept
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second degree, Priest and Priestess of SET the third
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degree, Magister and Magistrate Templi the 4th degree and Megas
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and Mega 5th degree and lastly IPSIMAS and IPSIMA the 6th
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degree. Advancement was based on
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recognition of personal growth and magical skill, and the
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higher the degrees were reserved for those who had made world
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changing contributions to the philosophy, for instance
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uttering a new word or concept beyond Keeper.
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Initially, Aquino as a founder was recognized as the Magus 5th
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Degree for Uttering Keeper, and in later years he would be
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acknowledged as Ipsimus the 6th Degree, the highest grade.
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In honor of his lifetime achievements, the Council of 9
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was empowered to appoint or remove the High Priestess,
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ensuring some accountability early on.
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The Council elected Magister Robert Ethel as the first
24:14
Chairman in late of 1975, indicating Aquino's willingness
24:18
to distribute authority. By the end of 1975, the Temple
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of Set was fully operational. It had a growing body of
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members, many of them carry overs from the Church of Satan,
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but also new recruits drawn by media curiosity or occult
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networks. It published the first issue of
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its newsletter, the Scroll of Set, providing updates and
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essays to the membership. Aquino drafted foundational
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documents, notably the Crystal Tablet of SET, which served as
24:46
an introductory guide and scripture of sorts for new
24:48
initiates. The Book of Coming Forth by
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Night itself was treated with reverence, but not exactly as
24:54
infallible scripture in a dogmatic sense.
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Rather, Said Ian saw it as a magical text that transferred
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Satan's mandate from Lebay's Church to the Temple of Said.
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It is not to be taken on blind faith, but to be understood
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symbolically and personally, a product of Akino's unconscious
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communion with Said, yet holding truths to be discovered through
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practice. In any case, for those who had
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been disillusioned by the Church of Satan's collapse, the events
25:21
of 1975 were invigorating. Thus, by early 1976, Michael
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Aquino had transformed from Anton Lavey's Lieutenant into
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the high priest of a new occult order.
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The young religion faced many challenges ahead, defining its
25:36
practices, surviving public scrutiny, and weathering
25:39
internal growing pains. But in those first moments of
25:42
inception, it was marked by a heady sense of purpose and a
25:46
clear ideological break from the past.
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The Eon of Said had begun, at least for a few 100
25:52
practitioners worldwide. The call of the new Dispensation
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ritual and magic in the Temple of SAT took on a more hermetic
26:01
and occult flavor than in Lavey's Church of Satan.
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While Lavey's group often staged relatively simple psychodramatic
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rituals, as in destroying an enemy's effigy or performing a
26:13
mock baptism, Setian rites were typically more elaborate and
26:17
rooted in historical magical traditions.
26:20
Aquino was heavily influenced by the writings of Aleister
26:23
Crowley, the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, and classical
26:26
Grimoires. As well as by.
26:28
Ancient Egyptian Religion Under Aquino's guidance, the temple
26:33
adopted and adapted practices like Anachian magic, the system
26:37
of angelic and demonic calls originally developed by
26:41
Elizabeth and mage John D. In fact, Aquino became deeply
26:45
engrossed in Anachian studies. Starting in March of 1975, just
26:50
before the temple's founding, he'd begun a project to re
26:54
examine the Enochian keys, also called the Enochian calls, and
26:58
their original form. From Dee's Diaries, he suspected
27:02
that the angelic legend might hide ciphered meanings relevant
27:05
to the new Eon. Over six years.
27:08
Aquino conducted workings to decode and reinterpret these
27:11
keys for the eon of Said. By 1981, he completed what he
27:16
termed. The word of set.
27:18
Essentially a SETI in translation and commentary on
27:22
the 19 Enochian. Keys these keys.
27:25
Which in the Golden Dawn in levain systems had been used as
27:29
invocations of infernal powers, were seen by Aquino as
27:32
containing hidden messages that one properly understood, aligned
27:37
with SETI in philosophy. Aquino's word of set working
27:40
finished exactly on April 13th of 1981, the anniversary.
27:46
Of Dee's. Original reception in 1584 and
27:50
was later published within the temple's literature.
27:53
In Aquino's view, the Enochian entities contacted by Dee could
27:57
be seen as cosmic intelligences, neither purely angelic nor
28:01
demonic by simplistic definitions that Setians might
28:05
communicate with for knowledge. Another innovation were the
28:09
Orders within the Temple of Set. Orders are specialized magical
28:13
fraternities focusing on particular traditions or goals.
28:17
For example, Aquino revived the Order of the Trapezoid in the
28:21
early 1980s as an order within the Temple dedicated to
28:24
exploring a cold aspects of Gothic, Teutonic, and
28:28
Lovecraftian magic. The Order of Horus was
28:31
established to focused on chivalric ideas and the
28:34
archetype of sets brother or compatriot Horus, presumably
28:39
cultivating the warrior philosopher aspects of
28:41
initiation. There were also eventually an
28:44
Order of SAT, sometimes called the Order of Sedne Kumast, named
28:49
after an ancient Egyptian sorcerer Prince.
28:52
This focused on Egyptian magic. There was also the Order of the
28:56
Vampire, focusing on the concept of psychic vampirism and
29:00
nocturnal archetypes, among others.
29:03
Each Order was led by a Magister Templi and accepted members who
29:07
had at least reached Adept Second degree and proven sincere
29:11
interest. By policy, the Setian was
29:15
expected to affiliate with one of the Orders within the year of
29:18
reaching the Second degree Adept level.
29:21
This was meant to ensure that one was advancing. 1 engaged
29:25
deeply with some aspect of tradition and was learning from
29:28
their peers and contributing back to knowledge.
29:31
The Orders also fostered intellectual contributions.
29:35
Many of the Temple's publications and ideas
29:38
originated in Order projects. In parallel, the temple
29:43
organized pylons, which were local groups or lodges where
29:47
Setians in a particular region could meet regardless of their
29:51
order affiliation. Pylons were named often after
29:55
stars or ancient sites. For example, Ruby Pylon in a
30:00
city might gather members for a discussion and minor rituals.
30:04
A pylon could include Setians of all degrees, providing a space
30:08
for new initiates to learn from group ritual skills and for
30:12
members to socialize and support each other and keep her.
30:16
The combination of pylons and orders gave the temple a
30:19
decentralized yet interconnected character.
30:22
This was quite different from the Church of Satan structure,
30:25
which had local grottoes but no equivalent to the Order system.
30:29
By the late 1970s, the Temple had grown modestly.
30:34
It remained a small occult school rather than a mass
30:36
religion. The leadership deliberately kept
30:39
membership selective. Prospective members underwent an
30:42
application and recognition period for up to two years,
30:46
during which their sincerity and compatibility were evaluated.
30:50
The Temple claimed that fewer than half of all applicants were
30:53
accepted into SET, an initiation reflecting its guarded approach
30:57
to growth. As of 1984, an external estimate
31:02
put membership around 500 individuals spread across North
31:06
America, Europe, and a few in other continents.
31:09
The Temple itself did not officially publish membership
31:12
numbers, considering it internal information, but it acknowledged
31:17
being primarily American with a gradually expanding
31:20
international presence. During this period, Michael
31:24
Aquino also balanced another significant aspect of his life,
31:28
his ongoing military career. In 1976, after finishing his MA,
31:34
he had returned to active military service, albeit in a
31:37
somewhat different capacity. He transitioned to the Army
31:41
Reserve, but he was frequently on active duty assignments as
31:45
what he called an active Guard or Reserve officer, essentially
31:49
a reservist on full time duty. In 1980, Doctor Aquino completed
31:54
his PhD and coincidentally that same year he was assigned to an
31:58
interesting role that leveraged his academic and PSYOP
32:02
background. He co-authored a military paper
32:05
titled From PSYOP to Mind War, The Psychology of Victory.
32:10
This paper, written with Colonel Pauli Vallely in 1980, advocated
32:15
for the US Army to extend psychological operations beyond
32:19
tactical propaganda to a broader concept of mind war.
32:23
Aquino and Vallely argued that psychotronic technologies and
32:28
the total influence of communications, including
32:31
possibly even paranormal factors, could be harnessed to
32:35
affect the enemy's will to fight.
32:37
Mind War suggested using all available media to create a
32:41
state of victory consciousness and U.S. forces and defeatism in
32:45
the enemy, ideally so that. Wars could be won with minimal
32:49
violence. Although mind war was just a
32:51
concept paper never adopted as official doctrine, it later
32:55
gained notoriety in conspiracy circles, cited as evidence of
33:00
supposed military mind control programs.
33:03
In truth, Aquino's interest in psychological warfare was of a
33:07
peace with his occult work. Both dealt with how unseen
33:10
forces, be they propaganda or magical will, can alter thoughts
33:15
and reality. In 1981, Aquino served as a
33:19
reserve attache. At the Defense Intelligence
33:21
Agency in Washington, DC and in 1982 he studied at the State
33:26
Department's Foreign Service Institute.
33:29
These roles gave him top secret security clearances and exposure
33:33
to high level strategic thinking all the while.
33:36
He kept his religious life relatively private within
33:39
military circles. By the late 1970s, some of
33:43
Aquino's Army colleagues knew he was involved in a witchcraft or
33:47
satanic church, but it was not yet a public issue.
33:50
Indeed, in an era before the Satanic Panic broke out, a
33:54
number of people in California. 'S Bay Area occult scene,
33:57
including law enforcement liaisons regarded the Temple of
34:00
Set as a somewhat intellectual if not peculiar Group One
34:05
notable episode in this time frame combined aquinos military
34:09
travels with his occult passion was the vavelsburg working of
34:13
1982 Aquino had long been fascinated by the occult aspects
34:18
of Nazi Germany strictly from a scholarly and magical.
34:21
Perspective He was particularly interested in the lore
34:25
surrounding Vafelsburg Castle in Westphalia, which under Heinrich
34:29
Himmler's s s had been refurbished as a mystical HQ,
34:33
complete with a circular Hall of the Dead Crypt and a plush upper
34:38
assembly hall with a sun wheel mosaic, often dubbed the Black
34:42
Sun, in the floor. In October 1982, while on a NATO
34:46
liaison assignment in Europe, Aquino made a pilgrimage to
34:50
Vafelsburg. With permission from the
34:52
castle's curator. He gained access to the two
34:55
legendary chambers that had been off limits for decades, the open
35:00
grope and fierce hall or the Upper Hall and the crypt below
35:03
it. On October 19th, 1982, Aquino
35:07
conducted a private ritual in the castle's north tower crypt,
35:11
the so-called Valhalla or Hall of the Dead, at approximately
35:15
3:00 to 4:30 PM local time. He dubbed this magical
35:20
experiment the Fablesburg Working.
35:22
The aim, as he described in a letter to the priesthood later,
35:26
was multi fold to tap into any remaining occult energy or
35:30
residents left from the intense focus the S S had placed on that
35:34
spot and to ritually awaken and reorient the order of the
35:39
Trapezoid and a cold order that had existed in prototype within
35:44
the Church of Satan in which he now wanted to fully energize
35:47
Within the Temple of Said, Aquino approached the
35:50
Veywelsberg, working with meticulous preparation.
35:54
He had researched the castle's history and read accounts like
35:57
Francis King's Satan and Swastika to understand what the
36:01
Nazis might have attempted there.
36:03
During the ritual, Aquino used one of the Inachian keys,
36:07
specifically the 19th key, which in DS system opens the gates of
36:12
the deepest ether. He later described an intense,
36:15
meditative and visionary experience.
36:19
In that crypt, he perceived the magical epitaph of Nazi Germany,
36:23
a realization that the Third Reich, in fighting what it saw
36:27
as materialism and decadence, had ironically unleashed a dark
36:31
archetype, the Order of the Trapezoid, symbolizing
36:34
authoritarian occult power, which could reassert itself in
36:38
new forms. At one point, he felt as if he
36:41
had drained the lingering a cold battery that the castle
36:44
represented, leaving it magically inert after 40 years
36:48
of dorm. The result, for Aquino
36:51
personally, was invigorating. Having drunk at this magical
36:55
fountain of youth, I myself felt energized, he wrote afterwards.
37:00
Crucially, Aquino believed that the ritual opened the Gate of
37:03
Vapelsburg for the Eon of Set. In his esoteric interpretation,
37:09
the Church of Satan and Temple of Set had already been casting
37:13
the shadow of an archetype, the Trapezoid or the Black Sun,
37:17
without fully realizing it. By performing the working at the
37:21
epicenter of Nazi occult myth, he aimed to consciously take up
37:25
the archetype and integrate it positively into Setian practice.
37:29
In effect, the Order of the Trapezoid was reconstituted as a
37:34
formal magical order within the Temple of Said.
37:36
Following this work, it attracted those interested in
37:39
rune magic, Germanic Pagan lore, the metaphysics of geometry, the
37:44
trapezoid, and angles held special significance, aligned
37:48
with Avey's old Law of the Trapezoid, which stated that
37:51
certain geometric forms can induce magical effects.
37:55
Aquino even designed a new emblem for the Order of the
37:57
Trapezoid, a version of the Wolfsangle rune within the
38:01
trapezoid, reflecting its Left Hand Path mission.
38:05
This intersection of Nazi symbol mysticism and Setian practice
38:09
could have been easily misunderstood, and indeed it
38:12
sometimes was. However, Aquino consistently
38:15
clarified that his interest was academic and magical, not
38:19
political or racial. Interestingly, the Vafelsburg
38:23
working had ripple effects outside the Temple.
38:26
Occult historian Nicholas Goodwright Clark notes that
38:30
Aquino's ritual sparked a new occult of fascination within
38:33
Vafelsburg. In the wider community, the
38:36
local museum curator, Daniela Sepi, observed that after the
38:40
Temple of Sets working, many more inquiries in occult tours
38:44
came, each with divergent teachings, indicating that
38:47
Vavelsburg had become a sort of magnet in a cold subculture.
38:52
The temple remained fairly known in a cold circles, but not to
38:55
the general public. But that was about to change as
38:59
the decade progressed. In the mid 1980's, the United
39:03
States was seized by a growing hysteria about alleged Satanic
39:06
cults lurking in daycares, churches, and suburban
39:10
neighborhoods. This phenomenon, now often
39:13
referred to as the Satanic Panic, was a moral panic fueled
39:17
by a convergence of factors. Sensational media reports a
39:21
handful of now discredited recovered memory, accounts of
39:25
Satanic ritual abuse, and anxieties over changing social
39:29
norms. Virtually overnight, occult
39:32
practitioners who had operated in relative obscurity found
39:36
themselves cast as potential villains in the public's
39:40
imaginations. Doctor Michael Aquino, as a
39:43
prominent and unusual figure, an Army officer openly heading a
39:47
satanic Setian religious group, became one of the unintended
39:51
targets of this panic. The trouble for Aquino
39:55
specifically began at the US Army base known as the Presidio
39:59
of San Francisco, where he had been stationed.
40:03
In the early 1980s, Aquino had returned to his hometown on
40:06
military assignment. From 1980 to 1986, when he was
40:11
serving as an active Guard Reserve officer at the Presidio,
40:15
he was dealing largely with personnel and administrative
40:18
duties. He and Lilith lived in San
40:20
Francisco during these years and were well known in the local
40:23
occult community. They even converted part of
40:26
their Victorian house in the Russian Hill neighborhood into a
40:29
ritual chamber decorated with satanic imagery for temple
40:32
ceremonies. In 1986, the Presidio became the
40:36
focus of a horrific accusation. Children at the Presidio Child
40:41
Development Center, a daycare on base, were found to show signs
40:45
of sexual abuse. Initial investigations by the
40:48
Army's Criminal Investigation Division and the San Francisco
40:52
police pointed to a civilian daycare employee by the name of
40:56
Gary Hambright, who was arrested in 1987 on multiple counts of
41:00
molestation. This was part of the broader
41:03
wave of daycare abuse allegations at the time, the
41:06
Mcmartin preschool trial in Southern California being the
41:09
most famous example. In the Presidio case, some
41:12
children described bizarre. There are ritualistic elements
41:16
to the abuse, talk of dark rooms, candles and an evil
41:20
figure by the name of Mikey. These.
41:23
Details LED investigators to consider the possibility of a
41:26
Satanic element. Since Lieutenant Colonel Michael
41:30
Aquino was one of the few individuals at the Presidio
41:33
openly associated with Satanism, and indeed somewhat of a local
41:37
celebrity in that regard, suspicion drifted towards him
41:40
and his wife. The critical incident occurred
41:42
on August 12th of 1987. A three-year old girl who had
41:46
attended the daycare was with her father, an Army chaplain
41:50
named Lieutenant Colonel Lawrence Larry Adams Thompson,
41:54
at the Presidio's Post Exchange when she reportedly became
41:58
visibly upset at seeing Aquino and Lilith walk by, according to
42:02
her. Father's later report the
42:04
toddler pointed at Aquino, identifiable by his striking
42:08
appearance. Aquino often had an unusual
42:10
haircut with a peaked widow's peak and dramatically arched
42:14
eyebrows and called him Mikey and referred to Lilith as
42:18
Shamby. This prompted the chaplain to
42:21
alert investigators, as his daughter was one of those being
42:24
evaluated for possible abuse at the daycare.
42:27
In a subsequent interview with an FBI agent, the little girl
42:31
allegedly said that Mikey and Shamby and Mr. Gary had all been
42:36
involved in molesting her and other children, taking them to
42:39
Mr. Gary's house for that purpose.
42:42
This was an explosive allegation, essentially accusing
42:46
a decorated Army officer and his wife of participating in a
42:49
pedophilic satanic cult. By the time this accusation
42:53
surfaced, the general investigation into the daycare
42:56
had found that dozens of children, eventually over 50,
43:00
showed signs consistent with abuse or trauma.
43:03
Parents of victims had filed a $60 million lawsuit against the
43:06
Army for negligence, although Hambright was the primary
43:10
suspect and was indicted by a federal grand jury.
43:13
Rumors of multiple perpetrators and of ritual abuse elements
43:17
such as animal mutilations, photographs taken or strange
43:22
markings on kids, or rampant. The Aquinos, due to their
43:26
unusual religion, became prime suspects in the eyes of some
43:29
investigators, despite a lack of direct physical evidence linking
43:33
them to any crime. In November of 1987, the San
43:37
Francisco Police Department formally opened an investigation
43:40
into the Aquinos and their possible connection to the
43:43
Presidio abuse case, and media coverage followed.
43:47
In these interviews, Aquino pointed out the flimsiness of
43:50
their case. Neither he nor Lilith had ever
43:53
been caretakers at the daycare, and there was no physical
43:55
evidence, No DNA, no photographs, nothing seized from
43:59
his home that substantiated any wrongdoing, and none of the
44:03
dozens of other children had ended dependently identified the
44:06
Aquinos, except the one child of the chaplain.
44:09
Indeed, in August 1988, after extensive searches and forensic
44:14
tests, the SFPD closed its criminal investigation of the
44:18
Aquinos, citing insufficient evidence to charge them.
44:21
However, the Army's CID continued its own probe a bit
44:25
longer. The CID had been very sensitive
44:28
to the public relations time mirror of a satanic child abuse
44:31
scandal on an Army base and they pursued all leads thoroughly.
44:35
It wasn't until August 1989 that they issued a final report.
44:40
That report named Michael Aquino and initially Lilith in the
44:43
title block, essentially listing them as subjects of the
44:47
investigation. Yet the conclusion was that the
44:49
case was being closed because all remaining leads had gone
44:53
cold and, importantly, the three-year statue of limitations
44:56
for any potential. Charges had expired.
44:59
By June of 1989. In practical terms, this meant
45:02
that even if new evidence came to light, it was legally too
45:06
late to prosecute under military law.
45:08
The CID report cryptically noted that while Aquino had offered
45:12
evidence of an alibi, indeed the Aquino's had been away in
45:15
Washington, DC during the months the key incident supposedly
45:18
happened, They did not find his alibi persuasive enough to
45:22
completely exonerate him in their internal records.
45:25
This remark indicated that some investigators harbored
45:28
suspicions even absent proof. After the CID closed the case,
45:33
the Aquinos took steps to clear their names.
45:36
In January of 1990, they formally requested the CID to
45:40
remove their names from the report's title block, arguing
45:43
that since no charges were brought, they should not be
45:46
listed as offenders in any official capacity.
45:49
The CID agreed in part, and they removed Lilith Aquino's name,
45:53
reasoning that the child's identifications of her were not
45:56
adequate. But the CID refused to remove
45:59
Michael Aquino's name, leaving the inference that he was still
46:02
a person of interest in an unresolved matter.
46:05
Frustrated by this, Aquino filed a lawsuit under the Privacy Act
46:09
to force the Army to amend its records and to seek damages for
46:13
the harm that he believed the false report had done to his
46:16
career. The case went to the 4th Circuit
46:18
Court of Appeals, which in 1992 ultimately ruled against Aquino
46:22
on technical grounds. It held that because the CI DS
46:26
file was part of law enforcement systems, it was exempt from the
46:29
Privacy's Act amendment provision and that the Army's
46:33
decision not to change it was not arbitrary or capricious
46:37
given probable cause had existed to investigate.
46:40
Essentially, while Aquino had never been charged, the court
46:44
recognized that the Army had enough initial evidence, the
46:47
child's identification of him, to justify the investigation and
46:51
retention of the record. Aquino was thus unable to get
46:54
the official records purged, the fact that he resented as a
46:58
lingering stain on his honor. The damage was done in the court
47:01
of public opinion. Aquino became one of the public
47:04
faces of the alleged sinister network of Satanists that
47:08
conspiracy theorists insisted were behind daycare abuses
47:11
nationwide. He and Lulu found themselves
47:13
socially ostracized in some quarters and literally harassed.
47:17
Windows of their home were smashed by unknown vandals.
47:20
They received threats and hate mail in the Bay Area press.
47:24
They were sometimes treated as suspects even after the case was
47:28
closed. From a broader perspective, the
47:31
Keno case was a microcosm of the Satanic panics tragedy.
47:35
Lives and careers were harmed by utterly unfounded allegations.
47:39
The Aquinos, though never charged, effectively saw
47:42
Michael's Army career ended. A continuation board in 1990
47:46
chose not to extend his active duty tour, which meant that he
47:50
reverted to part time reserve status until mandatory
47:53
retirement four years later at Lieutenant Colonel.
47:56
He did receive an honorable retirement and a Meritorious
48:00
Service Medal in 1994, but any prospect of further promotion
48:04
was gone. Public controversies of the
48:07
1980s. Did have a side?
48:08
Effect. They propelled Michael Aquino
48:11
onto national television, making him possibly the most recognized
48:15
Satanist after Anton Lavey. Whereas Lavey's had shun TV talk
48:19
shows in the 1980s, Aquino stepped forward to represent the
48:23
Satanic or Setian point of view and a number of high profile
48:27
programs. In 1988, for example, Aquino and
48:31
Lilith appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show.
48:33
In an episode about Satanic worship, Aquino calmly explained
48:37
the philosophy of the Temple of Set and rebutted what he called
48:40
ridiculous accusations on Oprah's show.
48:43
When pressed about whether Setians commit crimes, he
48:46
delivered a sound bite. We are not servants of some God.
48:49
We are our own gods. Stressing personal
48:52
responsibility and denying any interest and harming children,
48:56
he attempted to demystify defy Satanism and Setianism for the
49:00
audience, describing it as a lawful but misunderstood
49:03
religion. Aquinos most infamous TV
49:06
appearance, however, was on Geraldo Riveras primetime
49:10
special Devil Worship Exposing Satans Underground, which aired
49:15
in October of 1988 on NBC. This show, seen by 10s of
49:19
1,000,000, was a sensationalistic montage of
49:22
crimes, hearsay, and interviews meant to convince viewers of a
49:27
hidden satanic epidemic. Aquino agreed to be interviewed
49:30
by Rivera, likely hoping to inject reason into the
49:33
discussion. He appeared in full temple of
49:36
set priestly regalia, including a Cape pentagram medallion and
49:41
his distinct widow's peak, which visually played into stereotypes
49:45
of his satanic high priest. However, what Aquino said was
49:49
rational and defensive. He denied any satanic
49:52
conspiracy. He clarified that his temple had
49:55
nothing to do with any said crimes and decried the witch
49:58
hunt mentality. Gripping law enforcement,
50:01
Riviera and tabloid fashion was not especially sympathetic.
50:04
But Aquino's presence gave a face to the accused, and many
50:08
later remarked that he came across as composed under hostile
50:11
questioning. Throughout the adversities of
50:14
the late 80's, the Temple of Set itself endured.
50:17
The membership may have contracted somewhat due to the
50:20
negative publicity, but it also fostered a kind of US against
50:24
the world mentality. Notably, a few prominent members
50:28
even joined the Temple of Set during the Satanic Panic,
50:31
finding Aquino's integrity appealing.
50:34
One striking example is Zena Lavey Shrek, the daughter of
50:37
Anton Lavey. In 1990, amid personal disputes
50:41
with her father and disillusionment with the Church
50:44
of Satan's direction under her parents, Zena defected and
50:47
sought refuge in the Temple of Set.
50:50
She renounced her father publicly for a time and was an
50:53
active Setian, eventually attaining the rank of High
50:56
Priestess in 2002. Her husband, Nicholas Shrek,
51:00
also worked with the temple. The irony was rich.
51:03
The daughter of the the founder of modern Satanism found Aquino
51:06
Setian approach more genuine and ethical than her own father's
51:10
organization. Although Zena left the Temple of
51:13
SAT within a couple of years of being made high priestess, she
51:16
and Aquino had differences and she moved on to other spiritual
51:19
paths. Her involvement underscored the
51:21
Temple's resilience and legitimacy in the eyes of some
51:24
significant occultists. In 1996, after 21 years as the
51:29
high Priest of Set, Aquino formally resigned from that
51:33
office and the Temple's Council of Nine selected Don Webb, a
51:36
Master of the Temple and talented Set, to an author from
51:40
Texas to succeed him, Megas. Don Webb took over leadership,
51:44
marking the first transfer of high priesthood in the Temple's
51:47
history not caused by a schism, but a peaceful succession.
51:51
This was a milestone that demonstrated the Temple's
51:54
maturation beyond a founder LED group.
51:57
The web years 1996 to 2002 saw the Temple maintain continuity
52:03
while evolving in new directions.
52:05
Around the same time, Aquino finally saw one of his long time
52:09
goals realized. The Temple of Set established a
52:12
stable presence on the Internet. In 1994, as the World Wide Web
52:16
blossomed, the Temple launched an early online forum,
52:20
eventually a password protected site called kippura.org, and
52:25
later then a public website, Aquino.
52:27
Evertech Savvy welcomed the cyber presence and even wrote
52:31
about the concept of a cyber temple, a virtual space where
52:35
Setians worldwide could convene outside of physical restraints.
52:39
This move helped the temple reach more potential seekers
52:42
globally and adapt to the changing times.
52:46
Throughout the late 90s and early 2000s, Akina remained a
52:49
prolific writer. In 2002, he published a massive
52:53
2 volume tome called The Secret History of the Church of Satan,
52:57
in which he correlated documents, correspondences, and
53:00
his personal narrative of the Satanic schism.
53:03
While admittedly partisan, this work has been cited by academics
53:07
as an important, if not somewhat contentious chronicle of that
53:11
era. Aquino's relationship with the
53:13
Church of Satan's remnants saw a kind of closure in these later
53:16
years. Anton Lavey died in 1997, and
53:20
the Church of Satan leadership was passed to Blanche Barton,
53:23
Lavey's partner, and later to Peter H Gilmore.
53:26
With Lavey gone, the personal animosity cooled somewhat in
53:31
2004 at the funeral. Of Lavey's older daughter, Carla
53:35
Lavey's. Fiance Michael Aquino and Carla
53:37
Mint amicably suggesting some healing of old wounds.
53:42
Additionally, Aquino collaborated in 2013 with
53:46
Stanton Lavey, Anton's grandson. On a whimsical.
53:49
Project the 50th anniversary revision of the Satanic Bible in
53:55
the 20 tens. Aquino continued to ride and
53:57
refine his earlier work. He updated Mind War into a full
54:01
length book in 2013, expanding on the idea of psychological
54:05
warfare with reflections on how mass media and even psychic
54:09
phenomena could be harnessed ethically for National Defense.
54:13
By all accounts, Aquino remained mentally sharp and
54:16
philosophically engaged well into his 70s.
54:19
However, privately he battled health issues.
54:23
In the late 20 tens. He suffered from a prolonged
54:26
illness, the exact nature of which was never publicly
54:29
disclosed, though some friends alluded to complications
54:33
possibly related to skin cancer. And on September 1st of 2019,
54:38
Michael A Aquino died at the age of 72 after this long illness.
54:44
In keeping with his and Lilla's private nature, the news of his
54:47
death was not immediately broadcast.
54:50
They quietly circulated among Temple of Set members and was
54:53
noted in San Francisco's public records.
54:56
Only in 2020 did a broader audience become aware when
55:00
obituary notices and reflections by acquaintances like author
55:04
Mitch Horovitz appeared. Aquino's passing was
55:07
intentionally low key. He apparently did not want a
55:10
media circus or a large funeral, fitting for someone who had
55:14
experienced the double edged sword of fame.
55:17
Mainstream obituaries recognized Aquino as an American political
55:21
scientist, an army officer and Satanist.
55:25
As the final echoes of Michael Aquino's life recede into
55:28
history, what remains is not a simple portrait of villainy or
55:33
reverence, but a figure suspended between conviction and
55:37
controversy. To some, he was a philosopher
55:40
seeking illumination beyond the boundaries of accepted belief.
55:44
To others, he was a man who stepped willingly into the
55:47
shadows. Most fear to name Aquino left
55:51
behind temples of thought rather than stone, rituals of identity
55:55
rather than conquest, and questions that resist easy
55:58
answers. In the dim corridors between
56:01
myth and memory, Aquino's legacy persists, whispered in a cold
56:06
circles and debated in academic halls and speculated upon
56:10
whatever fascination with the forbidden endures.
56:13
Whether viewed as a visionary, provocateur or enigma, his story
56:18
reminds us that the human pursuit of meaning can lead one
56:21
down paths both illuminating and unsettling.
56:25
And perhaps this is the truest ending possible.
56:28
For in the world Aquino inhabited, where symbols carried
56:31
power, belief shaped reality, and the unseen was treated as
56:36
profoundly real, endings were never final.
56:40
They were simply transitions, thresholds, doorways left
56:44
slightly ajar somewhere, and quiet rooms lit by a single
56:49
candle. His ideas are still.
56:51
Red. His words still recited, his
56:55
name still invoked, and perhaps, just maybe, his presence still
57:01
lingers. Or perhaps he is reunited with
57:06
his master. Before we go, I wanted to share
57:11
my thoughts. First things first, I've noticed
57:14
that I've had a lot of people upset and or concerned that I've
57:17
been covering the topic of Satanism and I do want to say
57:20
that I am not personally a Satanist.
57:23
I try to approach covering these kinds of topics not only out of
57:27
personal interest but similar to a cold and or paranormal cases I
57:32
take a scholarly approach. My goal is to inform myself and
57:36
then to inform and entertain you to the best of my ability, which
57:41
assuming you're here, you both find these kinds of things
57:44
absolutely fascinating. With that being said, and
57:47
perhaps I should have shared more of my thoughts in my last
57:49
documentary which covered Anton Lavey and the Church of Satan.
57:54
I think when you really break down what most would call modern
57:56
Satanism, it really depends on the magician's personal beliefs
58:01
as to if they are worshipping a non material force in a
58:04
religious sense or other transformative means, or if it's
58:09
just truly performance art, a psycho melodrama.
58:12
Of sorts and. Whether Lavey was just a
58:15
charlatan or had truly made a pact with the devil or both
58:19
doesn't really matter. But what is interesting is that
58:22
we see this divergent within the Church of Satan's schism between
58:25
those who believed in an actual entity or force called Satan and
58:30
what would later become said, albeit those are believed to be
58:33
one in the same, also known as theistic Satanists.
58:37
And those who believed in the Levaean satanic tenants and gave
58:41
the possibility for otherworldly forces to potentially be at
58:44
work. But we're more in it for non
58:47
religious reasons and those we'd consider to be non theistic
58:50
Satanists. Now Aquino was a fascinating
58:53
character. I mean it's not often, publicly
58:56
anyways, for one to be a ranked military officer via career, one
59:00
involved in psychological warfare no less, and to be a
59:04
high ranked theistic Satanist. To me, and certainly to Mr.
59:08
Aquino, I genuinely think he believed in Satan or Set or
59:13
Lucifer, all considered to be 1 and the same in his book, and
59:16
that he was the master of this world or a powerful entity that
59:20
one could communicate with. It's very interesting to study
59:24
these magical workings and to try and get inside people's
59:28
heads and understand just what they must have felt to come to
59:31
these convictions and just what those implications would mean if
59:35
true. Granted, Aquino didn't view Set
59:38
as evil, but rather an entity or force that was misunderstood,
59:42
but with all the evil in the world today, it truly makes one
59:45
think that whether it's from outside our world or from within
59:49
men's hearts. Certainly with how much anger,
59:52
sorrow, and despair exist on this plane of reality, it could
59:57
possibly be feeding into something that we can't see,
1:00:00
something that perhaps desires and even derives pleasure from
1:00:04
the pain of man. And if that exists.
1:00:07
And it's opposite, at least with our perceived laws of polarity,
1:00:10
must also be true. And you know what that means.
1:00:14
But what do you think? Let me know down in the comments
1:00:16
below. I am certainly very interested
1:00:19
in reading those, so I try to answer as many as I can when I
1:00:22
can. Thank you guys so much for
1:00:24
checking out this latest video. I've been putting together these
1:00:27
occult documentaries and they take quite some time to make.
1:00:31
That's with all episodes truly. So your patience is greatly
1:00:35
appreciated as well as your support on all the marathons
1:00:38
that I've been publishing. I'm just kind of doing what I
1:00:41
need to do to blitz the algorithm to keep the business,
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AKA the channel where it needs to be, and I cannot state this
1:00:49
enough. I am truly grateful for each and
1:00:51
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support me. With that being said, if you
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Other than that, guys, this has been Cody here at Mystery
1:01:24
Archives. Make sure to stay safe out there
1:01:27
and take care. I'll see you next time.