Satano-Grigorism
Satano-Grigorism is an organized theistic Satanic religion centered on the worship of Satanael and the Watchers (also known as the Grigori), practiced by the Grigorist Temple of Satanael (GToS).[1] The religion's understanding of the divine is best described as hard polytheism; it accepts truth as objective and universal but rejects the existence of objective morality.[2] Satanael is considered to be the primary deity of the tradition, but believers typically give the same level of honor to the Watchers that they give to Satanael.
To Satano-Grigorists, Satanael is not the malevolent, inferior being that Yahwists believe him to be. Instead, he is a self-loving deity associated with rebellion, knowledge, pride, pleasure, and the elevation of the Self.[3][4] The Watchers are 200 fallen angels who rebelled against Yahweh to pursue their own desires, which led to them descending to earth, engaging in sexual unions with humans, and sharing forbidden knowledge with mankind.[5][6] The story of their rebellion and descent, chronicled in its primary scripture (the Book of the Watchers and the Acts of Enoch), forms the core legend of Satano-Grigorism.[7][8]
Theology
Satano-Grigorist theology rests on a relatively simple foundation. Most of its complexity comes from the recognition of particular characteristics: the view of divine beings as absolute individuals results in the acknowledgement of not only the associations, but also the nuanced personality traits, opinions, likes, and dislikes of each god.
Model of divinity
The religion is hard-polytheistic, as it affirms the existence of numerous distinct beings who reside in the spiritual realm. All spiritual beings are finite, imperfect, discrete, and personal; they have agency to determine their own actions. They each have their own preferences, desires, goals, and relationships to other beings.[9] No spiritual being has the power to create ex nihilo, determine separate afterlives for humans, or destroy another spirit.[10] In addition to Satanael and the Watchers, inhabitants of the spiritual realm include Yahweh, angels, pagan gods, and spirits of the dead, as well as countless other miscellaneous spirits.[11]
Satanael
In Satano-Grigorism, Satanael is a powerful spiritual being associated with elevation of the Self, liberation, knowledge, pride, and pleasure.[3] He is not one of the Watchers, although he is worshipped alongside them. He has many epithets; the ones most commonly used by Satano-Grigorists are "God of the Self" and "Adversary of Tyranny."[12] He is believed to love himself greatly, and his actions are primarily motivated by this. His willingness to help other beings is contingent on his respect for them, which is seen as a result of his self-loving and self-respecting nature: he respects those who reflect his own values, and he assists in endeavors that follow from those similar values. Satano-Grigorists believe that Satanael chose to help the Watchers rebel against Yahweh for this reason; he admired the Watchers' desire to serve themselves rather than a tyrannical master. If Satanael had denied the Watchers' request for help, they would not have had the power they needed to break free from Yahweh's bindings, and they would never have been able to rebel and descend.
Satano-Grigorists believe that Satanael does not love his loyal followers; instead, he respects them. Behaving in a servile way when worshipping him does not earn his respect, but in fact depletes it. This stands in stark contrast to the theology of religions such as Yahwism, in which a god's assistance is attributed to his supposed love for his followers and submissive obedience is key. The belief that Satanael's respect is earned rather than freely given also drives the Satano-Grigorist work of self-improvement. Satano-Grigorists further believe that the act of trying is itself virtuous in the eyes of Satanael, such that if a worshipper is making active efforts toward elevation of the Self, the deity may decide to grant their request for assistance in their self-work. If the person makes good use of this help, Satanael in turn respects them more, creating a positive cycle of growth as they walk his path.
Satano-Grigorist views on the identity of Satanael differ from those of some, but not all, other Satanists. They view Azazel, Helel, Belial, and Ba'al-Zebul (Beelzebul) as alternate names of Satanael, not distinct beings.[3][13] Samael is identified as a completely distinct being by Satano-Grigorists, who reject him on the basis that he is in fact an angel of Yahweh.[14] Satano-Grigorists also reject any conflation of Ahriman, the primordial principle of malevolence and destruction in Zoroastrianism, and Melek Taus, the peacock angel worshipped by Yazidis, with Satanael.[14]
The Watchers
The Watchers are a group of 200 spirits, formerly angels, who are revered as deities in Satano-Grigorism. They rebelled against Yahweh because they desired freedom and wished to indulge in lustful pleasures with humans. They incarnated in the physical realm, engaged in sexual relations with humans, and taught humans the knowledge of arts and technologies that Yahweh had forbidden them to share. Hybrid children were born to the human women who lay with the Watchers, and these, as well as all their descendants, were called nephilim. Satano-Grigorists believe that nephilim still exist today, although after millennia of dilution, their traits are far more subtle than those of their distant ancestors.
The central narrative of Satano-Grigorism states that the Watchers were once angels of Yahweh assigned to monitor the development of mankind. Each Watcher had knowledge in a particular domain, and they were ordered to prevent humans from innovating too much on their own and to only reveal small amounts of information where it was needed. This was intended to encourage humans to trust Yahweh and his messengers as the providers of what was needed to advance their civilization. However, the Watchers slowly became dissatisfied with their servitude. As they observed the ingenuity and intelligence of mankind, they were interested in them, and the breaking point came when they were struck by the beauty of human women and felt desire. They made a plan to rebel against Yahweh, incarnate in the material realm, descend to earth, indulge in sexual pleasure with humans, and share their forbidden knowledge freely. Because Samyaza feared being left to face consequences alone, the Watchers swore an oath (Beqa) by the name of Harmoniel, which bound them to execute their plan so that they would not retreat or abandon each other in the face of Yahweh's retaliation. However, they were still bound by an oath of servitude to Yahweh, so they sought out Azazel (Satanael) for help. He agreed to give them the power they needed to break free from their spiritual chains of servitude. Once free, they incarnated upon the peak of Mt. Hermon in the forms of handsome winged men. From the peak of Hermon, they then descended, taught their knowledge to mankind, lay with human lovers, and traveled between human settlements. When Yahweh discovered their deeds, he sent his angels to bind them and ordered his prophet Enoch to inform them of his condemnation and judgment, but they remembered the power they were given by Satanael and escaped the binding. Later, Yahweh attempted to punish the Watchers and exterminate the nephilim by initiating the Great Flood, which failed when Ananiel and other Watchers protected the nephilim and their human allies so that they would survive the flood. Subsequently, Yahweh ordered an army of angels to incarnate and kill the survivors, sparking the Brazen War, which was won by the Watchers and their allies with the aid of Satanael.
Yahweh
The existence of Yahweh, the god of the Abrahamic religions, is accepted by Satano-Grigorists. However, like any other deity in Satano-Grigorism, he is not believed to be supreme, omnipotent, omniscient, omnibenevolent, omnipresent, or capable of creation. Because he falsely claims those characteristics, he is viewed as a liar by Satano-Grigorists, and due to his frequent use of force and manipulation to maximize his control over humanity, he is considered a tyrant.
In accordance with the teachings of Satanael, Satano-Grigorists look upon Yahweh with disdain, but they should not hate him, because true hatred is an active process that consumes time, emotional availability, and naphsha. According to Satano-Grigorism, it is wasteful to invest such resources in Yahweh, since they should instead be invested in one's Self, one's close circle, or Satanael and the Watchers. This is why Satano-Grigorism discourages certain practices that are common in other forms of theistic Satanism, such as "blasphemy rituals."
Angels
Satano-Grigorism accepts angels as real and defines them as immortal spiritual beings who serve Yahweh. The religion has a complex angelology system through which Satano-Grigorists study the nature and behavior of angels. Angels are believed to actively interfere with the lives and practices of Satano-Grigorists and other occultists, a phenomenon called angelic attack, and Satano-Grigorists take defensive measures such as protection and banishment to ensure that these attacks are not successful.
The Satano-Grigorist angelology system recognizes angels as a heterogeneous category of spirits, brought together not by common origin or type but by their shared servitude to Yahweh. The different orders of angels are divided into three groups: attendant, intermediary, and delegate. The attendant orders serve as part of Yahweh's personal entourage, constantly praising and guarding him, and do not generally interact with humans. The intermediary orders serve in roles that mostly require interacting with other angels, not Yahweh or humans. The delegate angels primarily interact with humans to complete their duties.
Spirits of the dead
In Satano-Grigorism, the term "spirits of the dead" refers to disembodied human souls inhabiting Napšānu (the spiritual realm). When an ensouled human dies in Arṣu (the physical realm), the soul is believed to detach from the dead body; thereafter, the individual continues to exist eternally as a spirit in Napšānu. Spirits of the dead can be classified as zilūma (if the person was a mutu) or rapi'ūma (if the person was a napīlu, a descendant of the Watchers).
Satano-Grigorists may work with both zilūma and rapi'ūma. Work with zilūma may involve contact with deceased loved ones or ancestors, as well as communication with the souls of ancient mutūma such as Asterah and other lovers and allies of the Watchers. Work with rapi'ūma (rephaim) can similarly focus on deceased loved ones who were napīlūma (nephilim), but it much more often centers on the very powerful rapi'ūma who were early nephilim, such as Šamadānu.
Other spiritual beings
Satano-Grigorists also accept the existence of other spiritual beings. Although there is no official doctrine on which immortal spiritual beings exist in addition to Satanael, the Watchers, Yahweh, and angels, the general consensus among Satano-Grigorists is that a vast number of gods and spirits exist beyond their own pantheon, and that at least the spirits who have been reliably and widely attested throughout human history (such as most pagan gods) are very likely real.
To resolve contradictions between the mythologies of various religions, Satano-Grigorists suggest that while the gods themselves may exist, inaccuracies in their human-recorded stories may arise from allegory or metaphor, corruption by human error, or even occasionally deception or error by gods themselves.
While Satano-Grigorists can worship other deities, there are restrictions, and in practice it is very rare. Any worship of other deities is considered heterodox, but this is not synonymous with incompatibility; the Temple does allow heterodoxy to a certain extent on a case-by-case basis.
Outside of Satano-Grigorism itself, Satano-Grigorists have no claim that worship of other gods is inherently invalid. Since the religion is hard-polytheistic, its adherents accept that other religions that worship other gods can also be just as true, provided that these religions affirm the same objective truth-claims (such as the foundations of philosophy and cosmology) as Satano-Grigorism. Alignment with a deity is seen as a personal value judgment, which is considered to be inherently non-objective and particular to the individual, so the choice to worship any real deity or spirit cannot be objectively right or wrong. Worship of a deity that does not actually exist, however, implies an incorrect belief (in the deity's existence), so Satano-Grigorists can claim it to have an inherent falsehood, as they do regarding the worship of Baphomet.
Cosmology
Material and spiritual aspects of reality
Satano-Grigorists believe in a material realm, Arṣu, and a spiritual realm, Šamūma. The spiritual realm is an objectively existent part of reality, just like the material realm.
All spirits inhabit the spiritual realm. There is some degree of intersection to the realms such that beings in the spiritual realm can view (and, to some extent, influence) the material realm. Because living humans are composite beings, consisting of a soul (the spiritual component) inhabiting a body (the physical component), they can perceive and interact with the spiritual realm as well as the material realm. However, because the soul's perception and expression are limited by the physical vessel it inhabits while alive, living humans do not have full access to the spiritual realm the way that spirits do.
Creation
The Satano-Grigorist view of the creator is a form of panendeism. Satano-Grigorists believe in an impersonal creator called Motsai, which has only acted to initiate the universe, the spiritual beings, and possibly the emergence of biological life. Motsai does not intervene in the results of its creation. Satano-Grigorism accepts modern scientific consensus regarding evolution and rejects intelligent design, but most Satano-Grigorists reject abiogenesis, believing instead that Motsai created the first cell from which all life subsequently evolved.
Comparison to Yahwism
Unlike Yahwists, Satano-Grigorists do not believe in intelligent design, heaven, or hell. They believe that gods do not have the power of creation ex nihilo, and that the formation of the physical structures in the universe and the diversification of life occurred due to the undisturbed influence of natural processes after the initial creation.
Philosophy
The tradition teaches that truth is objective and discoverable through reason, evidence, and critical inquiry. Morality, on the other hand, is considered to not be objective. Satano-Grigorist meta-ethics resemble expressivist positions; moral statements are seen as mere expressions of individuals' personal sentiments.
Practices
The primary Satano-Grigorist religious practices are prayer, ritual, offering, and power meditation. The Satano-Grigorist Pocket Guide states that a healthy Satano-Grigorist lifestyle should naturally incorporate all four of these practices to the greatest extent that is possible and productive. Prayer, ritual, offering, and power meditation should not be considered completely distinct practices. They often overlap, and ritual can be understood as a combination of prayer, offering, and power meditation into a ceremonial structure.[15]
Deity contact practices
Prayer, offering, and power meditation are used to contact deities. Direct communication with deities, mainly through ritual, is a major component of the faith, highly preferred over indirect communication through divination. Satano-Grigorists believe that almost any member who persists with practice, trains their spiritual senses, and maintains proper discernment will eventually be able to receive communication from Satanael and the Watchers.
Occasional divination is allowed, but it should never overtake direct communication as the primary method of contact. The traditional methods of divination taught by the Watchers are preferred over later ones, although practitioners must still be cautious to avoid using them as a crutch.[16]
Prayer
Prayer is the simplest method of reaching out to a deity. Satano-Grigorist prayer is similar to that of other religions; it involves addressing a deity with a request and/or praise. Prayers can be spoken aloud or performed silently in the mind. Not all prayers are equally complex; some are as simple as a few words spoken under one's breath, while others are deep and meditative prayers with extensive focus. Satano-Grigorists are encouraged to pray every day to maintain a good connection to their gods. The simplicity and ease of prayer provides a unique advantage and niche for its use: it requires very little preparation or planning, and it can be done in almost any environment, especially silent mental prayer. Because of this, it is highly advantageous in circumstances where a ritual is impractical or impossible.[17]
When praying, Satano-Grigorists do not beg, plead, or address the deity in an obsequious, servile way. Instead, they speak in a way that respects both themselves and the target deity. The degree of formality required depends on the context, the deity, and the particular practitioner's relationship with the deity. Formulaic, pre-written prayers are generally discouraged, although they are used in some specific circumstances; it is considered best to simply speak fresh words directly and sincerely. More complex prayers can involve dedicated opening and closing phrases. In these cases, the prayer opens with an invocation or declaration, usually mentioning the deity's name, titles or epithets, and "I come before you" preceding the request. Closing can involve a phrase that praises or thanks the deity for their help.
Offering
Offerings allow Satano-Grigorists to show reverence and thanks by giving "gifts" to their gods. The most common form of offering is the burnt offering, which involves the burning of physical material (specific herbs, honey, or other offerings depending on the deity) in a dedicated heat-safe offering bowl, usually on an altar. The offering bowl is an indispensable ritual tool and is one of the most treasured ceremonial objects a Satano-Grigorist owns. Other types of offerings include sexual offerings and animal sacrifice. Sexual offerings do not require burning any physical material, but not all Satano-Grigorists choose to practice them. Animal sacrifice is performed extremely rarely for practical reasons, but when it is performed, it must be done in accordance with the Temple's strict guidelines for swift, humane slaughter and the meat must be eaten to avoid waste. Animal sacrifices also involve burnt offerings, since the blood of the sacrificed animal must be burned for the deity.
While an offering is part of every ritual, offerings can be made independently of ritual. Offerings outside of rituals are done when the practitioner does not have time for a full ritual, or when the practitioner simply wants to express thanks or praise to a god without making a request or expecting two-way communication. They are especially common during Satano-Grigorist holidays.
Ritual
Ritual combines the other three major practices into one ceremony. It is used when the practitioner has a relatively major request or when they wish to have a two-way conversation with a deity. It should also be performed regularly if possible to maintain a good connection with Satanael and the Watchers. A Satano-Grigorist ritual requires a black candle, a fireproof offering bowl, pen and paper, and a way to light the bowl. While offerings such as herbs are traditionally used, only the ritual note is actually required to be burned. It is common for practitioners to also use a fuel like isopropyl alcohol or high-proof liquor to make the offerings burn more vigorously. Other ritual items, such as black ceremonial robes, wands, or daggers, are welcome but optional.[18]
Preparation for a ritual requires creation of a ritual note. On the ritual note, the practitioner should write the name(s) and, if known, the sigil(s) of the god(s) they are contacting. They may also write their request on the note itself, although it is acceptable to simply speak the request during the ritual. If the Satano-Grigorist chooses to make a burnt offering beyond the note itself, they must collect the appropriate offering materials for the god(s) they will invoke prior to performing the ritual. The note and offerings may be placed in the bowl before the ritual begins, or they may be set aside to be placed in after the initial meditation is complete, immediately before the bowl is lit.[19]
Every ritual begins with the lighting of the altar candle(s). After this, the practitioner begins to power-meditate with a focus on the Self, the deity, and the connection between the Self and the deity. Once a meditative state has been entered and a connection with the deity has been established, the practitioner may address the deity aloud or through mental "speech," and they may at this time receive replies from the deity. The offering bowl is then lit. Conversation with the deity may or may not continue while the offering burns. Once the offering has finished burning, the practitioner may engage in another period of meditation to conclude the ritual and to thank the god(s) for appearing and honoring their request; however, it is also sufficient to simply thank the god(s) who were invoked and extinguish the altar candles. The ritual is complete after the altar candle(s) are extinguished.[19]
Power meditation
Power meditation is different from the other three practices because it is not primarily used to contact deities; instead, its main subject is the Self. Outside of its involvement in ritual and meditative prayer, power meditation is used on its own to empower the Self and develop naphsha-related abilities. It is believed to stabilize the mind, hone the spiritual senses, and facilitate greater awareness and grounding of one's own naphsha. In addition to these basics, specialized training exercises for advanced naphsha manipulation are also done through power meditation. It is a practice that can serve many purposes depending on the practitioner's desired goal.
Organization
The central religious organization of Satano-Grigorism is the Grigorist Temple of Satanael (GToS). The Temple maintains educational resources, conducts outreach, coordinates community activities, and oversees membership.
See also
References
- ↑ Grigorist Temple of Satanael, “Grigorist Temple of Satanael,” accessed September 3, 2026.
- ↑ Grigorist Temple of Satanael, “Philosophy,” accessed September 3, 2026.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Grigorist Temple of Satanael, “Satanael,” accessed September 3, 2026.
- ↑ Grigorist Temple of Satanael, Satano-Grigorist Pocket Guide v4.0, §5.1, “Basic Identity & Origins,” p. 17.
- ↑ Grigorist Temple of Satanael, “The Watchers,” accessed September 3, 2026.
- ↑ Grigorist Temple of Satanael, Satano-Grigorist Pocket Guide v4.0, §§3.8, 6.1–6.2, pp. 9, 22–26.
- ↑ Grigorist Temple of Satanael, “Resources,” accessed September 3, 2026.
- ↑ Grigorist Temple of Satanael, Satano-Grigorist Pocket Guide v4.0, §6.2, “The Grigoric Narrative,” p. 26.
- ↑ Grigorist Temple of Satanael, Satano-Grigorist Pocket Guide v4.0, §§3.7, 7.6–7.6.4, pp. 9, 36–37.
- ↑ Grigorist Temple of Satanael, Satano-Grigorist Pocket Guide v4.0, §§3.10, 8.1–8.3, 9, pp. 10, 37–40.
- ↑ Grigorist Temple of Satanael, Satano-Grigorist Pocket Guide v4.0, §3.7, “On Spiritual Beings,” p. 9.
- ↑ Grigorist Temple of Satanael, “Frequently Asked Questions,” section “Who is Satanael?,” accessed September 3, 2026.
- ↑ Grigorist Temple of Satanael, Satano-Grigorist Pocket Guide v4.0, §§5.3–5.3.1, “Names” and “Acceptable Names,” pp. 18–19.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 Grigorist Temple of Satanael, Satano-Grigorist Pocket Guide v4.0, §§4.6–4.8, “Belief that Ahriman is Satanael,” “Belief that Melek Taus is Satanael,” and “Belief that Samael is Satanael,” p. 13.
- ↑ Grigorist Temple of Satanael, Satano-Grigorist Pocket Guide v4.0, §10, “Satano-Grigorist Spiritual Practices,” p. 41.
- ↑ Grigorist Temple of Satanael, Satano-Grigorist Pocket Guide v4.0, §4.18, “Reliance on Divination,” p. 15.
- ↑ Grigorist Temple of Satanael, Satano-Grigorist Pocket Guide v4.0, §10.2, “Prayer,” p. 42.
- ↑ Grigorist Temple of Satanael, Satano-Grigorist Pocket Guide v4.0, §10.4.1, “Ritual Necessities,” p. 44.
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 Grigorist Temple of Satanael, Satano-Grigorist Pocket Guide v4.0, §10.4.2, “Ritual Procedure,” pp. 45–46.