The Temple of Set II

by Michael A. Aquino

In 1975, after ten years of exploring its identity, the original Church of Satan confronted the limitations of its Judæo-Christian imagery and a dismissal of humanity as a self-indulgent animal species. An ethical crisis in that year resulted in the organizational and metaphysical transformation of the Church into the Temple of Set, which in subsequent decades went on to become the preeminent initiatory institution premised upon the affirmation and evolution of the individual consciousness to divine essence and immortality. This book recounts the Temple’s creation and early development, by its founding High Priest, Michael Aquino. It is more a memoir than a history, because the scope of the Temple and the works of its many Initiates are far too diverse for any single book. Included is also an extensive theoretical discussion of Setian cosmology, philosophy, and magic: the famous “Black Magic” from the Crystal Tablet of Set . The text is augmented by 97 detailed appendices on a variety of topics by many different Setians over the years. This is a 2-volume work compressed to reduce the 431,000-word set to below 1,000 pages. Volume I is in color; Volume II black/white.

460 pages, Paperback

First published April 7, 2014

Reviews

[Michael Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Volume II of Dr Aquino's enormous history of the Temple of Set consists of the Appendices, a collection of almost 100 documents collected from Temple archives over the years, including the by-laws, correspondence, the complete annotated reading list, statements from all the Order Grand Masters, plus a large selection of articles reprinted from the 'Scroll of Set', Runes' and the series of 'Jewelled Tablets'.

It's fascinating and impressive material. It must be borne in mind that much of what is reprinted here is not necessarily representative of the cutting edge of Setian philosophy today (this may be found in some of the material included in Volume I). The documents included here are intended to function as a history, providing a record of the development and evolution of Setian thought, plus an insight into some of the events along the way. It is admirable that some of the 'hiccups', such as the 'Xem crisis' are not whitewashed, but are accounted in full.

Dr Aquino makes it clear in Volume I that this gigantic work is his *own* history of the Temple, as seen through his eyes. Since the Temple of Set is such a large and varied beast and has been around for four decades now, the recollaections of another senior Initiate might focus more in different areas. But by any standards, these volumes are a comprehensive and remarkable set.

[Äsruþr Cyneaþsson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although this volume of the ToS works contains a large amount of historic referenced documents as a companion to vol. I, there are some workings here which are essential reading for all upon a Seitian path, interesting for those on the left-hand path and perhaps indecipherable for others.