BAY AREA SATANISTS LEARN THE TRUE MEANING OF ANTI-CHRIST(MAS)

 

They say the holidays start earlier every year, so we decided to get a drop on them a scant few days after Christmas by celebrating Satanic Bay Area’s second-ever Anti-Christ(mas) in San Francisco.

In truth, Anti-Christ(mas) is something we conceived simply because we ended up booking a venue for our big public holidays ritual in 2018 on the slightly awkward date of December 27, so what in the world were we going to call that?

But that event was a hit and sold out the theater, so now we actually have a soft spot in our blackened hearts for this slightly unsightly date.

Often, creating religious authenticity means drawing on tradition and sources of great emotional and psychological significance–but sometimes a happy accident and some good memories is all it takes too.

Since we were just two months removed from the damnable success of HELL-O-WEEN, this year’s Anti-Christ(mas) was a smaller, more private affair, though still open to the public and held at Spark Arts Gallery in San Francisco’s Castro district.

A crowd of about 30 Satanists and Satan-curious types attended–including one who learned about us just that very morning by reading our profile on SF Gate and decided on a whim to stop in, which is a pretty nervy move.

 

Anti-Christ(mas) 2019

 

In addition to drinks, good food, good art, and great company, the evening’s Black Mass started with Harq al-Ada leading the group in the “Invocation of Ba’al,” a mass meditation intended to strengthen our resolve in the face of adversity in the coming year.

After that, Tabitha and Daniel related the “Nativity Of the Anti-Christ,” a new Satanic parable about the birth of a wise teacher to a decidedly non-virgin mother who, through sermons adapting the likes of Yeats’ Second Coming, James Thomson’s City of Dreadful Night, John Milton’s The Tenure of Kings & Magistrates, and Charles Schulz’s A Charlie Brown Christmas, preaches a gospel challenging–or impeaching–corrupt authority.

Tabitha then debuted a new Satanic hymn, “Unholy Night,” and to close out, everyone assembled participated in the Feast Of Misrule, a group meal based on rowdy, paganish medieval holiday celebrations recognizing everyone’s authority over their own lives.

What is Anti-Christ(mas)? It’s a way of creating tradition, power, and community for ourselves; it’s an expression of personal agency and liberty during dark and difficult times; it’s a chance to celebrate outside of the scope of mainstream holidays that some of us have negative associations with; or maybe it’s just an excuse  for a good time, in the oldest tradition of winter holidays.

Until next year, a very merry Ant-Christ(mas) to your and yours–or however merry you feel like being.

 

Anti-Christ(mas) 2019

Anti-Christ(mas) 2019

Anti-Christ(mas) 2019

Harq al-Ada

Anti-Christ(mas) 2019

“All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.”

Anti-Christ(mas) 2019

For there will be a Child born as a savior to us all.

Anti-Christ(mas) 2019

Anti-Christ(mas) 2019

Anti-Christ(mas) 2019

Anti-Christ(mas) 2019

Daniel and Tabitha warming up the crowd.

Anti-Christ(mas) 2019

Anti-Christ(mas) 2019

Anti-Christ(mas) 2019

Myrrh–because all things die in their time. Frankinsence–because we decide for ourselves what’s sacred and what’s profane. And gold–because it ain’t cheap making things work in the Bay.