The following interview has been conducted with Chris Alonso, author of True Believers: The Arizona Republican Party's Cult of Genocidal Fascism and the Need For An Actual Revolution.
CC: You have expressed, very clearly, that you are a revolutionary communist and have expressed unwavering support for the Revolutionary Communist Party, USA and anti-fascist groups. You have also created something called power replacement theory to teach communist theory to prisoners. Can you explain how you get the prison population to understand this and how they respond?
CA: The prison population, and the gang element specifically, does not respond well to speeches about the benefits of socialism. You must tailor the teaching to the psychological makeup of the demographic you're attempting to teach. In here, this can be difficult. For example, I asked several people if they knew who George Jackson and Angela Davis were. They thought they were singers. In revolutionary politics, this is a problem that needs a solution. It is to this problem that the Power Replacement Theory speaks.
The psychological make up of this demographic, the language that is understood, is power. The raw ambition for, and use of, power. The problem is that the very perception of power, what it is, what it isn't, and how to obtain it, is utterly distorted. Therefore, this perception that results in the behavioral patterns of this population, that causes the very relations between them, is itself a true enemy of the revolution. My teaching of what revolutionary communism is, and what it isn't, is specifically tailored to attack that enemy where it lives: in the battlefield of the mind. In this sense, PRT is psycho-political warfare.
To open the way for this population to realize that obtainment of true political power is possible you must first alter their perception of reality. To do this you must speak the language of power, and this takes on a very war-like nature. In this culture, at all times, there are three main components: An enemy, an idol, and a path to obtain power. If you can control what these elements are replaced with then you can control this population.
My objective is to ensure that these replacements are aligned with the aims of the Revolutionary Communist Party, and that is what power replacement theory is all about.
CC: Your definition of PRT is: the theory that the fundamental psychological need of those involved in organized street life is power, that this need naturally results in the creation of, and gravitation toward groups, that any power obtained through this mode of being in the world is illusory, and can and must be replaced with the revolutionary aim of human emancipation through the seizure of political power by militant direct action. You have stated, however, that PRT can be applied to other political spheres. Can you explain that?
CA: It would be great if street gangs would enter into a permanent cease-fire and instead join the revolution. But that won't happen. Instead, PRT must be experimentally introduced at a "laboratory" level, both so it can become a living example and standard practice. The laboratory I propose is the realm of revolutionary politics.
In theory, all power structures can be replaced. These structures include religion, culture, politics, history, and science. The American empire has used these structures as psycho-political weapons against mankind. Accordingly, they must be completely eradicated. It is in these five spheres of influence that PRT methods can be used to redefine the nature of these structures in terms that resonate with the demographic targeted by PRT and in alignment with the aims of PRT. In other words, a replacement that is philosophically aligned with revolutionary communism must be inserted in each structure each with a neat click. They must be current and relevant.
As an example, I will provide my article regarding PRT as applied to religion.
For half my life I've walked two paths. The revolutionary left and the left-hand path. The creative synthesis of these two Lefts I have endeavored to make a major part of my life's work. I was elated to learn that others have embarked on such a worthy quest. I am not the first, nor will I be the last. But a meaningful and insightful contribution to this is my focus. It is safe to assume that most have, at the very least, a vague familiarity with the revolutionary left.
The same may not be the case with left-hand path philosophy, therefore, it is here we will begin.
There exists a relevant overlapping in time of the rebirth of these two movements that are commonly referred to as the New Left and the Left Hand Path (LHP). This occurred in the year 1966. It can be said that in this year a great deal of energy was released into the world that continues to reverberate in connection to, and ultimate culmination of, these two philosophies.
For context, a few titles may be placed on the focal points of such energy: The Vietnam War, the Chinese Cultural Revolution, The Weather Underground, and The Church of Satan. On the last title, for my purposes here, I believe it is imperative to point out that I eschew any notions of Abrahamic religion or Hebrew mythology. Mere titles are not to be conflicted with the deeper implications of this work.
This mythology is insufficient to articulate the richness of the LHP. There has been a coherent LHP philosophy, or theology, for centuries. It has only been in recent decades, however, that people have been able to write, or at least publish, work regarding this taboo religious philosophy without cultural backlash. At least in such a way that can easily be recognized as anti-Abrahamic.
The left-hand path consists of two branches that can be called the immanent and the transcendental. The former is considered atheistic or materialistic and the latter is psyche-centric (soul-centered) with an actual "belief" in a deity, or archetype. Just as both atheists and non-atheists alike can be LHP practitioners, the same is, obviously, true for revolutionary leftists. The corresponding component is antinomianism.
For obvious reasons, both philosophies are problematic for those of a Christian belief system, which, for all intents and purposes is unequivocally Right Hand Path. Likewise, Catholics, Evangelicals, Mormons, etc. as well as Wiccans fall neatly into this category.
The component of antinomianism, being a key feature connecting the "Two Lefts," or at least a common thread, is worth dissecting. The values of contemporary American society are grounded in its cultural norms; these are American chauvinism, white supremacy, patriarchy, capitalism, and Christianity.
These cultural values that make up a type of collective subjective universe (CSE) of the fascist regime and its congregation must be recognized as obstacles to both individual self-development as well as collective development of an antifascist movement. As such, they must be completely eradicated. As a practitioner of either the LHP or the revolutionary left, an objective understanding and assessment of the host society's cultural values is necessary.
The practitioner seeks to be unhindered by such external controlling forces within the cultural framework of the host society which includes ideas, customs, and habits, as well as oppressive religious systems and propaganda promoting them.
Learning to reject symbol systems that buttress fascism is insufficient. However, active participation in various types of methodologies designed to undermine the legitimacy of fascist ideology, whether political, religious, or otherwise, is necessary for beneficial experience. These methodologies include but are not limited to, psychodramatic techniques for therapeutic purposes such as the desecration of objects, protesting in public or residential areas, or militant intolerance of fascist cultural norms, customs, speech, etc.
In this way, radical alterations in the host society will ultimately evolve into radical transformation of the sources of cultural production. The antinomianism element of these two philosophies, therefore, allows practitioners to have the transformational experience of "going against the grain" of culturally conditioned and conventional norms. Such experience is especially beneficial for younger generations.
Accordingly, participation in any or all of the aforementioned activities allows for the eradication of the cultural framework of the host society but does not replace it. It is here that a religious replacement strategy comes into focus.
Although it can be argued that atheism, or nihilism, were among the components of past revolutions, the methodologies must be tailored to the host society. In the United States, atheism alone is no longer a primary motivator or recruitment tool. The re-emergence of a psychological, emotional, and/or spiritual need to identify with an archetype, symbol, or principle of original rebellion is both a subjective and objective reality in the younger generations of the antifascist and progressive movements.
This has manifested in the re-emergence of religious institutions or groups that label themselves as "Satanic." Indeed, subcomponents of the criterion of antinomianism posit that practitioners, of the two lefts, have the courage to identify themselves with the symbols that are in direct opposition to the host society's conventional religious norms.
As such, an embracing of symbol systems of conventional "evil" or "impurity," or anything that possesses a quality that the host society loathes or fears, is not only expected but desirable. Ideally, this practice would become the "new normal" and would eventually overlap the major spheres of influence: race, gender, class, and creed.
In theory and practice, antinomianism manifests in the purposeful reversal of the host society's conventional normative categories. These qualitative alterations necessarily bleed into all corresponding spheres of culture such as entertainment, literature, language in general, traditional gender relations, and, of course, racial justice. But for our purposes here let us focus on the religious implications.
Historically, Christianity has been overwhelmingly brutal and oppressive. As mentioned, the LHP philosophy has been around for centuries, however, it is of great importance to point out that its purest form can be traced back to approximately 5,000 BCE. Therefore, predates any conception of Abrahamic religion. I use the term "pure" to illustrate that it predates any notion of Hebrew mythology.
So then, what are the other corresponding elements that connect the two lefts? And what is a possible source, or root cause, that can explain the possibility of an ancient fusion of the LHP and revolutionary doctrine that has re-manifested in our present political reality?
RHP ideology is based on submission to an organic, or universal, god or nature and the individual must harmonize the self with the laws of god or nature. By contrast, LHP philosophy considers the position of the human being to be a free, empowered, independent actor within the world, universe, or nature.
I differentiate the terms ideology and philosophy to contrast the RHP from the LHP because, in RHP religions, such as Christianity, the concept of truth is predetermined by dogma thereby placing it in the category of an ideology. The LHP is a constant revolutionary search for freedom and truth, placing it in the category of philosophy. Therefore, the LHP is the epitome of a revolution in permanence.
The oldest information regarding this concept was found inscribed on the back of a statue of the Pharaoh Ramses III, son of the Pharaoh Setnakt. It was the phrase: Xepera Xeper Xeperu, a verbal structure difficult to render into English but may be translated as, "I the self-created, have come into being, and my remanifestations have come into being each as self-created, by my coming into being."
The word Xeper (pronounced "Khefer"), an English language coinage expressing an Egyptian verb, written as a stylized scarab, means "I have come into being." The ancient Egyptian god Set is the divine origin of the word. Xeper is the experience of an individual "soul" becoming aware of its existence and its need to evolve.
It has been experienced by anyone who has sought after their self-development. It can be said that awareness of it usually begins with a type of religious rebellion against the status quo. In this sense, Xeper can be considered a "Satanic" word. The environment that paved the way for its re-emergence is known as the Church of Satan.
In theory, the concept can be experienced by all. In practice, however, it tends to "weed out" those of a fragile disposition and catapult the others into more evolutionary, or revolutionary, experiences through which the individuals may "come into being" in the same way a caterpillar becomes a butterfly.
Although this is not meant to be a textbook on ancient Egyptian philosophy, suffice it to say that individuals associated with Set, whether pharaoh, priest, or peasant, were of a, shall we say, intense militant disposition. Within this concept, a type of collective deification is possible, which is the overall goal of a true revolution. That is the betterment of mankind.
These goals are in alignment with Set's role as the "god against the gods." The concept of Xeper, and its origin, has been fought against and suppressed by RHP religions because of its revolutionary aspect. This began with the Osirian dynasty. No records of the ancient priesthood of Set survived the first Osirian persecution and then the general destruction of the Christian/Islamic eras.
After the cult of Osiris was fully in power, Set's statues and images were mostly destroyed. This, of course, is just one example that illustrates that the tradecraft of cultural revolution is ancient. The ancient formula of Xepera Xeper Xeperu has been traced by French Egyptologists back to the first intermediate period and is related to the idea that meaning, or truth, can only come from the individual.
Put another way, the concept of reality, of what is or is not true, can be individualized and brought into various meanings of reality. Of course, seeing through the overlays of reality, such as archaic doctrines like Christianity and psycho-political practices, to see things as they are is the task of the practitioner.
The second emergence was in the time of Ramses III. The formula was used during this time to empower travelers through desert lands. Xeper was used as a model for those who extended existence by passing borders. In other words, it is a star for fellow travelers. The third emergence was at the beginning of Hermeticism.
It should be noted here that the common thread running through these concepts runs through the Hermetic tradition and bleeds into socialism, communism, and anarchism. The common thread is the concept of collective deification.
Although the LHP, in general, focuses on self-development and individualism, and revolutionary communism focuses on collectivism, the two can, and have been, reconciled. This is in light of the difference between individualism and parasitic individualism. The latter is so attached to the system of capitalism-imperialism that it engages in all manner of destructive practices at the expense of others.
While the former still allows for active participation in organizing a collective: aimed at the emancipation of humanity. This common thread is found in Gnosticism, in a religious context, and Marxism-Leninism in a political context. In both of these philosophies, the coherence of LHP's philosophy shows its face.
The unification of this trinity: collective deification, LHP philosophy, and revolutionary communism is our focus. Accordingly, identification and dissection of these similarities, or common threads, will open the way for any coherent strategic inclusion through integration. Common traits were identified and documented relating to the nature of Set and the character of followers of Set.
In Egypt's fourteenth dynasty the epithet "follower of Set" was being used pejoratively. One scribe authored a papyrus in which he described the "Marks of the Followers of Set." "The god in him is Set...he is a man of the people...He is dissolute of heart on the day of judgement... discontent in his heart...The redness of the white of his eye is this god...Though he is a royal kinsman he has the personality of a man of the people... He will take up weapons of warfare..."
Recorded history makes clear that the Gnostic interpretation of the myth of the conflict between Osiris (RHP) and Set (LHP) was interpreted as an analog to the dichotomy between the evil demiurge, they equated with Yahweh and Osiris, and the good god of light, equated with Seth (Set). In this viewpoint, it can be seen clearly that the ancient philosophical meaning of Set as the god against the gods or god of opposition to natural static cycles of existence, was either continued or revived.
In the long tradition of fascist Christian propaganda, ironically enough, there has been a creative blend of Satanic Communism, of "Red Scares" and "Satanic Panics." The contrived ramblings from the likes of everyone from McCarthy to Geraldo Rivera are steeped in a much older and much deeper warfare strategy.
For more than a century and a half, Christian fascists from Pope Pius IX to John Birch and beyond, have promoted ideas of revolutionary communism that are virtually synonymous with a type of global Satanic conspiracy. Apparently, the greatest, most deep-seated fear, of the most powerful Christian fascists in the world has been, either real or imagined, LHP communism. Why?
Viewing Marxism-Leninism from an LHP perspective brings this question into clear focus. For some reason, the psychological makeup of human beings does not allow for the concept of religion to be eradicated. It does allow, however, for one to be replaced by another.
What is clear about Marx's philosophy is that traditional religion was made to subdue the masses. It is equally clear that, perhaps with the understanding that the concept was inherent in humanity, he intended his philosophy to replace it in its totality. It would be over three decades after Marx's death that his theories would begin to be put into practical use after the Russian Revolution.
An investigation into Marx's early ideas and writings is crucial here to determine whether anything closely resembling LHP thought may be found. A cursory review of the early writings of Marx will show the quasi-religious features of Marxism, however, the initiated can easily point out those features in practice that manifested in various countries.
Some LHP implications are revealed in his poetry. One of these poems especially, Der Spielman (The Fiddler, 1841):
Behold, my blood-blackened saber shall stab
Without fail into your heart.
God neither knows nor does he honor art
It rises into the brain as vapors from Hell.
Until my brain is deluded and my heart transformed:
I bought it while still alive from the Dark One.
He beats the time for me, he gives the signs...
If this can be considered an insight into the pre-communist roots of his motivations then it can be argued that the Faustian/Promethean implications are subtle, but there. Thus, a connection with the desire to identify with the principle of rebellion of a spiritual, or metaphysical, variety rises to the surface.
This notwithstanding, Marx still recognized the inherent need in human beings for religious experience and that it could not be abolished but only replaced. But replaced by what and how are the questions to which the answers are specifically tailored to the society in question.
It was Vladimir Lenin who, recognizing these implications of Marxism and seeing it firsthand, devised the rites and rituals of Bolshevism. For the Slavs in general, but the Russians in particular, devils or demons were not feared but revered. This was especially true for a large part of the peasantry. The Russian peasants held onto their archaic cultural traditions in the same way the Africans and Haitians held onto theirs.
Most of these sects rejected orthodox religion in favor of their rural demonology teachings which were steeped in Gnosticism. Many of these prophesized a time when humankind, as a whole, would become a godlike collective.
The monumental questions for our purposes here are: Did the Russian peasants' belief in an LHP philosophy contribute to the overwhelming success of their revolution? and if so, how? I argue unequivocally that it contributed greatly, because:
The Left Hand Path philosophy in general inherently contains a warrior-like psychological framework that allows practitioners to strengthen their will, first individually, and bring unified goals into being by the power of strengthened COLLECTIVE WILL. This is not to mean by will alone. LHP practitioners by their very nature tend to be more intelligent, cunning, and resourceful than the rest of the human population.
Unquestionably, Lenin's foresight and dedication were unparalleled. But not enough attention has been given to the religious, or metaphysical, implications of his techniques. He seemed to have a type of mystical vision for the invigoration, and then transformation, of a primitive culture into a state of collective deified identity.
Building on the Marxist premise, the Bolshevik Party went about the production of Soviet culture that took on a quasi-religious aspect implicit in the creative mutation of Marxist-Leninist philosophy.
This ultimately led to the implementation of a radical plan for the collective deification of the human species. This, as we know, necessitated the complete eradication of bourgeois society. All old ideas, customs, habits, and culture were to be utterly destroyed, but again, Lenin specifically noticed that the psychological and cultural hold of the old ways would require a total replacement.
Youth organizations went about organizing education campaigns designed to debunk any notions of saints or relics with miraculous powers and so forth. "Red Masses" were held in old churches which illustrated mockeries of Orthodox faith. I'll note here that the color red, which has historically been associated with communism, was first associated with the Egyptian god Set.
Orthodox churches were transformed into museums of atheism with the cross being replaced by the hammer and sickle atop the spires. But negative campaigns against the popular religion of the host society, however creative, will only go so far in transforming the culture. The rites, rituals, and customs devised by Lenin were inserted into the old orthodox ones each with a neat click. There were rites for baptism, funeral, and marriage, also abortions were easily available.
Although Marx would have, most likely, been annoyed by any metaphysical or religious interpretations of his philosophy it can not be denied that it worked. As previously stated, I am not the first to embark on the journey to bring to light any metaphysical threads inherent in revolutionary doctrines. Although my contribution is strictly in an LHP context as it relates specifically to collective deification in the present, this work would not be complete without crediting other contributions in the broader context.
My theory, or philosophy, regarding the aforementioned common threads, can be dissected down to three words: inclusion by integration. Therefore, it is important to highlight the differences that prevented leftist organizations from integrating completely in the past, to avoid such mistakes in the present.
In Occult Features of Anarchism, Dr. Erica Lagalisse provides us with an educational account of how the Hermetica is an important thread running through the modern Left. The Corpus Hermeticum is a collection of texts written in the first or second centuries CE imparting the metaphysical insights of ancient Egypt.
The Hermetic tradition is where the phrase "As above so below" originates, which is itself an important concept for strategic revolution. As with the rural demonology teachings of the Russian peasantry, those who practiced the ancient sorcery found in the ancient papyri created by the Setian cult of Egypt were also peasants who went on to become philosophers who wrote such treatises as the Corpus Hermeticum.
These types of practices were eventually outlawed by empires and considered heretical. The persecution of magic and witches is best understood as a disciplinary measure aimed directly at the peasantry, and women in particular, in so far as it served to enforce the logic of private property, wage work, and the oppression of women as producers of labor.
The Hermeticum was also fundamental to the emergence of new social movements against systemic power. As monarchies and empires embraced orthodox religions, social movements shunned and sought to discredit them. For example, a French text called, "A Treatise On the Three Imposters" that Masons disseminated during the 18th century identified Moses, Jesus, and Mohammed as the imposters.
A direct comparison can be made with the comic anti-Abrahamic icons produced and disseminated by the Bolsheviks in the magazine Bezbozhnic (The Atheist) which depicted "Jehovah," "God," and "Allah." Although, Masonic Lodges were indeed created by elite men, eventually in 18th century Britain they fought for workers, founded hospitals, schools, assistance centers, etc.
In pre-revolutionary France Lodges began to initiate artisans and proletariats. They abolished their literacy requirement and lowered fees and by 1789, when revolution broke out, there were between 20 and 50 thousand members in 600 Lodges. It became harder to deny a conspiracy against imperialism.
It is also true that professional revolutionaries who were not practitioners of these doctrines found extremely useful the existing infrastructure and social networks for international solidarity. Others adopted the organizational style (the degree system) and made other revolutionary associations.
These examples illustrate the enormous potential of international solidarity methods grounded in the organizational structure, and philosophical and/or metaphysical symbology, of religious institutional phenomena.
As Dr. Lagalisse posits: "The revolutionary brotherhoods that proliferated at the turn of the 19th century derived much of their power from their association with perennial secrets and magical power, and that this imagery and related style of organization were fundamental to the development of what we've come to recognize as modern revolutionism." Eventually, at least some of these were just quasi-religious sects where people met to contemplate and organize the utopian regeneration of society through revolution.
Mikhail Bakunin, who was a Mason, founded his own secret brotherhood in 1864 that was intended to infiltrate the First International to seize control from Karl Marx. We begin to see here a variation of inclusion by integration, but also the treachery behind ideological differences.
This type of clandestine organizing became especially useful after the Congress of Vienna in 1814 in which the Fidel dynasties of Russia, Austria, Prussia, Spain, Italy, and other allies including the Vatican formed their conservative international organization, the "Holy Alliance." They vowed to break any revolutionary activity in any country and repress all militants.
By the mid-19th century using occult-like institutions for revolutionary organizing was a long-standing tradition, as was the use of symbology to declare solidarity. The first meeting of the International Workman's Association (IWA) in 1862, was held in the Freemason's Tavern and attended by Marx and numerous "Socialist Freemasons." Socialist Masons were referred to as the " Memphite Lodges" and their dual function was to educate proletariats and organize through mutual aid associations.
Communist as well as anarchist symbols such as the red star and letter A in a circle, have esoteric associations. The star is grounded in the Hermetic tradition. It is imperative our purposes here to point out the major differences between the two "stars," or pentagrams.
The inverted, or Pythagorean pentagram (two points up) is traced back to ancient Egypt and is directly associated with Set, the LHP, and symbolizes open, free consciousness. The pentacle (one point up) symbolizes closed consciousness, stasis, and is associated with the RHP. Wiccans, for example, use this symbol.
Other revolutionaries throughout more recent history were openly by occult or spiritual doctrines. Among these was Augusto Ceasar Sandino of Nicaragua who became the icon of the Sandinista Revolution in the 1980s, was inspired by Theosophy, Zoroastrian, Hinduist, and Cabalist philosophies and fused these ideas with Communism.
Also noteworthy is that it was the president of the American Association of Spiritualists who published the first English translation of The Communist Manifesto in 1872. Dr. Lagalisse highlights for us that:
"Socialism and Occultism developed in complementary and dialectical fashion during the 19th century, yet the cosmological grounding of 19th-century anarchist politics is now generally downplayed in retrospect. The theological dimension of modern revolutionism was buried from popular and academic consciousness of the Left."
Dr. Lagalisse makes the argument that "Leftists are often unable to recognize the subversive potential of religious sensibilities..." First, it's important to explain some of the differences between an occultist and a LHP practitioner.
An LHP practitioner, in a metaphysical context, could be likened to a magician as opposed to a mystic. The former communicates their visions and draws meaningful conclusions from them. The latter floats in a dream world that neither he nor anyone else can understand. The same can be said to differentiate a revolutionary communist from a liberal activist.
Second, this is not meant to be a critique of Dr. Lagalisse's work but as far as "leftist's failure to respect others' differences," I would direct her to the extraordinary work put together by the World Social Forum, especially the Social Movement's Manifesto.
There are two lanes that we can travel down here to conclude within the ambit of the unification of our three strands of inquiry:
1) Recognizing the subversive potential of religious sensibilities and
2) Recognition of the worth of Lenin's blueprint for religious replacement.
This will bring us to where we started with the dawn of the Chinese Cultural Revolution and the religious institution of the Church of Satan in 1966.
As we have seen, the new heretic movements have defined organizational structures and programs for change. Overall, I am of the opinion that Dr. Lagalisse's position is to challenge Leftist's attachment to secular analysis and to illustrate that much older Leftist groups had common threads of occult, or spiritual, philosophies, however incoherent, running through them.
However, she provides no successes only failures. The quasi-religious organizations were preoccupied by ideological differences, they fought against each other and therefore there was no inclusion by integration, let alone any possibility of collective deification. But, as I hope I have articulated sufficiently, they were occultists, not LHP practitioners.
Lenin and the Bolsheviks, however, achieved the type of success that both Marx and Bakunin could only dream of. This was because of the creative synthesis of the coherent philosophies of the LHP, Marxism, and the objective of collective deification. It is, therefore, a tried and true revolutionary strategy, and what has worked in the past will work again.
That is if specifically tailored to the target society. Although Lenin did have some opposition, the Bolsheviks were united and implemented a religious, and political, replacement program that would have succeeded Lenin's death.
In China, Mao Zedong, the Chairman of the Communist Party, seized power in 1949. By 1966 however, there were many religions still visible in the country. There were churches and temples of Buddhism, Daoism, and icons. Mao, for one reason or another, did not implement Lenin's religious replacement program. One can not now conclude that this did not ultimately lead to bourgeois tendencies, not only within the party but also within the population.
By the time Mao had done away with these relics, the damage had been done. But Mao saw the value in giving the younger generations an intense revolutionary experience by going against the grain. To add to the chaos, Maoist radical factions fought against each other because, among other reasons, at least one faction was always excluded from one power seizure or another.
Mao died in 1976 and the Cultural Revolution with him. At least in China. In the United States, however, the Cultural Revolution, or at least the idea, has remanifested in multiple spheres of influence. Put another way, the October Revolution came into being as self-created, and the remanifestations have come into being each as self-created, by its coming into being.
I should inject here that I is important to dismiss any preconceived notions of Hebrew mythology when dealing with this material. Instead, the focus is on the symbology, the emotion it ignites, and the resulting collective energy. In 1966, when Mao launched the Cultural Revolution, a religious institution called the Church of Satan manifested in An Francisco.
This was the first religious institution in the US to openly identify as LHP. Since then, hundreds of organizations have identified as such. This phenomenon has brought into being a cultural production that, by its very nature, stands in direct opposition to conventional religious norms.
Within this culture, which as I've stated is centuries old and did not originate in America, exists the common practice of ritualistic mockeries of Christianity. Also, within this culture are the rites, rituals, and customs that formed the criteria for the Bolsheviks' religious replacement program.
Standing within a long tradition of revolutionary leftist desire for poetic social justice, this LHP culture allows a type of: "Great Replacement." Going back to the, also centuries old, greatest fear of the Christian fascists of a fusion of the two lefts, we are likewise seeing a remanifestation.
Indeed, many revolutionary sisters and brothers are fed up with Christian fascist hatred of women interwoven into the "pro-life" movement. This new breed of MAGA Evangelism must be met with militant intolerance. Ironically enough, we now see a common ground in the abortion rights and LHP movements that is manifesting in exciting ways.
On one hand, the number of churches and pro-life buildings being desecrated and/or targeted for protests is going up. On the other hand, organized LHP events are sold out in all major cities across the country. Never before has LHP progressivism been so prevalent in a collective consciousness in America. It must be protected at all costs.
The glorious Uprising of 2020 following the public execution of George Floyd by the police set fire to the US empire. As the sacred cows of the Christian fascists were pulled down and desecrated, sending shivers all the way to the Vatican, a new era dawned.
The remanifestation of the LHP contains within it a creative synthesis of this philosophy and antifascism. Since around 2016, as younger people between the ages of 18-35 flocked to progressive organizations, so too did many flock to religious institutions that identified as a LHP religion.
For example, in 2016 13,000 people between the ages of 18-35 joined the Democratic Socialists of America. Around the same time, a religious institution called The Satanic Temple (TST) not only saw their membership around the country rising but also making headlines for their demands for religious freedom.
TST made headlines in Arizona for fighting for their right to an opening prayer at a city council meeting. In 2023, TST was in the news several times, for for their litigation regarding religious freedom to be involved in educational after-school clubs, and for placing a religious icon in a government building in Iowa. Not surprisingly, their icon was destroyed by a Christian.
Their representative, Lucien Greaves, has appeared on fascist FOX News several times to defend their rights of inclusion. Of course, he was treated disrespectfully.
A positive development regarding the aforementioned common denominator between the abortion rights movement and the LHP movement is TST's Religious Reproductive Rights Legal Aid Fund. The mission of TST is to: "...facilitate the communication and mobilization of politically aware Satanists, secularists, and advocates for individual liberty."
Some of the events they organize, called "Witch events" are always full. After a recent 2023 sold out event called "Satan-Con" in Boston, a video circulated on social media depicted practitioners on stage shredding a bible and a known pro-police symbol (black and white USA flag with a blue stripe through the middle). In Oregon, a group has emerged calling itself the Satanic Portland Antifascists.
The psychological, spiritual, and emotional need of progressive/leftist youth to identify with an archetype of original rebellion is now undeniable and should not be overlooked by the revolutionary left. His trend is also emerging in the prison system.
It should be noted that the symbol of the deity of the LHP is culturally determined. In a society where the fanatical religious Right prevails, it is the rebel against cosmic injustice, Satan. In a society where the release of energy from dissipating patterns is revered yet feared, it is Shiva. In a society that emphasizes the role of the LHP practitioner as a cultural hero, it is Tezcatlipoca, or head of another pantheon. In a society that lacks a central paradigm and has many competing simultaneously, it is Set, the god against the gods.
Just as Lenin recognized that negative campaigns against the popular religion will only go so far, it is at this time that the revolutionary left must organize our own religious replacement program. Antinomianism, although still a key to the consolidation of LHP institutions and militant abortion rights groups, alone will not allow for a meaningful seizure of power.
Here, Herbert Marcuse's Critical Theory can serve as the next key. Just as critical theory was expanded on to include the racial dimension it can now be the religious. The formula here is double-sided, meaning that it is insufficient to not tolerate prevailing policies, attitudes, and opinions, the suppressed ones must be tolerated in such a way as to allow for inclusion by integration.
The psychological makeup of individuals that flock to Leftist and LHP groups in general, tend to be those who have experienced a strong break with societal norms. Either personal experiences or general disgust at seeing the life experiences of others. It is through this window that those involved in the "criminal" element can enter the realm of revolutionary politics.
As I have written elsewhere, I have utilized this technique in Power Replacement Theory (PRT) to open the way for prisoners to become receptive to the aims of revolutionary communism as defined by the Revolutionary Communist Party, USA (RCP). This has the potential to open the way for the normalization of LHP religions' direct association with revolutionary communism, while direct action and antinomianism allow for the marginalization and eventual eradication of Christianity.
In a very real sense, Left Hand Path Socialism is already a religion, through which the collective deification of the revolutionary movement is possible in the "religious" context as well as the political, through the cultivation of both. The time has come for a type of Universal Temple of the LHP to come into being.
Only through the unification of both the immanent and transcendental branches of the LHP and the antifascist movement in general, under one all-inclusive institution can the first stage of the one-party state and one religion be expedited. Accordingly, the adoption and militant tolerance of LHP Socialism through such a universal institution will surpass all barriers and transcend all horizons.
The PRT method of inclusion by integration opens the way for all LHP practitioners, progressives, socialists, communists, anarchists, etc. to seize power and force the emancipation of humanity from white male supremacy, capitalism, and genocide, by the strength of collective will. This is not "woke lunacy" but rather a contribution to the actual revolution that is urgently needed in accordance with and under the leadership of RCP.
The necessary inclusion by integration brings to the forefront the question: How can I say that I stand with you if I'm not willing to join you? The remanifestation of the environment that opened the way for the October Revolution is now an objective reality. This crucial moment in time must not be squandered.
Acquiring knowledge of the principle of rebellion is key in LHP Socialism. The premise is the understanding that a principle is a completion and polarization of specific energy in the form of revelatory principles and ideas. As a principle is recognized it can transform by revealing to the individual knowledge that retains the potential of self-transformation.
The mere existence then, of a Universal Temple of the LHP within, and a part of the antifascist movement provides a unified oppositional religious system that will not only affect the culture, but the production of culture itself. Oppositional religious systems are most effective for the understanding and conscious development of the self, which may affect the individual and their environment.
The same system can be utilized for the collective deification of a social movement that can radically alter the environment itself as well as produce a completely new environment forced into existence by the power of collective will.
The unification of the Two Lefts must become part of the common dream, through which a new society looms on the horizon...and a new age begins.
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