Satanism alive and on the rise; Halloween brings arcane rituals

By SUSAN WATENPOOL
Collegian Style Writer
Costumed children ring doorbells in anticipation of treats they will receive; party-going adults prepare for a night of gaiety.

And somewhere, in a desolate area, the observance of the most important satanic holiday of the year begins. Around a "magic circle," robed or naked believers come to celebrate the passage of souls into the after-life -- Halloween.

While the popular image of satanism might fit in with traditional Halloween talk of ghouls and spirits, satanic rituals are practiced year-round and Trooper John Skerchock of Rockview State Police said satanic occurrences are on the rise across the state.

Skerchock said Satan worshippers can be divided into three categories: the true believer and practitioner, the secretive believer and the adolescent dabbler. Satanic crime usually involves adolescents recruited by other worshippers, he added.

Satanism began in the 1300s as a rebellion against the Catholic church but today novice worshippers find more than just one target.

"Anyone who doesn't believe in Satan is an enemy of Satan," Skerchock said.

Animal sacrifice is one of the extreme rituals associated with Satanism. In August, a male minor from the Centre Region, who believed Satan was controlling his actions through a Ouji board, sacrificed a dog to appease the devil and to prevent his own soul from being taken, Skerchock said.

Another consequence of Satan worship is grave desecration, Skerchock said.

Fifty miles east of Scranton, such a Satanic ritual was performed recently.

"In late spring a mausoleum in Stroudsburg was broken into, they got the casket out, forced the casket open and took certain bones," said Lieutenant Jack Rundle of the Stroudsburg police.

In exhuming bodies, Satanists usually procure a human skull and hands which worshippers believe give them power when they perform rituals or spells.

Skerchock said Satanists often have certain personality traits.

"They're usually very intelligent, very creative but underachievers in school. They're just not interested," Skerchock said.

Several recurring characteristics of Satanism typify its worshippers, such as a fascination with the occult and an obsession with death, Skerchock said.

Satanists also often listen to "black metal" music which preaches Satanism, violence and violent sex, and includes groups such as Venom, Ozzy Osbourne, Mega Death and Merciful Fate, Skerchock said.

Other indicators include an obsession with horror movies, presence of fantasy-playing role games, an obsession with knives and the presence of "The Book of Death."

The book or grimoire is a diary which documents all spells and rituals performed, Sherchock said. Known as a "Black Bible," the book can be as elaborate as ribbon-bound parchment or as common-place as a spiral notebook.

"We've found students' notebooks that have notes in the front and the diary in the back," he said.

Skerchock stressed, however, that if one or all of these indicators are present it does not necessarily indicate Satan worship.

The threat associated with Satanism does not lie within the rituals or spells but rather in the believer.

"The danger lies in the practitioner themselves," Skerchock said. "It's with that person who thinks this stuff is more real than real."

The original ritual was held in a desanctified Catholic church where members stomped on the cross, took communion which involved drinking a mixture of blood, wine and urine and paid homage to a representation of Satan by kissing the buttocks of a member wearing a goat's head. Also at this celebration, the Catholic mass was read backwards and the host used in Catholic ceremonies was desecrated by being urinated or spit upon.

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