Diana Desiderio: The Satanic Temple in Salem Mass

Text and Self Portraits by Diana Desiderio, Copyright 2022

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The Satanic Temple in Salem Mass

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Salem has always been a place I felt in my bones. A place that has the lore of young women bewitched and signing over their souls to the Dark Lord himself. September had approached so fast as it does every year. I got a wild hair and the availability to stay at the Satanic Temple had availability. I called one of my friends Roxy and recruited her for this amazing last minute get away. And why not; who wouldn’t want to live deliciously?

An 8 hour truck up to the New England area and just shy of the Spooky season tourists.

Once we had arrived at the satanic Temple, I instantly felt at home. Something no one will ever tell you about Satanist who belong to the Satanic Temple is; they don’t believe in the devil himself at all but that them using the symbol of Baphomet in all its glory is a symbol of triggering critical thinking. The mission of the Satanic Temple is to “encourage benevolence & empathy, reject tyrannical authority, advocate practical common sense, oppose injustice, and undertake noble pursuits.” 

The Satanic Temple has seven fundamental tenets:

1. One should strive to act with compassion and empathy toward all creatures in accordance with reason.
2. The struggle for justice is an ongoing and necessary pursuit that should prevail over laws and institutions.
3. One’s body is inviolable, subject to one’s own will alone.
4. The freedoms of others should be respected, including the freedom to offend. To willfully and unjustly encroach upon the freedoms of another is to forgo one’s own.
5. Beliefs should conform to one’s best scientific understanding of the world. One should take care never to distort scientific facts to fit one’s beliefs.
6. People are fallible. If one makes a mistake, one should do one’s best to rectify it and resolve any harm that might have been caused.
7. Every tenet is a guiding principle designed to inspire nobility in action and thought. The spirit of compassion, wisdom, and justice should always prevail over the written or spoken word.

All of which I have always felt kindred too. Once we had checked in; we asked that if after the temple closed we were able to take photographs within the temple to use at our own discretion and they were more than happy to oblige. While we waited we waked around downtown Salem learning about the poor innocent women persecuted and accused of being witches to pacify the puritan settlers. Some hung by their necks from the hangman’s tree. Some were pressed with a heavy stone until they were crushed to death.

There was a very daunting feeling when walking around those areas especially after dark. We retreated back to the temple, and got to open the rooms and take full advantage of the interior of the throne room and the main hall where a 10’ statue of Baphomet sat in all its glory. In honor of the witches of Salem who sold their souls  while dancing nude in ceremony of the Dark Lord; we stripped down & I got to taking some amazing shots all on an iPhone no less. If you are ever interested in going, I would highly recommend it. Live deliciously and HAIL THYSELF.