If anything is specific outside of its definition, Satanism isn't a path for everyone. It's a path that stares deeply into the Abyss and willingly embraces the Shadows while observing/presencing the Eternal Black Flame. Even in the purely spiritual and eclectic Adversarial paths, some which are Gnostic, some of which are Diabolic, some which are truly Sinister, there exists a sense of balance within dynamic expressions of one's potential. One could surmise that Satanism thusly provides a sense of balance; however, this is mostly true within the logic of a given Adversarial system, given Adversarialism's inherent cultivation of conflict and opposition and resistance through the analysis of applied Questions to any statement.
This brings up an interesting question:
>What is Satanism, and what does it mean?
In all of my studies, and I have come across many types, I have come to the conclusion of viewing "Satanism" as, rather than any specific branch or philosophy, as a collection of philosophico-religious, sociological and genealogical systems underneath the stratum of Satan as a Being with any centralized focus or emphasis upon worship. It is very helpful to know that simply because one utilizes Lucifer and/or Satan, they are not a Luciferian/Satanist; indeed, there are many demonologists who utilize the entities Lucifer/Satan within the capacity of their Holy Faces as they are known within a specific tradition from which their figures are derived. Within the very broad spectrum of Satanism, there are: rationalists, pure empiricists, theists, hidden/open traditionalist covens/families, diabolists, gnostics, spiritualists, atheists, edgelords, and pure symbolists.
LaVeyan Satanism is a type of symbolic Satanism, as is the modern-day Satanic Temple; both are types which favor rationalism and empirical models, whereas TST leans more heavily towards the prominence of reason and dismisses concepts like magic, and whereas the CoS celebrates the Satanic elect, who arise in their stations by one reason or another, in terms of social elite-Darwinism, while recognizing magical structures, yet insist upon a purely subjective criteria for calling one's self a Satanist: for the CoS, a "real Satanist" is not one who worships a real Satan, but who recognizes their own magical carnality which gives them keys towards walking upon paths towards self-accreditation. For the TST, all worshipers are pretenders and anyone who believes in non-rationalist models of metaphysics and ontology is wrong in both their thinking and Satanic reason. For the TST, Satan represents a sort of deontology: a duty-ethics which arises from the realization of manifesting Satan in our reasoning as the way to create progress.
There are Diabolic and Sinister and Theistic groups, and I shall not pretend to know them all, nor to be any sort of spokesperson upon any of them, for what I represent is my own tradition with other Currents realized and adhered. My own tradition is a hodgepodge of various idealizations and positions. That being said, there are certainly groups we could broaden underneath the category, "Spiritual", but it must be understood that "Spiritual Satanists" are different than a theistic Satanist; a Spiritualist might worship Satan, but has many others who they equally worship, whereas a theistic places upon the entity Satan an extremely high or the greatest importance, and also might worship others on the same platform. While they sound very similar, one easy way to understand "Spiritual Satanism" from "theistic" Satanism is that, from my own understanding, Spiritual Satanism implies other entities, whereas a Theistic Satanist primarily centralizes upon Satan; and both can contain the other. It's just that, more often than not, a Theist is more foundational with Satan, whereas a Spiritualist is less prominent with the order of Satan.
Diabolic groups tend to worship Satan either within Currents opposed to, but often-related to, Abrahamic Currents. This is not to suggest, "Diabolists is just evil Christianity", which it isn't, by the way, but that Diabolism places upon Satan an Infernal Worship, in the manner of Theists, but also in the manner of manifesting the more darker and tumultuous Diabolic and Devlish Echoes within the Currents which they open themselves to. For Diabolists, the story of Satan, the Challenger, is one whose actual narrative is being hidden, and is being shat upon by Abrahamic Currents and the proxies of Clay. Some variants literately worship a Satan whose existence is intended to bring about an Apocalypse, coined as a global and planar purification and liberation towards the release and existence of the Dark Seeds of Black Chaos scattered within ourselves and our reality. If you look hard enough, you can find Diabolic Gnostics, who are a mix between Diabolism, Gnosticism, and Theism. They are a special group of unique individuals, whose own metaphysics requires you to look beyond the very structures which they use.
And then there are Gnostics. Gnostic Satanism is a very niche but active branch, with its own audience and radically different sub-cultures. The idea of Gnostic Satanism is that Satan holds keys towards unlocking the true Divinity, and the Divine Seeds trapped within Clayborn artifacts, and can empower the Awakened to bringing about change. Gnosticism has many different types and formulas and flavors; you'll even find variants who worship Pan and Hecate and other Ancient Gods and Goddesses.
Altogether, what we can most certainly define: Satanism is not a path for everyone. Each branch and flavor has its own unique positions and ideas, and their own logical systems, as well. It's important to see Satanism as a less coherent single body of thought, and more like an ever-fluid functionalization of Adversarial religiosity. Discovering what path is yours is a very exciting position, because the possibilities are, truly, endless; you can reject all of them, and create your own version of atheistic theism or whatever the fuck title you ever decide to postulate. Interestingly enough, Anton LaVey, in the early days of the CoS openly had rituals with actual genuine Theistic Satanists, but when it came to formalization, the Theists were rejected and then the CoS began to claim that they were the one true form of Satanism. To that note, even if you say this is the one form which is true, and that isn't, there will be others who oppose you. As we can see, evident within Satanism itself is the concept of an Adversary and a Question.
