Customer Reviews

The Satanic Witch

5 star:		(40)
4 star:		(19)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

When it comes to the works of Anton LaVey, many book "reviews" seem to be done by people who didn't bother to read the book beyond the front cover, and/or just want to regurgitate some rant that has nothing to do with the book contents (e.g. bashing the author himself, defending Wicca and claiming ownership of the word "witch", babbling a Jack Chick-style Jesus rant, etc.). So instead, here's a review about the book, from somebody who's actually read the book.

For the moment, let's forget the book's title, the inverted pentagram on the front cover, and the Halloween coloring used in earlier editions, and get right to the question: what's the CONTENT of this book all about? If you're searching for literature on spell-casting, devil worship, cults, the supernatural, soul selling, or even descriptions of Satanism itself, then this isn't the book you're looking for.

What you will find however is researched (the bibliography is HUGE), refined, applicable techniques on the manipulation of people. In "The Satanic Bible", LaVey calls this art of manipulation "lesser magic"; this book is an expansion on that topic. There's nothing inherently "magick" or "supernatural" about it. One could say that a lot of it just comes down to psychology. But in my experience, it works! I found the contents invaluable in not only things like job interviews, but my own lucrative moonlighting career doing readings as a self-proclaimed psychic.

The book ultimately teaches how to read people, and how to use that information to your own advantage. LaVey mentions that self-proclaimed psychics don't actually have supernatural powers but rather do great people-reading whether they're consciously aware of it or not. This comes through picking up cues on body posture, clothing, speech, etc., and using that to make rather accurate guesses as to what their life is like. And this was published years before James Randi was debunking people like Uri Geller on TV. But while LaVey doesn't take the mystical approach, he doesn't dismiss it all as useless either.

As the title suggests, this is book was mostly written for women. The main focus is on how a woman can use the fact she's a woman to her advantage. And no, that doesn't always mean being sexually seductive. Though I've seen to many would-be warlocks who mistakenly dismiss this book as being strictly only for women. Being a man myself, I still find a lot of ways to apply the book techniques, especially the Synthesizer Clock.

In fact, being a man, this book practically scared me when I realized just how much power a woman CAN secretly wield. In a way, I'm glad the book has a title blasphemous enough to turn-off the average person, because if every woman used this book, they'd completely rule the world overnight (assuming they truly don't rule it already). But again, despite being for female-applicable, men too can get something out of the book.

LaVey's 'The Satanic Witch' was published at a time in the twentieth century when femininity seemed about to be frogmarched off the map and relegated, as something archaic and downright repressed, to the annals of history. Before such a shift occurred, LaVey penned this witty, charming and informative defence in praise of beauty, glamour and 'loose women' the world over. Power, he declares, comes from a recognition and enjoyment of traditional gender roles. Not a message particlarly palatable to bra-burners or to LaVey's contemporary 'good' witches. However, and despite initial misgivings expressed by some of my my fellow reviewers here and elsewhere, this book is remarkably and refreshingly pro-woman. It debunks popular Wiccan texts that suggest certain propensities for magical ability. Hell, in LaVey's world, all women - regardless of star sign, parentage or innate mystique - have the ability to influence the world around them. It is elitist not in the sense that only rare and gifted individuals stand a chance, but in that self-awareness and good old-fashioned guile can get you where you want to be.

So how does it work? LaVey suggests a self-reflexive assessment of one's physical appearance and mental qualities, which he classifies and situates on a so-called Synthesiser Clock. This is key to an understanding of one's self and others. In order to bewitch a man, one must operate as the opposite of his Apparent self, that is, his obvious physical and mental characteristics. A rugged, masculine twelve o'clock will respond most favourably, then, to a feminine, curvaceous six o'clock, with a whole multitude of nuances between. If nothing else, this establishes a deeper understanding of the attributes of self and others. This seems to have been LaVey's intention: if true manipulation depends upon an in-depth knowledge of people, then the Synthesiser Clock establishes a precedent for this. A minor quibble with this ingenious although perhaps outlandish system would be that LaVey depends heavily upon personal experience, and wants his readers to trust his inferences about the different skills, likes, dislikes etc. of people at different positions on the clock. Sticklers for referencing will be furious. I must admit to a few irate moments myself during this section of the book: the advice is to just go with it, and enjoy the ride. If you are prepared to give credit to the author, a valuable dose of self-aggrandisement will be duly delivered.

Once you have established your place on the clock, LaVey teaches the now arcane arts of seduction. He is as meticulous on the perfection of these arts as you might expect an articulate carny with a penchant for the ladies to be! Be prepared for LaVey's characteristically bawdy and punchy rhetoric. An enjoyable experience, and not an homage to the Moon Goddess in sight. LaVey discusses the subtleties of hair colour, posture, dress, voice and attitude. All of these need to be considered in the art of witchery. But here we come to minor quibble number two: LaVey establishes the 1940s woman as the archetype, with her three-inch heels, seamed stockings and figure-hugging dresses. Whilst this is undoubtedly a bewitching and timeless image, it is nonetheless a product of LaVey's own E.C.I. (Erotic Crystallisation Inertia, where erotic tastes become 'fixed' as one's ideal at a relatively young age). As a young man of this era, it is understandable that LaVey saw, desired and preferred this type of woman. However, other generations may just as well have preferred other styles as ideals of their own, regardless of whether or not they conformed to the particular penchants of another person. Fetishes are multifarious!

However, the minor issues I've raised with this text do not detract from this book's overall positivity and influence. Read this, enjoy the tongue-in-cheek sections as just that, and feel instantly empowered! A book that embraces all women for being women, and doesn't beat us up for our inability to act male.

So THAT'S how you wenches do it.... Doctor LaVey definitely did his research for this one. This book contains perhaps THE best methods you can use to enthrall that perfect someone (forget about Cosmopolitan)....IF you're a woman. I gave this book four stars instead of five because I think ol' Anton should have given us poor dudes a little more coverage...WHAT WILL WORK FOR US? Sure, with a bit of work you can employ the principles herein from a male perspective, but some explicit advice for the Satyrs' sake would have been appreciated (after all, LaVey WAS a man who was quite successful with the gals...why did he keep his personal methods a secret?) LaVey's most captivating (but entirely believable) concept is that of the "whole person" and the Law Of Opposites; two people who are totally different from one another are attracted to each other because together they form the perfect human being (for example: a scrawny but highly intelligent man is attracted to a muscular and aggresive woman with little taste for the ol' "book learnin'" or a beautiful girl from a poor family falls madly in love with the toady multi-millionaire). LaVey's "clock" of personality/physical types (and their corresponding opposites) is very helpful. I regret that LaVey never wrote a "Satanic Warlock" to be published as part 2 of the Satanic Witch under the collective title of "The Complete Satanist"....it would have been a grand supplement to the "Satanic Bible".

I originally picked the book up because I'm wiccan. As I read further, I found that it had nothing to do with what I thought of as Witchcraft or Satanism. Rather, the book is an amazing work of art describing how any woman can use her feminine wiles to get any man she wants. I have used these tricks time and time again and have been consistently sucessful without fail. Of course, I'm the personification of the stereotypical sexy witch, with long blonde hair and a curvy body. But LaVey says that these tricks will work for anyone and everyone, and, well, LaVey being such a genius and all, I tend to believe him. The art of fascination is described by LaVey with such intelligence and knowledge! LaVey also includes what he calls his "personality synthesizer". There is a whole chapter of the book entirely devoted to explaining how it works, and anyone can understand it and use it in order to control and manipulate people. Not that I advocate this, but it seems that all people fall into a certain spot on the synthesizer chart, and in order to make the person become completely enthralled with you, all you have to do is act exactly like the person, or act like their complete opposite. It makes sense- People are attracted to what is like them, and they are also attracted to others who posess what they don't have. As I said, this book, in my opinion, has nothing to do with Satanism or Witchcraft. I think a more appropriate title would be "How To Get Any Man You Want" . Never in my life have I found a more useful book, and I don't think I ever will. The Satanic Witch shows women how to control men while letting them THINK that they have the upper hand. It shows us how to utilize all of the tricks that women used for centuries- tricks that have been lost or forgotten about since that dreadful period, the sixties, when women wanted to be more like men. Well, I guess that for the unattractive women who didn't know how to use their feminity to their advantage, the sixties was a period of great importance and was necessary to ensure their livelihood. For us pretty girls, however, it has made life all the more difficult. We must re-discover our feminity and use the fact that we are different from men to our advantage. And if LaVey says that these techniques will work for even the ugly girls, then, let me tell you, this is the book to get! Also, the introduction, written by LaVey's daughter, Zeena, is a work of art in and of itself and deserves its own accolade. Zeena describes with such eloquent intelligence how the sixties were the downfall of all women and why the techniques in this book are so very important. If you're looking for a book about spellcasting or necromancy, then keep on looking, because you won't find that kind of information here. But if you've ever, ever wanted a man and were not able to get him, then this book is, and I'm not exaggerating, a NECESSITY! My personal opinion- Even if you never buy another book again in your life, BUY THIS BOOK! You'll be so glad you did.

Many have commented on LaVey's sharp perception of women in this book. That's not so suprising when one knows his wife and High Priestess was a silent co-writer of this book, and Anton LaVey no doubt found her, his "ideal woman" a model of the Satanic Witch.

The Satanic Witch is a must read for anyone who is into the Occult. I even have recommended this book to a few of my friends who are not into the Occult or WitchCraft and I have also recommended this to Friends into Wiccan.
This book will tell every women about why she does the things she does. It will give insight to whom one is. Mr. LaVey's Philosophy and insight's to what women are all about does not just fit the Satanic ways of life but can be used by every women in todays daily life's.

This book told me why I have done the things I have done in my life and given me great insight to my inner self. This book will not sway you one way or the other but will help you to get what you want out of life. It will help you to help your self in all aspects of daily life and if you are lucky enough it may even show you who and how to win your mate.
If you enjoy this book you may find that other books that Mr. LaVey has written may fit into your Philosophy as well. Don't look upon these as evil or with Bad Carma for they are not. The Philosophy is of a Genius.

The "Satanic Witch" is LaVey's best work by far. It is really a manual on how women are to manipulate men for their own advantage, and thus falls into the category of what LaVey calls "lesser magic" as opposed to the "ceremonical magic"that he describes in the "Satanic Bible". The crux of the book is that all mean are "dirty little boys" and that the key to mainipulating men is throught the "law of the forbidden". That is, by using sex and allusions towards sex, any woman will be able to coax any man to do whatever she wishes. He overstates his premise, as usual -- some of these techniques will be useful some of the time, but they should not really be counted on. LaVey seems to think that most people are so stupid that they can barely tie their shoes and will not be able to tell whenever they are being "taken for a ride", which is simply not true. He uses the idea of the feminine mystique in order to "fascinate" or cast a spell on males, while the females play the vixens. This book seems to take as axiomatic the general inferiority of women in general (otherwise why would they need to resort to such subterfuge?), but claims that it is natural for females to be at enmity with others of their sex and that they should use all of their charms to the utmost. Unfortunately, he does not make a distinction between playing the vixen and being one. It may be one thing to use deception to get what you want with strangers, but to take such deviousness home would most definitely not be beneficial. LaVey also puts forth an absurd method of "typing" people by their bodily conformation -- associating a certain personality type with a certain body type -- a form of pseusdoscience which has long ago been debunked. He also has a tendency to encourage women to use those techniques which he himself finds enticing, but which other people may not. He prefers ladies in high heels and dresses . . . I know of many men who do not, and such methods may backfire if the temptress is not careful. And the techniques that he suggests are definitely not foolproof, so anyone who tries to use his suggestions may very well find that they are not as valid as LaVey seems to think. For an opposite perspective that is equally valid, see "How To Make A Man Fall In Love With You". This book would profit marketing and adverstising professionals much more than the average person, as sex is often used to sell merchandise in modern marketing campaigns. Contains little of the sort of material found in his more "spooky" books, but does contain a wealth of citations and interesting information, unlike any of his other works.

This book is dripping with the Rocky Horror style flair and camp of the 1970's. Le Vay is funny, honest and insightful in this guide for the satanic witch. Satanic...As defined in the dictionary...Means worship of the self. This book is good for any woman who needs to prioritize her life. Le Vay odviously likes women, and included in the book is an introduction by his daughter. Le Vay himself actually reads as smoothly as a female writer, and I found it easy to digest. While most people reading the book wont take it to the extremes that La Vey presents...It's worthwhile knowledge...And a great dose of secular psychology. Don't be afraid of this book! Le Vay is VERY down to earth and proves that the concept of satanic worship has nothing to do with the sacrafice of animals or any such futility. Satanism, as presented by Le Vay, is simply love of the self, the maximization of one's qualities, and the quick recognition of human types. We should all hope that women are as self-aware as Le Vay encourages them to be.

This book is targeted primarily towards women and teaches them the fine art of manipulating men. Of course, men would do well to learn the tricks that could potentially be used on them, as well as use them to their own advantange (besides, isn't this what "Satanism" is largely about?). The main attraction this book has for me is the "LaVey Personality Synthesizer" which consists of a model of personality clasification. The idea here is that different body types have corresponding personalities and that you can get an idea of what kind of person you're dealing with by examining their physical proportions as well as other visual, auditory, and tactile cues. The next step of course is to use this information to create a rapport with your target to get what you want (ask any evolutionary psychologist about female genetic protocol). All models of personality typing are flawed including this one, but it is nevertheless very interresting and useful as well. You'll probably disagree with some of LaVey's opinions throughout the book but take it with a grain of salt and enjoy! I've lost two copies over the years so far by lending it out to as many of my female friends as possible; I know at least some of them were able to use the information to empower themselves, and that's the whole point of the book.

Self worth. Self Esteem. Confidence. Poise. All things a girl is entitled to, but has taken away from her at puberty. I read this when I was 14, (a very depressing, wonderful age)and it helped me realize I wasn't just an object. I can have what I want, or who. I mean, lets face it, no matter what you all may think, your 14 year old is probably already sexually active, but, god knows, i was made into an object by not having any self value. At least it can give your daughters that.

This book is everything a woman should know, to live her own life and be in control. tear off the cover. Black out Anton LaVey and write in Angela Smith. Retitle it to say "GirlPower" just to make yourself feel better if you are one who jugdes book by their covers.