Exploring the Left Hand Path With Shea Bilé

I began to stray from my Catholic upbringing and explore other spiritual beliefs as a teen. There was something lacking in my religious education and so I found enlightenment elsewhere. It began with an interest in ancient religions and witchcraft. Then, my teenage self was in absolute awe when I learned there was a Church of Satan and that was how I was introduced to the occult. As I’ve evolved spiritually over the years, I’ve sustained a connection with the Left Hand Path. When I discovered The Crooked Path was featuring a series on the subject with Shea Bilé, who’s an authority on esotericism, I had to attend.

Shea Bilé has immersed himself in esoteric practice for more than two decades, and it’s a realm he’s passionate about. After obtaining a Bachelor of Arts degree in religious studies and a Master of Arts degree in philosophy, he’s gone on to publish writings and give presentations on Left Hand Path ideology. Most recently, he’s hosting a string of lectures titled The Fire and the Wine at The Crooked Path, an apothecary shop in Burbank, CA. This collection of workshops focuses on Satanism, Luciferianism and the Left Hand Path.

I attended the first in the series, The Religion of Satan: The Origins and History of Satanism, Luciferianism and the Left Hand Path. While Anton LaVey is one of the most notorious Satanists known today, Satanism certainly did not begin with him. Bilé presented research that goes back centuries, tracing origins to figures such as Lilith from ancient Jewish mythology. I’d like to think of the demoness as the Mother of the Left Hand Path.

Bilé went on to delve into the etymology of the word “satan” and the birth of modern demonolatry. When discussing diabolism in the early modern period, he established a significant point stating that during this time, Satan became the god of the people and protector of the poor and suffering. It’s a transition that would make Satan a glorified figure as opposed to a defiled one. Of course, John Milton’s Paradise Lost was also touched upon. Milton’s work made me sympathize with Satan when I studied it in grad school, and I don’t doubt that it’s had a similar effect on other readers.  

As the lecture progressed, it was clear how Satan morphed into a beacon of light and liberation, attracting disciples and giving way to Luciferianism. It was interesting learning about the women who’ve contributed significantly to the evolution of Satanism, such as writer Mary MacLane and occultist Maria De Naglowska.

One of Bilé’s final slides depicted Éliphas Lévi’s representation of Baphomet. When analyzing the symbolism of the figure and connecting it to the overarching teachings of the lecture, Bilé explained:

“This is the Left Hand Path story. To break one down, to jump into Satan’s arms and destroy one’s body and become something anew. This is the alchemical transformation that is central to the Left Hand Path. That’s why we work with these energies. We try to understand so that we can destroy what we are today so we can become something greater later…. Destroy yourself and become something greater than you are now.”

-Shea Bilé

I think it was a poignant way to communicate the message of The Religion of Satan, and I walked away blissfully enlightened.

There are two more lectures remaining in Shea Bilé’s The Fire and the Wine series. One is The Philosophy of Satan: The Ideologies of the Left Hand Path on July 20. The other is The Rites of Satan: The Left Hand Path in Ritual Practice, which will be followed by The Hymn of the Red Dragon: A Satanic Rite and Daemonic Evocation on July 27. Tickets are available on The Crooked Path’s website. Also, check out the apothecary’s calendar for a list of upcoming classes.

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