This Tenet can have a lot of interpretations and they’re all correct in my eyes.
Inviolable by definition means, “never to be broken, infringed, or dishonored.” The obvious interpretation is that your right to your own body should never be infringed upon, you are the master of your own body and no one and nothing else. This supports things like women’s reproductive rights.
For me it also goes a bit deeper. It means that you are not able to be tainted as a person. There is nothing you can do to yourself that will make you tainted, worthless, or shameful. No amount of piercings, tattoos, sexual partners, and other things society says determines your value, will ever change that. What you do with your body is your business and makes you no less and no more. This may be a stretch for some, I’m not sure, but I felt this meaning to my core when I first read this Tenet and I value it a lot, maybe the most.
I’m curious about your thoughts on Tenet III! How do you interpret it? Feel free to discuss your favorite Tenet as well.
🤘🏽 Hail Satan, Hail Thyself 🤘🏽
Each person decides how their body should be used in this world. Good, bad, neutral, some degree between or beyond. Equally important is the recognition that this same tenet applies to anyone who isn’t yourself, whether they share the same beliefs or not. To be equal in this way is empowering each other as individuals.
“Subject to one’s will alone” says we have the free will to use or abuse our own bodies. It doesn’t mean anything goes, it means to own your choices for better or worse.
I pretty much feel it means anything goes as long as its just you and your body your making decisions about.
It means people aren’t allowed to rape you, conscript you, force substances into your body, perform surgery on you against your will, or kidnap you.
I take it as your first thing. Value is a personal thing and sure, you can certainly lose relative value by other peoples ascertations. One should value themselves and others but if someone decided to cut off their perfectly healthy arms and legs and poke out their perfect vision eyes and cut off their prefectly working ears. Certiainly they will lose value in many ways as their options in life will be significantly curtailed.
I’ve always taken it as the dictionary meaning you first described, but I like the second one too. I’ll have to think about it more.
I feel the TST doesn’t go into details because, as a religion, part of the goal is to gain followers and traction. If they explained in detail, they’d probably reach contradictions or collide cultural discrepancies.
So I’m pretty sure it is open to interpretation so people can identify themselves more easily. If you ask Christians (out of context) if they agree with that sentence, most of them will.
People will disagree with this sentence once you start going into the specifics.
It is open to interpretation of course, as Lucien says himself, and as the last Tenet embodies, but not for those reasons exactly. They are basic and up for interpretation because Lucien refuses to force strict, exact laws on Satanists that conflict with personal freedom. This isn’t Christianity, we have independence and individuality that is encouraged rather than stamped out. Interpretations are encouraged <3
Hail Thyself
