Abstract:

Anton Szandor LaVey wrote The Satanic Witch in 1970 as a response to the contemporary discourses of his time: feminism and the occult revival. This essay focuses on LaVey’s treatment of the scent of feminine fluids blood, sweat, and urine—in The Satanic Witch and selected texts in order to demonstrate that LaVey’s emphasis on the importance of bodily secretions is an extension of his carnal-magical worldview; he employs the arcane language and aesthetics of the occult to methods of physiological and psychological manipulation in order to influence others and achieve desired ends. Throughout this article I apply Mary Douglas’ theories in Purity and Danger (2002 [1966]), which address our notions of contagion, dirt, and taboo; feminist rhetoric on 1960s and 1970s feminine hygiene products and their putative cleansing of natural feminine scent; and finally, the use of sexual fluids in esoteric magical practices such as described by Aleister Crowley. This article illustrates that LaVey’s use of feminine fluids for magical efficacy reflects his notion that magic is firmly rooted within one’s own body, and the capacity of one’s own will, while also incorporating and responding to the surrounding discourses of his time.

Author: Cimminnee Holt