Editing Order of Nine Angles (section)

==Beliefs==

===Traditional Satanism and paganism===

{{Quote box
| width = 25em
| align = right
| quote = "[Long] rejects the quasi-religious organization and ceremonial antics of the Church of Satan, the Temple of Set and other satanic groups. He believes that traditional satanism goes far beyond the gratification of the pleasure-principle and involves the arduous achievement of self-mastery, self-overcoming in a Nietzschean sense, and ultimately cosmic wisdom. His conception of satanism is practical, with an emphasis on individual growth into realms of darkness and danger through practical acts of prowess, endurance and the risk of life."
| source = — Scholar of esotericism Nicholas Goodrick-Clarke{{sfn|Goodrick-Clarke|2003|p=218}}
}}

Although it places little emphasis on the figure of [[Satan]],<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |last=Doyle White |first=Ethan |title=Satanism |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Satanism |encyclopedia=[[Encyclopædia Britannica]] |year=2023 |language=en-GB |access-date=2025-05-14}}</ref>
the ONA describe their teachings as "Traditional Satanism".{{sfnm|1a1=Faxneld|1y=2013a|1p=207|2a1=Faxneld|2y=2013b|2p=88|3a1=Senholt|3y=2013|3p=250|4a1=Sieg|4y=2013|4p=252}} This is a term that has since also been adopted by [[Theistic Satanism|theistic Satanist]] groups like the Brotherhood of Satan.{{sfn|Faxneld|2013b|p=88}} Faxneld suggested that the Order's adoption of the word "traditional" was part of a "conscious strategy to build legitimacy" by harking back to "arcane ancient wisdom",{{sfn|Faxneld|2013b|p=88}} drawing comparison with how some esotericists called their practices "[[Neopagan witchcraft|traditional witchcraft]]" to distinguish themselves from the dominant form of modern witchcraft, Wicca.{{sfn|Faxneld|2013a|pp=207–208}}

R. Parker, a writer associated with the ONA, has stated that the group is not "strictly satanist or strictly Left Hand Path" but rather uses Satanism and the Left Hand Path as what it calls "causal forms", "that is, as techniques/experiences/ordeals/challenges" to encourage the practitioner on the path to wisdom.{{sfn|Shah|Cooper|Newcombe|2023|p=4}} Parker described the Order more specifically as "a sinisterly-numinous mystic tradition".{{sfn|Shah|Cooper|Newcombe|2023|p=4}}

The ONA strongly criticises other Satanist groups like the Church of Satan and the [[Temple of Set]],{{sfnm|1a1=Gardell|1y=2003|1p=293|2a1=Baddeley|2y=2010|2p=155|3a1=Shah|3a2=Cooper|3a3=Newcombe|3y=2023|3p=6}} deeming them "sham-Satanic" because they embrace the "glamour associated with Satanism" but are "afraid to experience its realness within and external to them".{{sfn|Gardell|2003|p=293}} In the view of the ONA, these groups' attempts to codify themselves as institutions and profess their commitment to "ethical religion" replicates the dominant status quo rather than reacting against it.{{sfn|Shah|Cooper|Newcombe|2023|p=6}} In turn, the Church of Satan has criticised what they alleged was the ONA's "paranoic insistence that they are the only upholders of Satanic tradition".{{sfn|Kaplan|1998|p=115}} Kaplan characterised these comments as being part of "the intramural tensions" common within "the world of Satanism".{{sfn|Kaplan|1998|p=115}}

Monette argued that "a critical examination of the ONA's key texts suggests that the satanic overtones could be cosmetic, and that its core mythos and cosmology are genuinely hermetic, with pagan influences."{{sfn|Monette|2013|p=87}} Modern pagan elements have also been identified in the Order's teachings.{{sfn|Doyle White|2018|p=158}} The group presents itself as having pre-Christian origins, describes Satanism as "militant paganism",{{sfn|Gardell|2003|p=293}} and claims that the "true ethos" of Western civilisation is "pagan in essence".{{sfn|Doyle White|2018|p=161}} It has claimed that some practitioners undergo "black pilgrimages" to prehistoric ceremonial sites around Shropshire and Herefordshire,{{sfn|Goodrick-Clarke|2003|p=220}} and, according to Goodrick-Clarke, publishes material evoking the idea of it being a tradition rooted "in English nature".{{sfn|Goodrick-Clarke|2003|p=219}} Various references are made to aspects from Northern European pre-Christian mythologies, for instance the Anglo-Saxon notion of [[wyrd]] and the Norse wolf [[Fenrir]].{{sfn|Doyle White|2018|p=161}} However, the ONA does not advocate the re-establishment of pre-Christian religions, with one ONA tract stating that "all past gods of the various Western Traditions are rendered obsolete by the forces which Satanism alone is unleashing".{{sfn|Gardell|2003|p=293}}

===The acausal realm and theology===

The ONA teaches that humans live within the ''causal'' realm, which obeys the laws of cause and effect. They also believe in an ''acausal'' realm, in which the laws of physics do not apply.{{sfn|Monette|2013|p=100}} The group further promotes the idea that numinous energies from the acausal realm can be drawn into the causal, allowing for the performance of magic.{{sfn|Monette|2013|p=100}}

The Order claims that "Dark Gods" exist within the acausal realm, although it is accepted that some members will interpret them not as real entities but as facets of the human subconscious.{{sfn|Monette|2013|p=103}} These entities are perceived as dangerous, with the ONA advising caution when interacting with them.{{sfn|Monette|2013|p=103}} Among those Dark Gods whose identities have been discussed in the Order's publicly available material are a goddess named [[Baphomet]] who is depicted as a mature woman carrying a severed head.{{sfn|Monette|2013|pp=103–105}} In addition, there are entities whose names, according to Monette, are borrowed from or influenced by figures from Classical sources and [[astronomy]], such as Kthunae, Nemicu, and Atazoth.{{sfn|Monette|2013|pp=103–105}}

Another of these acausal figures is named Vindex, after the Latin word for "avenger". The ONA believe that Vindex will eventually incarnate as a human – although the gender and ethnicity of this individual is unknown – through the successful "presencing" of acausal energies within the causal realm, and that they will act as a messianic figure by overthrowing the Magian forces and leading the ONA to prominence in the establishment of a new society.{{sfnm|1a1=Monette|1y=2013|1pp=104, 108–109|2a1=Sieg|2y=2013|2pp=260, 265–266|3a1=Introvigne|3y=2016|3p=360}} 

Sieg drew comparisons between this belief in Vindex and the ideas of [[Savitri Devi]], the prominent [[Esoteric Hitlerism|Esoteric Hitlerist]], regarding the arrival of [[Kalki]], an avatar of the Hindu god [[Vishnu]], to Earth.{{sfn|Sieg|2013|pp=259–260}} The ONA propagate the idea that it is possible for the practitioner to secure an [[afterlife]] within the acausal realm through their spiritual activities.{{sfn|Monette|2013|p=101}} It is for this reason that the final stage of the Seven Fold Way is known as the "Immortal", constituting those initiates who have been able to advance to the stage of dwelling in the acausal realm.{{sfn|Monette|2013|p=101}}

===Aeonic cosmology===
The ONA is a [[millenarianism|millenarian]] group.{{sfn|Shah|Cooper|Newcombe|2023|p=12}} It states that cosmic evolution is guided by a "sinister dialectics" of alternating Aeonic energies.{{sfn|Gardell|2003|p=294}} It divides [[human history]] into a series of Aeons, believing that each Aeon was dominated by a human [[civilization]] that emerged, evolved, and then died.{{sfnm|1a1=Gardell|1y=2003|1p=294|2a1=Goodrick-Clarke|2y=2003|2p=220}} It states that each Aeon lasts for approximately 2,000 years, with its respective dominating human civilization developing within the latter 1,500 years of that period.{{sfn|Senholt|2013|p=261}} It holds that after 800 years of growth, each civilization faces problems, resulting in a "Time of Troubles" that lasts from between 398 and 400 years.{{sfn|Goodrick-Clarke|2003|p=220}}

In each civilization's final stage is a period that lasts for approximately 390 years, in which it is controlled by a strong military and imperial regime, after which the civilization falls.{{sfn|Goodrick-Clarke|2003|p=220}} The ONA claims that humanity has lived through five such Aeons, each with an associated civilization: the Primal, [[Hyperborea]]n, [[Sumer]]ian, [[Hellenistic period|Hellenic]], and [[History of Western civilization|Western]].{{sfn|Gardell|2003|p=391}} Scholars have argued that this system of Aeons was inspired by the work of [[Arnold J. Toynbee]],{{sfnm|1a1=Goodrick-Clarke|1y=2003|1p=220|2a1=Senholt|2y=2013|2p=261}} and possibly also the notion of aeons presented in Crowley's [[Thelema]].{{sfn|Senholt|2013|p=261}}

The ONA claims that the current Western civilization has a [[Faustian]] ethos and has recently undergone its Time of Troubles, with its final stage, an "Imperium" of militaristic governance, due to commence at some point in 1990–2011 and last until 2390.{{sfn|Goodrick-Clarke|2003|p=220}} This will be followed by a period of chaos from which will be established a sixth Aeon, the Aeon of Fire, which will be represented by the Galactic civilization in which an Aryan society shall colonize the [[Milky Way]] galaxy.{{sfnm|1a1=Gardell|1y=2003|1pp=294,391|2a1=Goodrick-Clarke|2y=2003|2p=221}} 

The Order holds that unlike previous Aeonic civilizations, Western civilization has been infected with the "Magian/Nazarene" distortion, which they associate with the Judeo-Christian religion.{{sfnm|1a1=Gardell|1y=2003|1p=294|2a1=Goodrick-Clarke|2y=2003|2p=220|3a1=Senholt|3y=2013|3p=261}} The group's writings state that while Western civilization had once been "a pioneering entity, imbued with elitist values and exalting the way of the warrior", under the impact of the Magian/Nazarene ethos it has become "essentially neurotic, inward-looking and obsessed", embracing [[humanism]], [[capitalism]], [[communism]], as well as "the sham of [[democracy]]" and "the dogma of [[racial equality]]."{{sfn|Goodrick-Clarke|2003|p=220}} 

They believe that these Magian/Nazarene forces represent a counter-evolutionary trend which threatens to prevent the emergence of the Western Imperium and thus the evolution of humanity, teaching that this cosmic enemy must be overcome through the force of will.{{sfnm|1a1=Gardell|1y=2003|1p=294|2a1=Goodrick-Clarke|2y=2003|2p=220|3a1=Senholt|3y=2013|3p=261}} The Order is thus far more overtly politically extreme in its aims than other Satanic and left-hand path organisations are, seeking to infiltrate and destabilise modern society through magical and practical means.{{sfn|Senholt|2013|p=251}} Both Goodrick-Clarke and Sieg note that these ideas regarding the "Magian soul" and "cultural distortion" brought about by [[Jews]] derive from the works of [[Oswald Spengler]] and [[Francis Parker Yockey]].{{sfnm|1a1=Goodrick-Clarke|1y=2003|1p=220|2a1=Sieg|2y=2013|2p=259}}

===Interest in Nazism and jihadism===

{{Quote box
| width = 25em
| quote = "[[Adolf Hitler]] was sent by our gods<br />To guide us to greatness<br />We believe in the inequality of races<br />And in the right of the [[Aryan]] to live<br />According to the laws of the folk.<br />We acknowledge that the story of the Jewish "holocaust"<br />Is a lie to keep our race in chains<br />And express our desire to see the truth revealed.<br />We believe in justice for our oppressed comrades<br />And seek an end to the world-wide<br />Persecution of National-Socialists."
| source = — The ONA's "Mass of Heresy"{{sfn|Kaplan|2000a|p=237}}
}}

If the identification of Long as Myatt is correct, then the ONA would have its ideological foundations in the neo-Nazi movement.{{sfn|Gregorius|2023|p=254}} The ONA's material contains various positive references to [[Nazism]] and neo-Nazism,{{sfn|Kaplan|2000a|p=237}} praising [[Nazi Germany]] as "a practical expression of the Satanic spirit&nbsp;... a burst of Luciferian light – of zest and power – in an otherwise Nazarene, pacified, and boring world."{{sfn|Goodrick-Clarke|2003|p=221}} The ONA also evokes the Nazi leader [[Adolf Hitler]] as a positive force in its text for the performance of a [[Black Mass]].{{sfn|Baddeley|2010|p=155}} 

Embracing [[Holocaust denial]],{{sfn|Goodrick-Clarke|2003|p=221}} it claims that the [[The Holocaust|Holocaust]] [[Holocaust denial|was a myth]] which was constructed by the Magian/Nazarene establishment in order to denigrate the Nazi administration after the [[World War II|Second World War]] and erase its achievements from "the psyche of the West".{{sfn|Goodrick-Clarke|2003|p=221}} The group believes that a neo-Nazi revolution is necessary in order to overthrow the Magian-Nazarene domination of Western society and establish the Imperium, ultimately allowing humanity to enter the Galactic civilization of the future.{{sfnm|1a1=Gardell|1y=2003|1p=294|2a1=Goodrick-Clarke|2y=2003|2p=221}}

Senior group member Christos Beest, however, presents Nazi imagery as just one way in which the Order works, instead maintaining that they are "the only true anarchist group".{{sfn|Gregorius|2023|p=254}} While the group's Black Mass commonly invoked Hitler, another version—produced by Australian ONA group The Temple of THEM—replaces the Nazi leader with the [[Salafi jihadism|Salafi jihadist]] [[Osama bin Laden]].{{sfnm|1a1=Sieg|1y=2013|1p=258|2a1=Introvigne|2y=2016|2p=359}} The group frames neo-Nazism and Salafi jihadism as "causal forms" which will help to bring down the old order and facilitate the coming of a new aeon.{{sfn|Shah|Cooper|Newcombe|2023|p=5}} In this, some ONA texts present the support of neo-Nazism as arising not from a genuine belief in Nazi ideology,  but as part of a "sinister strategy" to advance Aeonic evolution.{{sfnm|1a1=Gardell|1y=2003|1p=294|2a1=Sieg|2y=2013|2p=259}}

As the scholars Shanon Shah, Jane Cooper and Suzanne Newcombe have noted, there is a flexibility to the ONA's approaches which allow different groups and individuals affiliated with the movement to adopt different beliefs.{{sfn|Shah|Cooper|Newcombe|2023|p=5}} 
The writings of Chloe Ortega and Kayla DiGiovanni, key publicists for the U.S.-based White Star Acception, express what Sieg termed a "left-anarchist" platform which lacked the condemnation of [[Zionism]] and the endorsement of [[Aryan]] racialism which is found in Long's writings.{{sfn|Sieg|2013|p=269}}

===The term "nine angles"===

Although occult scholars attribute the concept of Nine Angles to the [[Church of Satan]], in its essays and other writings the ONA offers differing explanations as to the meaning of the term "Nine Angles".{{sfn|Monette|2013|p=105}} One explanation is that it pertains to the seven planets of the group's cosmology (the seven angles), added to the system as a whole (the eighth angle), and the mystic themselves (the ninth angle).{{sfnm|1a1=Monette|1y=2013|1p=105|2a1=Introvigne|2y=2016|2p=360}} A second explanation is that it refers to seven "normal" [[alchemy|alchemical]] stages, with an additional two processes.{{sfn|Monette|2013|p=105}} A third is that it pertains to the nine emanations of the divine, a concept originally found in Medieval texts produced within the Islamic mystical tradition of [[Sufism]].{{sfn|Monette|2013|p=105}} Monette further suggested that it was a reference to a classical Indian tradition which divided the [[Solar System]] into nine planets.{{sfn|Monette|2013|p=105}}