How to Spot a Setian

By Don Webb, High Priest Emeritus, Temple of Set

There is an old tradition in sorcery. You learn your tricks from a master, and then you move to another town where nobody remembers you as the looser that you were. In the new town you create a fictional past full of daring deeds and accomplishments and people wowed by your prowess flock to you for advice and spell-casting. This sort of Lesser Magic has flourished for years. It's great for quick effects in the world, but does not change the practitioner in any positive way.

One of the components of this sort of sorcery is to claim to be a member of some exotic or powerful group. It's a heck of a lot more impressive to say "I am Initiate of the Great White Brotherhood" than "I occasionally get lucky with my Tarot readings." Smarter con men choose groups that don't really exist, or no longer exist in the world. Dumber people choose groups that do exist. Perhaps you know someone that has claimed to speak a language for years that when finally confronted with an actual speaker at a party then looks like a fool . . .

The Temple of Set has apparently come of age since we now have the problem of poseurs that claim to be our members. From the perspective of our organizational influence in the world this is a good (if annoying sign). Some people claim to be Setians because they want to impress others, some claim to be Setians because they think they can do some organizational harm to us, some make the claim because they're bored with pretending to persons of the opposite gender in chat rooms.

Real Setians generally don't discuss their affiliation. If they do it is usually without titles involved, unless they are acting as a member of our Priesthood and having to make an official statement. Real Setians simply do not draw their power from their title. If you see someone hammering away on some e-list about how great they are because they are in our Temple, you can pretty much bet that they are not in our Temple. Setians perceive their titles as a form of giving worth to the Prince of Darkness. If they are an Adept, a Priest or a Magistra - they see these titles as feeding the spirit of the Temple. It's a voluntary exchange - "I will act with nobility and such wisdom as I have now to strengthen the things that opened my eyes." This magical attitude makes each speech-act of the Setian a furthering in the world of the Will of the Prince of Darkness.

Setians take their speech seriously. If you see someone using foul language, stupid one-line retorts, or claiming to give away inside secrets of the Temple, you are safe in assuming that this isn't a Temple member. What you may also assume is that these people are unconsciously serving our cause as well - simply by pointing out the excellence of our members by letting people figure out that they are not members. Such service is of course a much lower degree of quality than that of the conscious person fighting alongside the Prince of Darkness.

Such poseurs will come and go, draining little of our resources and spreading our fame (albeit by negative means). Their actions will ensnare them to us making them not a Lord of the Left Hand Path, but a serf thereof. As you encounter these people just compare what they say and how they say it with our public documents and writings and ask yourself if their sayings are congruent. Learning to spot the real McCoy is an important step in anyone's Initiation - and thus these would-bes are an aid to you as well as to us.

Think about what you read, compare it to what you know and act accordingly.