Support for LAist comes from
Local and national news, NPR, things to do, food recommendations and guides to Los Angeles, Orange County and the Inland Empire
Stay Connected
Listen

Share This

This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.

This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.

Arts and Entertainment

Here's What It's Like To Attend The Satanic Temple's Black Mass

Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.

On Saturday, the Satanic Temple of Los Angeles held their biggest event ever: a massive satanic mass, complete with a live bloodletting ritual. The purpose of the mass, according to the Satanic Temple's website, was "to inspire personal and societal liberation." The event, which was held in partnership with Das Bunker, doubled as a fundraiser for a number of causes including the women’s reproductive rights campaign, lawsuits concerning violations of the First Amendment, and providing education and assistance to individuals incarcerated in our for-profit prison system. Once attendees made it past the massive line to get in, there was live painting, and first-come-first-serve tattooing.

The event was essentially a goth/industrial show, with many attendees dressed in costume. There was a mosh pit and crowd surfing. There was a demonic cat lecture by Paul Koudounaris, and a destruction ritual, along with an invocation ritual. The invocation included a statement of principals of the Satanic Temple (aka the Seven Tenets), including a call to question everything and standing up to racial and gender inequality, and ending with chants of "Hail Satan." Coven of Ashes performed a bloodletting ritual, and the bands Lumerians, Author + Punisher, and 3Teeth performed.

As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.

Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.

We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.

No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.

Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.

Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.

Chip in now to fund your local journalism
A row of graphics payment types: Visa, MasterCard, Apple Pay and PayPal, and  below a lock with Secure Payment text to the right
(
LAist
)

Trending on LAist