The Order of Nine Angles: Cosmology, Practice & Movement

Abstract

The Order of Nine Angles (O9A)—a trans-national esoteric Satanist movement—is of growing interest to researchers and law enforcement because of its apparent connections to violent extremist individuals and groups. This article presents a primary source-driven exploration of O9A’s cosmology, practice, and movement intended to inform objective discussions about the movement’s nexus to violent extremism, and to help readers better understand the terms and concepts contained in O9A texts. At the heart of O9A’s outlook lies a perspective on human and spiritual evolution holding that the true ethos of Western civilization is pagan but has been corrupted by Judeo-Christian values. O9A thus believes Western society is irredeemable in its present form and seeks to inculcate “heretical” acts that can break the shackles of Judeo-Christian constructs and contribute to societal breakdown. As this article establishes, O9A’s philosophy and practice have meaningful overlaps with violent extremism but clearly identifiable acts of violent extremism are less easy to discern at the movement level.