The title “Prince of Darkness” had little role in the Work of the Church of Satan and its founding Magus. LaVey, at his most cogent, stuck pretty closely to using Satan, and Satan alone, as the name for the central figure of the Church. While he recognized early on the various devils of the world’s cultures, as seen in the Infernal Names, he stayed focused on Satan in most of his public discussions.
Within the materials circulated privately in the Church of Satan, the title of “Prince of Darkness” was relatively rare. It did not appear in the Diabolicon nor the “Ninth Solstice Message.” In the general discussion, the key figure was Satan, as one would expect from the Church’s name.
The title of “Prince of Darkness” resonates much more with the Temple of Set. This begins, as did the Temple, with the Book of Coming Forth by Night, where it is said:
The Satanist thought to approach Satan through ritual. Now let the Setian shun all recitation, for the text of another is an affront to the Self. Speak rather to me as a friend, gently and without fear, and I shall hear as a friend. Do not bend your knee nor drop your eye, for such things were not done in my house at PaMat-et. But speak to me at night, for the sky then becomes an entrance and not a barrier. And those who call me the Prince of Darkness do me no dishonor.
While Satan may be referred to elsewhere as a “Hebrew Fiend,” it is indicated that “Prince of Darkness” is a title appropriate for Set. In his commentary, Dr. Aquino notes, “Set was originally the god of the hours of darkness; hence, presumably, the suitability of the title “Prince of Darkness.” The word “prince” derives from the Latin Princeps, meaning “first.” Etymologically this is not inappropriate.”
As noted already, the idea of Princeps relates to the idea of “Principle” and the Philosophical concept of “First Form.” Dr. Aquino, someone well versed in the Philosophy of Plato, would make an understandable leap: perhaps we could treat the Prince of Darkness as the First Form of that unique, separate Consciousness in Humanity. This insight would be strengthened by his exploration into the Egyptian influences in the genealogy of thought leading to Plato’s doctrine of Forms, suggesting that the concept of neter/neteru had played a seminal role in its development. Thus it could be said that Set was the neter of Isolate Consciousness.
Stephen Edred Flowers would take this insight from Dr. Aquino and elaborate on the idea that the Prince of Darkness represents the First Form or Principle of Isolate Intelligence. This construction acts as a Philosophical description of the Prince of Darkness, free of any particular mythological model or cultural background. Indeed by identifying this Philosophical understanding of the Prince of Darkness, it became simpler to view the various mythological and cultural practices that have developed due to different peoples and traditions attempting to address this Principle.
References:
Dr. Michael A. Aquino Temple of Set
Dr. Stephen Edred Flowers Lords of the Left-Hand Path: Forbidden Practices and Spiritual Heresies
Setemheb 