People think of hedonism like it’s a negative thing. Personally, I think embracing ethical hedonism has brought me closer to Satan.

According to Google, the definition of hedonism is “the pursuit of pleasure; sensual self-indulgence.” This definition mentions nothing about the baggage surrounding the word. People think of the pursuit of pleasure as immoral, corrupt, and sinful. Ethical hedonism is the pursuit of pleasure, but with personal ethics involved. Ultimately, I decide which pleasures are okay to indulge in and to what extent I can ethically indulge in them.

Religions often shame people for pursuing pleasure, especially the worldly pleasures that hedonism is associated with. Have you ever heard of good food described as “sinful”? However, practicing theistic Satanism has made me more of an ethical hedonist. My time with Satan has taught me that Satan wants us to enjoy life. Overall, He wants us to experience pleasure without the fetters of guilt or shame. Pleasure is one of the many gifts Satan gives humanity.

In my opinion, the experience of pleasure is one of the things that makes life worth living. Pleasure isn’t the only thing to live for, but it’s an important component in life. A life without pleasure isn’t devoid of meaning, but it’s a lot less fun. I make pleasure a priority in life because it makes me feel good. My hedonism includes worldly pleasures like lust and food, but also the smaller pleasures in life such as funny memes or spending time with friends. I think Satan wants me to be happy and live a life full of pleasures. Most worldly pleasures are here for us to enjoy, not avoid.

For me, ethical hedonism is about spiritual, emotional, and material fulfillment. Experiencing pleasure gets me in touch with Satan. I’m not ashamed of pursuing pleasure, so long as my pleasure isn’t hurting someone who doesn’t want or deserve to be hurt. For instance, many people (myself included) are into BDSM. Some people who are into BDSM enjoy being spanked, whipped, tied up, etc. So long as each person involved consents to the activity and the activity itself is carried out in a safe manner, their hedonism is ethical.

However, not all pleasures are ethical. For instance, engaging in sexual activities with non-consenting people (including minors/underage people) is not ethical. That kind of pleasure causes harm and has negative consequences. Don’t be that person.

I acknowledge that there are pleasures that can harm you if you indulge too much. Food, for instance, is a pleasure that can have bad consequences if I overindulge. This is where ethics comes in to decide what/how much I can eat without harming my health. Don’t get me wrong: I still eat too much, but I’m trying to work on eating healthier. I know eating healthy will bring me pleasure because I’ll get to enjoy the benefits of being healthy. This will lead to more pleasure.

The pursuit of pleasure is a highly personal thing. Nobody should feel guilty over indulging in pleasures like consensual sex or laughing at an enemy’s expense. Satan helps free me from this unnecessary shame over experiencing and valuing pleasure in life. He also helps me appreciate these pleasures more since I believe Satan, as the true creator, made these pleasure for us to enjoy. In essence, I thank Satan for the gift of pleasure every day.

Ultimately, only you can decide your personal ethics surrounding pleasure. For instance, getting revenge is a form of pleasure not everyone considers ethical, but I personally do. I think Satan is fine with justified revenge as well. I think my life is a happier place with both ethical hedonism and Satan involved in it. I find that the more I embrace Satan, the more of an ethical hedonist I become.