Dr Michael Aquino Innocent of all Charges?

[Andrey]

I wasn't sure where to put this so I decided to post this here.

I have been following the Michael Aquino rabbit hole for quite some time and have even spent a considerable amount of time reading through his works and sifting through the philosophy and material of the Temple of Set, which he founded in 1975. He put out a lot of material that I found truly insightful (and still do to some extent) and have wondered if he was framed by COINTELPRO because his organization threatened the religious status quo of the 80's. Laura has remarked before in her articles that the Satanic Panic of the 80's may have been a psy-op to fuel people's overactive imaginations, and I've wondered if Michael Aquino and his wife got swept up in it and were targeted as well.

Reading through his works, I find a very intelligent man with a lot of insightful things to say. I don't fully agree with everything he put out (and I'm sure this forum would radically differ from him in his views), but I find it hard to believe that he was responsible for the heinous accusations that have been brought against him. I think the conspiracy theory crowd did a massive injustice in painting him as a monster without sufficient evidence. The issue itself is such a massive tar baby because there is a LOT of information to sift through, but from everything I have read so far on it, I firmly believe he was wrongly accused and framed by the PTB for putting out a philosophy that threatened the control system. Yes the philosophy is dark in its aesthetics, but if you take the time to read through the material, it is in my opinion a very positive and empowering philosophy for it's time that accentuates individuation of the common man. It may not mesh perfectly with the philosophy of this forum, but nonetheless it is an interesting snapshot in history of a man who created something special in my opinion and I am convinced he was punished for it by the PTB.

Has anyone else here been down the Michael Aquino rabbit hole? If so, what is your opinion on the matter? Do you think he did all those things he has been accused of or do you hold a different view?

 

[Bastian]

I have been following the Michael Aquino rabbit hole for quite some time and have even spent a considerable amount of time reading through his works and sifting through the philosophy and material of the Temple of Set, which he founded in 1975. (...)

Has anyone else here been down the Michael Aquino rabbit hole? If so, what is your opinion on the matter?

What about reading this book : Rabbit Hole. A Satanic Ritual Abuse Survivor's Story by David Shurter (2012) ?

And have you basically done a search on the forum ?

PS : also, reading again your own thread about Metaphysics of ritualism may be useful. Particularly the answers that others gave to you.

 

[Andrey]

What about reading this book : Rabbit Hole. A Satanic Ritual Abuse Survivor's Story by David Shurter (2012) ?

PS : also, reading again your own thread about Metaphysics of ritualism may be useful. Particularly the answers that others gave to you.

I am not denying that these things have happened. What I AM saying is that Michael Aquino specifically didn't engage in these things. What I said in that thread about my perceptions of the Temple of Set should be taken with a grain of salt, as they are undeveloped perceptions about this organization. While their philosophy differs from that of the forum, I am just saying that they are not as evil as people make them out to be. They are simply an initiatory occult organization privately exploring a philosophy and seem to be in their own little bubble and not tied to any sort of real STS forces. Do some of their members engage in activities that this forum may find unethical? Sure. But nothing close to the heinous charges that have been brought up against the Aquinos specifically or what the conspiracy theory people have said about the Temple of Set. Again, I suggest reading their material and some of the works of authors that are members of the Temple of Set that have published works on amazon. Like Stephen Flowers and Don Webb and of course, Michael Aquino's works as well.

 

[Aeneas]

I wasn't sure where to put this so I decided to post this here.

I think you chose the right subforum for your post, namely Cointelpro.

What I AM saying is that Michael Aquino specifically didn't engage in these things. What I said in that thread about my perceptions of the Temple of Set should be taken with a grain of salt, as they are undeveloped perceptions about this organization. While their philosophy differs from that of the forum, I am just saying that they are not as evil as people make them out to be. They are simply an initiatory occult organization privately exploring a philosophy and seem to be in their own little bubble and not tied to any sort of real STS forces.

Well, it certainly sounds innocent enough from what you write, just simply an initiatory occult organisation exploring a philosophy.

From Wikipedia:

Michael Angelo Aquino (October 16, 1946 – September 1, 2019<a href="Michael Angelo Aquino - Wikipedia was an American political scientist, military officer and Satanist. He was the founder and high priest of the Temple of Set. Aquino was also a specialist in psychological warfare for military intelligence and an officer in the U.S. Army.

Okay, so a specialist in psychological warfare.

Following his commissioning in the Army, Aquino served as a psychological warfare specialist and was deployed in the Vietnam War. He served with the Green Berets and in the 1970s and early 1980s he was a part-time NATO liaison officer in several European countries. While off-duty on one of these tours, he visited Wewelsburg Castle, which was used by the SS and Heinrich Himmler, and is said to have performed a satanic ritual there.<a href="Michael Angelo Aquino - Wikipedia"><span>[</span>2<span>]</span></a><a href="Michael Angelo Aquino - Wikipedia"><span>[</span>3<span>]</span></a> He is also said to have established contacts to right-wing extremists in Europe as the leader of a group called "Monarch", which may have been connected to Operation Gladio.

I guess that is pretty much accurate even if it is from wikipedia. Regarding the satanic ritual mentioned, then it does fit with his love for satanism as he joined the church of Satan in 1969.

In 1969, he joined the Church of Satan, led by Anton LaVey, and quickly rose through the ranks of the group. By 1971, Aquino had been appointed Magister Caverns of the IV degree within the church hierarchy, was the editor of the publication The Cloven Hoof and sat on the governing council of the nine.

After he left the Church of Satan, he started a ritual in which he asked Satan for advice on what to do next.<a href="Michael Angelo Aquino - Wikipedia"><span>[</span>8<span>]</span></a> According to him, Satan appeared to him in the summer of 1975 and revealed to him that he wanted to be called Set, a name that his worshippers in ancient Egypt are said to have used.

He then founded the church of Set and remained the high priest until 1979 when he left. It was during this time that he was also a part-time NATO liason officer mentioned above and alluded to being connected to Operation Gladio.

Aquino's orientation was strongly influenced by the work of the British occultist Aleister Crowley.<a href="Michael Angelo Aquino - Wikipedia"><span>[</span>8<span>]</span></a> The group's aim is self-deification, which it pursues by performing rituals and practicing black magic, among other things.

Yes the philosophy is dark in its aesthetics, but if you take the time to read through the material, it is in my opinion a very positive and empowering philosophy for it's time that accentuates individuation of the common man. It may not mesh perfectly with the philosophy of this forum

You could be on to something with what I highlighted above. As for being a very positive and empowering philosophy, then I beg to differ.

Aquino remained the Temple's high priest until 1979, when he handed over the role to Ronald Keith Barrett, who, following disputes, also founded his own satanic sect, the Temple of Anubis, a few years later. Aquino was high priest again between 1982 and 1996 and between 2002 and 2004.

In other words Aquino was very involved with a satanic sect for at least 35 years.

Then came the child molestation charges:

In November 1986, the San Francisco Police began investigating allegations of sexual abuse in connection with the Army's Child Development Center at the Presidio of San Francisco. A girl came forward in August 1987 and identified Aquino as the culprit. At least 58 out of 100 children who had attended the daycare center showed physical and mental signs of sexual abuse, leading to a lawsuit by the parents for $60 million in damages. An investigation against Aquino was launched, but it was closed after insufficient evidence was found.

The charges were dismissed as they often are in pedophilia cases. Next bit from wiki:

John DeCamp, a Republican politician and former member of the Nebraska Legislature, linked Aquino to the Franklin child prostitution ring allegations.<a href="Michael Angelo Aquino - Wikipedia"><span>[</span>4<span>]</span></a> However, no charges were filed and a grand jury dismissed the entire case in 1990.

The Franklin case is well documented and shows how those in high places have the power to silence victims and get cases dismissed despite overwhelming evidence. See this documentary about the Franklin pedophile case. Harrison has written a great article about this case on his substack The Franklin Cover-up

They are simply an initiatory occult organization privately exploring a philosophy and seem to be in their own little bubble and not tied to any sort of real STS forces.

I wonder why you have such an interest in white washing someone who by his own words was heavily into satanism and who had a major lawsuit against him for pedophilia. You are quite adamant that the guy was innocent and not really into anything STS, but on what do you base it? Your feeling about the guy or from reading what he wrote? If it from reading what he wrote, then bear in mind that the guy was a psychological warfare officer likely working with hidden warfare operations like Gladio. Such a person would also have contacts to protect him from charges of sexual child abuse. If doesn't mean he was a sexual predator, just that he would have had the contacts to make any allegations go away.

Again, I suggest reading their material and some of the works of authors that are members of the Temple of Set that have published works on amazon. Like Stephen Flowers and Don Webb and of course, Michael Aquino's works as well.

Eh, no thank you. Reading books from guys who are into satanism isn't on my list of books to read.

 

[Andrey]

I think you chose the right subforum for your post, namely Cointelpro.

Well, it certainly sounds innocent enough from what you write, just simply an initiatory occult organisation exploring a philosophy.

From Wikipedia:

Okay, so a specialist in psychological warfare.

I guess that is pretty much accurate even if it is from wikipedia. Regarding the satanic ritual mentioned, then it does fit with his love for satanism as he joined the church of Satan in 1969.


He then founded the church of Set and remained the high priest until 1979 when he left. It was during this time that he was also a part-time NATO liason officer mentioned above and alluded to being connected to Operation Gladio.



You could be on to something with what I highlighted above. As for being a very positive and empowering philosophy, then I beg to differ.


In other words Aquino was very involved with a satanic sect for at least 35 years.

Then came the child molestation charges:


The charges were dismissed as they often are in pedophilia cases. Next bit from wiki:

The Franklin case is well documented and shows how those in high places have the power to silence victims and get cases dismissed despite overwhelming evidence. See this documentary about the Franklin pedophile case. Harrison has written a great article about this case on his substack The Franklin Cover-up


I wonder why you have such an interest in white washing someone who by his own words was heavily into satanism and who had a major lawsuit against him for pedophilia. You are quite adamant that the guy was innocent and not really into anything STS, but on what do you base it? Your feeling about the guy or from reading what he wrote? If it from reading what he wrote, then bear in mind that the guy was a psychological warfare officer likely working with hidden warfare operations like Gladio. Such a person would also have contacts to protect him from charges of sexual child abuse. If doesn't mean he was a sexual predator, just that he would have had the contacts to make any allegations go away.


Eh, no thank you. Reading books from guys who are into satanism isn't on my list of books to read.

Hello Aeneas.

The main reason I feel he is innocent is from reading what he and others tied to the Temple of Set have written about their philosophy. It doesn't make sense to me that they would do these things, considering the profound (I find) material. Another point I would like to make is the broad generalization that Satanism is negative or only concerned with an exploration of evil. It is (at least Laveyan Satanism and Setian philosophy) not. Their philosophy preserves a Miltonic-Romantic legacy of Lucifer/Satan as a positive entity that brought individual self consciousness and individuality to humanity. I personally don't resonate with this philosophy as much as I used to, and I'm sure many on this forum wouldn't resonate at all with these ideas, but the point I'm trying to make is that these ideas in relation to satanism aren't evil as they are made out to be by those who haven't explored it in depth. They are no different than other occult religions like Wicca or Golden Dawn, etc. Just a group of people in their own little bubble exploring what they find to be a positive philosophy.

As far as Michael Aquino is concerned, I admit I am biased toward him being totally innocent as I found his writings insightful during a certain phase of my life and it doesn't make sense to me at all that someone who wrote so well would be involved in such things. Yes he was well connected to some degree (although that is also an exaggeration by the conspiracy theory people. He was a Lieutenant Colonel which isn't some super high position or anything like that) but from reading some of the material from his point of view about the Presidio Scam I feel sure that he didn't do anything.

He even wrote an entire book about this event called Extreme Prejudice which goes in depth about the whole thing.

With all that being said, I suppose anything is possible on this crazy planet so I will keep an open mind about this issue if some damning evidence does show up implicating him. I feel like he was framed by COINTELPRO because he challenged the religious status quo of the times, but maybe I'm wrong.

Also a very curious thing I've noticed is how google is trying to bury any information about this guy. If you search for interviews he did with various people, google doesn't show them but DuckDuckGo does. Also all search results on google about the Temple of Set go to sites critiquing the organization. They don't go to the actual website of the organization. But DuckDuckGo does.

Another curious thing is the quote "Aquino, alleged to have recently retired from an active military role, was long the leader of an Army psychological warfare section which drew on his ‘expertise’ and personal practices in brainwashing, Satanism, Nazism, homosexual pedophilia and murder." This quote that I'm sharing was on one of Laura's articles (here), yet this quote has been posted numerous times on many websites (here). Why would this quote be shared all over the internet. It seems to me that some people have some nefarious agenda to tarnish his name.

It is stuff like this that makes me think that Aquino is a target of COINTELPRO. Something is very fishy here. Either he was very well connected and they want to scrub him from the internet completely so people don't find any connections to secretive STS forces, or he was onto something with his writings and it was a philosophy that challenges the religious status quo. From reading his writings, I am inclined to believe it was the latter.

 

[seek10]

It is stuff like this that makes me think that Aquino is a target of COINTELPRO. Something is very fishy here. Either he was very well connected and they want to scrub him from the internet completely so people don't find any connections to secretive STS forces, or he was onto something with his writings and it was a philosophy that challenges the religious status quo. From reading his writings, I am inclined to believe it was the latter.

Even if he is target of COINTERPRO, it is still part of their 'Fun and games'. That doesn't make him innocent, even if you found some benefit from his writing. His long association with 'Satanistic' activities make him big tool of 'Satan'. Worse, he is psychological warfare expert. You might have known this phrase

"when you dance with the devil, the devil doesn't change. The devil changes you"

 

[Aeneas]

Another curious thing is the quote "Aquino, alleged to have recently retired from an active military role, was long the leader of an Army psychological warfare section which drew on his ‘expertise’ and personal practices in brainwashing, Satanism, Nazism, homosexual pedophilia and murder."

I understand that you look at that quote as a way to tarnish him. But which part do you feel is tarnishing him? I will go through it point by point: 1) He was an expert in brainwashing as a psychological warfare expert. He even coauthored an article on Mind warfare:

In 1980, in response to the Vietnam War, Aquino published a paper co-authored with Colonel Paul Vallely called From PSYOP to MindWar: The Psychology of Victory. In this paper, both authors propose a new type of psychological warfare to replace or supplement conventional warfare. The term "MindWar" suggests a broader, more pervasive form of psychological warfare that extends beyond traditional PSYOP. It may involve the use of media, information technology, and other forms of communication to influence both enemy forces and civilian populations. Measures such as altering electromagnetic waves, or ionizing the air are also proposed to influence or manipulate civilians.<a href="Michael Angelo Aquino - Wikipedia"><span>[</span>5<span>]</span></a>

2) He was into satanism in a big way.
3) Nazism. Perhaps this is where you feel the quote is tarnishing him. It is said that while he was a liason officer in Europe, he established contact right wing groups:

He is also said to have established contacts to right-wing extremists in Europe as the leader of a group called "Monarch", which may have been connected to Operation Gladio.<a href="Michael Angelo Aquino - Wikipedia"><span>[</span>4<span>]</span></a>

The above is from a book by Decamp:

1. DeCamp, John W. (1992). The Franklin Cover-up: Child Abuse, Satanism, and Murder in Nebraska. AWT. pp. 327–333. ISBN 978-0-9632158-0-2.

About Gladio:

General Gerardo Serravalle, who commanded the Italian Gladio from 1971 to 1974, related that "in the 1970s the members of the CPC [Coordination and Planning Committee] were the officers responsible for the secret structures of Great Britain, France, Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Italy. These representatives of the secret structures met every year in one of the capitals... At the stay-behind meetings representatives of the CIA were always present. They had no voting rights and were from the CIA headquarters of the capital in which the meeting took place... members of the US Forces Europe Command were present, also without voting rights. "<a href="Operation Gladio - Wikipedia"><span>[</span>35<span>]</span></a> Next to the CPC a second secret command post was created in 1957, the Allied Clandestine Committee (ACC). According to the Belgian Parliamentary Committee on Gladio, the ACC was "responsible for coordinating the 'Stay-behind' networks in Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Holland, Norway, United Kingdom and the United States". During peacetime, the activities of the ACC "included elaborating the directives for the network, developing its clandestine capability and organising bases in Britain and the United States.

Aquino was a liason officer during that time. He wasn't there on holiday but because of his psychological warfare expertise and he could thus easily be one of those many unnamed liason officers who were working together with far right wing groups in networks such as Gladio. He was awarded the Meritorius Service Award for his services, whatever they may have been.

The Meritorious Service Medal (MSM) is a military award presented to members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguish themselves with outstanding meritorious achievement or service to the United States.

4) Homosexual pedophilia: Going by how pedophilia is suppressed at the higher levels of society where as mentioned before, cases are closed and victims silenced, then this is where one would have to look into the Franklin case as Aquino was said by Republican Decamp to be linked to it.

Yes he was well connected to some degree (although that is also an exaggeration by the conspiracy theory people. He was a Lieutenant Colonel which isn't some super high position or anything like that) but from reading some of the material from his point of view about the Presidio Scam I feel sure that he didn't do anything.

I can not say for sure, but I think that spooks are commonly not getting titles of generals or the likes, but that doesn't mean they are not high up in the hierarchy. Being in the spy world gives the people many contacts and also leverage over people to blackmail if needed.
5) Murder: Well, that is not unlikely. Apart from having been in Vietnam, he was a Green Beret, which is the elite soldiers of the US army.

The United States Army Special Forces (SF), colloquially known as the "Green Berets" due to their distinctive service headgear, is a branch of the United States Army Special Operations Command (USASOC).

The core missionset of Special Forces contains five doctrinal missions: unconventional warfare, foreign internal defense, direct action, counterterrorism,<a href="United States Army Special Forces - Wikipedia"><span>[</span>4<span>]</span></a> and special reconnaissance.<a href="United States Army Special Forces - Wikipedia"><span>[</span>12<span>]</span></a>

Murder would at the very least be something which he was trained for, but again that doesn't mean that he was a murderer.

Thinking of his view about warfare and that it should also be used against civilians, then I do not get a feel that he had an empathetic view of humanity.

It seems to me that some people have some nefarious agenda to tarnish his name.

It is stuff like this that makes me think that Aquino is a target of COINTELPRO.

Well, I don't think he was a target of COINTELPRO because he himself was COINTELPRO. Unless of cause if he had outlived his usefulness. The charges of child molestation against him started in 1987 yet he didn't encounter any problems from the army, from which he retired in 1994. The army also didn't have any problems with him being a leader of a satanic church.

He was a Lieutenant Colonel which isn't some super high position or anything like that) but from reading some of the material from his point of view about the Presidio Scam I feel sure that he didn't do anything.

So reading his point of view, you are convinced that he didn't do anything? He would be a pretty bad psychological warfare officer if he couldn't sell himself as being innocent. Keep in mind that he was a psychological warfare officer and that he was into satanism his whole life where they adhere to "my will be done" and black magic. There is also the warning which have been mentioned several times on the forum that if you look too much into the abyss, it may look back.

 

[axj]

Another point I would like to make is the broad generalization that Satanism is negative or only concerned with an exploration of evil. It is (at least Laveyan Satanism and Setian philosophy) not. Their philosophy preserves a Miltonic-Romantic legacy of Lucifer/Satan as a positive entity that brought individual self consciousness and individuality to humanity.

That is their usual spin, that "Lucifer really means light-bringer" and that their philosophy is really about the balance of light and dark, etc.

It is only in the details or the omitted parts where it becomes clear that these Lucifer worshippers are choosing extreme STS and eventually evil. They want to be able to do only what they want and become "gods", but fail to mention the strict hierarchy or basically slavery to the STS beings above them. They may even get some 'worldly success' or riches (as apparently quite a few of the "elites" did), but at the expense of becoming basically slaves to those who granted them those wishes.

There seems to be a kernel of truth in the claim that Lucifer "helped" in humanity's individuation process. The very Christian clairvoyant Rudolph Steiner said that Lucifer's incarnation a few thousand years ago had some positive influence on humanity in that regard, but it seems that it was more of an "unintended by-product" while this entity was pursuing its own goals.

 

[Andrey]

I understand that you look at that quote as a way to tarnish him. But which part do you feel is tarnishing him? I will go through it point by point: 1) He was an expert in brainwashing as a psychological warfare expert. He even coauthored an article on Mind warfare:

2) He was into satanism in a big way.
3) Nazism. Perhaps this is where you feel the quote is tarnishing him. It is said that while he was a liason officer in Europe, he established contact right wing groups:

The above is from a book by Decamp:

1. DeCamp, John W. (1992). The Franklin Cover-up: Child Abuse, Satanism, and Murder in Nebraska. AWT. pp. 327–333. ISBN 978-0-9632158-0-2.

About Gladio:

Aquino was a liason officer during that time. He wasn't there on holiday but because of his psychological warfare expertise and he could thus easily be one of those many unnamed liason officers who were working together with far right wing groups in networks such as Gladio. He was awarded the Meritorius Service Award for his services, whatever they may have been.



4) Homosexual pedophilia: Going by how pedophilia is suppressed at the higher levels of society where as mentioned before, cases are closed and victims silenced, then this is where one would have to look into the Franklin case as Aquino was said by Republican Decamp to be linked to it.

I can not say for sure, but I think that spooks are commonly not getting titles of generals or the likes, but that doesn't mean they are not high up in the hierarchy. Being in the spy world gives the people many contacts and also leverage over people to blackmail if needed.
5) Murder: Well, that is not unlikely. Apart from having been in Vietnam, he was a Green Beret, which is the elite soldiers of the US army.


Murder would at the very least be something which he was trained for, but again that doesn't mean that he was a murderer.

Thinking of his view about warfare and that it should also be used against civilians, then I do not get a feel that he had an empathetic view of humanity.

Well, I don't think he was a target of COINTELPRO because he himself was COINTELPRO. Unless of cause if he had outlived his usefulness. The charges of child molestation against him started in 1987 yet he didn't encounter any problems from the army, from which he retired in 1994. The army also didn't have any problems with him being a leader of a satanic church.


So reading his point of view, you are convinced that he didn't do anything? He would be a pretty bad psychological warfare officer if he couldn't sell himself as being innocent. Keep in mind that he was a psychological warfare officer and that he was into satanism his whole life where they adhere to "my will be done" and black magic. There is also the warning which have been mentioned several times on the forum that if you look too much into the abyss, it may look back.

Hello again Aeneas.

I must admit you make some good points. It's just that I was impacted by his writings awhile back in a positive way so I guess I was seeing the whole issue a certain way. It is very possible that he is connected to STS forces. I guess they compartmentalized his connections in a clever way. His writings are completely separate from his other dealings in government/military whatever they were and I was only looking at his writings and interviews as proof that it's impossible that such an intelligent and charming personality could be involved with those things. But I am taking steps to remove myself from their philosophies and I will seriously consider the idea that he could be involved with all these things in any way. I'm still a bit skeptical after digesting their works, but I will keep an open mind.

 

[nicklebleu]

The main reason I feel he is innocent is from reading what he and others tied to the Temple of Set have written about their philosophy. It doesn't make sense to me that they would do these things, considering the profound (I find) material.

That’s the shoe in the door, once you accept part of it is true, the more likely you will adopt things that are further away from your own values. This method is called a “yes set” in hypnotherapy - give the patient a set of questions that you know he/ she will definitely answer positively, and then you can bring on the crucial bit you also want him to answer with YES. The longer the “yes set”, the morel likely this is to happen.

Deception is usually infused with truths …

 

[Nienna]

His writings are completely separate from his other dealings in government/military whatever they were and I was only looking at his writings and interviews as proof that it's impossible that such an intelligent and charming personality could be involved with those things.

If you haven't read up on psychopathy, you may want to do so. It has been shown that there are many of the smarter psychopaths who are quite able to fool people into thinking what a great and respectable person they are. And those people who have been fooled are quite adamant that the psychopath is a really good guy and would never do anything to hurt someone even when quite a bit of evidence is shown to them. That is how tightly the psychopath can bind people to him or her.

 

[msasa79]

If you haven't read up on psychopathy, you may want to do so. It has been shown that there are many of the smarter psychopaths who are quite able to fool people into thinking what a great and respectable person they are. And those people who have been fooled are quite adamant that the psychopath is a really good guy and would never do anything to hurt someone even when quite a bit of evidence is shown to them. That is how tightly the psychopath can bind people to him or her.

One of the example cases of this is Ira 'Unicorn' Einhorn, discussed in extenso in the later part of the Wave series by LKJ.
FWIW.