Before I conclude this first class, I would like to review quickly some general spiritual anatomy and the mechanics of lust which you should have learned in the prerequisites to this course. Tedious though it may be to you, I am required to ensure that you know this information as well as you know yourselves.
All humans have spiritual orifices in the areas of their stomach, head, and heart from which retractable tentacle-like appendages emerge when stimulated. I describe them as tentacle-like because without our influence, they are not real tentacles at all. They are luminous, smooth, and airy with open ends, and they do not entwine or grasp, but merge and flow. Fortunately, that can be changed.
Hell has devoted much research to these appendages which has become the basis for much of the beauty in our art. Though each individual appendage acts as a tool for three primary areas, all three are welded together with a sort of synaptic network so that whatever effects one may effect the other two depending on the health of the entire system. The appendage emerging from the stomach area deciphers mainly physical sensations. The appendage emerging from the head area coordinates the mind and the emotions. The appendage emerging from the heart area inlets to the spiritual aspect of man and is his chief means of communication to the Enemy.
Though these appendages can't be seen by humans, their existence can be readily felt. Observe an athlete sometime before a race, or an actor before going on stage. First, the "head" appendage begins to swell within its orifice, sometimes causing great mental or emotional discomfort. This inflammation transmits through the synaptic network to the "stomach" appendage giving the human "butterflies in the stomach" or causing him to break out in a nervous sweat. More disciplined humans know how to focus and channel the distress of these two appendages into the "heart" appendage which, by some unknown mechanism, is able to syphon off the distress, equalize it throughout the system, and use it for more productive purposes. This is known to the humans as "getting psyched up".
In times like these, when the humans are by themselves, the appendages usually remain submerged within the orifices. However, when human interaction comes into play, it is quite another matter. Then the appendages emerge and couple with another human's forming a continuous, undulating conduit of communication. Our goal in regard to these appendages is one of two extremes. The first is to suppress them to the point that the patron is totally submersed in himself and effectively prevented from any real communication with any other being. Hornsquat's Lust for Life is a prime example of this. The second is to transform them into tentacles, weapons to bruise, lacerate, and stab. There are some humans who are quite unable to engage in any form of communication without inflicting some sort of pain either to themselves or others. I will share an admirable case study with you later when we talk about marriage and its opportunities and pitfalls.
So much for anatomy. Now let us discuss what happens when a patron commits the sin of lust. Perhaps a physical analogy will best suffice. If we think of the sin of lust as a sword, then a patron's commission of that sin would be similar to dealing himself a blow with that sword. The actual damage he does to himself may be equated with guilt, and the realization of the extent and pain of the wound would manifest itself as shame. Thanks to the efforts of our public relations department, humans usually view guilt and shame as one and the same thing or at least very similar. Far from it! In most humans, the faculty for shame is so atrophied that they don't see as we do, how they hack and hew themselves with their sins, how they are saturated with the "blood" of their guilt. Nowadays, due to our hard work, many humans must nearly impale themselves before they feel any real shame, and then it is usually only if they are "caught".
Lust, being a versatile sin, is difficult to pinpoint as far as its effect on a patron, particularly when it is directed by an accomplished artist. However, I have chosen a specific sin of lust, an addiction to masturbation, as a means to illustrate generally the frame of mind and spirit which blossoms from this lust and the mechanics of human spiritual anatomy.
There are three stages of masturbation: nocturnal emission, adolescent fantasy, and addiction. Nocturnal emissions do us very little good. They are simply a natural phenomenon and most males view them as embarrassing or annoying. At times, they can be used to produce very harrowing guilt and fear if the young male lives with a fanatically religious family, but usually young males realize that it is an event quite beyond their control, so we mainly use the pleasure of the emissions to promote future intentional masturbation which can lead to a much more promising area: adolescent fantasy.
The rudimentary stages of adolescent fantasy are tedious, but persistence pays off. The first adolescent fantasies usually focus on mere body parts, and those feeble fantasies are quite enough when coupled with the power of a newly emerging sexuality. These first experiences in masturbation are little more than physical release. However, if a patron can be seduced into consistent masturbation, he will soon grow tired of fantasizing about body parts and will start attaching faces of people he knows to them, then personalities, then he will imagine specific sexual acts. That is the time for extreme caution and careful workmanship, for the realization that he can have sex in his mind with anyone at any time in any way is the pivotal point in his spiritual development. With it, comes the understanding of a choice to be made concerning masturbation: willful abstinence, reasoned moderation, or complete indulgence. Most shoot for reasoned moderation, but the pressure we bring to bear causes many to completely indulge themselves until adulthood when other areas of their life become more developed and sex occupies not nearly so prominent a portion of their life.
During this pivotal time, careful record is usually made of what he fantasizes about. Not only will this information be of inestimable value in his future lust, but it is an essential instrument for reaching and molding that future. If you look into your patron's mind during masturbation, you will notice that there are certain body parts or sexual acts he focuses on in his fantasies. It may be breasts, or fellatio, or vaginas, or anal intercourse. Whatever it is, that is your lever for promoting addiction to masturbation. Connect what he fantasizes about with what he sees in the physical world. That is the beginning of addiction. In adolescent masturbation, a young man feels the compulsion mainly because of the heavy insurgence of various hormones in his body. Certainly his mind is involved, but mostly at the time of masturbation, and in an almost "automatic" and spectacularly boring way. In addiction, it is the mind, not hormones, that is almost entirely responsible for the compulsion. It is willful, consistent thought that titillates him throughout the day until he can find some privacy. He needn't even see a real woman, though if he does, so much the better. In his mind, he will dehumanize and "dismember" her, picking out all the parts he finds most attractive or most necessary for a specific act, then he will "reassemble" her in a fantasy. In the beginning of addiction, the mind still has much of its verve and nimbleness. A patron's fantasy will leap from one "scene" to another as he wills. But as his addiction grows and his mind becomes more torpid, the fantasies will begin to wrest control from him and infiltrate his mind, coming unbidden during a conversation, while he prays, and especially in his dreams. If left alone, he will fantasize for an hour or more easily, and that is when he has committed himself, and destruction of his life may commence in earnest.
Now let us discuss the role anatomy plays with this particular sin. When a human masturbates, his "head" appendage couples with his "stomach" appendage, but in a different way in each type of masturbation. During nocturnal emissions, the appendages appear dull and clumsy, and the ends do not form a solid coupling, but merely rub awkwardly against each other. During adolescent fantasy, the appendages emerge and couple quickly. They glow and spark and the coupling is firm, but the amount of time is not sufficient to produce fusion. When addiction occurs, the appendages emerge and couple with glowing sparks for such consistent or extended periods of time that they fuse together and are unable to retract back to their normal positions in their respective orifices. This condition quickly develops within a patron a masturbatory state of mind whereby a sight, a smell, a word, anything entering his mind through his senses may trigger a desire to masturbate. It is an excellent condition for a patron to develop, for when the "head" and "stomach" appendages fuse, they do so directly over the "heart" orifice, effectively sealing it and preventing any dangerous communication with the Enemy. An artist may then take his time to create a sculpture of merit, although he certainly must keep an eye out for the Enemy who may forcibly snip the appendages apart to reach the patron's heart. Over time, if all goes well, the fused appendages will swell, and at times, they have been known to burst, leaving the patron unable to distinguish reality from fantasy. He then becomes easy to manipulate or torture. He may hear your voice or see you, and at most times, you can badger him until the destruction is complete. However, you will most likely not be so lucky to take advantage of such amusement.
This then is something productive to cultivate in your patrons, if he is vulnerable to it, and emblematic of the fruits of lust: a constant concentration on and communication with self, calculated callousness, shrewd and vicious selfishness. I have deliberately avoided the artistic point of view to quickly paint one small portrait of how your patron's mind and spirit should appear to best accommodate your art. There are infinite variations and for the most part, the nursery rhyme "Pleasure and Self Add to Your Pelf" will serve as a firm foundation for your art and an excellent summation of this part of the lecture.
Time is running short; I must attend a departmental meeting dealing with curriculum. To conclude quickly, ten ministers have been prepared, one for each of you. There is plenty of raw, almost liquid material to be had in each of them; it is up to each of you to solidify it and to mold and shape it. You need not fabricate your sculpturing tools as the patron, through his thoughts and actions, will provide them so you may create in him the individual art he demands. As of now, all of the patrons have provided a potter's wheel and knife for each of you. You may use these tools, or even more likely your bare hands and a cup, for their lust is undeveloped like thin mud, and until it is more solidified, you can do little more than play with it. But soon, if all goes well, their lust will reach the consistency of clay, or wood, or stone, or granite, or even diamond. Never worry about how to shape or move a particularly dense and hard lust, for your patron will never fail (with your competent guidance) to provide you with the tool to slice it like butter, or the machinery or strength to push it around like a puck. Don't be afraid to experiment, to express yourself. By all means give free rein to your talents, so long as your patron's soul is not endangered. Your past performances have earned you all a bit of latitude. However, don't mistake Hell's confidence in you for indulgence. You may find yourself in Hell's kitchen gaining a very personal knowledge of cuisine as we know it should you lose your man. Bring us food or be food yourself.
Much of this course will be devoted to the solidification of your patron's lust. I know that you all are anxious to create your own works of art, but keep in mind that a firm foundation is essential. With it, your creations have a hope of survival; without it, they have not a prayer. Be patient, listen to experience, and refrain from rushing art.
I shall teach you much of the theory behind your art, and each of these lessons will be punctuated by practical application. An experienced artist, usually one of Hornsquat's own assistants, will teach you the essentials of form and technique through demonstration on an actual patron. Though I myself have a more than adequate knowledge to teach form and technique, I am afraid my hands simply lack the talent and ability to create what I know to be good art. Therefore, consider yourselves fortunate to possess this talent, and to be in a position to see with your own eyes how it may be developed and improved.
Well, my young fiends, our time is at an end. You have your textbooks and patron dossiers; your assignment is to learn of your patron and to study carefully the first chapter of the textbook to discover how you may best apply it to your own patron. Until our next meeting, I bid you all farewell.