Satanists Plan 6/6/16 Celebration: Los Angeles Group Planning Satanic Ritual

If you're into devil worship, June 6 is a big day. It's 6/6/16 — ever so close to 666, the so-called "number of the beast" that signifies Satan — and the Satanic Temple of Los Angeles plans to pull out all the stops in celebration.

That Monday it plans to announce "its presence in the city of Lancaster, California, with an introductory Satanic ritual," according to a press release posted this week to the group's website. What, exactly, that ritual will entail is unclear. But if you're looking for rabble-rousing and chaos, the statement from the group seems to indicate that won't be the case.

"Our mission is to encourage benevolence and empathy among all people. In addition, we embrace practical common sense and justice," it reads. "As an organized religion, we feel it is our function to actively provide outreach, to lead by example and to participate in public affairs where so ever the issues might benefit from rational, Satanic insights."

The 12-member group told LA Weekly its schedule is a secret but that the appearances are geared toward raising awareness of its religion.

"We will be hitting five different points around the city, performing various rituals," organizer Thuc Nguyen said to LA Weekly about the group's plans. "When we're finished it will all connect together for the magic hour around sundown."

According to the group's statement, its planned actions are also political in nature. The statement read: "The pentagram is a star with five points. Using GPS technology we will place the five points of the star so that the pentagram will encompass your entire city. When all of the points are in place, the pentagram is completed. Drawing this symbol around your city represents a solemn promise from us, the Satanic Temple of Los Angeles. We will stand with the good people of the city of Lancaster and struggle for our constitutional right to individual liberty, freedom of expression and the separation of church and state in your community."

The group will also be in Lancaster — about a 75-minute drive from Los Angeles — to support Steve Hill, a local Satanic Temple member running for state Senate. It also plans to deliver to city officials a copy of "The Seven Tenets," which "reflect the core beliefs of the Satanic Temple."