Growing up as the church of satan founder daughter isn’t exactly a "white picket fence" kind of childhood. Honestly, it's more like a noir film directed by a guy who really likes black velvet and pipe organs.
Anton LaVey, the man who shaved his head and told the world that indulgence was a virtue, didn't just leave behind a controversial book. He left a fractured family.
The Two Paths of the LaVey Sisters
Most people think there’s just one "Satanic princess," but there were actually two daughters who took wildly different paths. You have Karla LaVey, the eldest, who stuck by the brand until the bitter end (and then some). Then there’s Zeena Schreck, the younger one, who became the face of the movement during the 80s "Satanic Panic" only to burn the whole bridge down later.
It's a weird story.
Karla was born in 1952 to Anton’s first wife, Carole Lansing. She was there for the early days, the 1960s "Magic Circle" era when the Church of Satan was basically just a group of San Francisco eccentrics meeting in a house painted matte black. Karla stayed loyal. She was a public rep for her dad for nearly forty years.
Zeena, born in 1963 to Diane Hegarty, had a much more "theatrical" entry. She was the subject of the first-ever Satanic baptism at age three. Imagine a toddler in a tiny robe, surrounded by reporters and people in goat masks. That was her Tuesday.
Why Zeena Schreck Left the Church of Satan
By the 1980s, Zeena was the High Priestess. If you watched daytime talk shows back then—Donahue, Oprah, Sally Jessy Raphael—you probably saw her. She was the striking blonde woman coolly explaining that, no, they don’t actually kill cats.
But behind the scenes, things were rotting.
Zeena eventually realized that a lot of her father’s "mythology" was just that—myth. She claimed Anton had a habit of, well, making stuff up. The stories about him being a lion tamer or a police photographer? She basically called them total fabrications.
In 1990, she didn't just quit. She severed ties.
She renounced her father’s teachings and moved to Europe. She didn't just stop being a Satanist; she became an ordained Tibetan Buddhist yogini. Talk about a 180. Honestly, seeing someone go from being the literal poster child for the "Left-Hand Path" to teaching Buddhist meditation in Berlin is one of the more fascinating spiritual pivots in modern history.
The Fight for the Black House
When Anton LaVey died in 1997, things got messy. Fast.
The church of satan founder daughter—Karla, in this case—found herself in a legal cage match with Blanche Barton, Anton's partner at the time of his death. Barton produced a handwritten will that supposedly left everything to her young son, Xerxes.
Karla wasn't having it.
The court eventually tossed the will. There was a big settlement where the kids (Karla, Zeena, and Xerxes) split the intellectual property and royalties. But the "brand"—the actual corporation known as the Church of Satan—went to Barton.
This is why the Church of Satan is now based in New York and run by Peter H. Gilmore. Karla stayed in San Francisco and started her own thing: The First Satanic Church. She wanted to keep it "Old School," just the way her dad had it in the 60s, without the New York corporate vibes.
Realities of the "Satanic" Upbringing
It wasn't all black capes and ceremonies. Zeena has spoken out about the "trauma conditioning" of her childhood. She's described it as being a "mouthpiece" for a father who was charismatic but deeply manipulative.
- Publicity Stunts: Much of their "religious" life was designed for the cameras.
- Safety Issues: As a kid, Zeena had to transcribe death threats sent to the house.
- Isolation: They were a "clan" against the world, which makes leaving feel like a total betrayal.
Zeena once mentioned in a VICE interview that she was pregnant at 13 and used meditation just to survive the stress of it all. That's a lot for any kid, let alone one who has to defend a "devil-worshipping" church to the national press every other week.
Where are they now?
Karla LaVey still lives in San Francisco. She hosts a radio show and keeps the "First Satanic Church" alive as a small, invite-only group. She doesn't do the big media circuit anymore. She’s basically a local legend in the SF counterculture scene, playing the music she grew up with and keeping her father's original vision on life support.
Zeena Schreck is an artist and musician in Berlin. She runs the Sethian Liberation Movement, which is less about "Satan" and more about ancient Egyptian magic and personal enlightenment. She's very active in the art world and seems much happier being "Zeena" instead of "LaVey."
Actionable Insights for Researching the LaVey Legacy
If you’re looking into this because you're interested in the history of counter-religion or just love a good family drama, keep these things in mind:
- Check the Source: Most "Satanic" history is written by people with an axe to grind or a brand to protect. If you’re reading something on the official Church of Satan site, it’ll be pro-Gilmore. If you read Zeena’s site, you’ll get the "exposure" of the myth.
- Separate the Myth from the Man: Anton LaVey was a genius at PR. If a story sounds too "cool" (like him dating Marilyn Monroe), it’s probably a lie. His daughters' memoirs and interviews are the best way to see the human side of the man who started it all.
- The "Schism" is Real: Understand that there is no single "Satanic" church today. It’s split into the Church of Satan (New York), the Satanic Temple (political/activist), and Karla’s First Satanic Church (San Francisco).
The story of the church of satan founder daughter is really just a story about two women trying to figure out what to do with a very heavy, very dark inheritance. One tried to preserve it; the other tried to heal from it. Either way, they both proved that being the "Devil's daughter" is a full-time job.
Next Steps for Deep Research:
You should look into the Satanic Panic era court documents or Zeena’s 1990 "disenchantment" letter to the Church of Satan for a direct look at the family breakdown. Additionally, comparing the 1969 Satanic Bible with Zeena’s later Sethian writings provides a clear view of the ideological shift from ego-centrism to spiritual liberation.