NyctophiliaRaven wrote:I find this topic interesting, and I have a few things to add.
There are huge issues with the label "Demon." Some of it is because of religious obfuscation, cultural belief. Some of it is due to a complete lack of experience.
I think it is necessary to explain, to start off, how I personally define "demon," as well as WHY I use this definition, as that will save a lot of misunderstandings throughout this post.
There are many realms, and many dimensions within these realms. If you picture a spiral that goes up and down, and consider that on that spiral are many planes of existence, each with doorways into yet other planes along the same line sideways, then you begin to approach an understanding of how complex our reality truly is.
Our world, our dimension, is inside a hell realm. We're actually the highest of the hell-realms. By high, I mean that our vibration is the mildest. The lower you go, the deeper the vibration, the heavier the energy.
Our world used to be a kind of... cross-over point. The lowest "heavenly" realm, which we call by many names, but to simplify I'm going to call Faerie, and our realm, used to coincide as one single realm. We were neither heavenly nor hellish, we were the fulcrum, the meeting point. However, over time, the energies here became polarized, and the two planes drifted apart.
Because we live in a hell-realm, albeit the highest possible one, that would mean that WE are demons, because by most definitions, a demon is simply that which resides in a hell realm.
When you consider things from that perspective, it's clear that location and vibration are what determines an entity's classification for most people who are well-versed in the metaphysical arts.
We have many myths about immortals, and very few about demons. We have many myths about beings we now call demonic who are immortals whose societies fell to religious fanatics. Monotheism has labeled more immortals "demon" than any other religious path. But LABELING something "demon" does not make it so.
We have this group perception that demons are evil, that they are capricious, that they lie with the truth, that they set traps. The issue I have with this is that these aren't the qualities of demons, so much as they are the qualities we ourselves hold... and they are also the qualities of most fae. If you want to point out a vessel of true evil, I invite you to meet a faerie of the court of light and illusion. They look damned pretty, and they are vicious hunters, and you are their food. They also reside in the lowest realm of heaven... which is why I bring them up. Just because you express a higher vibration does not make you "good." Good and evil are subjective terms.
I have had many experiences with those beings that we collectively assume are demons over the years. The one thing I can say with absolute surety is that demons TEACH. I have had experiences with angels, and also with immortals. Immortals sometimes teach, but more often they have an agenda. Immortals USE. Angels, in my experience, neither teach nor use. They also do not protect. They give information or assistance, but ONLY what you ask for, and EXACTLY what you ask for... and they do not warn you of consequences. Angels DO NOT CARE for anything beyond their own purpose. They're forces of nature, forces of the universe.
As to my experiences with demons, allow me to share. I'm sure you've read this elsewhere, but I think it's worth putting down in this post as well.
My first experience with a demon was an imp. I have no idea how it got into the house, but in the middle of the night, it launched itself at my back, and tried to rip off my psychic wings. It said, in a truly theatrical, dark and gravely voice, "He didn't die for you." It's a strange thing to say to me, because I am in NO way a Christian, but... what was remarkable was what happened next. My SOUL rose up through my body in a HUGE wave of light, tossed him off and through a window, with the words, "OF COURSE HE DID."
I learned something beautiful in that moment. Not just that "HE" died for everyone, no matter your faith (no, this is not a conversion story), but also that my own soul is made of light. I felt that light. I felt that SURETY. I discovered that at the core of me is something powerfully beautiful, glorious.
This is what I mean when I say demons teach. I'm not saying they aren't unpleasant in their lessons, but what they teach is absolutely NECESSARY.
My second experience with a demon was a demon named Molov. He had golden skin, and orange eyes. When he showed up, I was still of the opinion that if it was a demon, it was evil and I should attack it and drive it out. I would like to say, he offered no violence until I did. Then he wiped the floor with me. The thing is, I did learn from that experience (and not just that attacking a demon is not a fun experience). I learned that demons are not evil. I learned that they show up when there's reason - because they are teachers, they go where the lesson is needed. And they will do WHATEVER IS NECESSARY to teach that lesson. They are unafraid of our labels. If we call them evil, that's fine - as long as we learn the lesson.
I also learned that it doesn't have to be ugly.
The next experience I had with a demon, Asmodeus came to me in a dream. He came like a heavy weight on me, an aura of menace. He came as a nightmare, a thing of terror. I woke myself up and said to him, "There's no need for us to be rude. That's not who you really are, and it's not what you're here for. Show me your true face, your true energy, and let's talk."
And so He did. I learned a lot from him, simply because I put aside my cultural beliefs, and simply allowed Him to BE.
Yes, I understand that Asmodeus is an immortal. But he is an immortal which has, by culture and myth, for the past at least 600 years, been considered a demon... and like anyone who bears that label, he likes to play up to the part.
When I work with demons in circle - when I evoke them - I am cautious. I am respectful. I am OPEN. I treat them the way I would treat any deity or higher power than myself that I might evoke. The courtesy and the dialogue with demons is quite different to that of angels. My experience with angels is that you call them, you say what you need, they do what you ask, and they leave. They usually do not offer any advice.
If you call a demon, and you're open with them, they're likely to say what they're thinking about doing for you, and why... and how that might turn out. Demons enjoy teaching, and so discussing consequences is part of the experience. There have been times when a demon has NOT discussed consequences - but that was because it was part of the lesson. Sometimes we learn best when faced with the consequences - and demons, above all else, require you to be responsible for your actions, your choices, and your emotional approach to all things - ESPECIALLY them.
Historically speaking, Lucifer is the Roman god of the dawn star, the star that rises right before the sun comes up. His opposite is Venus, the evening star, the first star to light the sky after the sun goes down.
There is a tendency to equate the mythos of the Fall of Heaven with the stories of Enki and Enlil - to equate Lucifer with Enki, and Yahweh with Enlil, but there was never a Lucifer in the Hebrew pantheon - this is a new addition to the monotheistic mythos.
There WAS a Satan - but Satan was the title of an angel, unnamed. The reason we do not know the name of the angel is simple - Satan could be any angel, and when that angel was being Satan, to maintain their impartiality, they had to be anonymous. Satan literally translates to Accuser. In other words, Satan is a prosecuting attorney with Yahweh as judge. If you read the Book of Job, it's clear that Satan is MAN'S adversary, and not Yahweh's - the job of a Satan is to test mankind to make sure their faith makes them worthy of returning to the presence of God.
Last of all, in the last 700 years, the word "devil" has become a colloquialism that can encompass anything. When bad luck falls repeatedly, one is said to be "bedeviled." The word can mean anything that we perceive, however temporarily, as a negative experience. The quote investigators use, "The Devil's in the Details," literally refers to the idea that if you dig deep enough into a situation, you will find the culprit, because no one can truly cover all contingencies. The details will catch the troublemaker. So Devil can refer to a person, an event or series of events, a being, a multitude of beings, nature and natural spirits and/or happenings... devil is a catchall word with only slightly different connotations to the word DEMON.
There are myths about immortals in the Garden of Eden which are told very differently by other cultures. Yahweh had a wife until his people went to Babylon. Her name was Shekinah and she was honored in his temples. When the Hebrews were taken by the Babylonian king, and their temples destroyed, they went through a religious revival. Many things were changed. Books were removed from their bible. They became monotheists, and they became extremely patriarchal. While you can still only be Jewish if your mother was Jewish, men now pray every morning, thanking their God they were not born a woman. Women are not allowed to be Rabbis. The feminine has been removed utterly from their religious experience.
The myth of the Garden, when really examined, is quite obviously a Goddess myth. The snake is a symbol of pretty much any Mediterranean Goddess. The apple is a goddess fruit - cut it in half, and the star of the Goddess is right there, staring back at you. So, we have a Goddess, sharing magick, wisdom and knowledge with mankind - things that their creator deity had SPECIFICALLY LEFT OUT OF REACH. Their creator wanted mental slaves. Looking at modern Christianity, I suspect He still does.
When we look at the Immortals whom modern monotheism, and ancient monotheism, have labeled demonic, we see, again and again, the cycle of one group of people taking over another group of people, and destroying their articles of faith, salting their spiritual ground. Over time, people stop questioning the definition of "demon."
With regards to the difference between black arts and dark arts. Yes, there are hell realms of such a dark vibration that everything there is innately inimical to us. There are also heavenly realms where the vibrations are so high, the same is true. The issue with labeling something Black Arts is one of perception. If it does harm to humans, if it ONLY does harm, and you cannot see any benefits coming from that, then it is black arts.
You can see how narrow this definition is. It is absolutely a human-centric perspective. There is nothing in the multiverse that exists only to do harm. There is nothing in the universe that exists only to do "good." Everything that exists in the multiversal ecosystem has its place and purpose.
Rather like Kudzu, if you remove it from its own ecosystem, damage will occur. That does not make it innately evil. It simply means it does not belong where you have found it.
The easiest way to deal with something that behaves in a Black Arts way is to contain it, find where it came from, and send it back home to its natural environment, where it actually belongs, and where it does no harm by existing, but benefits its place.
Lions are dangerous. We have learned from experience that taking them out of their natural environment does damage to their habitat, to them, and also to us. They have a place. They have a purpose. Take that away, and destruction follows.
In New Zealand, the importation of rabbits caused such a problem for the South Island that the EARTH WAS LITERALLY MOVING. New Zealand has no natural predators. NONE. Because of this, the release of rabbits by colonials who wanted to hunt them but didn't want to raise them eventually led to disaster. Our solution was to release a tailored virus that killed every rabbit on the South Island within two weeks. The clean up was... indescribable.
When you introduce something not native to an environment, whether it is predator or prey, plant or entity, trouble ALWAYS FOLLOWS. Are rabbits black arts? Is Kudzu? Of course not. They are simply out of place.
This is my perspective, and ymmv - but my beliefs about these things are based on personal experience and the use of analytical thought, the scientific method, to determine those beliefs. This does not mean I'm an expert, by any means, but I feel that I can offer a unique perspective in this discussion about what evil truly is, what good truly is, what qualifies as a demon, and what qualifies as black arts.
I have a demon, bound by Akelta at Satan&Suns. He is a fabulous teacher, he's warm and caring, he's not afraid to kick me in my butt when I need it, he's deeply supportive, has an awesome sense of humor, is seriously protective, and plays a MEAN violin. He is the most beautiful "light held by dark" entity I've ever met - and that's how I perceive him energetically - a star of pure white light surrounded by varying shades of dark. My experiences with demons over the years ultimately led me to working with them in a more formal way, and my growth as a practitioner and a person, as a result of these studies, has been a beautiful journey.
But... as I explained with Asmodeus, you get what you expect. If you hold a belief, even if a subconscious one, that all demons are evil, that the Immortals labeled as demonic are evil, if you believe they mean to cause you harm... they're perfectly willing to give you the experience you are expecting. They have no time for games. They're here to teach. Sometimes, the lesson is that you need to change your expectations.
Deepest blessings...
-Raven
1. This is densely jam-packed with awesomeness. Worth everyone's read just in terms of being worth turning over in each mind. So bump.
2. How would you define a "hell-realm?" Beyond just what it's vibration is. Or, rather, if it's a function of vibrational range, then what does that range of vibrations mean?
