The Original Meaning of the Word "Demon"
‘DAEMON’
Daemon is a Greek word meaning an astral entity with wisdom. They were not considered evil, but because of their different level of intelligence, their messages were very cryptic, so demons were thought to be tricky, and one had to think very carefully to interpret their guidance. One’s demon was very much like a higher self or Holy Guardian Angel; it was a personal guide that helped one evolve spiritually while guiding them through all life’s challenges. Socrates was well known in Athens for receiving guidance from his Demon, which always kept him from making wrong decisions.
How Did "Demon" Become Associated with Evil?
So how did the word “demon” become associated with evil? Let’s start with Satan and the idea of fallen angels.
- Satan is often misinterpreted as the opposer; being opposed to God. However, the Hebrew Shaitan meant “the accuser”: he was sent by God to test people. He basically obeyed God: there was never any concept of any being opposing God, or of angels falling.
- To understand where this concept came from, we need to look back further into the history of angels and demons. Both stem from the older Sumerian messengers of the Gods; the Lammasu. These were seen as winged beings, like angels, and are what the Abrahamic angels were based upon. However, later these became “Lamashtu” and were considered evil beings.
- We can see through history that whenever the Jewish people conquered a land, they would ban their Gods, so they were first forbidden, then judged as evil. A tradition the Christians continued: many Gods of older religions became the devils of Christianity.
Demons, Djinn, and the Goetia: The Same Spirits?
The demons of the Goetia, on the other hand, were originally djinn. There are 72 djinn attributed to King Solomon, or Sulaiman in Arabic. As the system was adopted by the Romans, the Arabic names of these spirits were replaced with Latin names, and the word djinn was replaced by the Greek word for guiding spirits; demon. It’s worth noting here that most Romans spoke Greek, not Latin.
It is also very enlightening to compare the 72 djinn of Solomon with the 72 angels of the Shemhamaphorash. They have the same attributes. This has been interpreted as the spirits being fallen angels, and each one is kept in check by an angel who governs the same attribute.
This is simply an expression of the age-old fight between Judaism and Islam: the Arabic names of the same spirits became forbidden, and so their angels were considered fallen. Once you look beyond the religious conflict, you can see that djinn, demons and angels are all the same thing.
So What Are Demons, Angels and Djinn Really?
- They are a level of consciousness between us and the source, which we can more easily relate to, so they help us with our connection to our Creator. The first Source, which is indefinable, first divides into a number of archetypal energies, which are the different ways the Source can act on creation.
- Note that the Sanskrit word Deva, and the Egyptian word for deity, Neter, both mean attribute. They are the different ways the Creator acts on creation. They are not really separate; they are very much like the 72 names of God or the 99 beautiful names of Allah. Actually, it’s generally accepted that God can have infinite names, being unlimited in expression.
- Under each of these archetypes, there are separate beings which are expressions of those archetypal energies and act as stepping stones towards the ultimate. For those who like to believe that they only need God, and have no time for these lesser beings, try crossing a wide river without the help of stepping stones. You may be able to get there with much struggle, but to anyone walking across the stones, you will look crazy. There is really nothing wrong with using the stepping stones that have been put there for a reason.
Why Does Demonic Possession Exist?
So why does the problem of demonic possession exist?
As I have said before in my article on possession, these demons are mostly self-created: what we call eggregores. When we deny our emotions so much that we push them deep into the unconscious, they become personified and fight their way back in.
Then there are also those eggregores created by many people that exist in the collective unconscious. As an example, 2000 years of millions of people focusing on a concept of universal evil, i.e. a devil, creates a very strong eggregore. This is a very irresponsible use of our creative power.
How to Clear Self-Created Demons
- Your first task is to stop believing in it, then you can start breaking down that eggregore. Once you clear all your personal unconscious, real demons are not to be feared.
- Angels do not fall; nothing is created in opposition to God. There is just us and a lot of potentially helpful spirits which can co-create with us, and our own tools of desire, imagination and expectation, so look carefully at your imagination and expectation around these beings.
- To be a co-creator, you must first be a creator, which means taking responsibility for your use of these tools. Socrates understood this when he realised that a positive being could become negative to a person with a bad attitude; your angel and your demon are really the same. I talk a lot about what it means to take responsibility and the impact of doing so, in my Dragon Magick course and my Ultimate Healing course.
Taking this Further
I have spoken previously about demonic possession in this Q&A, you’re welcome to listen to the free replay. I also recommend that you learn to work and with and command Djinn via my Djinn Magick course.
