An Essay on Daemons

“The shadow is a moral problem that challenges the whole ego-personality, for no one can become conscious of the shadow without considerable moral effort. To become conscious of it involves recognizing the dark aspects of the personality as present and real. This act is the essential condition for any kind of self-knowledge.” A quote from Carl Jung, a Swiss psychiatrist, and psychoanalyst who founded analytical psychology. Jung's work has been influential in the fields of psychiatry, anthropology, archaeology, literature, philosophy, psychology, and religious studies. Shadow work comes from the term “the shadow self,” which he coined with the quote and his work, the purpose of which is to accept all aspects of the self to be present in the moment and clear-headed.

When doing Shadow Work, we are faced with aspects of our personality we might rather erase, but they are necessary to maintain a neutral place in decision making and behavior. And Jung was right, it does take a considerable effort to maintain a moral center. Listening to both the gods and the demons, an individual knows what they should do, what they shouldn’t, and, when both sides align, what needs to be done. If I had gone the academic route and read more into the phycology aspect, I would have come across the concept of Daemons; described as incomprehensible energies attached to an obsessive interest, a feeling of being at home at a certain sort of place, doing a certain activity, usually centered around helping humanity with communication and understanding, medicine and healing, and acts of service because it’s part of the individual’s love language.

Socrates, the father of Greek philosophy, was famous for claiming that he was born with a personal Daemon, who the gods had gifted to him. He described his Daemon as being an “internal oracle,” meaning that spirit was a part of himself, instead of a separate being. His Daemon acted as a reasonable voice, helping him to see how his actions and choices affected the world, speaking up when he behaved badly and staying silent when he was in the right, thus creating the concept of "conscience." Plato, his student and the definition of “Dost Thou Even Hoist?” (he was an Olympic Athlete that was infamous for ending arguments by flexing and intimidating his opponent into silence), took the approach that the Daemons were assigned to every human when they were born as guides and guardian spirits, acknowledging them as separate beings. They were attached to humans, but they didn’t belong to anyone. Plato’s student, Aristotle, continued to modify the concept of Daemons stating that the person’s happiness and character depended on the quality of their Daemon, and granting them even more power by stating they could possess people and control their actions. Aristotle's evolution was where the concept of today’s “demons” comes from.

While approaching the Daemons as an academic, instead of a writer, I came across the title “The Second Mountain: The Quest for a Moral Life” by David Brooks. The first paragraph was enough to let me know I was on the right track because I felt called out. He began by describing a certain type of person that had been knocked off their path and was stuck in “the valley of bewilderment and sorrow” between two mountains of thought, actions, and morality. In the section titled “Vampire Problems,” I found the hit that had brought me to the text while searching for Daemons. "When you see an individual at the peak of her powers, it’s because she has come into contact with her daemon, that wound, that yearning, that core irresolvable tension. This is especially obvious in writers and academics.” When I read that line the first time, I started to laugh because I felt like I’d been called out by the universe. Judging by Aphrodite’s laughter, I had been. Because, what happens when the academic is a writer as well as a spiritualist who understands that, though Socrates was the one who began the separation, though subsequent philosophers have tried to hold on to Daemons as separate entities, Jung started undoing the damage by teaching his theories about accepting all parts of the spiritual self? By coming into contact with my Daemon, recognizing my latent obsessive interests that fell by the wayside due to circumstances, identifying the environment in which I feel most at home and the life’s work that feels the most natural, and then, instead of viewing it as separate, accepted it as a part of the whole that comprises my cognitive self, I have accepted that I don’t have a Daemon.

I am one.

Where does that leave my experience with the demons? Why does it feel like my interactions with them have been so different from others’ experiences? Honestly, it makes a lot more sense when I go back to the roots of the concepts.

"Terminology: Daemon versus Demon. Daemons should not be confused with: Demons. While both terms are derived from the same root, Demons, in the Judeo-Christian sense, are [malignant] spirits- not semi-divine or neutral. The term Daemon was used in early Greek translations of the Hebrew Bible and New Testament letters to distinguish the Greek pagan deities from their one true God. Over time, the term "Demon" developed from Daemon to specifically represent the evil, fallen angels, and the Devil himself. To distinguish the good angels from the evil ones, the term "Angel" developed from the ancient Greek "Angelos," meaning "Messengers." When referencing ancient Greek mythology, as opposed to Jewish or Christian traditions, the term "Daemon" should be used. Even though some demons in modern media are based in daemons and are depicted as having positive energies and free will. Demons in Islam, Dharmic religions, and Persian folklore are not purely evil but still not related to Greek daemons. " Being raised Catholic, I couldn’t let go of the Judeo-Christian ideology, which is why it took so long to find this information. I made the mistake of not seeing a difference between Daemon and Demon. Now, I have Aphrodite to remind me that I am Spiritually Greek and to add Greek to the searches because without it, I get lost in a lot of information that I end up struggling with.

Daemons are a part of Greek Mythology as semi-divine spirits. The only difference between an egrḗgoros spirit and a Daemon is the fact that Daemons can take human form, as is evident by Demi-Gods and Heroes in Greek Mythology that have a real-world history. They are equal in spiritual power to the gods but the Daemons are considered impure because they have taken the flesh and are no longer purely spirits. They also don't need worship to survive because they have physical anchors, much like the Titans whose spirits were bound to the celestial bodies. In the beginning of this narrative, I referred to the Diamonas as well as Nymphs and Imps. After further research, I discovered that it was my brain trying to translate the concept of the three types of Daemons.

From “A Brief History of Angels and Demons” by Sarah Bartlett:

“By the Hellenistic Period (323-31 BCE), Daemons were divided into three categories:

The Agathodaemon, alternatively spelled Agathodaimon or Agathodemon, is a Daemon of fertility, vineyards, grain, and good fortune. The Agathodaemon may also be a house spirit. It is often represented as a type of serpent.

The Eudaemon, alternately spelled Eudaimon or Eudemon, is a benevolent Daemon that serves as either a guardian or an intermediary between humans and the gods. Ideas about Eudaemons have influenced the conception of Angels in Western thought.

The Cacodaemon, alternatively spelled 'Kakodaimon' or Cacodemon (also called in modern fiction Cacofiend and Cacodevil) is a malevolent Daemon known for causing misfortune. Ideas about Cacodaemon have influenced the conception of Demons in Western thought.”

The Daemons from the "Daemon Tarot" by Ariana Osbourne and cited in "The Three Magical Books of Solomon" as Goetic Daemons, are Agathodaemon and Cacodaemon. These two types were the ones my mind recognized as Nymphs (Light) and Imps (Dark) respectively. This means the type I first saw as Diamonas, a balanced combination of the two aspects, is the Eudaemon; a benevolent Daemon that serves as either a guardian or an intermediary between humans and the gods. In other words, they are a blending of both the good and the bad, per morality standards. Daemons, being only Semi-Divine and capable of taking on human form, can agree to the Rules of Being Human and consent to the shift in reality between the spiritual and molecular planes of existence.

The Rules of Being Human, as written by Cherie Carter-Scott, Ph.D. in “If Life is a Game, These are the Rules”:

1. You will receive a body.

You may love it or hate it, but it will be yours for the duration of your life on Earth.

2. You will learn lessons.

You are enrolled in a full-time informal school called “life”. Each day in this school you will have the opportunity to learn lessons. You may like the lessons or hate them, but you have designed them as part of your curriculum.

3. There are no mistakes, only lessons.

Growth is a process of experimentation, a series of trials, errors, and occasional victories. The failed experiments are as much a part of the process as the experiments that work.

4. A lesson is repeated until learned.

Lessons will be repeated to you in various forms until you have learned them. When you have learned them, you can go on to the next lesson.

5. Learning lessons does not end.

No part of life does not contain lessons. If you are alive, there are lessons to be learned.

6. “There” is no better than “here.”

When your “there” has become “here” you will simply obtain another “there” that will look better to you than your present “here”.

7. Others are merely mirrors of you.

You cannot love or hate something about another person unless it reflects something you love or hate about yourself.

8. What you make of your life is up to you.

You have all the tools and resources you need. What you do with them is up to you.

9. Your answers lie inside you.

All you need to do is look, listen, and trust.

10. You will forget all this.

You can remember any time you wish.

Dr. Carter-Scott writes for the Business & Economics / Personal Success, Self-Help / Motivational & Inspirational, Self-Help / Personal Growth / General, Conduct of life, Self-help, Spiritual Life, and Success genres for those who wish to read more, which I highly recommend doing, regardless of Spiritualism.

However, I bring up her work for another reason. In recent days I have been seeing more stories of individuals on the path of Spiritual Awakening reporting dreams with a common theme, surrounded by large shadowy figures as they ask if the individual is ready for the shift in reality. Some have followed up by saying they then have dreams of connecting with a group they don’t recognize in visage, but feel the celebration of reconnection and welcome. There has also been a massive overall trend in a rise in Spirituality and Self-Exploration. Crossing the bounders between the skeptical and faithful minds, employing Astronomy and Astrology while examining evidence, lining up Mythos across Pantheons to get a clear understanding, there is too much of this present to dismiss as coincidence. It makes me wonder how many others Daemons there are out there, waking up in their own skin and looking for guidance. Unfortunately, the current environment of Ecumenical Politics is stifling.

It is for that reason that I present my work as a way to get back to basics. If therapy is utilized to confront the roots of trauma and understanding behavior, then Shadow Work is the next logical step once the hard part is over with. It allows an individual to discover every fractured piece of their psyche and, therefore, their spirit. Once the Shadow Work is completed, the individual can begin to explore their Spiritualism while being center, clear-headed, and present in the moment. For those who choose to continue down the path, magical practice and study are available to them as they begin to use the inner power they have found through Manifestation; connecting with the spirits to change their circumstances through intent and focus. Rituals, be it a prayer or spellcraft, are the tools tied to an individual’s beliefs and connections to their spiritual roots. Deities will work across Pantheons, they are spirits and are free to talk to each other whenever they wish, regardless of humans’ beliefs, but mixing rituals and incantations between cultures muddles the message and intent sent out into the universe, which is why so many older practitioners believe that crossing faiths will, in turn, create complete chaos and admonish a blending of Pantheons. However, this is not to be confused with Closed Practices.

Closed Practices are closed because they rely on the ancestors to fuel the power behind the rituals, and appropriation spreads the ancestorial energy too thin to be effective, lessening their impact by way of colonization. If, while researching and allowing your curiosity to guide you, you run into a gatekeeper of a Closed Practice telling you that you are not allowed to join them, do not be offended, and do not fight it. There is a reason for it that has nothing to do with racism. If a deity of a Closed Practice reaches out to you when you are not a part of it, do not force your way into that community or accuse them of hate, the gods will lead you to the individual meant to guide you while you are researching it and will vet you to the practitioners who are open to helping you with your studies, just make sure you vet them in return before believing everything they say hook, line, and sinker.

For those waking up and looking for guidance on how to get started with Shadow Work, get a journal and start writing with the intent of self-discovery in three parts: Projection, Triggers, and Patterns. For Projection, pay attention to how you project yourself into the outside world. Because the universe works to make us whole again, people, places and things become a mirror and reflect who we really are. For Triggers, reminders of past trauma and enable us to become conscious of something that is buried deep within us. Pay attention to your triggers because they can show you your wounds and your shadow self easily. Try to catch your emotional triggers before you act out, not after. For this, it helps to write the ones you know off the top of your head in a list then examine why they elicit the responses they do, as well as help you keep track of how the world affects you. For Patterns, repeating patterns in our lives point us to aspects of our shadow. Patterns are expressions of the shadow because the shadow mirrors itself into your reality to be seen and integrated. Are you making the same mistakes in life or does it feel like the places change but the people and emotions don’t? The shadow wants you to become aware of it. It wants to be seen and accepted. Within these patterns, you will find aspects of your shadow self that will keep showing up in different situations until you are ready to look at them and break the cycle. When you’re ready to face it, you will begin to see how your decisions, behaviors, and emotions, your collective energy, affects the environment.

For those who have completed their Shadow Work and are now Witchlings (previously Baby Witches), remember that the Book of Shadows (it’s right there in the title) is the journal you begin with, the story of your Spiritual Journey, where the grimoires are the texts that follow detailing your experiments with witchcraft, the spell books and texts detailing your practice. Anyone can have a Book of Shadows; you do not have to be a witch, but, more often than not, you’re at least a Spiritualist. I do not have a grimoire because I tend not to practice magic. I understand the nature of spiritual energy and intent, and would rather work with the deities to refine it before enacting a plan that is both pragmatic and rational without relying on the Chaos Engine to spit out my heart’s desire on a silver platter. I’d rather work for it and feel as though I have earned the miracles I have been given in life, as well as appreciate the lessons I have been taught. Then again, I’m not a witch, I’m a Daemon.