"Beings" Series Part 5... Demons.

Demons... Steeped in history and synonymous with mythology, folklore and occultism. In Ancient Near Eastern religions as well as in the Abrahamic traditions, including ancient and medieval Christian demonology, a demon is considered an unclean spirit, a fallen angel, or a spirit of unknown type which may cause demonic possession, calling for an exorcism. In Western occultism and Renaissance magic, which grew out of an amalgamation of Greco-Roman magic, Jewish Aggadah and Christian demonology, a demon is believed to be a spiritual entity that may be conjured and controlled.

The belief in demons is as old as civilization itself, and most people will tell you that they believe that there are dark forces at play in the world. Infact I would say that there are more people in the world that believe in demons and the devil, than there are that believe in god, or jesus. Every ancient civilization, religion or ancient text, talks about demons in which ever guise they took at the time, and there has been countless occult societies, and devil worshipers trying to conjure up demons, that have sprung up through the ages. Some believe that they can be of an elemental type, and there are earth, wind, fire and water demons.

Demonic Possession... As this post is about demons, I'm afraid we have to talk about possession. Do I believe in demonic possession? we will go into this further on in the post. The earliest report of a demonic possession, comes from the Bible, old testament. But its not very clear if this is an actual possession report, or a warning of what might happen. We are told that "an evil spirit from the Lord troubled" Saul (1 Samuel 16:14). The Hebrew rûah need not imply a personal influence, though, if we may judge from Josephus (Ant. Jud., VI, viii, 2; ii, 2), the Jews were inclined to give the word that meaning in this very case. In New Testament times, however, the phenomenon had become very common. However, the Old Testament does contain numerous references to evil spirits, often interacting in malevolent ways with people. Descriptions of demonic possessions often include erased memories or personalities, convulsions (i.e. epileptic seizures or “fits”) and fainting as if one were dying. Other descriptions include access to hidden knowledge (gnosis) and foreign languages (xenoglossy), drastic changes in vocal intonation and facial structure, the sudden appearance of injuries (scratches, bite marks) or lesions, and superhuman strength. Unlike in channeling, the subject has no control over the possessing entity and so it will persist until forced to leave the victim, usually through a form of exorcism.

What do we believe? Well I for one believe that there is a type of being that has existed alongside humanity, and if you've read any of our other posts, you'll know that we believe that there are many different "beings". but what I do believe about demons, is that they have never been human, and some want to be. This is why there is so many reports of Possession. Why do they want to claim human bodies for themselves? who knows. perhaps there reality is a place that no one would want to be, and they do have the power to claim one's body. but I also believe that you need to be susceptible, or willing to "invite them in" and maybe some are cunning enough to fool you into giving up this right. But I also think that if you are strong, and are not easily fooled, or play with things that shouldn't be played with, Black magic, Ouija Boards (if lacking in experience) Etc, then you should be fine. But don't ever let down your guard, as you never know what might be waiting in the shadows...

Take Care out There, and Look After Each Other.