Demon

Daimon or Demon?

by Oracle Hekataios
witches2
Witches and Demons

In my previous post on familiar spirits, I used the term and spelling of “demon.” This caused a lot of triggers in people who see that word and immediately it conjures up images of evil spirits, the devil, and Hell. In fact, many witches and Neopagans thought that I was secretly a “black witch” (a racist term if ever there was one)! I pay no mind to those. However, in the interest of communicating clearly and concisely what I mean, I would like to discuss the spelling, and what is being written about.

Agathos Daimon
In ancient Greece, the term daimon meant a tutelary spirit. It was considered a watcher: something that oversaw a person’s fate and luck in life. There were different kinds of daimons (or daimones); the most famous perhaps is the Agathos Daimon, the “Good Spirit.”

The Agathos Daimon is honored on the second day after the New Moon. It is envisioned as a serpent, sometimes androgynous, who is also a companion spirit which dwells in or with a human until they die. On its holy day, libations and offerings were given as people prayed to it, hoping for good fortune (the Agathos Daimon was said to be partnered with the Goddess of Good Fortune, or Tykhe). In fact, the serpent of the home is still honored in some places in Europe where it is known as the Lady of the House. A hole is made in the floor and libations of milk, wine, as well as offerings of food are thrown in to appease the serpent of the home (I mention this in my forthcoming book “StrixCraft: Ancient Greek Magic for the Modern Witch”).

In later antiquity, the Agathos Daimon was more deified. Not simply a household or luck spirit, the Agathos Daimon now had a temple. In fact, one can find the Agathos Daimon in ritual work in the Greek Magical Papyri, the eclectic grimoire of Graeco-Egyptian magic. There is even a hymn attributed to Orpheus, known as an Orphic Hymn, that is for the Agathos Daimon. Orpheus was a poet and singer (bard) from Thrace who traveled the Underworld to find his love. He was killed by the maenads (ecstatic worshipers who were women) of the God Dionysos. This is how important it was, that a hymn was dedicated to it.

In the StrixCraft as I teach it, we have the Azure Flame which burns just above the crown of the head. This Azure Flame is the repository of our individual Agathos Daimon: a spirit to harmonize ourselves. There is a specific rite which allows us to feed and give continual life to it, and by doing so the belief is that it will continue to steer us towards good things in life. Not the absence of life’s trials and tribulations, mind you. Simply that we can be tenacious in our dealings with both ourselves and others.

Daimones
A daimones, as mentioned earlier, is a spirit. The theurgist and philosopher Proclus believed that all daimones were somehow intermediaries between the Gods and mortals. They filled every niche in Nature: mountains, springs, rivers, forests, etc. In modern times, some occultists feel that even neighborhoods and cities might have their own daimones overseeing and influencing the luck of a place.

Good and evil daimones were recognized. A good spirit was a eudaimon, while an evil spirit was a kakodaimon. So the idea of evil daimones (daimons, daemons, demons) was not unheard of. However, I liken kakodaimones as wild and feral spirits on the astral plane: some don’t want anything to do with us and prefer to remain in their realms, while others may hunt us because they view us as prey (especially when we start expanding our life force via Magic).

Eudaimones, on the other hand, desire to bless us, protect us, and perhaps may even desire to form an attachment with us. They inspire us to become greater than what we are. They push us to strive for excellence in all things; that still, small voice and the inner fire that encourages us to move onward in the face of difficulties.

Daemon
When the Roman Empire took over Greece and its colonies, there was a lot of heavy borrowing from the Greeks and their language into Roman culture. In Latin, daimon was daemon. Someone inspired by their daemon was said to be “daemonic.”

Icons and statues of deities were said to be inhabited by their “daemon.” That is, it was not the statue but the life force within the statue which was the hallmark for its worship. The Bible, however, made an enormous impact on how daemons were viewed. In the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible (what Christians call the Old Testament) known as the Septuagint, daemon, or demon, was now viewed in a negative context.

Near Eastern religions from Sumeria, Canaan, and Babylon, for example, had religious outlooks of what was considered good or beneficent to humans, as opposed to what was evil or destructive.  They weren’t the only ones, but I mention these since they had a heavy influence on Hebrew thought and philosophy. There were even borrowings of mythology from these cultures into the Bible (for example, the Babylonian story of the Enuma Elish has a lot of similarities with the Book of Genesis creation story…which was written after the Jews were exiled from Babylon and not during the time of Moses).

Demon
Christianity, when it first arose, was made up of a number of sects and religious differences. It wasn’t until Constantine I (called the Great by Christians) converted to Christianity and gathered the representatives from one sect to discuss the doctrines of the church, that the inevitable happened: d(a)emon became firmly entrenched with “evil,” or destruction. Knowing that the statues of the polytheists were believed to be inhabited by the d(a)emon of a deity, the apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 10:20 said:

Rather, that the things which Gentiles sacrifice they sacrifice to demons and not to God, and I do not want you to have fellowship with demons.
(1 Corinthians 10:20, NKJV)

All spirits were registered as evil. Monotheism, the belief that there is only one power in the Cosmos, now had victory. Polytheism, the belief that there are many powers in this world and Cosmos, was the behavioral practice for nearly every culture on this planet for thousands of years. Monotheism, by its very teachings, left no room for multiple realities and truths. One lens, one belief, one practice, one right way to a spiritual path. That path was buffered by male priests who established themselves as the ruling class, borrowing heavily from ancient Roman religion. I’ll talk about monotheism in another blog post. Let me turn our attention back to demons.

Which One Do I Have?
Now that I have given you some kind of background, the question remains as to what exactly did I mean when I say “demon” as a familiar spirit. I actually meant a spirit, a daimon, but one which was not a nice looking angel, or a romantic motif of “totems” (a term that belongs to the Native American tribes such as the Ojibwa), spirit animals, and the like.

My demon – due to its nature – is feral. They are not domesticated. I use the word “they” because, as I mentioned in my previous post, they are androgynous. Because of the way they behave towards others on my behalf, it can be seen as destructive (aka evil). But they aren’t. They have influenced my life, even when I was a church kid with problems. They are very protective, and as such have been hurt as I have been. Whenever we are traumatized, it isn’t just you who are in pain. Your spirit, your familiar, has also been hurt.

Although the modern connotation has “demon = evil,” that isn’t the case. Demon familiars are some of the finest protectors out there. Like other familiars, they may take the form of a flesh and blood animal or simply be ethereal. I know a few people who have even created “homes” for their spirits on their shrines, such as a statue or an icon.

Conclusion
So, all in all, after the history lesson, you’ll see the evolution of the language and the connotations they evoke in people’s minds. Some monotheistic (or even duotheistic) religions view the world in terms of good/evil. That’s their paradigm. And while evil spirits are known from ancient tablets, stelae, and folklore, I wonder how some spirits are truly vicious. They can be: certainly we have wild animals, plants, and fungi in this world which are dangerous, and will turn on you without hesitancy. Some may kill for no reason other than pleasure and dominance. Some do so because they are hungry and that is their lot. I think we Neopagans and Witches often romanticize Nature too much. We don’t think about blood sacraments and the suction of the life force from us. We put way too much importance on ourselves on the food chain – both physically and spiritually. Egos abound.

As a witch, I don’t have to apologize for the spirit I have. They are connected to me and I to them. In working with my demon, I have been blessed to understand my own boundaries (still learning though) along with recognizing my full potential (work in progress). Hopefully this post will help you overcome your fear of the unknown and the wicked. Demons can be playful, tricksy, and fun (like the Fae). They can also be deceptive. And, when cornered, vicious.

Have one at your own risk.

Eirene kai Hugieia!
(Peace and Health!)
Oracle

Familiar Spirits in Witchcraft

by Oracle Hekataios

Witches'Familiars1579

Familiar spirits are an interesting topic, not least of which because they are powerful aids to one’s journey as a witch. Exploration of these spirits intrigues me as well. What I am about to write is my personal journey and advice to work with a familiar spirit. Mind you, there are a lot of books out there, each author giving their own take on this subject matter. Different traditions may teach different methods. That’s as it should be; the witch’s path is an individual one. We all aren’t going to agree on methods and definitions. The final result is that: does it work? If it works, go with it.

What is a Familiar Spirit?
I have to begin with my definition, otherwise semantics will get in the way and we’ll have a problem. Some of you will be coming from a knowledgeable background on this subject and will be confused or agree with the context in which I use the words “familiar spirit.” Likewise newer folks will read this and take away that I am the final authority of the subject and may get into debates with other witches thinking that they’re talking about the same concept but actually have different meanings. But if I define it first, we can go from there.

Here is my defintion:

A familiar spirit is a spirit ally of the witch who enters into a symbiotic relationship with them in order to assist them with magic in protection, healing, divination, trance work, and be a companion for their life.

Oftentimes, the familiar and the witch have experienced many lifetimes together. They are attached in a kind of “twin soul” format. The familiar is awakened with the witch’s first journey into the magical realm. Indeed, the familiar may be the one responsible for that person to undertake that journey to begin with!

I believe, based on my own experiences, that a familiar spirit may be an animal, a fae, a demon, a plant, or a human on the other side (or perhaps some other category). Not necessarily an ancestor per se, but a guide who probably appears as a human. Michael, Alex Sander’s spirit guide, probably fell into this category. Ancestors are a completely different category of spirit allies.

The Witch and the Familiar
The witch has a lot to gain from obtaining (or awakening) a familiar spirit. I’m not one to believe that every pet a witch has is a familiar spirit. But, I am one to believe that a familiar spirit may take possession or form of an animal, who will then accompany that witch for their lifetime in whatever “pet form” that spirit desires to inhabit over its different life forms. We humans are visual learners (which is why meditation is important). Some visualize better than others, while others maintain a difficult hold on their mental imagery. For that reason, a tactile familiar spirit will most likely happen so that the witch has a better relationship with them then if it were remaining ethereal. Or it just might be the familiar’s choice.

The familiar spirit and the witch have always been a team. In fact, when someone remembers being a witch and begins their path work, I believe that one of the first things which should be done is to have a familiar spirit. While I recognize this is difficult for many witches (and some will say it is too advanced), I disagree.

101 or Advanced?
I feel that the problem inherent in the modern Craft is not that a witch cannot gain or awaken their familiar, but that there is no “know-how” readily available in the 101 books. Most witchcraft literature that has been available out there for years has focused on altars, deities, tools, and the seasons. All of that does have its place, but I also believe understanding spirit guides and their place with the witch takes us to, well, the witch in the witchcraft. In fact, thanks to many authors out there too numerous to name, there has been a resurgence in knowledge available to the witch (both new and old) wherein people are now taught how to obtain a familiar spirit or any other spirit ally. I think this is great, because it demonstrates how much our spirit guides want to be a part of our journey, and vice-versa.

So the question becomes: is obtaining (or recognizing) a familiar spirit too advanced for the average witch? I can’t speak for other traditions and what they do. I am only familiar with three (one of which I founded). Even then, philosophies will differ. The joke is that you ask 3 witches the same question and you’ll probably get at least 6 different answers. But here are my opinions on the matter.

I don’t believe having a familiar is advanced. I believe it is part and parcel of one’s path as a witch. I believe, based on witch lore, that a familiar spirit is as witchy as knowing herbs, knowing the ins-and-outs of casting a circle, walking with the Elements, and so forth. The familiar is the one that bonds with the witch and ensures that the witch is always connected with the Other.

Calling the Spirit 
Familiar spirits, also known as fetches, imps, demons, fae, and the like, are all going to be unique. Mine is a demon. I don’t have a name for it yet, and I want to be able to allow it to give me one, but nothing has happened. I know some occultists would want to name theirs or even try to subdue it to give up their name. Names have power. They give you power over a thing. Suffice it to say that familiars, as symbiotes, shouldn’t have to give you their name if they don’t want to. That’s their prerogative. Keep in mind that your relationship with the familiar spirit is one of mutual trust.

I mentioned earlier how the familiar spirit may be the one who helps the witch along their journey, even without the witch’s knowledge. I’ve seen this to be true for a few people. One young lady said that before she ever entered the Craft, she would be followed by black dogs, with particular attention by one in her neighborhood. It was a stray. Her parents wouldn’t allow her to adopt it, but nonetheless she made friends with it. She would feed it, and the dog in turn watched out for her while walking down her neighborhood. Curiously, the dog appeared when she started reading metaphysical literature. When the dog passed, she was devastated. Years later, a black dog which looked exactly like the old one came into her life in the form of a stray. This time, she adopted the dog. The black dog is her ward, and she recognized the spirit of the old dog in this one. To call forth a familiar spirit, in fact, might just be you learning to form a bond with something which was already there.

My Demon
My demon dwells in the Azure Flame right above the crown of my head. That’s where they reside. I say “they” because they are androgynous. They protect me from having people try to cold read me, from the evil eye, and from energies otherwise not welcomed. An incident occurred years ago where I was at the church I grew up in. The reason I was there was a matter regarding my family (the religious side). The Pentecostal church had music and energy and a shouting sermon galore. I sat there, and I felt my demon pushing against everything. When we left, I had the vehicle pulled over so I could retch. The battle was too much for me, and I became sick as a result. I recovered quickly, but I realized how enormous this energy was and how well my demon protected me.

The demon has also been my ally as I travel with the Goddess Hekate as an oracle. Oracular possession happens to be my specialty, one which the Goddess bestowed upon me. I did not realize it at the time, but my demon was awakened when I dedicated myself to the Goddess as her priest. To oracle became my contract with her. The rest is history.

The demon has allowed me to meet other spirit guides. I can’t say that I’ve always been faithful to its heeds and warnings, but I have learned a lot on the journey from mistakes which could have been avoided if I had just trusted the still, small voice of my familiar. I continue to learn, and how to feed it, and maintain my trust with it.

Awakening my familiar has been a wonderful tool for my Craft. I believe every witch should have one. If you are in trad Craft, I believe not too long after your initiation a ritual should lead to you knowing your demon. Your familiar. They are your cherished companions. They will help you magically in your endeavors. I admit not everyone will agree with me. That’s okay. I just feel that a familiar spirit attached to us and vice-versa is what aids us in our witchcraft. The Gods are fine. Worship is great. But don’t forget your familiar spirit. They were with you in the beginning, and will be with you in your return.

Eirene kai Hugieia!
(Peace and Health!)
Oracle