Shamanism, a practice rooted in ancient traditions and beliefs, holds a profound understanding of the "Daemonic." Often misunderstood and misrepresented, the Daemonic realm in shamanic philosophy embodies energies and entities that are wired into a much higher intelligence that transcend the physical realm, but also have much influence over reality as we know it. In this blog post, we delve into the depths of shamanic wisdom to unravel the mysteries of the Daemonic and explore its significance in spiritual evolution.
What Is Shamanism?
Before we embark on our exploration of the daemonic, let's briefly touch upon the essence of shamanism itself. Shamanism is a spiritual practice and way of life found in cultures across the globe, characterised by its practitioners, known as “Shamans”, who act as intermediaries between the human and spirit worlds. Through rituals, ceremonies, and journeys into altered states of consciousness, shamans seek healing, guidance, and wisdom for themselves and their communities.
In Shamanism, we do not see energy as “good” or “bad”, but categorise energy based on “light and dark matter”, also referred to as positive and negative polarities, both of which are seen to have equal value within our existence. This goes against a lot of the religious programming that the Western world has been wired with. Gravitating towards one particular polarity and refusing the existence of the other is practically ignoring a big chunk of your consciousness. Whilst Christianity/Catholicism defines a strict “good and evil” label to many things that exist within the human psyche, Shamans perceive “good” and “evil” as defined only by conscience and moral code and that which defines good and evil are the physical actions one takes and the intention that is behind them. For example, someone could perform an action with the intention to heal or the intention to harm. With this in mind, understand that thoughts, feelings and emotions that are often defined as "bad" are often an essential aspect of the unconscious mind to look at and acknowledge as we contain as much positive as we do negative. Failing to look at what lies within the negative is refusing ownership of that part of ourselves and shaming it, which paradoxically, gives it more of a power over us from within the unconscious. This is essential to have in mind when looking at Daemons.
The Daemonic: What Are Daemons?
In popular culture, the term "daemonic" (also spelt Demonic) often carries negative connotations, associated with evil or malevolent forces or simply refers to things that are out to cause harm - this definition has been shaped by religious programming and images created by mainstream media and film culture. Daemonic is also used as a catch-all term for all entities or forces that dwell within the dark matter or the unknown aspects of the self. For example, I often have clients approaching me for Shamanic Healing that believe a Daemon is attached to them. However, in the context of shamanic and occult practice, the daemonic transcends such simplistic notions of good and evil. Instead, it encompasses the totality of existence, including both light and shadow aspects. So let’s look at the two main definitions of a Daemon/Demon.
Demon (Christian definition): The pure forces of evil itself or any entity or spirit that is out to cause harm, chaos and disempowerment.
Daemon (Traditional Greek definition): A divine intelligence that dwells in the space between gods and humans, neither good nor evil.
Note - these definitions are worded differently from source to source but their meaning remains the same. As you can see, the definitions are very different and it really depends on what perspective you are coming from. It is important to not categorise energy as good and bad but rather known and unknown or light and dark. Light matter refers to the known aspects of the self, also referred to as the conscious mind, whilst dark matter refers specifically to the unconscious aspects of oneself and the mystery. If we see dark matter as evil, just because it is the unknown and we try to stay in the light because it is what feels safe, we do not evolve, it’s as simple as that. Dark matter energy is an essential force of change and transformation and is the primary initiator into higher states of consciousness. Avoiding these parts of the self or trying to banish them or find a treatment for them is what causes stagnation in one's life. This is by far the most common problem that I encounter in my work with clients and students. The Western world wires us to seek treatment for what is unsettling/painful so many end up seeking out various therapies to try and purge themselves of what is in their shadow, but this is counterproductive as it causes more inner conflict. The key to evolution is to befriend what lies within the unconscious mind and learn to work with it consciously so that we can step into our personal power. This is the true role of the Daemonic.
Daemons are potent elemental forces of nature that vibrate closely to the human realm. They are raw, primordial expressions of power and vibrate within the dark matter and the negative polarity itself. Whereas an angel vibrates on the light matter and the positive polarity. The main difference between the polarities are as follows:
The Positive Polarity (Angelic) - Harmonises through creation and is of complete service to others.
The Negative Polarity (Daemonic) - Harmonises through destruction and is of complete service to the self.
As mentioned above, human beings contain both positive and negative polarities so both of them have value within our existence. Therefore, both Angels and Daemons are here to assist us in aligning to our authenticity, but they do so in opposite ways.
Because Daemons are destructive in nature, they often assist us by initiating destructive experiences within our lives in order to help us grow closer to our authenticity and power. As mentioned earlier, dark matter is the primary initiator into higher states of consciousness so when we experience chaos and challenges in our daily lives, they act as firm initiations into a state of being that is more in our truth. In order to keep evolving, we can’t stay stagnant in the light; the destruction of what has been outgrown must be embraced. This process is often referred to as a “Shamanic Death” or “Ego Death”, whereby we break out of an outdated paradigm/persona that we originally created to neutralise the chaos in our lives. Instead, the chaos needs to be embraced and befriended in order to establish an identity that is in closer alignment with our authenticity. The only perceived bad thing about this process is when we resist the initiations that the daemonic/dark matter energy is putting us through as we are wired to hold onto our outgrown identities because it simply feels safer. This is where it can be interpreted as damaging as it can cause those who do not have conscious awareness of the true function of dark matter to spiral and stagnate, causing them to become stuck in between who they once were and who they are supposed to be and it is this that causes many to refer to the darkness as evil. This is normally the state of being that someone is in to some extent when they seek out a Shaman.
Daemons and their relation to trauma
Daemons are often seen as archetypal energies that mirror what is in the unconscious collectively and individually. It is said to be Daemonic entities that function as the primary forces that draw in triggering experiences as mirrors of what lies within our unconscious. An example of this is when many people have recurring themes or patterns in their lives, whether it is continuously attracting the same type of partner or recurring illness; there is an emotional imprint within the unconscious that is drawing in this type of experience based on the underlying beliefs that one has of themselves and the world around them. It is the Daemonic force that initiates the repeating theme so that the individual can grow, the caveat being, someone failing to see this and falling into stagnation and apathy as a result of this, therefore becoming an avatar of chaos instead of learning to transmute it. As you can probably see, we are all having unconscious interactions with these forces in our daily lives. Becoming consciously aware of how these forces function within our daily lives is extremely powerful because we truly learn that nothing is out to get us but to actually initiate us into better versions of ourselves. This becomes life-changing when we consciously engage in this process of transmuting chaos into power and in doing so, undergoing continuous death and rebirth so that we can grow towards enlightenment and authenticity. This is the true journey of the soul!
Conclusion
In conclusion, shamanism offers a profound understanding of the true role of the daemonic, inviting us to explore the depths of our being and the mysteries of existence. By navigating the shadow realm, engaging with spirits, and embracing the unknown, we consciously embark on our soul’s journey of self-discovery and spiritual evolution. In embracing the daemonic, we reclaim our power and reconnect with the ancient wisdom that lies dormant within us.