Few words are as loaded with incomprehensible layers of meaning as

demon. The term has shifted connotation many times within different cultural,
religious and social contexts since practically the dawn of mankind. Though the
modern dictionary definition, an evil spirit; a source of evil, harm, distress or ruin,
has remained mostly constant there has been considerable variation in how the
origin, nature and ultimate purpose of demons has been viewed.
The first great human civilization, the Sumerians, existed
in Mesopotamia from approximately 4000 BC until 2000 BC. They had a concept of
demons, a class of spirits called utukku. The malevolent ones killed men and caused
sickness and suffering. The same spirits existed in the mythology of another
Mesopotamian culture, the Akkadians. These spirits were actually considered to be
the restless spirits of the dead who caused distress but ultimately came to be
considered a class of demons that haunted desolate locations. The half-human and
half-animal alu lurked in the darkness while the hideous and hairy rabisu caused
nightmares.
Many of the
same, or similar, demons and spirits made appearances in the mythologies of
Babylon, Assyria, Persia and other Middle Eastern cultures. Egypt had its own
developed wealth of demonology, as did the Oriental religions of Hinduism and
Buddhism. The Hebrew Scriptures speak of the seirim, goat-like demons to which
sacrifices were made in open fields. There are also the shedim, storm demons of
destruction with connections to the Chaldeans and Babylonians.
The
ancient Greeks had a word for intermediate spirits between mortals and the gods:
daimons. They could be either good or evil but the term itself ultimately became
demons and came to refer solely to evil beings. When Christianity began to develop
it was strongly influenced by the good-versus-evil dichotomy of Zoroastrianism. This
made the development of a large tradition of demonology within Christianity
inevitable and it absorbed a good deal of the lore and legends of earlier cultures
and religions.
With the growing dominance of Christianity across the Western world
that particular faiths impression of demons has become by far and away the most
popular; the angel, fallen from grace and dedicated to causing suffering and
misfortune under the orders of the supreme ruler of evil, yet doomed to the fires of
hell at the end of days. Wicked beyond repentance, the affliction of sinners and the
godless and bowing only to divine decree, the Christian church has done the most
to popularize the idea of demons and their works. The presence of demons in horror
movies such as The Exorcist and The Exorcism of Emily Rose, on popular television
like Paranormal State and Supernatural and in literary works like the legends of
Faust almost universally mirror Christian beliefs.
One
interesting aspect of Christian demonology that is especially relevant to magical
practitioners is the grimoire tradition. Other cultures have had magical and religious
techniques for placating, driving off and even buying the favor of demons, but the
Christian demonologists of history developed especially elaborate magical systems

of interacting with demons, subduing them with rituals and divine authority so that
they can be used to serve a human magician. There are many different books
detailing these methods, called grimoires, with some of the earliest ones dating
back to the 13th century and presumably being based on even older sources. These
methods remain popular in modern magical circles and any number of grimoires can
be purchased at chain bookstores.
Modern magic users have
thus retained a large part of the lore and knowledge of demons in current days even
as the very idea of demons has become laughable to the general public. It is thanks
to magical practitioners, the grimoires, historians and archaeologists that we have
any information available to us about demons and it is modern magical theorists
and practitioners who have written extensively about demons as a whole class of
entities rather than a philosophical notion or an anachronism.
Taken as a group, the
class of entities called demons has a few defining characteristics. Looking beyond
cultural and religious characteristics for the grain of universal truth, a few things
can be observed. They are generally non-human spirits, which separates them from
ghosts. They are universally malicious, or at least ill-intentioned, differentiating
them from other spirits. They are not part of the natural order, making them distinct
from fay or elementals. They can take on almost any form imaginable, but tend
towards the horrible, weird and grotesque. Their behaviors tend to follow some
predictable patterns and symptoms while remaining harmful and heralding their
presence.
The presence of a demon can be hard to determine. Even
though they are a class of beings in their own right, their behaviors are often similar
or identical to other types of pests and magical beings. Two signs of a demonic
presence are persistence and malignancy. Common methods of banishing and
cleansing are often enough to deal with other types of threatening or dangerous
magical beings but against a demon will usually bring short-term relief at best. The
activity will also be more intense and malignant than what is witnessed with other
causes. Demonic activity can range from annoying and frightening to threatening
and life-shattering but at any stage of the gamut it is undeniable, has a tangible
impact and is some degree of malicious.
A minor demon may only be able to cause feelings of fear or manage
to annoy its victim with malevolent but ultimately harmless actions while a more
powerful demon can manifest itself as an overpowering panic, tangible evil
presences, physical wounds and blows against its victim, life-threatening bad luck,
repetitive nightmares and foul smells. It all depends on the exact nature of the
demon and its attack.
Some modern exorcists and theorists divide demonic attacks
into four categories, from the least to the most severe. A demonic assault manifests
itself as sense of supernatural evil along with possibly experiencing immobility,
terror and helplessness to move or fight back after being awoken from sleep. A
demonic haunt denotes a demon that is attracted to a particular location where
something evil happened or which was used for magic of a suitably immoral slant.
Demons will be attracted to such places and possibly cause problems for anyone

who comes across them. A demonic obsession refers to a case where an individual
or individuals are afflicted by an illogical and self-destructive or dangerous
obsession. The obsessed person may be otherwise perfectly rational but, left
unchecked, will follow their obsession to even a suicidal conclusion. Finally, a
demonic possession is exactly what you see in movies; a demon takes control of its
victims body and/or mind and controls that persons actions and words.
Possessions
are the most dangerous and, blessedly, rarest manifestation of a demon and
requires considerably more advanced methods of removal than other situations.
Assaults, haunts and obsessions, while not easy to resolve, are certainly easier to
deal with than possession. Assaults and hauntings are the simplest form of demonic
activity to curb; they have no anchor to an individual to lend them strength and
durability. Techniques of natural magic such as the use of holy water, protective
stones and herbs, salt, iron and other apoptropaics can hinder and weaken a
demons activities while the frequent repetition of protective and banishing rituals
will drive it off. Wards can be erected to keep them out and, in the case of
hauntings, frequent cleansings and blessings can break the link between a location
and its haunting demon.
A demonic obsession is considerably more difficult to combat, because a
demon has begun to actually get its hopefully-metaphorical claws into a person.
This type of haunting is likely to require outside aid for the victim. Again, any and all
magical techniques of protection, banishing, cleansing or purification should be
brought to bear to try and weaken the connection between demon and victim.
However, the most important thing is for the obsessed individual to muster their will
and fight back. When a demon chooses to bring its evil to the battlefield of a mortal
mind, the victim has the opportunity to strike back from a position of strength.
Simply refusing to give in, consciously turning the mind away from whatever the
obsessing idea or thought is and realizing that it isnt really them thinking such
things will weaken the demon eventually, forcing it to give up and seek easier prey.
When reinforced by magic and spiritual support and protection, a strong-willed
person can overcome a demonic obsession. Psychological counseling and religious
support are also good options to explore in such a case.
Finally, there is the
ultimate and most dramatic expression of demonic activity: possession. By the time
things escalate to this point outside assistance is mandatory. The possessed are
virtually guaranteed to be incapable of freeing themselves. This is also the most
ambiguous territory to enter, for there are few hard and fast rules for dealing with
such a desperate situation. Some type of exorcism is going to be in order, whether
of a religious or magical nature. If the afflicted has a religious preference all efforts
should be made to find a representative of their faith who is empowered and trained
to deal with such situations. In the likely situation that no competent clergy are
available then a skilled and masterful magical practitioner is the best and only real
choice. Natural magical techniques and standard banishing rites are going to fall flat
in such a situation. Specifically focused and powerful rituals of exorcism and

banishing need to be constructed and/or performed flawlessly, backed up by ability

and will. Protective and helpful entities can be called on for aid and divine aid
sought. The process of exorcism may need to be repeated multiple times, over a
span of time that can vary from days to months, before the demon is finally driven
out. It is also worth mentioning that the entire process of exorcism hinges on the will
of the possessed; if they dont wish to be free or wont fight back, then the battle is
hopeless. No exorcism will free a person who cant find the will to fight for their
freedom.
Even assuming that an exorcism is successful, it is still a draining and
difficult experience for all involved. Especially for the victim, who is likely to need
psychological and spiritual support afterward. Such support needs to be marshaled,
along with other methods of warding and protection, in the wake of an exorcism to
prevent a relapse. The victim is still weakened and would be vulnerable to a
counterattack from the demon or even from a completely different being looking for
easy prey. Steps must be taken to prevent a reoccurrence.
This, of course, describes the optimal
outcome of the worst-case scenario. There are, however, some topics that must be
taken into consideration before even attempting to deal with a demon. First, is the
question of ability. Anything but the least impressive and niggling imp is going to be
a severe challenge to deal with. The more powerful demons, especially in scenarios
involving possession, have a persons life and quite possibly soul at stake. Dealing
with demons can quickly become extraordinarily dangerous; there is a reason that
demons are so feared across cultures. It is certainly not a job for amateurs and
apprentices. Only experienced magical practitioners should even consider dealing
with such a case. There is also the topic of identification and certainty. As discussed,
it can be challenging to distinguish demons from other beings, to say nothing of
mental illness, fraud or paranoia. It is likely to require a good bit of investigation,
and preferably medical and psychological/psychiatric evaluations, to try and verify
the reality of a demonic case. Rashness is diagnosing a demonic problem is likely to
cause more harm than good. Then, one must consider questions of liability and
safety. People can be injured dealing with demons and a full-blown exorcism is an
extremely traumatic and dangerous affair. There are numerous stories of people
dying of exorcisms, though such cases are generally ascribed to poorly performed or
unsafe techniques rather than demons actually killing, but the possibility cant fully
be discounted. It has been written several times before in this paper, but it bears
reiterating; demons are one of the most dangerous things one can go up against, at
least at the higher tiers of their power and manifestation.
Demons can be very
powerful and are always malicious. They are dangerous and can cause life-altering
problems. They can manifest in many forms and attack in many ways. There are
differences of opinion about why they exist and what part of the cosmology they
occupy. One thing is certain, however; demons are architects of misery and delight
in suffering. Wherever they rear their eldritch heads, hopefully there is someone
there to drive them back and protect their victims However, the best option is to
never have to deal with a demon in the first place. The best offense against a

demon is a good defense; they are beings of evil and pain. They are attracted to
negativity, whether in a person or a place. They can strike at individuals through
their weaknesses, which can be anything from depression to drug addiction to
illness. Filling ones life with their very opposite is the best way to keep demons at
bay. A happy, well-adjusted person, supported by loving friends and family and
buoyed up by spiritual, religious or magical practices is like a bastion against such
evil beings. A life full of love, light, happiness and harmony is an alien environment
in which a demon can get no traction and is the best defense against demons
possible.

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