How did you face your demons?

[Johnathanrs]

Disclaimer: This is my own perspective and does not offer advice for anyone. If you feel this helps you, then by all means.

Same as you except even more vivid with all of the senses. I use to feel prickly sensations all throughout my body, voices in my head, vivid prophetic visions and so on, all leading to a house that is filled with different identities, foul smells, more hallucinations - you get it. I still do have all of this, but it has diminished greatly because I am healing. I found my way to God and live in his kingdom now. I realized the duality of everything, recognize egos that represent sin that have attached themselves to me, or guiding angels that are moving me towards something that is far greater.

[Rah nam]

I never encountered any evil or demons inside me our outside.
I always have been highly protected through out my live, this does not mean I had an easy life. It was simply geared towards what I needed to do hear.

Originally Posted by In Flux

I don't think my demons came out of these shaping forces, but rather I feel they came from not really clarifying or addressing the darker thoughts and motives I'm also carrying around (the connection could of course be that because of wanting the 'light' qualities, I'm supressing the 'dark' qualities that are also there). But I'm not really sure about any of this (it's just a theory).

I'd say it's more than just a theory.

Your reality is based on your definitions, keeping it very simple. When you define what is 'light' by that definition you define what is 'dark'. Very often Spiritual people define what are Spiritual aspects of themselves and by that definition define what is not. Often they try and deny what is not Spiritual and try to lock it away in the dark places where it becomes demons. Sometimes that can include aspects of your past, I'm guessing that because you expressed a desire for the beauty in virtue/justice/goodness that you haven't seen much of that. Not addressing that can create demons. You also mention the law of karma so I'm guessing you mean that as do good/bad things and get good/bad things in return. That can really mess with your head and it's not a Universal Law but a mentality.

In psychology it's called cognitive dissonance or the 'lock on, lock out' principle. You've locked on to 'light qualities' and you're trying to lock out 'dark qualities', that causes waves of dissonance like opposing wave patterns on a still pond. Only that still pond with the waves is your head.

Very often people becomes Spiritual because they've had trauma in their Lives and they're either looking for answers or resolution, but one of the common things that happens is they try to forget their past feelings. What happens is that they are 'consigned' to the Shadow Self where they become demons. Both Teal Swan and Jung have a lot to say on the Shadow Self and resolving it, depending on which way you want to go.

When you make your demons your friends they're not demonic any more and denying aspects of yourself doesn't bode well for your wholeness. You're human and very often those 'dark aspects' have kept you in one piece.

[In Flux]

Thank you John, Lorelyen and Imzadi for your accounts! One thing I wanted to add about my encounters so far with my dark side is that interacting with it did not seem to bring any positive results. Initially, in these encounters, I was more driven by curiosity, so I was not really avoiding, but engaging with the dark side only invited more darkness. Two examples:

- if there was the opportunity to enter some dark world to play a video game there, I would want to try it out. As the game would get darker and darker, the experience would become more and more unpleasant.

- I once dreamt of visiting a hell. There was a demon there, and every time he coughed, the atmosphere became even more devoid of life and joy (I can say it was horrible just to be in this place, even though I was only an observer, I felt myself getting heavier and heavier, and more and more drained of any positive emotion)

Now I'm not 100% sure that these experiences were of the same kind as facing my demons, because in the above cases, I was visiting places, not being confronted with entities that felt like they were a part of me, but I suspect that if I would mentally connect to my demons and "merge" with them, it would be a similar experience. So in general, I have doubts about 'opening up to the dark side' as a strategy. It's not that I don't want to look at my demons (the idea of shining a light on them appeals to me a lot), but I dread lowering my vibration to their level (and I question the benefits of doing that, because so far these endeavers have turned out to be endless rabbit holes).

So, I think I will try the 'shining a light and seeing their faces' approach the next time I meet them.

ps I also wonder how my experience of (inner) demons compares to other peoples experience. What is most shocking to me is how lowly the demons are. It's like they are much worse than murderers and rapists. If I define a murderer as a being who is capable of positive emotions, but who lives on a negative plane, then the demons are worse, because they seem to be manifestations of pure negativity. In my daily life, I cannot even recollect the experience of meeting them (I can only think of them in abstract terms), it's only in the dream that I am able to sense their vibration. But I do fear that their vibration is in my spectrum (in the sense that I am capable of becoming like them, just as much as I am capable of becoming more angelic), which is why I feel it's so important to do something about them.

Ok, of the several instances I was working on a path between intellect (Mercury) and emotion (Venus). I suddenly encountered this animated black shape. The nearest I can describe it was like a caricatured ghost but in a black sheet, no eyes visible. I tried to turn aside but it became a black impenetrable wall across the entire scene, just halted me.
I then tried to reach the Venus node from the Foundation (Moon). The same thing happened.

The only interpretation I came up with was I wasn't allowed to reach the powers and correspondences that (in this system) are embodied in Venus because of my conduct in relationships and my disregard of the emotions of others? It could have been something else like my reluctance to bring children into the world as it is, Venus being the "keeper" of fertility.

It looked like I had to change my behaviour. Making a firm decision allowed me through those barriers. Even so, the way was half-lit for a long time while I used other techniques to bring about the changes I thought were expected.

I can't really describe some of the Vodou encounters as it would mean explanations to give a prior understanding. But one difference, as you seem to hint, is that dark forces can be helpful whether you choose the way of light or not. They can help the explorer understand why they're there and what they do.
One encounter was helpful in characterising "evil" for me, saying it wasn't as simple as evil is evil no matter what. There are different kinds of evil - two, for instance, being necessary and unnecessary evil - a more analytic view.

Burke's quote:"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing," took on a different slant - "or when good men fall for what they think is a good cause without understanding the evil they're supporting."

[John32241]

Originally Posted by In Flux

ps I also wonder how my experience of (inner) demons compares to other peoples experience. What is most shocking to me is how lowly the demons are. It's like they are much worse than murderers and rapists. If I define a murderer as a being who is capable of positive emotions, but who lives on a negative plane, then the demons are worse, because they seem to be manifestations of pure negativity. In my daily life, I cannot even recollect the experience of meeting them (I can only think of them in abstract terms), it's only in the dream that I am able to sense their vibration. But I do fear that their vibration is in my spectrum (in the sense that I am capable of becoming like them, just as much as I am capable of becoming more angelic), which is why I feel it's so important to do something about them.

Hi,

There is an elevated perspective that, through love, we are connected to all things. Seeing your inner demons as manifestations of pure negativity kind of puts you at war with yourself. Conflicts and wars always end badly.

I do agree that it is important to do something about them. I see that effort as a heart centerd investment and not an intellectual undertaking. It may be true you have never felt the experiences others have had and you are required to deal with this issue using only abstract concepts.

Yet you are an eternal angelic expression of love. No choice you make as a human can ever alter that reality.

John

[Starman]

Prayer works! Ask for protection and
guidance from your higher being, God, etc.

P.S. Wanted to give you some feedback on the 3-things you listed,
and please take this kindly. What you listed were 3-things that make
up your philosophy. We get our philosophy from something else, so you
might want to look at where those values or standards came from, like your
family or a previous relationship, etc., because that is the primary influence.
If you are going to journal, that is write things down about your life, look at how
come you think, or feel, the way that you do. This is what I meant before when
I was talking about listing 3-things that have influenced your life the most.
I went through this exercise a long time ago and it helped me. How we think
and feel has to do with what we invite into our lives, but our thoughts and feelings
usually come from something that happened to us or that we previously witnessed.
Experiences, thoughts and feelings, form the basis of our philosophy. I don't want to
get too deep into this; it was just a suggestion.

[Johnathanrs]

Originally Posted by In Flux

Thank you John, Lorelyen and Imzadi for your accounts! One thing I wanted to add about my encounters so far with my dark side is that interacting with it did not seem to bring any positive results. Initially, in these encounters, I was more driven by curiosity, so I was not really avoiding, but engaging with the dark side only invited more darkness. Two examples:

Hey In Flux,

My guidance. It is your choice to follow it. Always remember that. Sin is not correct. Demons are not correct. If Demons means evil, to you, then we never work with it under any conditions. We never learn what to do from it. We learn what not to do. God is right. Devil is wrong. God is life. Demons are death. Every human that you see die early, it is because they are wrestling with a negative emotion - depression, extreme addictions, and so on.

What Lorelyn and John said is correct and spot on.

A demonic trick demons try to use is to get us to believe in the opposite polarity for what words mean. Most gray beings, including myself during my own progression, is that no evil truly exists - there is no good and evil - there are higher level perspectives and this is a primitive viewpoint of people that are stuck. Gray beings, always seem to think they are smarter or higher level beings than there fellow men and justify there ideologies, such as by believing that no evil or good exists, through witty lines such as what most will tell you that everything is merely perspective and you should feel what is right. No, this is wrong. You should follow God always. To accept your own beliefs over God is to accept Ego over spirit. This eventually leads to other levels of demonic influences such as you are a God and other different tier levels that lead you astray.

Beings who believe in this ideology in essence live in the world of duality, a state of both forces that do exist, and thus can be influenced by either. It has never dawned on them that their roles are reversed. They are the primitive beings, childish beings, to God because God represents perfect, truth, and light. Anything that accepts demonic is not of the kingdom of God and is not a light being, but a hybrid of both forces. You are in a world of sin, but can choose to avoid it. When the force of light collided with the force of darkness, a piece of both merged and formed our universe. God wants his light back. To put it simply. God wants the piece of light that has merged with darkness, or sin.

0: Negative Emotion. (Darkness)
1: Gray (Both)
2: Positive Emotion. (Light)

You can become 1.99999 and progress through layers of the gray like I have, such as the concepts of mathematics moving from the tenth, to the thousandth, and so on, only to find out that in the end, God is true reality. Our world is sin. God is everything. God is all emotions that represent the positive polarity. If you were to use a prism to pure white light, you would see a spectre of rainbows. To the Hindus, they call the emotion of love Krishna. A part of God. Love is perfect because it possess no hate under any circumstances or constraint. A force that is perfect. A planet with only love and no hate is perfection. Raise your vibration.

When you purge a negative emotion, a sin, a demon, then it will come back trying to reclaim you. Turn to God always for salvation. Demons can only reach you in the world of Darkness or Gray. They don't exist in God's kingdom.

[Imzadi]

Originally Posted by In Flux

So, I think I will try the 'shining a light and seeing their faces' approach the next time I meet them.

From one perspective, what we perceive as our personal demons could be repressed negative and distorted thought-forms within our psyche. Perhaps it could be thoughts and feelings of shame, hate, anger, jealousy, fear, etc. that one might have picked up and repressed into the unconscious. For many people on the Spiritual path who are purely focus on the Light, we unfortunately neglect the existence of the Shadow. There the demons of the Shadow gather strength that can manifest into horrifying expressions. One might even see them as a shadowy figures or entities haunting you in dreams of a hellish landscape or even off the corner of the eye during the day.

I believe that human beings are capable of immense Goodness, Love, and Light when they are Spiritually connected and fully Conscious. The opposite is also possible if the demons remain out of reach from the Light of God/your Consciousness where they are left unchecked, unhealed, and unmet. Carl Jung said, "Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate." Making the unconscious conscious is now essentially called Shadow work by some in the Spiritual community and it is one of the most powerful tools that I have used in my Spiritual journey of healing. This is a video I found on YouTube that explains Shadow work very well and I think it may be helpful to your situation that you can resonate with:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2s8I3yq-Kmo

P.S. Shadow work is difficult because facing the unconscious can be excruciatingly painful, but sometimes to get to Heaven you gotta walk through hell. Ask God to walk with you and you will have the Divine Light and Protection to guide your way. :)

[Starman]

From a macro level the darkness is nothing more than the shadow of the light.
Only one thing truly exists and that one thing is the light; everything else is illusive.

The creation is made of shadows, or images by another name; it is but a reflection of the light.
If it has form it will fade. The light is truly all there is. All shadows will fade, all images will fade.

All things come from God, the light, and all things must return to God.
Don't feed the shadows, feed the light.

A Cherokee Parable:

"An old Cherokee Chief was talking to his grandson. "A fight is going on
inside me," he said to the boy. "It is a terrible fight and it is between
two wolves."

"One is evil - he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed,
arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride,
superiority, self-doubt, and ego."

"The other is good - he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility,
kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith."

"This same fight is going on inside you - and inside every other person, too."
The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather,
"Which wolf will win?"

The old chief simply replied,
"The one you feed."