Earlier this week we looked at the process of feeding your
demons, which is a way to make friends with your shadow. In this post we’ll dig
deeper into the various types of demon you might find skulking in the darkness
of your worst fears. But first, what is a demon?
In this practice, demons aren’t devils or undead spirits
with anger management issues. They’re not the dark clichéd entities associated
with Christian mythology. Demons are a personification of your fears. They
represent whatever you have problems with: inner conflict, negative emotions,
blockages, illness, obsessions and recurring issues. Demons are how your shadow
expresses itself and tries to make you aware of what you’re denying or
repressing.
“What we call demons are not materially existing individuals with huge black forms, frightening and terrifying anyone who sees them. A demon means anything which hinders liberation.” – Machig Labdron
Demons aren’t real in the sense that they don’t exist
separately from your mind and the stories you tell yourself about your life.
But they can feel very real when you’re fighting them. Your mind perceives them
as real and then starts to resist and fight. But that just makes them stronger.
Demons are only there because they want you to become aware
of what you’re running away from – which is mostly them, of course, but the
more you run, the harder the demons will try to get your attention. They
represent a wake-up call and an opportunity to stop running and become more whole
and compassionate.
The Four Types of Demons
Machig Labdron identified four types of demons which she
based on the four maras of Buddhism, the demonic forces that can block progress
on the spiritual path. When working with your shadow it helps if you can
recognise what kind of demon you’re dealing with because then you can
understand how to heal it.
The four types of demon are:
- Outer Demons
- Inner Demons
- Demons of Elation
- Demons of Egocentricity
Starting with the outer demons, each of these categories takes
you deeper into your own mind, getting more subtle as you go down. So outer
demons are the most obvious because you can see clearly what the problem is,
even if you can’t deal with it.
Next down you have inner demons which function at the level
of the mind. They could also be related to the outer demons, say if your
problem has an inner and an outer dimension, but inner demons are often just
internal and have no real basis in the outer world.
Deeper still you have the demons of elation which are about
pride and the dangers of success. Once you’ve dealt with some of your more
obvious outer and inner demons you might get it into your head that you’re
demon-free – that you’ve got rid of your shadow – which leads to ego inflation.
That leaves the final level of the ego itself – the cause of
all the trouble. The demons of egocentricity are the foundation of your
experience as an apparently separate self. Deal with these demons and you’re
home free.
Complex Problems: the Hydra
Before we look at each of these categories in more detail,
it’s worth mentioning another aspect of feeding your demons, and that’s the demon complex. Problems like company,
they rarely come alone, and it’s the same with demons.
As you feed your demons you’ll notice that they transform
over time. This happens because you’re integrating more of what they represent
into your awareness. But you may also notice that certain demons have multiple
layers or many heads: a demonic hydra. Like Hercules, you lob off a head only
to find more growing in its place.
A Hydra is a demon complex which is an interconnected jumble
of various demons and god-demons where one problem masks another deeper issue
in layer after layer. Or you could see it as a family of demons affecting many
areas of your life simultaneously. For example, an alcoholism demon could just
be the surface level of many other demons, like low self-esteem, control
issues, fear of abandonment, and so on.
Let’s dig through the layers and explore these demons in
more detail.
Outer Demons
These are the obvious demons, also called Tangible Demons or
‘demons that block’, which arise from seeing the apparently objective world as
separate from consciousness. Outer demons relate to something tangible in the
world, something that’s perceived through the senses. They function through
desire and aversion so tend to come up when you’re attracted to or repelled
against something or someone.
These are the demons that arise when you chase after certain
experiences that you think will be fulfilling, or run away from stuff you fear,
or attack something or someone you believe is a threat. Outer demons often work
through projection so may be connected, via a Hydra, to an inner demon. They
include things like fear of flying, or spiders, as well as addiction, relationship
issues, and problems with the body, such as illness.
Inner Demons
These demons are less obvious and more subtle than outer
demons. They’re also called Intangible Demons or ‘demons that run on and on’
because they arise in the mind and are characterised by your endless circling
thoughts. Inner demons come from your emotions, thoughts, memories, and
fantasies, and may or may not be connected with the outer world. Many inner
demons have no external trigger at all and just exist in your imagination, caused
by the stories you tell yourself.
Inner demons include emotional problems like depression,
anxiety, paranoia, and shame, which could be connected to outer events, but can
also arise purely in the mind. These are your fears and hang-ups, and things
like low self-esteem, insecurity and fear of failure, and so on.
Demons of Elation
These demons are even less obvious and can be hard to spot.
They arise from achievement and success, which you might not see as a problem,
but the issue here is attachment. Demons of Elation are all about success going
to your head and are particularly tricky to deal with on the spiritual path.
These demons come up when you get attached to blissful
experiences in meditation, or when you believe you’re enlightened when you’re
not, or perhaps too much praise from others causes your ego to get puffed up
and you start to believe your own hype. This is the whole area of spiritual
pride and spiritual superiority. A veritable minefield.
Demons of Egocentricity
This is the big one, the ultimate demon, the head honcho.
The demon of ego is the belief in your own self-importance and the foundation
of all your problems. Ego is where the stories come from, the ones that tie you
in knots of fear and confusion. This demon is the source of all the other
demons – the demon mother or ground zero.
“The demon that must be killed is our own self.”
Gods and God-Demons
Some of your demons won’t be demons at all, but gods. These
are problems that are caused by your hopes, and desires, and things you long
for that you see as positive. But instead of enjoying them, you get too
attached and the problems start. In this case the god turns into a demon and
you have a god-demon.
Hopes and fears are closely related and can’t exist without
each other. When you hope for something it’s often because you fear something
else, like hoping to win the lottery because you fear poverty, for example.
Hoping for a particular outcome can also make it hard to relax and enjoy an
experience for what it is. You can get so caught up in trying to make something
perfect, that the opposite ends up happening.
In the end, it doesn’t help to get attached to either side
of the spectrum. Both gods and demons are there to help you see through the
illusory nature of duality so you can be free. In fact, the word ‘demon’ used
to be ‘daemon’ which meant a guiding spirit, and was generally seen as a
positive thing. Your daemon is your higher self, guiding you on the path to
awakening.
As you feed your demons they transform into daemons, or
guiding spirits, who lead you into freedom.
“With a loving mind, cherish more than a childThe hostile gods and demons of apparent existence,And tenderly surround yourself with them.”- Machig Labdron
Image: Demon
