“Orthodox teaching about demons and possession. Demonology - types of demons from various sources

They are vile... just as it is impossible for a sinner to look at the light of an angel, so it is terrible to see demons, because they are vile.

Venerable Seraphim of Sarov

Satan himself disguises himself as an angel of light

For such false apostles, deceitful workers, disguise themselves as apostles of Christ. And it is not surprising: because Satan himself takes the form of an Angel of light, and therefore it is not a great thing if his servants take the form of servants of righteousness, but their end will be according to their works (2 Cor. 11:13-15).

Venerable Theodora of Constantinople

(ordeal)

I turned my eyes away so as not to see their terrible faces

Seeing her, Gregory was delighted and asked how her soul was separated from her body, what she saw at her death, how she went through the ordeals in the air. Theodora answered these questions like this:

“Child Gregory, you asked about a terrible thing, it’s terrible to remember it. I saw faces that I had never seen, and heard words that I had never heard. What can I tell you? I had to see and hear terrible and terrible things for my deeds, but with the help and prayers of our father, the Reverend Vasily, everything was easy for me. How can I convey to you, child, that bodily torment, that fear and confusion that the dying have to experience! Just as fire burns those thrown into it and turns them to ashes, so the pain of death in the last hour destroys a person. Truly terrible is the death of sinners like me! So, when the hour of separation of my soul from the body came, I saw around my bed many Ethiopians, black as soot or tar, with eyes burning like coals. They raised a noise and cry: alone roared like cattle and beasts, others barked like dogs, others howled like wolves, and others grunted like pigs. All of them, looking at me, raged, threatened, gnashed their teeth, as if wanting to eat me; they prepared charters in which they wrote all my bad deeds. Then my poor soul began to tremble; the torment of death seemed not to exist for me: the menacing vision of the terrible Ethiopians was for me another, more terrible death. I turned my eyes away so as not to see their terrible faces, but they were everywhere and their voices came from everywhere.

Evil spirit in appearance and essence

I

The devil is an evil mental force that has departed from God, ormental evil spirit, and its superior dignity(Eph. 6:12).

Thus, the demons, being of the same spiritual nature with the angels, but voluntarily deviating from good to evil, became darkness in the way of being - in contrast to the first (lights).

The ancient pagans and their magicians, who entered into direct communication with demons, whom they respectfully called gods, of course, should have known more about their nature than people of the 20th century, who do not even believe in the existence of demons. Therefore, the spells (a kind of “prayer”) of magicians and magi, especially in Assyria and Egypt, where the latter were powerful, can, on the negative side, provide some material that, if it does not add anything new to the patristic or biblical data, is still illuminating in its own way case. And it is enough that the “dogmatics” of spells coincides with Christian dogmatics and, therefore, shows how low the current culture and its worldview, which is so at odds with the foundations of faith, have fallen!..

As an example, I will give two spells from the ritual of black magic of the ancient Chaldean priests.

The first (against the “great maskim” - the name of one demonic class): “Seven, there are seven of them! There are seven of them in the deepest depths of the sea. Seven Troublers of Heaven; they rise from the deepest depths of the ocean, from the hidden hiding places. They are not men and they are not women; spread like a network. They have no women, no children are born; honor and goodness are unknown to them; They do not listen to prayers and requests. Evil spirits born in the mountains are the enemies of the god Ea, they are the instruments of the wrath of the gods... Enemies! Enemies! Seven of them, seven of them, twice seven of them!..”

Another spell against Umu* (* Translated from Chaldean it means “days” and personifies the demonic forces of nature. - Note, compiler) - a separate category of demons:

“They (demons) are the fiends of hell... They penetrate from one house to another and you cannot keep them with doors, you cannot lock them with locks, they crawl through doors like snakes; they prevent a wife from conceiving from her husband... They are that ominous voice that, cursing people, haunts people everywhere.”

Since angels, as we have seen, cannot be limited to any physical place, then, consequently, demons by their nature cannot be spatially defined and measured by our tops, arshins and fathoms. Thus, the question of the scholastic theologians, “how many demons can fit on the point of a needle?” may be called idle, but not stupid, not illogical, not unreasonable. Due to the above-mentioned properties of spiritual nature, they can fit into hundreds, thousands, billions, quintillions... Theological concepts of a “spiritual place” explain in the above spells the properties of demons to penetrate through material things and locked locks. I will give a few more examples that clearly demonstrate the diverse abilities of spirits.

Famous scientist, prof. V. Bogoraz-Tan, who studied (of course, without believing in demons) shamanism, witchcraft and magic first-hand, that is, from the words of the shamans themselves and from his own experience (he himself was subjected to their spells), wrote a whole book on this topic in connection with Einstein's newly discovered ideas, embodied in the so-called theory of relativity. I borrow something from it.

The learned intellectual kept asking in what form demons appear to sorcerers, how exactly they appear and what sizes they come in. The professor says: “Chukchi shamans have repeatedly pointed out to me: “It’s difficult to understand what kind of spirits there are, big or small. You look at the spirit - and it’s smaller than a midge. Look again - and it’s already as tall as a man. And look: it’s already sitting on a cliff and his feet stand below on the sand... Look at him from afar, through a light fog - and he rises like a whole mountain...”

“When you begin to get acquainted with shamanism,” continues their incapable and incomprehensible student, “the first thing that strikes you is the smallness of the spirits evoked by the shaman. They are often hundreds, the shaman collects them into a tambourine, shakes them - and they squeeze together and curl up into a ball.

Then he shakes the tambourine, the spirits wake up throughout the room, swarm and buzz, break out and, covering the room on all sides in a thick layer, protect it from enemy attack.”

“The sizes of spirits during meetings,” continues Bogoraz-Tan, “are constantly changing... A spirit attacking a person, a terrible hunter of souls, is huge, gigantic... The same spirit, defeated, tamed by a shaman, on the contrary, is small, even tiny."

Without multiplying extracts from the vast shamanic practice, I will add that similar examples are found in every folklore and every magical ritual. Even those folk legends that were processed and passed through the hands of poets and writers with a purely positivist direction retained the basic grain of truth.

Let everyone remember only their school and gymnasium years and find as many examples as they like from the books they read then out of obligation and according to their own disposition.

Here is King Solomon from “The Thousand and One Nights”, the Arabian tales of Scheherazade, puts a huge genie - a spirit (who in a free state stood with his feet on the ground and his head in the clouds) in a small bottle and, sealed with a magic seal, throws it into the sea.

In another fairy tale, “Aladdin's Magic Lamp,” demon genies also appear in gigantic form.

In Goethe's Faust, the demon, the "genius of the earth", summoned by spells to frighten Faust, appears in enormous proportions, but the same demon, under the guise of Mephistopheles, wanting to get along with Faust and seduce him, takes on modest dimensions - to be afraid, they say , I have nothing...

It's the same with our poets. In Pushkin’s songs of the southwestern Slavs (“Marko Yakubovich”), the spirit changes its appearance three times in a short time, successively turning from a giant into a small dwarf.

In the poem “Demons,” the coachman says to the poet:

Look: there he is playing,
Blows, spits on me...
There's an unprecedented mileage there
He stood in front of me
There he sparkled with a small spark
And disappeared into the darkness of the night...

Pushkin takes a closer look:

I see the spirits have gathered
Among the white plains.
Endless, ugly
In the muddy game of the month,
Various demons began to spin,
Like leaves in November...

Or here’s another mocking (when it’s not funny at all) phrase from a non-believer intellectual:

You can catch a hundred of them in a bottle...

Nekrasov

II

He is incapable of repentance

“It may be that before the creation of man there was still some room for repentance left for the devil,” says St. Basil the Great. - But as soon as the order of the world appeared, and the planting of paradise, and man in paradise, and the commandment of God, and the envy of the devil, and the murder of the exalted, from then on there was a place for repentance for the devil. For if Esau, having sold his birthright, found no place for repentance, then is there any place left for repentance for him who killed the first-created man and through him brought death?”

III

Demons don't know the future

One day, demonic power appeared to Pachomius the Great († 348) in the form of a wife. At the end of a long conversation, which I omit, the saint said to the devil:

Do you know that after our death, future monks will not work for God as faithfully as we work?

“I know well,” the demon answers.

You are lying to your disgusting head: knowing the future is the work of only God Himself, and you are a lie and own a lie!..

“Even if I don’t know anything by foreknowledge,” the devil answered the elder, “however, by comparing past events with the present, I conclude about those that will happen in the future.”

“The one who blasphemes so many times to the demon,” adds the life, “Reverend Pachomius rebuked him in the name of Jesus Christ, and the demon disappeared with all his hordes.”

Another example. One day a demon appeared to the blessed one. Andrew, the holy fool for Christ's sake († c. 936 in Constantinople), and made a prediction about future, that is, current, Christians.

“In those days, people will be more evil than me,” he said, “and small children will surpass old people in cunning.” Then I will begin to rest, then I will not teach people anything! They will carry out my will of their own accord!..

How do you know this? - asked the blessed one. - After all, the demon knows nothing by foreknowledge?

The latter replied:

Our smartest father, Satan, being in hell, fortune-tells about everything through sorcery (to put it in our way, with the help of the enormous occult, unknown forces inherent in him, as if solving problems for drawing up equations regarding the relationships and clashes of peoples, just like a chemist, physicist, An astronomer or mathematician, with the help of his knowledge and various actions on acids, gases, planets, makes his predictions about various physical, chemical and astronomical phenomena) and passes them on to us, but we ourselves know nothing.

But it is clearly seen that Satan himself does not know anything, but, mixing human passions like different acids, pouring from one person to another who works for him, various poisons of malice, deceit, and pride, he draws probable conclusions.

IV

Despite their ignorance of the future, demons, as just mentioned, constantly undertake to make false predictions.

“And they should not be believed, even if they tell the truth many times in the way we said.”

V

Demons also know the Holy Scriptures

“This murderer is even versed in the Scriptures,” says Saint Gregory the Theologian. - From one place he will say: it is written about bread, from another: it is written about angels. It is written that there is, - speaks, - like His angel will command you about you, and they will take you up in their arms(Ps. 90:12). O cunning one for evil, for which reason I did not say the following (I firmly remember this, although you keep silent), that, protected by the Trinity, I will step on you - asp and basilisk(13) and I will trample the serpent and the scorpion?(Luke 10:19).”

“One day,” says Rev. Ephraim the Syrian about his friend St. Avramia, - when the blessed one, according to custom, was eating food, the enemy entered his cell in the form of a young man and approached him with the intention of knocking over his cup.

But he guessed and held her back, while he continued to eat the food, not caring about his deceit. The young man, jumping back, stood in front of the blessed one and, placing a lamp with a burning lamp on it, loudly began to sing a psalm and say: Blessed is the blameless one who walks in the law of the Lord...(Ps. 119:1.) This is how he pronounced most of the psalm (there are 176 verses in it. - Bishop Barnabas).”

VI

But demons do not know human thoughts (unless they are inspired by them themselves).

“Satan does not know by what passion the soul will be overcome,” says the ancient Egyptian ascetic Abba Matoi. - He sows, but does not know whether he will reap. He sows thoughts of fornication, thoughts of slander and also other passions. Whatever passion the soul shows itself inclined to, that is what he instills in it.” “Demons, although extremely unclean, are not hidden from each other in their ranks, but do not see the two ranks that are higher than them (that is, the angelic and spiritual, our human. - Bishop Barnabas),” says St. Isaac the Syrian.

I will also cite the testimony of Abba Serenus, the famous Egyptian ascetic. “Even the thoughts that they inspire, whether they are accepted or how they are accepted, they recognize not by the nature of the soul itself, that is, not by the internal movement hiding, so to speak, in the brain, but by the movements and signs of the external person. For example, when they induce gluttony, if they see that a monk is curiously looking out the window or into the sun, or is carefully asking about the hour, then they know that he has a desire to eat. If, inspiring fornication, they notice that he patiently accepted the arrow of lust, or they see that the flesh was indignant, or at least he did not sigh as he should, against the suggestion of impure voluptuousness (remember, reader, how to act, according to reason and the work of the holy fathers, in such cases! - Bishop Barnabas), then they understand that he has an arrow of lust pierced into the inside of his soul.”

So, let us remember that at any time of the day or night there are demons around us and literally, as they say, looking into our mouths. “Our every movement is observed with curiosity,” says another great seer, Rev. Nile of Sinai - and they leave nothing in us unnoticed, no reclining on the bed, no sitting, no standing, no word, no exit, no glance, they look at everything intently, they put everything into action, all day learn from us flattering(Ps. 37:13), in order to slander the humble mind during prayer and extinguish the blessed light in it.” And that's enough about this. The same holy father prevents me from writing and speaking aloud to the uninitiated more clearly and in more detail, just as he himself refrains from doing the same, and whoever wants to know the reason for this, let him read for himself.

VII

Demons invented every vice, including unclean passions

The character of the devil is clearly defined in the Word of God - he proud(Ex. 14:12,14), cruel (Luke 8:21), evil (Job 1:9; 2:4), crafty (Matthew 6:13; 13:19), deceitful (John 8 :44), vain (Matt. 4:9). And all the power of the hateful nature of demons is directed towards people.

With the coming of Christ, the power of the devil has already been completely broken, and he now acts only in sons of disobedience (Eph. 2:2).

“You are deposed by the Cross, slain by the Life-Giver, lifeless, dead, motionless, inactive, and although you retain the image of a serpent, you are consigned to shame on high!” - Gregory the Theologian exclaims in his “Word for Holy Pascha.”

Satan himself once said to the great seer Saint Niphon (326-373), bishop of the city of Constantia: “Since Jesus was crucified, indeed, I have become weak...”.

But that's not how he acted before. (Apparently, our times are approaching the point when he will begin to push around and torment humanity with the same force. See: Rev. 11:7; 17:8; 20:3.) The ancient pagans learned well on their ridge (Ps. 128:3) all the vindictiveness, malice and hatred of demons towards the human race. This popular belief was developed by ancient Greek tragedians. Thus, the “spirit of vengeance” appeared among them.

In Aeschylus, he appears as a demon-tempter, continuously acting in the destinies of a certain kind. Thus, in the Atrid family, from one basic sin a whole string of new ones grows; Alastor, taking revenge for one crime, causes another, new one, which is again followed in turn by revenge and another new crime, and so on endlessly. In Sophocles and Euripides, the evil character of this demon remains the same, but with slight modifications.

In any case, the intensity of his hatred did not diminish. So, in Sophocles in “Oedipus at Colonus” we read:

But this is what will happen: in Thebes My avenging spirit, settled forever... etc.

In Homer himself, demons as good deities are almost never encountered, but as evil forces, especially with the application of the epithets στυγερος, χαλεπος, κακοσ *, (* terrible, harsh, evil (Greek)) they often come across. Directly, without any roundaboutness, in the meaning of “evil, destruction” (Verderben) or “death” (Tod) stands δειμων in the Iliad (VIII, 166).

The philosopher Socrates, who should have known a lot about all these things, because he himself had, in his own words, a demon always accompanying him, instilling in him this and that, speaks of the evil nature of demons.

Here is an excerpt from Plato's Lysis (223A):

“Having said this, I (Socrates) thought it was time to touch someone else, older. But here, like some kind of demons, teachers approached - one Meneksenov, the other Lizisov - together with their brothers and ordered them to go home ... "

It is clear that here the word “demon” is used in the sense of a hostile force that interferes with our intention. Thus, we have further evidence in favor of the same from two philosophical minds of Greece, on which, as on the pillars, the entire ancient intellectual worldview rested.

After this, the longing of mankind before the First Coming of Christ the Savior for the Deliverer and gratitude to God (for deliverance) are understandable, along with the joy of the first Christians who before through the fear of death, blame your entire life for the work of the devil(Heb. 2: 14-15).

VIII

Demons have powerful powers (Eph. 2:2; 6:12)

When St. Averky, an apostolic man, Bishop of Hierapolis († c. 167), while in Rome, expelled a demon from the royal daughter, then as punishment for the fact that he forced him in his old age to make such a long journey for the sake of this exile (from Hierapolis, near the present Turkish Bamboo-Kalasi, to Rome), said to him: “Here lies a stone (in front of the palace lay a huge block of stone, which a multitude of people could barely move; it was to this that the saint pointed); I command you, devil, in the name of my Lord Jesus Christ, to carry this stone all the way to my homeland, to Hierapolis, and there to place it at the southern gate of the city.” The devil, like some slave and captive, bound by an oath, came out of the king's daughter, picked up that stone and, groaning heavily, carried it through the air through the hippodrome (the place of horse races and folk shows). All the people watched with great surprise as this stone rushed through the air, and heard the loud cry of the groaning devil, but, of course, could not see him himself. The devil, having brought the stone to Hierapolis, threw it at the place where he was ordered by St. Averkiy. The inhabitants of the city, seeing a stone suddenly falling from the air, were very surprised, not knowing this secret, until the saint returned to them and told them everything.

Averky carved an epitaph on this stone and then ordered the townspeople - his spiritual children - to place it on his grave as a monument. This was done with great difficulty through joint efforts.

Of course, non-believers, reading the life of Averky and his very tombstone inscription, always considered this to be fairy tales. But in 1883 God put them to shame. That year, during excavations at the site of ancient Hierapolis, this stone was discovered. The above-mentioned epitaph carved on it, which was considered a “priest’s invention,” in modern terms, was also preserved intact. Science, as always, greedily attacked the “new thing” and had to admit the truth of everything that it had previously denied. Currently, the authenticity and antiquity of the epitaph is recognized by such scientists as the famous archaeologist de Rossi.

Rev. Seraphim speaks of the power of the smallest of the demons, that he is capable of turning the entire earth with one claw.

IX

But despite this, Satan trembles at the name of Jesus Christ and at the sign of the cross

During insurance (at midnight, in dark places, etc.), Saint John Climacus teaches to do this: “Arm yourself (with prayer), spread your arms (with a cross) and beat your adversaries in the name of Jesus, for there is no strongest weapon in heaven or on replacement."

Even when people who commit sin cross themselves, due to habit or upbringing, but also in order to protect themselves from dark power, then both get help.

St. Gregory the Theologian relates an interesting incident from the life of Emperor Julian the Apostate, which took place during his initiation into one of the mystery cults. It was necessary to go to the “gods,” that is, demons, to some underground caves in order to cast magic and confer with them. “But when our brave man,” the holy father narrates, “goes forward, he is overcome by horror, and with every step he becomes more frightened; they also talk about extraordinary sounds, stench, fiery phenomena and, I don’t know what, ghosts and dreams. Struck by the surprise, as inexperienced in such a matter, he (Julian) resorts to the Cross, This ancient manual, and is signified by it against horrors, calls for help to the Persecuted One (that is, Christ). What followed was even more terrible. The sign worked, the demons were defeated, fears dissipated. What then? Evil comes to life, the apostate again becomes daring, tries to go further, and again the same horrors. He is baptized again - and the demons subside. The student is at a loss, but with him is a mentor (the magician and sorcerer who accompanied him - Bishop Barnabas), reinterpreting the truth. He says: “They were not afraid of us, but they abhorred us.” And evil took over. As soon as the mentor spoke, the student believes, and the one who convinces him leads him to the abyss of destruction.”

Another example. One day, blessed Vasily, the holy fool for Christ's sake, the Moscow miracle worker, performing his difficult feat of foolishness, came to an inn (tavern, tavern), where the owner was angry at heart and brought wine with abuse, often repeating the name of the demon. Blessed Basil stood at the door and, grieving in spirit, looked at those who came to “drink.” Following him came one “drinker, shaking with a hangover,” who asked the kisser to quickly give him wine for money. But he, out of impatience, in a fit of anger, shouted at him: “Let the evil one take you, the drunkard, who prevents me from offering you to the best.” Having heard such a word, protected himself with the sign of the cross who came, accepting wine from his hands, and blessed Vasily, as if acting like a fool, laughed loudly, clapped his hands and exclaimed: “You have done well, you have done well, do so always in order to be saved from the invisible enemy.” Those who were in the tavern asked about the reason for the laughter. The saint, having now cast aside his foolishness, answered them wisely:

“When the owner called on the name of the evil one, he went up with his word into the glass, but when the one who wanted to drink protected himself with the sign of the cross, a demon came out of the glass and fled from the tavern. I laughed with great joy and praised remembering Christ our Savior and making the sign of the cross in all their deeds, which reflects the full power of the enemy.

X

Demons change and transform

With permission from God, demons change and transform into the form they want in accordance with their imagination, starting from bright angel (2 Cor. 11:14) and ending with every kind of cattle, reptiles and monsters. The latter type is most suitable for them, and during their appearances they often appear to people in a different image. It is only for the sake of seduction that they take on a “light” appearance. Why is that?

An image of the appearance of a spirit, good or evil, corresponds to something in the spiritual world, some kind of spiritual essence, which we, due to our “carnality,” as it is said, “cannot understand and perceive.” But if there were no angelic and non-appearances to people, then even then we should have concluded that they should formally differ: some spirits should take on a beautiful, pleasant appearance, in accordance with their beautiful and good nature, others - on the contrary. In spirit visions, this is indeed what happens. Angels always appear in a beautiful image, and demons, as you will see, in an opposite, repulsive form. Rev. Seraphim of Sarov, when asked by one layman whether he had seen evil spirits, answered with a smile: “They are vile... just as it is impossible for a sinner to look at the light of an angel, so it is terrible to see demons, because they are vile.”

Why, I repeat, is this so? Because their inner nature, darkened and perverted after being cast down from heaven, no matter what image they are transformed into, even into Christ and an angel of light, always shines through through the adopted lovely (not to be confused with lovely) appearance. Therefore, no matter how beautiful the form of the appearing demon, but since it serves as an expression and revelation of a disharmonious, distorted essence and crooked nature, it cannot be completely straightened. Just as an artist in the dark, even if he were a genius, will not be able to draw the right picture and choose the right colors, so the demon is not able to depict the good that he has lost. It will all be “sideways” and “topsy-turvy.” The demon still has a personality, but it is crooked, incomplete, or, as the Lord Himself defines it, deceitful, not worth the truth(John 8:44), but it is always changing, transforming. That is why the people expressed themselves in a proverb about a deceitful, cunning person: he spins around like a demon. And no matter how hard the demon tries to “dress up” and “primp”, but from the one who sees the vile nature of demons ( received the gift of discerning spirits (1 John 4:1) and cleansed the eye of the mind completely from passions), cannot hide. The saints see its ugliness, that is, without an image (of course, God-like) appearance, and internal disorder with an external brilliant appearance, and they soon drive away and dispel the dreamy ghost. Those who have not achieved this measure of spiritual knowledge are easily caught by demons, especially when they are arrogant, for it cannot be denied that they skillfully forge things.

And this transformation into decent images happens to demons when they want to seduce someone, and usually they appear in an unattractive and vile form. I will mention some here.

1. I’ll start with the “light” look I just mentioned. “The light visible in them is not real light,” says St. Anthony the Great, “or rather, it would be more accurate to say that demons carry within themselves the firstfruits and the image of the fire prepared for them. In whatever way they burn, they will try to frighten people.” In this form the devil appeared to St. Nikita, the recluse of Pechersk, Rev. Simeon the Stylite, St. Pachomius the Great (in the form of “Christ”) and others.

2. The constantly occurring image of their appearance and images is in the form of an Ethiopian, a Murin, in the words of the lives of the saints, or a Negro, speaking in modern terms, with an ape-human face, sometimes on goat legs with or without a tail, with horns or only with horns, shaggy. In short, a type inherent in the legends (folklore) of all peoples, of all times, and at the same time so persecuted by ridicule and blasphemous remarks about church beliefs from modern society. Obvious proof that this view best conveys in three-dimensional terms the spiritual nature of the devil and that the latter really does not like it when the Church exposes his ugliness on display to all people.

The fact that peoples who have never communicated with each other, some of whom have been buried for entire millennia under the sand of the plains of Egypt, Assyria, Phenicia, Greece, Rome, have images of demons that are similar to the smallest detail when they appear to people, is very remarkable and shows that such a stable image really corresponds to a certain real entity, one and the same, which has outlived those it once was. So, during the latest excavations at the place of residence of the ancient Phoenicians, teraphim, small idols, are found, in the form of what? - in the usual ugly image for us with ponytails, horns, and pitchforks (tridents), sometimes presented in a highly cynical manner. The same can be seen among the treasures of archaeological excavations carried out in countries once inhabited by Semitic peoples. Among the amulets, sometimes found in such large quantities in the Punic graves of ancient Carthage, there are very often heads with horns and the face of a satyr and with an expression that in our days is given only to the faces of demons.

From the times of Ancient Greece and Rome, thanks to the surviving enormous material of classical literature and sculpture, the cultural world inherited a widely and thoroughly developed demonology. All this is too well known to require any examples or bibliographical data.

Let us take the folk legends of the Far East, which has only recently and only partially become known to the cultural world, namely the Land of the Rising Sun, and here in its folklore, fairy tales, legends, and beliefs we will see the same thing. And here the devil is depicted “with bull horns on an ugly disheveled head, sharp fangs in his mouth, tenacious claws on his feet and hands” (fairy tale “The Ship of Happiness”), with “long, shaggy hands with claws” (“Hero Ranko and the Devil”) and takes possession of a person because of his cruelty and love of money (“Basket with little devils”).

I omit all the vast material on this issue of our Russian writing and oral traditions. But I consider it useful to mention how our civilized people, while denying in words the existence of demons and mocking their depiction by the Church in the form of Ethiopians and Murins, in fact, they themselves see them in reality in the same image. Thus, the philosopher “Spinoza, waking up in the morning, saw an image by his bed Negro“, - Professor P. Kovalevsky testifies about him, as if about his personal patient. Let me just say - Spinoza, this refined mind (from the point of view of a cultured person), is among the clients of the madhouse! A man distinguished by his special disbelief - in the role of a spectator of demons in the form of black, disgusting murins!.. But no matter how you explain the matter or gloss over it, the fact remains a fact.

3. It is not possible to even briefly list all the forms in which demons appear to people. I will cite here only a few, exclusively from the lives of saints and from their pictorial images in iconographic originals, facial Apocalypses, and ancient Slavic handwritten collections.

Rev. Anthony the Great says that demons are “insidious and ready to transform into anything, taking on the likeness of women, animals, reptiles, giants, and many warriors” (Job 41:9-11; 18:22-23).

About St. Hilarion the Great says that “as I rested as a saint, I laid my naked wife beside him, shamelessly mocking him.” During his prayer, the demon sometimes appeared to him in the form of a howling wolf, sometimes in the form of a galloping jackal.

Rev. To Sergius, the Wonderworker of Radonezh, demons appeared in the form of many snakes that filled his entire cell, sometimes in the form of animals or disorderly soldiers in Lithuanian uniforms and pointed hats (shishaks).

By order of St. Martyr Tryphon, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, the demon appeared to many people in the form of a black dog with fiery eyes.

In ancient church icon painting, one often encounters an image of Satan with a second face in place of his private parts to show what his personality is and what his personality is aimed at: two faces mean double-mindedness, inconstancy, the deceit of the devil’s nature, and the place where the second face is placed indicates its second feature - passion for fornication.

There are images of the devil with his tongue hanging out, with a woman’s face and hair, and so on.

Notes:

Black magic must be distinguished from white. Demons are cunning. Since the idea of ​​God cannot be eradicated from the human soul, but can only be distorted and replaced with something else, they instilled in the pagans the following thoughts: there are bright, merciful gods who require such and such veneration (following the teaching of complex and diverse pagan cult, which represented a perverted likeness of the real one (Cf.: “Fundamentals.” Section III. Chapter 5. §4) and replaced faith in the true God). Otherwise, the demons continued to suggest, there are still unmerciful gods who must be revered differently (followed by an exposition of the science of magic spells, witchcraft, etc.). Thus, both areas had their own servants, priests and magicians. And again there are two religions: one is permitted, official, and the other is usually prohibited, persecuted, mysterious; on the one hand - white, on the other - black magic; on the one hand - supposedly veneration of the “true gods”, on the other - “unclean spirits”. But in fact, all the same demons were worshiped and appeared, taking only different forms (2 Cor. 11:14).

It is important here to pay attention to the fact that demons not only know the Psalter by heart (the book that is read against them), but they themselves can chant it with impunity. (Although demons only treat the Old Testament this way, they cannot stand the New, the Holy Gospel; see the life of St. Nikita, the recluse of Pechersk, commemorated January 31: Patericon of Pechersk. Kiev, 1883. Sheet 151/ob-152). Consequently, only then can we drive away demons and thoughts with the words of prayer and the Holy Scriptures. Scriptures when we recite them with by faith and with heartfelt feeling.

St. Isaac the Syrian. Creations. P. 69. Homily 17. How a passionate person cannot look directly into the face of an angel or a person embraced by the Holy Spirit (cf. Motovilov’s answer to St. Seraphim, when he was in the Spirit: “I can’t, father. Look at you, because lightning is falling from your eyes. Your face has become brighter than the sun..."), so a demon cannot look at a human soul, especially when it is pious. In our everyday life, this is reflected in the fact that those possessed by demons, for example, cannot look an ascetic in the eyes. Even passionate people, sinners, experience the same feeling in front of pure people (cf. the expressions: “the eyes run around”, “look ashamed” and others), and about the look of such persons as Fr. John of Kronstadt, Ambrose of Optina and others, the sinners themselves say that he “burns through” them.

The goat species is most suitable for the demon, because there is nothing dearer to him than lust, which these animals are so distinguished by. This explains Herodotus’s mention that some ancient peoples gave women over to goats in order to “honor God”: the devil appeared in the form of a goat, and they thought that nothing could be more “holier” than this animal and the connection with it. And this was also beneficial for the demons in practical terms - to drag a person into the abyss of vice and destroy him through this.

Abba Evagrius of Pontus

The limit of spiritual activity is love, the limit of knowledge is theology; the beginning of the first is faith, and the beginning of the second is natural contemplation. And those of the demons who come into contact with the passionate part of the soul are, as they say, opponents of spiritual activity, and those who bother the rational part of the soul are called the enemies of all truth and the enemies of all true contemplation.

PERFUME ARE SUBTLE BODIES
Spirits (angels and demons, or demons) are subtle bodies, in contrast to God, who is Spirit in a different sense - he is completely immaterial and does not depend on time and space, and can be simultaneously in all points of space. Created spirits (angels and demons) depend on space - for example, if it is in one place, then it is not in other places. They occupy a certain place in space at any given time. This applies to both angels and demons. They can move extremely quickly, but they cannot be in two different places at the same time.
Catholics think differently. They believe that spirits are absolutely incorporeal, like God. But this is heresy and blasphemy, because... creation is equal to the Creator, in addition, it is impossible to explain much of what angels and demons do. This position among Catholics was finally formed and declared in the 18th century, under the influence of the philosophy of Descartes, but even before that they were inclined to such views that are directly related to the incorrect solution to the question of the procession of the Holy Spirit.
Spirits can physically and chemically interact with objects, substances, bodies, living beings - for example, ignite, kill, heal, transport from one place to another, create noise, deliver things, products, fill a room with light, darkness, aroma (or stench, if they are demons), control natural phenomena, etc.

NATURE OF PERFUME
By nature, angels, demons and human souls are the same. Demons are fallen angels, led by their boss. At first he was called Lucifer (which translates as “Morning Star”, “Day Day”), then they began to call him the devil, which means “slanderer”, “liar”, and Satan, which means “accuser”, “adversary”, “plaintiff” ( in a court).
Man originally had the same subtle body as the angels, but after the Fall he was dressed in “leather garments,” i.e. received a rough, plump body. His senses became coarser, he became unable to see the spirits around him, except perhaps during the “opening of his eyes,” when God temporarily “opens” his senses, and a person can see demons or (much less often) angels sent to him in their true form.

FORM AND TYPE OF PERFUME
Angels, demons and human souls have the same form and appearance as humans. They have legs, arms, heads, faces, clothes, etc. The human soul also has the form of a person (“inner man”). For example, when a person has a leg or arm amputated, he continues to feel this organ. This is not a phantom, but a real feeling of the soul, because... The body lost a leg, but the soul did not.
Angels look beautiful and impressive, demons also look like people, but their features are distorted by malice and that is the only reason they are ugly.
Catholics believe that the humanoid appearance of angels and demons is only an appearance, an illusion, or a temporary assumption of a body, but this point of view contradicts many passages from the Holy Scriptures, the experience of holy ascetics, as well as logic and common sense.

PLACES OF SPIRITS
Angels live in Heaven, and there they can see God in the form in which He reveals Himself to them (no one can see God in His true form - neither people nor spirits, His nature is different from the nature of His creations, He exists in " “Unapproachable Light”, i.e. It is impossible not only to see or know Him, but even to get closer to His knowledge).
Angels translated means “messenger”. God can send them to earth on various missions. An angel can bring good news, food, clothing, help a holy person, for example, free him from prison, etc., or he can kill or destroy an army or the population of a city. He unquestioningly fulfills the will of the One who sent him, but he does it voluntarily and freely, out of love for God.
The fallen spirits (or, in the words of the Apostle Paul, “spirits of wickedness in high places”), after they rebelled against God, were overthrown by the Archangel Michael and now occupy all the air space (that is, in fact, space), the earth and its bowels (the underworld). ). Therefore, the devil is also called “the prince of this world,” he rules this world. After the death and resurrection of Christ, the power of the devil decreased, but still the entire world visible to us and the world around us remains his domain. All the air and all outer space (the space between earth and Heaven) is filled with demons, it’s just that a person in his normal state does not see them.
After the death on the cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the devil was imprisoned for 1000 years (this is a conventional figure, in fact it turns out to be more), until the Last Judgment, in the underworld. Thus, now he is, as it were, under house arrest, and it is impossible to see him outside the underworld. Therefore, if someone says or writes that he met with the devil himself, do not believe it. This person is either making things up, or he himself was deceived by some petty demon.
From what has been said, it is clear that a person has a disproportionately greater chance of meeting demons (with the exception of the devil himself) than angels. We can often feel the influence of demons even in everyday life - in the form of demonic attacks (attacks of anger, malice, irritation, often unexpected and inexplicable to ourselves), oblivion (when suddenly the most important thing for some reason flew out of our heads), absent-mindedness, mental clouds (when we make wild decisions and commit stupid actions that we ourselves are later surprised by), thoughts and excuses, i.e. sinful, vile and simply harmful thoughts suggested to us by demons. But out of ignorance, a person takes them for his own, is horrified, tormented, embarrassed, and reproaches himself. Or he is tempted by such thoughts and begins to follow them. Meanwhile, we must simply discard such thoughts as alien thoughts that do not belong to us, disown them and calmly do our job. Demons can also have a physical impact (for example, a person stumbles out of the blue, a candle goes out, a thing disappears or gets damaged, etc.).

APPEARANCES OF ANGELS AND DEMONS TO MAN
Angels appear to humans extremely rarely. The likelihood of an ordinary person meeting an angel is almost zero. If a person has sinned little and has a chance to successfully go through the aerial ordeals, then he (his soul) can see angels coming for him at the moment of his death and dies in a good mood.
Demons appear to humans much more often, but also very rarely. At the moment of death, if a person has sinned a lot and does not have the slightest chance of going through the ordeal, then, as a rule, he can see demons coming to yank him right out of his body and drag him to hell. If angels come, they stand somewhere at a distance with a bored look, knowing full well that this is not their client. Such a person is afraid of death, cries, screams, does not want to die.
Angels almost always appear in their true form.
Demons can also appear in their true form (most often this happens if God shows them to a person by opening his eyes), but they can (and are very fond of and mostly do so) take false forms and appear in the form of animals, people (for example, deceased relatives, but can also be in the form of living ones), gnomes, elves, mermaids, other fantastic creatures, including classic devils with tails, horns and hooves, pagan gods, little princes, etc., as well as in the form of angels, saints, the Virgin Mary, Jesus Christ (as, for example, in the final chapter of “The Master and Margarita”).
Therefore, it is necessary to be vigilant and not succumb to demonic machinations. If some saint or angel suddenly appears to you, then you must definitely read the Jesus Prayer or any other prayer that you know (but only so that it is clearly clear to whom it is addressed, otherwise the demon can still interpret it in his favor), cross himself and do not forget to ask the person who appears to pray with you. If it is a demon, it will turn its face away or disappear. It is also good to cross him or sprinkle holy water on him. If this is a real angel or saint, then he will not only not be offended, but will even praise you for such vigilance.
These recommendations do not apply to holy ascetics, who are especially tempted by demons; demons appear to them during prayers (and even mainly during prayers). But they themselves know what to do with demons, or they don’t know, but in any case this is a problem on a different level.
The appearance of spirits is always accompanied by strong fear and horror in the person who sees them. In the case of angels, this is the fear of God, mixed with reverence, repentance, love, consciousness of one’s insignificance and sinfulness; in the case of demons, it is horror mixed with disgust, embarrassment, embarrassment, melancholy.

The ecstatic exaltation to which Western ascetics brought themselves (for example, St. Francis of Asiz, Blessed Henry Suso, Meister Eckhart, Ignatius of Loyola, who, according to him, could at any time, at will, evoke visions of angels and the Blessed Virgin, etc.), is not encouraged in the Eastern Church, such experiences are considered unreliable, dangerous and fraught with seduction: a person may consider himself a saint and think that he is communicating with God, but in fact, at best, he amuses himself with his emotions, fantasies, subjective states, deceives himself, and at worst it is a demonic obsession. The appearance of angels or saints is always unexpected for a person, cannot be caused by his own actions (prayers, invocations), but occurs according to the will of God. The causes and purposes of these phenomena are unknown to us, and it is pointless to guess about them.

OBSESSION AND REMINDY
Spirits can penetrate a person's body and occupy it, at the same time as his soul. Two or more spirits can coexist in one body at the same time. This is mainly done by demons.
A person possessed by a demon may lose the ability to control his behavior. The demon acts and speaks on his behalf and in his body, and the possessed person is not responsible for the actions committed by the demon, for the words spoken by the demon. This condition can be constant (rare) or occur at times, like seizures (usually).

WHAT CAN A DEVON HAVE ENTERED A PERSON DO?
Anything. Demons are intelligent, extremely inventive and witty (although some are stupid), and have colossal knowledge. We must take into account that they live forever, are not distracted by food, sleep, sex, rags, etc., in their intellectual and physical capabilities they are fundamentally superior to humans, they can move in space almost instantly to any distance, penetrate walls, and be invisibly present during conversations and business, transmit information to each other at a distance, etc. Therefore, it is not surprising that they can predict events, find missing things, people, etc. But all the same, their predictions may not come true, since God’s providence is inaccessible to their knowledge and understanding. For example, if some people left Jerusalem heading to Antioch, demons can predict their arrival. But these people can die on the way, get lost, be stopped by God through an angel or sent around, they can change their minds and turn back, change their route. In this case, the demon’s prediction will not come true. But more often than not their predictions do not come true because they are lying. A demon can tell the truth and help forty times, only to lie and do harm the forty-first time, so much so that the harm from this deception will cancel out all the benefit from the previous help. It must be remembered that these are spirits of evil, they hate not only God, but also hate man as His beloved creation, their goal is to take possession of people and torment them, harm people in every possible way, enslave and destroy the human race. This must be remembered especially when the demon appears to be fair, undeservedly offended, wise, charismatic, witty, touching, charming, deep, subtle, gallant, kind, simply sweet, etc. In fact, he despises you, spits on you, you are stupid meat for him, and nothing more.
Hence the rule: do not believe anything the demon says, even if he is telling the truth.
Finally, the demon can simply misbehave, which, by the way, they love very much (again, remember the Master and Margarita). His favorite thing to do is ruin the entire mass. Hence the phenomenon of cliques. A clique is a woman possessed by a demon or several demons who misbehave in the church. This may be a completely decent and pious woman, the mother of a family, who behaves completely adequately in life, but as soon as she comes to the liturgy, she begins to grunt, bark, cuckoo, shout curses, insult the priest, deacon, and all those praying. In fact, it is not she who does all this, but the demon.

REASONS FOR DEMON POSSESSION
Variety.
- the sinfulness of man himself. By indulging his passions, falling into sin, a person gets closer to demons, he himself takes a step towards them, and the demons conveniently unite with him;
- failure to read or carelessly read prayers, not going to church, not receiving communion, including for a good reason. For example, it is described how a demon possessed a woman who had not received communion for 6 weeks;
- pure coincidence. For example, a demon can get in with food or water. Hence the recommendation to baptize all foods, water, and read prayers before meals. It can jump from another person due to an unsuccessful exorcism, or just like that, if suddenly he liked you more, or for a change of situation;
- it happens that God, in His mercy, specifically allows a demon to move in in order to save a person’s soul through the exhaustion of the body, to turn him away from sins that he could commit of his own will if he were free. If a person humbly accepts his demonic possession and does not murmur against God, then his soul is thereby saved.
- God allows the presence of a demon as punishment for a certain sin (murder, breaking a vow, etc.). This means that God loves this person and wants him to be corrected so that he does not go to hell. This can happen, and often happens, after sincere repentance, as a penance. A God-loving person, having repented of a grave sin, himself asks for penance from the Lord in order to atone for sin and cleanse his soul through suffering and humility.
- God allows the possession of a demon to test his faithful and especially valued people (as, for example, St. Job was allowed various torments from Satan). For this reason, a demon can possess a holy ascetic, an ascetic monk (see, for example, the three Words of St. John Chrysostom to Stagirius the ascetic, possessed by a demon http://www.lib.eparhia-saratov.ru/books/08.. ./contents.html)

ATTITUDE TO THE OBSESSED
Thus, in five cases out of six (relatively speaking), a person is not to blame for his possession by a demon. He is rather a victim (and perhaps even God’s favorite) and deserves all possible participation, sympathy and support. This is the Orthodox position, Catholics think differently, hence their cruel attitude towards the possessed, whom they identified with witches. In Orthodox countries, namely in Russia, at one time (under Peter the Great) they persecuted the cliques, and before that, those who were suspected of casting a spell on them. But this was done by the secular authorities, while the church opposed punishment, since this contradicts the Orthodox teaching about spirits, unambiguously expressed in the writings of the Holy Fathers.

WHAT TO DO IF YOU OR SOME OF YOUR LOVED ONES, FRIENDS, ACQUAINTANCES HAVE BEEN POWERED BY A DEMON

Tolerate.
Tolerate.
And once again endure.
Tolerate and console.
Don't be discouraged, don't be embarrassed, don't lose heart. Stay awake and sober, do not succumb to demonic machinations. Try not to pay attention to the demon, ignore his words, advice, predictions, not believe anything he says, even if he says the truth or something useful. Do not follow his advice, because... they are always cunning.
A person possessed by a demon, if he is Orthodox and pious, should be supported morally and, if necessary, financially. Under no circumstances should you shun him, sympathize with him, developing in yourself the virtue of mercy, and by his example comprehend the vicissitudes of human life and the inscrutability of the ways of the Lord. If he has nowhere to live or has voluntarily taken on the burden of wandering, provide him with accommodation for the night. If this is also a holy, blessed person, a strong man of prayer and a seer, then it is possible and beneficial to turn to him for prayerful help, advice, and spiritual guidance.
The person possessed by a demon must humbly bear the cross that has befallen him, and in no case murmur, complain, or become discouraged, because... this is a mortal sin. To rejoice that the Lord gave him such an opportunity to strengthen his faith and cleanse himself of sins. Pray intensely, often make the sign of the cross, do not sin, keep the Commandments, confess and receive communion as often as possible.
When communicating with someone possessed by a demon or demons, it is recommended that everyone around them make the sign of the cross and read prayers so that the demon does not suddenly jump over or otherwise cause harm.

WHAT NOT TO DO
Contact exorcists.
“When the unclean spirit leaves a man, he walks through dry places, seeking rest, and finds no rest; then he says, “I will return to my house from whence I came.” And when he comes, he finds it unoccupied, swept and put away; then he goes and takes it with him. and seven other spirits more evil than themselves enter and live there, and the last thing for that man is worse than the first" (Matthew 12:43-45).
If a person does not sin, often prays, confesses, and takes communion, then demons are powerless against him (not counting holy ascetics, but this is a special article). Look how the demons could not do anything with St. Justina: http://mystudies.narod.ru/library/d/dim_rost/kyprian.htm
If a person does not do this, then even the expelled demon will easily return, or another one will take possession of him, perhaps even much worse, since demons differ in the degree of their evilness, as well as other qualities - there are more and less evil ones.
Moreover, when you come to exorcists, where many people who are possessed come, you can, in addition to your own, pick up other people’s demons.
Not everyone who undertakes to cast out demons is actually capable of doing so. Demons often deceive exorcists, pretending that they are leaving, but in fact they are simply hiding for a while. There are “exorcists” who are themselves possessed by a demon and are in his service, but do not suspect it. If a person is actually able to cast out, then the demons cruelly take revenge on him for this - they torture him, beat him, start arson and all sorts of troubles, turn people against him, send illnesses, and can even kill him.
Under no circumstances should you try to cast out a demon on your own - you will only make it worse.

After all that has been said, it is unnecessary to warn against turning to Catholics, who will offer you to easily cast out a demon, without understanding the true nature of spirits, and therefore all the possible consequences of such an exorcism.

The information below does not have any scientific basis.

Demon(Greek δαiμων, “deity, spirit, genius”) - in ancient Greek mythology: a supernatural being, a deity usually of a lower order, a spirit that can possess both positive and negative properties.

In the Christian tradition, it denoted a demon, an evil spirit. Among the apologists of the 2nd century, the theory of the origin of demons from the mixture of the sons of God, identified with angels, with the sons of men (taken from Jewish apocryphal traditions) was widespread; but according to the point of view established in the Church, demons (demons) are fallen angels.

The word “demon” was introduced into popular beliefs by Christianity and sacred books (New Testament, Old Testament). In popular beliefs, demons are seen only as a harmful force. Being invisible and inaccessible to observation, these spirits make themselves known, although not in the action itself, but in its aftermath, when, for example, an inexplicable evil in the air damages trees and field plants in their very color... With this The mysterious breath of demons and angels produces various diseases of the spirit through insanity, shameful and terrible wishes.

Occultists believe that demons (demons) are made of narrow matter, invisible to humans, although one can feel their presence near oneself by an unexpected, wary feeling (there is someone nearby), and this feeling is oppressive, alarming. They can seep through all barriers (wall, door), because they can “leak” through them. It is believed that demons adore the air element very much, but they also live in the seas, and in rivers, and in mountains, and in ravines.

“They resembled people, but indescribably, terribly old. Their bodies were withered and twisted. Somewhere eerie holes shone - where the flesh had decayed and crumbled into remains. The greyish, faded skin wrinkled and tore with every movement. However, the worst thing was their faces. The lips disappeared, and the skulls, stripped of their covering, bared their long dark teeth in a disgusting grin. Blood ran in a narrow stream from his dirty yellow eyes and dripped from his putrid fangs onto his skin, which was becoming increasingly cracked. These were Brimbstone Imps, humanoid-like creatures, neither alive nor dead.

Demon: “Black wings. A milky white face and carnivorously wriggling arms, and healthy fangs gleamed from the twisted mouth. He had dark eyes with reddish pupils." (M. Uspensky. Trilogy about Zhikhar).

Demons, stomping their feet, can fall into a dungeon, where they love to wander. All European and Arab demons have a similar property. They love to eat human flesh and drink ichor, and their wings must be dark.

In Orthodox beliefs, it is believed that free demons cannot enter a consecrated room. This room is “marked” for the Lord, and in that case, actions pleasing to him take place in it, prayers are performed, then he sends his Grace-filled protection to this place. The grace of God covering such places scorches the demons; they cannot overcome it. In this case, a person does not have God’s protection, then demons can freely seep into his body’s energy. Demons live where they have a place. Man, by sinning, prepares such a place for them. Where there is sin, there they are. By their own nature, demons (demons) are very malicious, insidious, deceitful creatures with a vile appearance. They cannot stand righteousness and virtues, they cannot stand everything that is connected with the Lord. They strive with all their might to get a person, to persuade him to sin, and then to nurture and increase this sin in him until the person becomes their “slave.” Demons feed on the energies of a person when he indulges in vicious activities (for example, the energies of anger, voluptuousness, hatred). Demons also love to inhale incense from various burning incense; demons really like it when a person consumes meat, separately with blood, or indulges in lustful passion (in all this, the energy of the partner is “sucked out” by the demon). In this case, the demon is in a person who has come to a consecrated place (Orthodox church), then from the grace of God he becomes ill, and the person is inclined to leave this room as quickly as possible, through the mental suggestion of the demon so that the person even did not suspect (let's say, under any pretext). Or the demon, which was previously quietly located in him, suddenly suddenly manifests itself and is found.

Types of demons

It is quite difficult to systematize demons, since often the abilities and nature of various spirits are intertwined and turn out to be interconnected. But the Dutch doctor and occultist Johann Weyer, in his book “Pseudomonarchia Daemonum” (1588), provides a detailed systematization of demons and annotations for those who want to call them.

In general, there are few main groups:

Geniuses- guardian demons assigned to a person, object or area. This may include various characters of folklore such as goblins, mermen, brownies, house spirits, witches (familiars), nymphs and dryads, guardians of palaces of ancient cultures like shedu, and guardians of man himself such as a guardian angel.

Non-local spirits, like elemental spirits: gnomes, elves, mermaids, satyrs, etc.

Archons- demons acting as the personification of the forces of nature and space, which maintain the constant order of natural things or serve as immortal models for all creatures on earth (which makes them similar to the concept of archetype and thoughts in philosophy). The decans from the Hermetic works can be classified as creatures of this kind.

In science, a “demon” is often referred to as an imaginary creature that appears in mental experience. For example, Maxwell's demon, Laplace's demon and others.

Primary sources:

bogistina.info - who are demons and their impact on people;

otvety.google.ru - who are demons, how many of them are there and what types are there;

angel-demon.ru - demons;

inomir.ru - who are the demons;

liveinternet.ru - who are the demons and what do they look like;

ru.wikipedia.org - demon (Wikipedia).

There are different types of demons - the classification was compiled at different times by different authors from among monks, occultists and philosophers. Find out what demons exist, how they differ from each other and how they relate to the ranks of angels.

In the article:

Types of demons - ranks in demonology

In modern demonology, the types of demons are not a fully explored topic. But it is known that each representative of evil spirits has a strictly regulated range of responsibilities, beyond which he rarely goes beyond. At different times, medieval, modern, classical demonology and leading authors studying this science created different ways of classifying the forces of hell.

All demons were once angels. Some authors, for example, I. Vier and R. Burton They believe that if there is an angelic hierarchy, then the demonic one was created in its image and likeness. The fallen angels used the usual way of building a hierarchy, without creating anything new. There are just as many demonic ranks.

Nine Demon Ranks

The first rank is pseudo-gods, demons posing as gods. These are the pagan deities, as well as all the others, with the exception of the one Lord. He commands them.

The second rank is the demons of lies. Their task is to deceive people through prophecies and predictions. They patronize fortune tellers, psychics, and soothsayers. Among these representatives of the demonic hierarchy, Python is the ruler.

The third rank is fighters against God's laws and commandments. They invented all evil deeds, vicious activities and arts. The prince of demons of iniquity is.

The fourth rank is avengers and punishers. They inspire thoughts of revenge and atrocities against other people who supposedly deserve it. .

The fifth rank is deceiver demons who seduce people with pseudo-miracles. They are able to introduce themselves as anyone - both an ordinary person who has a gift and a messenger of God. Lord of deceivers - .

The sixth rank rules over the air element, with the help of which its representatives inflict diseases and epidemics on people, as well as natural disasters. The leader of the sixth rank is Merezin.

The seventh rank is the furies who incite wars and strife. Their influence can be seen on a large scale when it comes to military conflicts or large urban clashes. Furies also influence people individually, causing them to conflict. .

The eighth rank is accusers and spies. They observe people, noticing their slightest sins and sinful thoughts. At the same time, these representatives of evil spirits never miss a chance to do something dirty. Usually their influence manifests itself in false accusations, slander, quarrels with colleagues and loved ones due to misunderstandings. The accusers give all the “compromising evidence” to their master.

The ninth rank is tempters who push a person into sin. Their greatest pleasure comes from the transformation of a righteous man into an avid sinner. Most often, it is these demons that appear to people; they are easier to summon, but keep in mind that it is not you who will benefit from your communication, but the evil spirits. It is led by Mammon.

There is another classification of demons, tied to. Before the fall, all the demons took their places in it. According to medieval records that were obtained during expelling the demon Balberith from a girl named Madeleine, the demons, after being cast into hell, took places in a new, dark hierarchy in accordance with the places they occupied in heaven. In other words, fallen cherubim among demons occupy the same position as cherubim in heaven.

Beelzebub

Hierarchy of demons

First level

The first level of the demonic hierarchy corresponds to the angelic level, consisting of seraphim, cherubim and thrones. Above them - only:

• Seraphim Beelzebub ranks second after Lucifer as. He inclines people to pride. Seraphim Leviathan pushes people away from the Christian faith, teaches heresy and inclines them to sins that contradict Christian morality. Seraphim Asmodeus seduces with luxury and material goods.
• The cherub Balberit, who communicated with the exorcist, according to legend, pushes people to commit suicide. He also promotes quarrels and squabbles, incites scandals and teaches slander.
• The Throne of Astaroth presides over laziness, despondency and idleness. The Throne of Faith makes people intolerant of each other, teaches them selfishness. The Throne of Gressin is responsible for the tendency to sloppiness and controls dirt in its physical sense. Throne Sonnelon is always ready to incite hatred towards the enemy and force him to take revenge.

Second level

The second level of the hierarchy of demons corresponds to the rank of dominance, strength and power in the angelic hierarchy:

• Elle's dominance incites the breaking of the vow of poverty. Dominance of Rosier - demon of voluptuousness and fornication.
• Prince Sil Verrier is able to force people to break their vow of obedience.
• The power of Karro instills cruelty in the hearts of people and fights compassion and mercy. The power of Karnivan is in charge of shamelessness and lack of guilt for sins committed, the inability to repent and receive God's forgiveness.

Third level

The third level is the former beginnings, archangels and angels:

• The beginning of Belial tends to arrogance. It was he who created fashion and the concept of beauty, because differences in appearance are closely related to a high opinion of oneself. Belial teaches chatter and distraction during worship. It affects women and children the most.
• Archangel Olivia is responsible for hatred of poverty. People who are under its influence hate those who earn less than them. Olivia teaches not to give alms and treats the poor and wretched with all cruelty.

Classification of demons according to their habitat

Identified types of demons according to their habitat monk Michael Psellus who lived about a thousand years ago. He argued that not all demons live in hell. According to this author of historical, religious and philosophical works, demons have certain habitats and rarely leave them. The original source has not survived to this day, but it has been repeatedly cited by other authors, for example, Henry Halliwell.

Fire demons

According to this theory, fire demons live in the higher layers of the air, the lunar ether, or even above the moon. They do not descend either into the human world or into hell. According to Psellus, they will appear only on the Day of Judgment.

Air demons

Air demons live in the air of the human world. They are the very evil forces that every person should beware of. These demons can cause natural disasters, become visible and influence people's lives. From time to time they go down to hell on their own business. Airborne evil spirits are mentioned in the Goetia.

Earth demons

Earthly demons, like airy ones, live among people. They can hide in rocks, forests and mountains. This type of evil spirit loves to harm people, but not all of them are evil. Some of the earth's demons live secretly among mortals, posing as ordinary people.

Water demons

Water demons live in water sources. They harm sailors and underwater life. Water evil spirits are aggressive, never tell the truth and are quite restless. Most often she appears in the guise of women.

Underground demons

Underground demons live in caves and mountain crevices. They harm miners and other professions who work underground. The destruction of house foundations and earthquakes are also attributed to underground evil spirits.

Demons who hate light, heliophobes or lucifuges live in hell and never go beyond it. According to Psellus, they are incomprehensible and unattainable for a mortal. When meeting a person, a Lucifuge will definitely kill him by strangling or poisoning him with his breath. Light-haters are afraid only of light; no witchcraft or magical seal can hold, summon or protect against them. They avoid people and never respond to various calls.

According to Psellus, only air, earth, water and underground demons can be summoned. This can be done in a place that matches its essence. For example, it is better to communicate with water evil spirits on the shore of a reservoir, with earthly ones - in the forest, with underground ones - in a cave. To summon an air demon, this condition is not necessary; the air is already around you.

Types of demons in demonology - division by occupation

The duties of a demonic entity reveal its power. The stronger the demon, the greater the influence it has on humans in particular and the world in general. The classification of demons according to their occupation and level of power was first introduced Alphonse de Spina in the 15th century. It is often criticized because this source does not mention many of the duties of evil spirits, and most known demons do not fit into the framework of this classification.

Parkes are Roman goddesses of fate, almost coinciding with the Greek Moirai. (Painting “Three Moirai”, Marco Biggio, 1525)

Parkas were the name given to goddesses who weave human destinies in Roman mythology. Similar characters exist in most of the pagan pantheons of the world. De Spina ranked them among the demons who control human destinies.

Pure demons are powerful creatures hailing from hell that only attack saints. Trickster demons appear only to people, usually in human form. Their goal is to deceive, lead a righteous person into sin, and gain his soul. There are also sleep demons, or nightmare demons, who send terrible dreams and feed on the energy of the sleeper.

Two types of representatives of the infernal army are assigned to witches and sorcerers. According to de Spina, every witch has an assistant, who is almost always in the guise of a small animal. A certain type of demon instills in them false memories of the Sabbaths - the source calls the Sabbaths taking place in the real world a fiction.

Almost everyone knows who incubi and succubi are. These are demonic entities that seduce a person and feed on his energy. De Spina added one more to these two types - demons who are interested in male seed. According to Christian beliefs, demons and demons are born from it.

Demonolotary Stephanie Connolly

Already in our time there was another attempt to distinguish the types of demons according to their occupation and area of ​​responsibility. Classification modern demonologist and priestess of demonolatry Stephanie Connolly closer to traditional ideas about the occupation of evil spirits of different ranks and levels of influence. It is also more convenient for practitioners who are engaged in calling representatives of hellish forces and working with them.

Each demon has its own sphere of responsibility, and each of the demons has lower demons, demons, devils and other representatives of the infernal army under its subordination. Of course, it is unlikely that it will be possible to summon a powerful demon, but he can send someone of a lower rank to help the magician.

Love, passion and sex are the responsibility of Asmodeus and Astaroth. You can turn to them to create a love spell or sexual attachment, as well as gain attractiveness and find a lover.

Hatred, vindictiveness, anger and war are ruled by Andras, Abaddon and Agaliarept. These demons and their servants are turned to in order to cause damage, to take revenge on the enemy with the help of magic, and also to find help in confronting a strong opponent.

Demons can both take life and give it. Verrin, Verrier and Belial are responsible for health and healing. You can ask them for help in fighting a serious illness if you practice black magic for healing.

Demons of death - Evrynom, Baalberith and Babael. They are turned to in order to avoid death or kill an enemy with the help of magic. These same demons patronize necromancy.

Natural forces and elements are commanded by Lucifer, Leviathan and Dagon. You can ask them for help to facilitate contact with natural sources of energy, as well as to enhance the power of the ritual, in which the elements play an important role.

Wealth, luck and all material components of human life are under the influence of Belphegor, Beelzebub and Mammon. You can ask them for good luck in any business, for enrichment - and without any restrictions on ways of earning money, as well as for ruining the enemy.

Secret knowledge is given to sorcerers and magicians by the demons Python, Ronwe and Delepitora. Sorcerers who work exclusively with the forces of darkness turn to them for advice. This path is closed to white magicians.

Classification of demons in demonology Cornellius Agrippa - planetary correspondences

In demonology, the classification of demons can be tied to planets. Many ancient sources talk about certain spirits of the planets. For example, these are described in some detail in "Key of Solomon". It is difficult to say exactly who is described in this source - spirits or demons, because Christian demonology has classified all mythological characters as representatives of evil spirits, except those who are directly related to God.

Occult Philosophy. Book 4

A planetary classification of hell demons has been compiled Cornelius Agrippa. It is described in detail in the fourth volume of “Occult Philosophy” by this author. Each of these creatures corresponds to a certain appearance, behavior, as well as a number of questions with which you can contact them. The latter correspond to the meaning of the planets in the generally accepted sense, for example, the demons of Venus can help with a love spell or gaining attractiveness.

So there are demons or spirits of Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, Sun, Venus, Mercury and Moon. They all come in different guises, and their appearance is accompanied by physical phenomena around the magic circle - for example, lunar demons cause rain, and Mercurians plunge everyone present into horror. To communicate with them, it is necessary to strictly observe all compliances. Each planet has a specific time of day, metal, color, stone and other important components for summoning demons.

Christian demonology - classification according to sins

Christian demonology is based on the connection between man's ability to sin and demons, which are directly related to the transformation of the righteous into sinners. For the first time connected demons and human vices demonologist P. Binsfeld in the 16th century thus:

Lucifer - pride;
Mammon - greed;
Asmodeus - lust;
Satan - anger;
Beelzebub - gluttony;
Leviathan - envy;
Belphegor - laziness.

In the 19th century occultist from London F. Barrett changed the classification in one of his books. Mammon became the patron saint of seduction and temptation, rather than greed and thirst for profit. However, material wealth is one of the temptations for a person. Asmodeus, according to Barrett, commands not lust, but revenge and anger. Satan is a known deceiver and has nothing to do with anger and vindictiveness. Beelzebub in this source is called the ruler of false gods, who are actually demons. Gluttony Barrett “transferred” to Mammon as the lord of temptation.

Python - prince of the spirits of lies;
Belial is the seat of vice;
Merihim is the leader of spirits that cause infectious diseases;
Abaddon - demon of wars;
Astaroth is the demon of accusers and inquisitors;
Azazel is the scapegoat.

Russian demonology and its features

Russian demonology originated even before the arrival of the Orthodox faith in the lands of the ancient Slavs. Our ancestors always believed in evil spirits. changed somewhat under Christian influence. But information about the evil spirits of the Slavs has been preserved well, since Christianity only added new characters without affecting the existing ones.

And also other types of “walking dead” - one of the most striking characters in Russian demonology. During the times of the Cossacks in Russia and Ukraine, they believed in people who had demonic abilities - zdukhachy and double-minded people. During sleep, according to ancient legends, they gain almost complete power over the situation.

Badzula is a demon who can make any person a drunkard and a tramp. In the guise of a woman in rags, he appears near settlements closer to winter. If you let the badzula spend the night, the family will soon become poorer and fall apart. Therefore, travelers were treated rather warily in winter - in the cold, our ancestors rarely strayed far from their homes.

Forest, swamp, field and river evil spirits are constant characters of Russian folklore. A lot of information about them has been preserved in signs and folk tales. Devils, contrary to popular belief, from time immemorial lived not far from people, according to the beliefs of the Slavs. There are many evil spirits - Sinister, Potvora, Doghead and many others.

The Slavs tried to appease evil spirits so that they would not harm. Some of them are even kind to people, for example, brownies, with whom it is customary to be friends to this day.

Each person creates various thoughts in his head every day, ranging from everyday ones to high ones. Absolutely all thoughts fall on the subtle plane, acquire shape, color and content, and begin to live their own life. A thought needs nourishment, and therefore if a person scrolls it through his head again, it receives energy and becomes stronger. “Weak” thought forms are not capable of resistance; if a person stops, for some reason, thinking about them, then they die. The strong attract to themselves, according to the law of attraction, thoughts of other people that are similar in meaning. Thus, a very powerful thought form is created that shapes a person’s beliefs and worldview.

What are the types of thought forms?

There are negative (low vibration) and light (high frequency) thought forms.

High-frequency thought forms are painted in light colors. They are filled with positivity, kindness, love for everything around them, and compassion. Bright thoughts have a beneficial effect on thinking, clear the mind, improve energy flow, restore the aura, open a true view of things and bring positive changes to a person’s physical reality.

Negative thought forms are dark in color and often have an ugly shape. They oppress consciousness, distort reality, destroy the energy field (aura), and also negative changes occur in the physical world, manifested in the form of problems, addictions, and diseases. The negative influence of entities destroys a person’s protective shell. “Holes” appear in the energy field, creating funnels through which more serious entities, the so-called Demons, enter. Demons, in turn, make a person possessed. The concept of possession does not mean that a person will foam at the mouth, and he will speak with the voice of a Demon. No. A person possessed by a demon has an obsessive desire to take revenge, cause physical harm, and many other horrific acts.

How to cast demons out of your life

In order for demons to leave your life, you must:

1. Stop and calm down. Our current way of life is an eternal race. People improve the body, forgetting about the spirit, they want to be better than everyone else, more successful, more beautiful, richer. Many people fail to achieve the imposed ideals, hence feelings such as envy and anger at themselves and at the whole world. Think about whether you really want to be more successful than everyone else, richer. Can you cope with such a burden of responsibility? Do you want to be more beautiful, for whom? It is necessary to analyze your life, reconsider your ideals and beliefs.


2. Control your thoughts. When a person generates negative thoughts around himself, they change his consciousness, which subsequently attracts failures in life. If thoughts are directed at other people, then anger and aggression are sent to them. However, if the recipient does not live with anger and has positive thinking, the thought form cannot attach itself to a person, and it returns back to the sender, in the form of the same problems and illnesses.


3. Avoid negative information feed as much as possible. That is, it is necessary to exclude from your life violent films and computer games, daily viewing of the news, and communication with aggressive people. Walk more, help your loved ones, do good deeds for free, do what you love.

Create your own life. You are a human being and everything has already been given to you from above, you just need to take what you really need.