The Subtle Art of Demon-Slaying
In 5 "Easy" Steps...
Let’s talk about demons…
I think it’s safe to say that the creatures from old (see image above) have faded from our cultural consciousness. Demons have been referred to in religion and history from time immemorial, and yes, people used to believe there were satanic monsters that roamed the earth. It gets interesting if you suspend judgement for a second and ask yourself - what if they didn’t only believe in them, what if they actually saw them? With hundreds of thousands of accounts of demonic experiences, I find it hard to believe they were all bullshit. I’ll leave that decision up to you.
Today, we’ve lost the ability to see beyond the material world. What we used to call demons we now call traumas, and they exist mostly in our minds. Demons are the result of injury - people hurting other people, mostly out of selfishness, pride, manipulation and fear. When one person injures another (or themselves), a demon is born. The unfortunate part about that is, once a demon is born, it doesn’t die off on its own. We so often think that our past traumas should be left in the past, and I think that’s a mistake. While we should always use the past as a lesson to create a brighter future, we also need to properly address the demons that we have both given and received. This, my friends, is the art of demon-slaying.
Demon-slaying is not about making magical ritual circles, although it can be if you so choose. It’s about taking action to heal the wounds that remain open within us - it’s within these wounds where our demons live. Many of us aren’t even conscious of how much damage these demons do to us on a daily basis. You know that voice in your head telling you that you’re a piece of shit and will never amount to anything? You know that shame and guilt that feel like bags of stones on your shoulders? You know that numbness you carry through life, unable to emotionally connect to anyone or anything? This is the work of demons, and it’s about time we put an end to it all.
I now present to you the 5 Steps to Demon-Slaying:
Use Your Word
The first step is to speak of your demon aloud to someone. The most powerful thing you possess is your word, and by speaking it you no longer have to carry your demon as a secret within you. You can speak to a therapist, counselor, best-friend, pastor, sponsor - anyone who is willing to offer their ministry of presence.
Ask for Forgiveness (Make Amends)
Where applicable, right the wrongs you have committed, even if they seem insignificant. Get brutally honest and watch your life start to change dramatically. Be careful not to incur further injury for the sake of honesty, but do everything in your power to rectify your wrongdoings and watch your demon evaporate.
Offer Forgiveness
Perhaps the most difficult step, offering forgiveness is not just something to perform as an action. It’s something you must feel. Granted, it’s not an overnight process, as it can be incredibly difficult to forgive people who have committed atrocities against us. The ugly truth is that the more you hold onto resentment, the more you injure yourself, and the more life you give to your demon. Find the feeling of forgiveness by whatever means necessary - often that means a ton of painful inner work.
Use Your Experience To Help Others
Whatever you’ve been through, I guarantee you someone is going through the exact same thing at this very moment. Use your past struggles to give aid and comfort to those with similar experiences, and who knows, you may just prevent some demons from being born in the future. In my own life I have avoided so much pain and torment simply because a brave soul warned me not to go down the same road they did. These are little gifts from God, and demons hate that (obviously).
Grieve
This one is self explanatory - you need to let this shit out. Many of us have a difficult time accessing the pain from traumatic events in our lives, and I understand this step might also be a challenge. There are plenty of resources out there to help us break through our personal grieving barriers - therapy and various 12 Step groups come to mind. Regardless, open yourself to the concept of mourning. We all hold oceans of pain within us, and letting that pain out through the gift of tears is the cornerstone of demon-slaying.
Follow these steps, and you’ll be well on your way to exorcising your demons. The end goal of this process is reframing - what once was a “bad” thing can now become a “good” thing when set to a different context. Getting there is no walk in the park, but it’s worth it if we’re looking to realize our full potentialities. See, demons keep us small. They keep us stuck within a faulty framework, and we owe it to ourselves to break free from their chains. In this way, demon-slaying is the ultimate act of self-love.
Now you have everything you need to get to work. Slay away, my friends.