Speculation on the Behavior of Demons and Related Spirits
Entry for the 23rd day of the 3rd Moon of Spring, 5365 ASE (After Solar Eclipse)
The modern view of demons is more than a tad departed from the doomsaying doctrines of the past, for many who are familiar with magical traditions, and especially Western esotericism and grimoires. With the Enlightenment's ridicule of the dogmatic belief of many world religions, most of which paint the demonic in a decidedly unfavorable light, it became the norm for fewer people to acknowledge a spiritual world at all. As Western interest in the metaphysical re-emerged in the mid-late 20th century, however, a new understanding of demons emerged. Relying upon structures that shirked the developed beliefs of Hegemonic Christianity, spirits of bargains, carnality, and heretical belief have been elevated to near-deific status by some circles, and awoken by others to be praised as representatives of subconscious humanity.
It is difficult to define, in certain terms, what classifies a demon. However, certain behaviors can be observed in many traditions involving them:
Covetousness for hedonic pleasure.
High responsiveness to ritual, evidence of a desire to be seen and heard.
Strict, bureaucratic hierarchy, rife with contracts, subordinates, and motivations towards specific and exacting tasks.
Collective distaste for the Divine Source and its servants.
Desire to escape the bounds of contracts that take advantage of them, but a apparent incapacity to turn down such deals outright.
Collective association with harm, death, and vectors for both, such as plague and warfare.
Propensity to hoard and assimilate useful information.
Tendency to encourage periods of magical growth and empowerment in magi, pushing boundaries erected in their lives.
Many of these traits, while once seen as antithetical to a virtuous existence, have become associated instead with earthly power and influence. The world's spiritual and social structures have shifted so that the bold, defiant, and dynamic are rewarded over the humble and honest. It is no wonder that contemporary Christians believe that the world lies in the power of Hell.
Little, though, is truly known of demonic motives. It is no longer enough to assume that they desire to make war on the Divine Source- indeed, most demonolaters/ologists attempt to avoid awkward conversations with monotheists at most. Demons are secretive and viciously protective of their knowledge and those with whom they hold a devotee, student, or client relationship. But what's in it for them?
That answer varies almost as much as the demons themselves: Blood. Souls. Life force. Freedom from service. Servants. Favors. To inspire fear, or worship, or mockery of fear or worship. No two demons want the same thing. Like magi, they prefer to achieve their ends through ritual, collaboration, and schemes. It's possible that they merely represent our relationship with power- the zeitgeist of which posits that it requires sacrifice, inspires awe, and is achieved through networks of information and favor. On a practical and material level, relations with devils yield either profit or loss, depending on how responsible the magus is in their dealings.
To strengthen this argument, other, wilder demons lie outside the traditional circle-and-summons ilk of the grimoires, representing the raw force of powerful emotion. Spirits risen from slaughter, grief, hatred, fear-- these, too, are to be counted among demons; the dybbuk, hinzelmann, shuck, and Hat Man are all examples of demons that arrive to occupy the place of a certain kind of misery or dread in their respective mythologies-- representing guilt, oppression, fear of death, hallucination. They are illustrations of power without a conscious or controlled source, the power that compels us without our knowledge-- why do we avoid the cemetery? Do you feel watched in the old prison? Only truly proficient sorcerers are capable of sidestepping the danger posed by such beings and binding them to a useful end.
So why humans? Assuming that these entities exist independently of us (a claim that cannot be verified, but is worth at least considering) it makes one wonder what they have to gain from their influence over people. Inspecting their behavior further reveals that they see us a source of food- indeed, many of them farm us.
A small kick of revulsion might accompany that notion. But consider: Paimon, a Goetic prince who delights in art and inspiration, bends his efforts toward the making of great artists. Lucifer, spirit of rebellion, demands rebellion of his followers. The Greek daemons and Roman genii desired self-inspection of their masters. The outcast Grigori taught metallurgy, warfare, astronomy. Even the wilder demons are apparent in their influence on the human psyche: they have evolved or formed to inspire more of what gives them power. Our souls are the perfect beds in which to grow their food. While some are hunters, which ruin the subjects of their influence, one-and-done, others are gatherers, symbiotes, or parasites, flitting here and there to collect the odd ration of lust, gloom, inspiration, or other such thing. Still others are meticulous gardeners, who cultivate knowledge and skill that they value, the same way you might water your tomatoes or prune a rosebush on your doorstep.
Within this model, it may be safe to assume that the intentions of the latter sort are largely benign, though not always desirable. Thus the bureaucracy: complex rituals and blood oaths stand in for consent forms and responsibility waivers. It is, then, merely an issue of consent to be discussed with a patron, for the aspiring demonolater/-ologist, a matter of willingness to be farmed. For some, the relationship may be purely transactional. For others, it is more likely devotional, growing in a certain direction in service to a dark divinity. And if a human soul is truly an emanation of the Divine Soul, it is no wonder that demons look upon that Source with distaste-- it must appear to them as a huge sea of mulch in which no-one has even bothered to grow roses.
