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Due to fear, people for centuries have been calling things that they do not understand, ¡§demons. Many today still erroneously believe demons hide behind rocks and are out to get them; that demons are fallen angels of Lucifer, who they consider to be the "Prince of Demons"or "Satan" We' must first dig into the myth of demons, exploring the religious origins of the demonic as well as what we have found out in the field of paranormal investigation in order to get to the bottom of the demon question. So, if you are ready to open your mind, read on.
Unclean Spirits Versus Holy Spirit (Pure): Reinterpreting Demons in the Bible Let's first answer the question, what are demons? To do so, we will need to jump back to some biblical references due to the predominant influence Christianity has had on our Western culture. Demons never existed as currently taught today by religion. Demons are human, disembodied spirits (earthbound spirits) who have not progressed beyond death of the physical body unto love, joy and peace. These are the unclean spirits of which Jesus spoke of within the Bible. They are unclean, because they have not yet entered the light and life-review, a transforming transition that normally occurs when one exits the earth plane of existence (dies). Spirits which come from the light are Holy, as in Holy Spirit, or pure spirit. Pure spirit simply refers to those who come from the place of light, and not darkness, unlike an unclean spirit. Some call pure spirits, "angels" or "spirit guides."
Darkness, the condition of unclean spirits or ghosts, symbolically represents a lack of understanding, the state of being lost - a negative. Light is love, joy, peace and truth, which is positive by nature. We are told to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Does that mean those from the other side who are enlightened actually speak to or even through us, as in Matthew 10:20: "For it is not you that speak but the Spirit of your Father which speaks in you." In contrast to the above verse, Jesus told the religious leaders of his day that they were following their father, "the devil." Let's explore the New Testament words translated as devil (or demon). The word demon in the New Testament comes from the Greek word daimonion. It was used in Greek literature to mean "a spiritual force" or :a wise spirit"¨ We can see within literature written before and at the same time the New Testament books were being written, a demon was considered to be similar to what many, today, call a "spirit guide". It was never a negative or bad word, until religious told people daimones were evil, seeking a way to control people through fear. This word daimonion, which has been translated as devil in some Bible translations, is not the same Greek word translated as "devil" in other verses of the Bible (Read Demons & Ghosts).
What Are Demons? The Idea of Hell Some believe hell to be a literal place. Books, plays and movies have depicted hell as being "down" somewhere. Have you considered that the "downward", lower place just might be here on the earthly plane, as one possible interpretation? First regarding hell, consider that hell is actually a state of mind, for "as a person thinks in his heart, so is he" according to the Bible. A heart bound in untruth will most likely appear heavy upon death, "weighted down" by this world through mental traps, such as guilt, condemnation, fear, hatred, anger, torment, etc. A "down"state of mind could easily keep a disembodied person (a ghost) on the earthly plane, descending into, "hell". This is in direct opposition to what should happen, which is "ascension".
This idea of one's spiritual condition either floating downward or upward upon death of the physical body most likely created the idea of heaven being somewhere up in the sky and hell existing somewhere down below. It could also have come from the spiritual symbolism of one's mind being higher and free (heaven) versus bound and in a lower estate (hell).
Let's look at the idea of being elevated: ascension. Most near death experiences teach us that upon death, the spirit leaves the body and ascends "upwardly"¨ above the body. We may be greeted by loved ones before, during, or after we experience a "tunnel of light". This light, which most consider to be God, has most often been described as exuding a deep feeling of pure love, understanding, compassion, peace, joy and life. Many who have witnessed this light and freedom never want to leave it to come back to a physical existence upon the earth again. These wonderful accounts certainly make more sense of the phrase, "a free spirit". One who has tasted this light is "enlightened", being lighter, thinner, and free; even more so than a spirit trapped in a heavy, thick darkness and not knowing who they are: lost.
Near Death Process: After the tunnel of light experience, near death experiencers typically report that a life-review ensues, which helps one to understand their former earthly life and its lessons. At this point after death, we can consider that the person has just undergone a partial cleansing process, sort of like washing off some of the dirt of our lack of understanding; even coming to grips with their own death, perhaps. The person will then naturally gravitate upward or downward to a spiritual plane of existence comparable to the condition of their own spirit (some call it "the soul"). I believe it is still possible at this point for one to gravitate downward and experience a hell of darkness, as the troubled person continues to work through more issues taken on from the earthly plane. In other words, complete freedom will come, but there may be a price to pay as the prison of the mind is undone of self-created falsehoods about one's self and others. The furthest price, hence, will be paid, as Jesus warned us.
This life-review and "judgment" is not really a judgment from God, as one might imagine, but a self-imposed judgment. Most people will find out that deep down, we are our own harshest critics and sometimes hard to convince otherwise. We know that enlightened spirits try to assist those in darkness, but sometimes we are close-minded and have to work through things ourselves. Still, the worst condition of spirits are those whom we term as ghosts and still remain earthbound. These are what many unknowingly call demons, and the most difficult to free from the darkness of their mind, in which they inhabit.
Demons: Misidentification? We are finding that what many call "demons" are often shadow ghosts (dark shadows). Many people report having seen a shadow move out of the corner of their eye. Shadow ghosts are earthbound, dis-embodied people, who have not moved on unto the light, their loved ones and life-review, as mentioned above. Darkness does not necessarily mean a shadow ghost is "bad;" darkness (as Jesus also spoke of) is indicative of a lack of understanding, ignorance, being lost, and of course negativity. If a person in spirit behaves badly, oftentimes, people will assume the worst; that the spirit is a demon. People behave badly, and death of the body does not necessarily change behavior. Some "dark" spirits can be very negative and troublesome, but so can some of the people around us that have bodies. Many times, they simply need to be told who they are, that they have died, that there is no eternal hell and head into the light to meet loved ones. When they are able to hear and listen, they will move on in their lives and become free spirits, also.
For more on this, read "How to Get Rid of Ghosts" Some ghosts (people) have learned that they can co-inhabit another person¡¦s body. Possession of another by a human spirit has often been confused as some demon entity from hell doing the possessing because of religion's lack of knowledge on the subject. Hollywood hasn't helped, either. Therefore, many call this demon possession; a few call it spirit possession; but it would be best to call it "ghost possession or attachment."