Demon.
In many respects, our use of this term in the English-speaking world is a direct product of the cultural dominance Christianity has enjoyed in shaping discourse about theology and religion. It is a term that was co-oped by Christians of ages past and radically changed from its original meaning to "demonize" or condemn Pagan theology and religion as untouchable evils. Given this context, I am often reluctant to use the term.
Another challenge that presents itself with the term is that "demon" refers to something supernatural. The same cultural dominance of Christianity in the English-speaking world created a legacy of dualism between "natural" and "supernatural" or between "matter" and "spirit" which was also later reinforced by philosophers in the Enlightenment. Such dualism is absent in my own religious tradition.
Instead a "demon" would simply be an adversarial aspect of reality, regardless of what plane of reality it dwells upon or what that aspect is. But it isn't usually talked about with that word, but with other terms specific to the aspect.
For example, in some of the Druidic schools the adage "know thyself" is a component of the mystery teachings. This includes confronting the shadows of one's past, the skeletons in one's closet, whether related directly to one's person or one's human ancestors. Druidry also reverses the natural world. In such celebrations, all aspects of nature are honored including those that are adversarial or destructive to humans. Respect is paid to that which is a part of the existence we must dwell within.
In both of these example cases, demonization is absent. These forces and aspects of ourselves or of our world are not condemned, they are not screeched at as horrible evils to be eradicated or wiped out. They are accepted as part of how the world works so a healthier relationship can be developed with them. What exactly that relationship looks like is as individual as the individuals involved.
In many respects, our use of this term in the English-speaking world is a direct product of the cultural dominance Christianity has enjoyed in shaping discourse about theology and religion. It is a term that was co-oped by Christians of ages past and radically changed from its original meaning to "demonize" or condemn Pagan theology and religion as untouchable evils. Given this context, I am often reluctant to use the term.
Another challenge that presents itself with the term is that "demon" refers to something supernatural. The same cultural dominance of Christianity in the English-speaking world created a legacy of dualism between "natural" and "supernatural" or between "matter" and "spirit" which was also later reinforced by philosophers in the Enlightenment. Such dualism is absent in my own religious tradition.
Instead a "demon" would simply be an adversarial aspect of reality, regardless of what plane of reality it dwells upon or what that aspect is. But it isn't usually talked about with that word, but with other terms specific to the aspect.
For example, in some of the Druidic schools the adage "know thyself" is a component of the mystery teachings. This includes confronting the shadows of one's past, the skeletons in one's closet, whether related directly to one's person or one's human ancestors. Druidry also reverses the natural world. In such celebrations, all aspects of nature are honored including those that are adversarial or destructive to humans. Respect is paid to that which is a part of the existence we must dwell within.
In both of these example cases, demonization is absent. These forces and aspects of ourselves or of our world are not condemned, they are not screeched at as horrible evils to be eradicated or wiped out. They are accepted as part of how the world works so a healthier relationship can be developed with them. What exactly that relationship looks like is as individual as the individuals involved.
