| Demons are what Jung
would call "autonomous complexes." Due to trauma, parts of the psyche
split-off and literally manifest as some "other," seemingly independent
being with a will of it's own. As Jung points out, it is not pathological
to have autonomous complexes, as we all do. What is important is our
relationship to our autonomous complexes. Like a vampire, these autonomous
complexes drain our life force and hide in the darkness of the unconscious,
as they can't stand the light of consciousness. They rage violently
at being seen, for to be seen takes away their omnipotence or autonomy.
These demons will use any means at their disposal to trick us from
seeing them as they are, for they are truly insubstantial.
Just like the Tibetan saint Milarepa, we must realize that there
are no demons "out there." Our demons are nothing other than mirrored
reflections of our own unembraced energy. When we realize this,
the life force that has been held captive by the demons becomes
liberated, and they then become allies and protectors of our true
nature. This is true shamanic soul retrieval, for the demons stand
in a secret compensatory relationship to the ego, holding exactly
the part of us that we need.
These autonomous complexes force us to grow into the archetypal
role of Alchemist. This figure symbolically transforms the marginalized
and rejected "prima materia" of the psyche into the alchemical gold,
which is none other than consciousness itself. To do this, we have
to build a container around the demon, which means to anchor it
to consciousness, so that it won't dissapear into the vapors of
the unconscious. We are demanded to birth our demons into the light
of consciousness. Art-making becomes true exorcism, as we name and
objectify these unconscious forces. This is why Jung called the
demonic the "not yet realized creative," as these demons hold our
creative gifts. It is our own fear which makes them seem like demons.
Lucifer means the bringer of light.
This entire process demands us to get in touch with our true genie,
or genius. The word genius is derived from the word "daemon," which
means "inner voice" or "guiding spirit." This is the inner wisdom
voice of our true, creative nature. If we follow it, it will help
us find our calling and genuine vocation. It will heal us. It will
show us the way. It is the way. And this blessing is freely available
to everyone.
But some of us turn away from this inner voice. We ignore it,
not listening to it. We don't fully trust it. When this daemon is
not honored, though, it turns negative and becomes a demon. We become
self-destructive, turning this creative energy against ourselves
in constant self-hatred. The closer we get to dispelling the demonic,
the more cunning, elusive, and fearful it becomes. If we confront
and wrestle with our demons, they force us to take a stand and step
into our own power and monstrous totality. At a certain point we
begin to realize that the whole ordeal is nothing other than the
most brilliantly choreographed initiation process that we ever could
have imagined. And we realize that a deeper part of us is imagining
it! This is the point where we recognize that the demons are actually
the source of true blessings, and like Milarepa, we welcome the
demons into our home and invite them to stay for awhile and have
some tea.
For more articles about dreaming, see www.communityconnexion.com/levy
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