After reading this article, you will learn about who demons and angels are, where they came from and what they are. And you can also get acquainted with the most popular theories of the occultists of the Middle Ages regarding the invocation of evil spirits into our world.
In addition, the article describes how unclean power is associated with magic and what effect it has on people.
Where did they come from?
There are three most common versions of who the demon is and where it came from:
- The first version is based on the fact that the first of them was the “snake tempter,” who tricked Eve into trying the fruits of the tree of knowledge.
- According to the second version, God created them on purpose, assuming that sooner or later people disobey his will. For this, even before the creation of Eve, who became the mother of all people, he created Lilith. It was she who was the first woman on earth, and from her descended a line of demons who were sent with her to Hell in order to punish sinners for their earthly deeds.
- According to the third version, Lucifer is considered the master of evil spirits and, accordingly, the main evil, who has received many names in the world (Satan, the Devil). He imagines himself equal to God and did not want to bow to the sinful and imperfect people that he created. For disobedience, God ordered the archangel Michael to cast Lucifer to hell, where all sinners will be referred after death. Together with him, 1/3 of the host of the heavens left heaven; they, in a further interpretation, became an unclean force familiar to all. They are responsible for the torment of sinners and incite the righteous to go astray. This theory provides the most plausible explanation for who the demon is.
Photos of these creatures periodically appear in various thematic media, but today there is no evidence that the individuals captured on them appeared on earth from the other world.
At the same time, regardless of the version of origin, it is noted that, having gone to hell, demons lost their human appearance.
Angels
As for the angels, according to the Bible, God created them even before the creation of mankind. In the Ancient Ages it was believed that they appear in front of especially devout or sinful people. In the first case - to encourage or test the strength of faith, and in the second - to warn the sinner that he will be waiting after death if he does not correct his deeds.
In addition, it was believed that angels transmit divine messages to various Orthodox prophets, so that they carry the word of the Lord to the masses.
Angels also have their own hierarchy. So, for example, they are ruled by archangels. In addition, they are the main defenders of people from evil spirits. They, like God, are most often prayed for, asking for help in a variety of urgent matters, to cure of illnesses and to protect those close from misfortunes.
Mention in magic
According to legend, the methods of invoking evil spirits from the other world were invented by the wisest of people, King Solomon. He used perfume to carry out various tasks and learn otherworldly secrets. In addition, it was the rites of Solomon, who knew how to not only summon, but also to cast out demons, and were successfully used by his followers, who wrote rituals in detail in their own magic books. A small part of them has survived to the present day.
One of the most famous medieval magic books is Goethia (Greek: "witchcraft", "magic"), which explains in detail who the demon is and how to summon it. It is noteworthy that in addition to detailed instructions for invoking and instructions for making magical attributes and pentacles necessary for the ritual, it includes the Shemhamforash chapter, which describes in detail 72 princes of the hell hierarchy.
The table below shows the names of eight demons who, according to the ancient occultists, take the most direct part in human life.
| Name | The impact he has on people |
| Mamon | A tempter who is responsible for the most base desires. |
| Astarot | An accuser that makes people desperate and submissive. |
| Abaddon | Kindle wars. |
| Merezin | Brings disaster and disease to the world. |
| Asmodeus | It spreads slander and deceit. |
| Velial | Responsible for vicious art. |
| Python | Fools people with false predictions. |
| Sobun | Requires people to worship the Devil. |
Seals for calling
Most magic books that have survived to this day describe in detail not only who the demon is, but also what benefits it can bring if it is called into the human world with the help of a ritual. However, one should carefully observe the procedure described in the book. So, according to some beliefs, before starting the ritual of invocation, the caller must know the real name of the called creature - only in this way can a person gain power over him.
There was another way to make him submit. It consisted of using a secret personal symbol called the “seal”. Despite the fact that in the Middle Ages their styles were displayed in many magic books and ceased to be a secret, a significant number of people engaged in occultism continued to claim that they could be used to perform a successful ritual of invocation.
The design of the “seals” is very intricate, but in most cases nothing can be said about them about the demons themselves. So, for example, the “seal” with which the Shax demon was called does not indicate that he had the power to send deafness, blindness and dumbness to people. In addition, it is impossible to predict from it that the image of a bird was its preferred appearance when it appeared.
Devil
From time immemorial, people have tried to learn to call people from the other world into the human world to receive various benefits and privileges from them. However, there were often cases when people performing the ritual of recruitment mysteriously died or became obsessed. That is why it is worthwhile to examine in detail the question of who the demon is in magic and what role is assigned to him there.
There is a belief according to which the Devil does evil on earth through many of his enslaved followers - witches and sorcerers who are accountable for the work done during the Sabbath. At the same time, it is believed that on the Sabbaths the Devil himself is honored, committing a lot of depraved and blasphemous acts.
However, for example, Johann Weyer, a doctor enlightened in the occult sciences, a student of the famous occultist Cornelius Agrippa, who lived back in the 16th century, refuted the theory that witches directly worship hellish entities during the Sabbath, claiming that the appearance of these creatures is just a fruit their sick imagination. Although at the same time, even he does not doubt that there are 72 princes of hell, who lead the demonic legions.
In their statements, Weyer referred to a special book on black magic called Lemegeton, which describes in detail who the demon and Devil are, how they can be called into the human world. It also shows images of various pentacles and magic circles that keep these creatures from doing evil to the person who called them. According to the same book, all demons are invisible, but one who thoroughly studies the dangerous art of summoning can order them to appear, and the evil spirit will appear before the magician in a personal, recognizable form.
How is the Devil most often portrayed?
In most ancient books, Satan is portrayed as a man, and only after the church ceased to destroy the witches en masse did he gradually begin to acquire inhuman, monstrous features. He began to depict in the form of a goat with a five-pointed star in his forehead, seated in a frame of various occult symbols. If you carefully consider the image below, it can be noted that the face of the Devil also resembles an inverted star.
Two horns represent the upper rays of the star, its ears are located just at the level of the middle rays, and the chin which is often depicted with a pointed beard is the lower ray.
Who are demons and their impact on people
In the darkest days for the Christian religion, mentions began to appear for the first time that there were myriads of evil entities, so numerous that they could not be counted. So, for example, according to the records of St. Macarius, after a prayer during which he asked God to let him see all the existing demons, he had a vision in which God showed them to him. Macarius was amazed to discover that their name was truly legion. It was at this time that Orthodox and Catholic priests began to tell parishioners more and more about who the demon was, why you should not get in touch with him, and how to protect yourself from his influence.
In addition, according to most magical books that have survived to this day, incorporeal entities expelled to hell seek to obtain a bodily shell for themselves and, for this, in various ways try to take hold of the human body. In this state, a person becomes obsessed and cannot control his own actions. That is why Orthodox and Catholic priests of the Middle Ages repeatedly mentioned in their records the rites of exorcism that they performed to expel demons from the human body.
Conclusion
To believe or not to believe in the existence of otherworldly forces, each person decides independently, because today most of the ideas about demons come directly from the human imagination. In fact, the church in the Middle Ages managed to firmly establish in the human subconscious that these witches and sorcerers serving evil forces are to blame for the fact that people commit sinful acts.
All possible vices were explained by the influence of witchcraft and evil spirits. That is why every person should first of all begin to fight with his sinful essence, and not with the "demonic" appearance, which is often given to her. And may divine conduct help you in this!