The Daemon/Daimon

 

The meaning for the word daemon, and the word for daimon in the dictionary is one – demon.

The Greeks had a larger vision they saw “daimon” as a guardian spirit who connects heaven and earth, an intermediary between gods and humans.  This chthonic, ambiguous, primal force of nature contains both heaven and earth.  It is not totally good nor is it totally bad.

In literature a “daimon” appears when the hero experiences a fall from pride. Dramatically, light and dark forces meet and battle.  In the process the hero is either defeated or he is driven toward rebirth and ultimately discovers his fate.

The glory is in humility!

The hero by mastering his own daimon becomes an inspiration for others.

The more asleep or unconscious one is the more powerful is daimon in its negativity.  As one begins to arouse they discover the different and opposing energies within the psyche.  This energy was submerged, and internalized long ago when one realized they wouldn’t be liked or loved if they acted a certain way, or they exposed a certain side of themselves…

To transform this unconscious primitive energy one must open up and consciously relate to the intense, dark, negativity within. As one consciously owns this negative, ‘shadow’ side of the ego one simultaneously opens a door to positive, creative impulses.

Thus far having projected one’s daimon onto authority figures now one takes back their projections and faces their own “daimon”.   Taking back one’s power liberates the energy and it is transformed into creative power to be used at will.

One begins to see a beneficence and reliability.

Daimon directs one to think independently and become the authority of their life.

One wakes up and is a responsible agent of the Divine.”

---

 

Alain Palinsky Apr. 28

The earth keeps spinning, Just like my mind spins everyday. The notion of being still is so complex. How can something be still when all is in motion. The simple principles are all made of humanly wisdom.

The truth lies past the horizon, that which the mind can’t comprehend. You see spinning is a constant, you can spin out or in.  The goal is to spin inward. Towards the center and as tight as possible. For this spin will bring you the stillness you seek.

Still you are spinning around your center. The closer to your center you come the closer to the still you are. Once there you can observe the center. That which has evaded you for so long. That which youfeel you can never find. In the still spinning you find your way, your mind dissolves and the experience begins.

Spinning still at the center is the goal.

---

 

The Serpent Symbol of the Spiral – Demonic – Healer – Caput Zahil “born again”

 

Resurrection – Regeneration when the snake adds a new rattle to its tail. The Serpent and The Devil –

 

There once was a Pre-Columbian Rattle Snake Cult.

After the discovery of America the conquest of Mexico began. The serpent, rattlesnake deity was adored especially in the Mayan Yucatan peninsula. There were 365 temples dedicated to Quetzalcoatl, the solar Feathered serpent deity. The Spanish friars demolished them and built Catholic churches in their place. The friars believed they fought the devil. The Mayans believed the Sun god was a rattle-serpent who gave life on Earth. In our time it is a question how could such a “demon” have been adored and represented everywhere. The rattle is the answer. It was the vital symbol of material and spiritual regeneration, new life and new hope. There is no other symbol like it on earth.
The essence of the Mayan religion is in the serpent’s rattle; their faith was based on the rattle.
The active act of tearing off its old skin as if knowing it will become young again, is an act enhancing the will or intelligence of the serpent.

“Caput Zahil”

One day the rattler had a greyish, ash-like color and a cloudy cataract veiled its eyes. The viper stood very still I believed he was about to die. Then slowly, very, very slowly the viper raised its head and charged against the skeleton of an old rose bush. He charged against a thorn two or three inches above, moved its snout downward, and started pulling off the upper part of the snout’s skin. Then moving its head upwards and he began pulling the lower part of the snout’s skin. He kept on pulling and at that very moment before my eyes there was a rebirth, “Caput Zahil” a born again snake. He kept pulling until he reached the middle of his body, and pulled off the rest of his skin. There it was a resurrected, brilliant lively serpent with a new rattle in its tail. After the rebirth the rattler dashed from one side of the cage to the other, full of energy. After all, it was new a life!

The Latin word spira or coil is the root of the word spiral, which is symbolic of a serpent.

History and Mythology:

Ouroboros is an ancient symbol depicting a serpent or dragon eating its own tail. The name originates from the Greek language; meaning “tail” and boros meaning “eating”, thus” he who eats his own tail.”

It represents the perpetual cyclic renewal of life and infinity, the concept of eternity and the eternal return, and represents the cycle of life, death and rebirth, leading to immortality.

In Chinese culture the serpent represented by the dragon, was emblematic of the Imperial Dynasty. The dragon was also a symbol of male, yang energy; the principle of heaven in Chinese cosmology. Throughout antiquity “dragons” were held to be symbolic of wisdom and immortality.

In Egypt and India adepts were referred to as “Sons of the Dragon,” and “Serpents,” “Sons of the Serpent God,” or they became “Sons of Wisdom” due to their regeneration.

In Genesis there was a shift to the negative, here the serpent symbolized “Pleasure,” Adam symbolized mind and Eve sense perception, an aspect of mind. Unbridled mind followed the dictates of sense perception in its downward and outward flow and moved away from the heavenly “Eden or Virtue.” Mind chose pleasure over virtue, hence, the idea of sin, which means, “missing the mark.”

In the Goddess religions the snake, due to its nature and form symbolized the powers of generation and regeneration; undulating and vibrating, the feminine healing powers. While the shedding and renewing aspect was representative of the feminine menstrual cycle.

Snakes became a masculine, phallic symbol when the Temple of Apollo took over the Temple of Delphi in ancient Greece. Delphi was an oracle controlled by women the woman in charge was called Pythoness. Mythology tells us there was also a giant serpent called Python. Apollo the sun god, killed the priestess and the serpent thereafter the religious power was transferred to men. He took on the power of the snake, which became his symbol and is now a symbol of male fertility. Apollo was surnamed Pythian.

Apollo gave oracles from the temple.

The Caduceus, symbol of the medical profession today began as the staff of an Egyptian High priest, Tetuty, later called Hermes Trismegistus by the Greeks, who brought the divine knowledge of sacred healing to Egypt. The Caduceus became a symbol for the Greek physician Asklepios, who was punished by Zeus for bringing a mortal back from
the dead – rebirth, resurrection. Asklepios healed not only the body but the soul as well.

The serpent then became a symbol of the subtle spinal currents and spiral windings of the soul’s evolutionary path.

In Hindu myth and mysticism, duality is symbolized by the Ida and Pingala, female and male serpents, as they intertwine in the body. An awakening of the seven chakras occurs when the snakes rise to the top of the spinal column.

Serpent in the human body:

In the body at the base of the spine, lies a fiery vortex of energy, our dormant potential, in the metaphoric shape of a sleeping serpent.

The snake is a symbol of the kundalini, which in Sanskrit means “sleeping snake.”

This energy is located in the first chakra, concentrated between the base of the spine and the pubic bone. It is essential to sustaining life. In the physical world, survival, sensuality, pleasure and power are the issues dealt with here. Being and staying alive is the objective.

In Hindu mythology, Kundalini is a serpent goddess who lies asleep, coiled three and a half times around the first chakra; she is referred to as Kundalini-Shakti. She represents the unfolding of divine energy, Shakti – the energizing potential of life that enlivens all things. In the process of awakening she runs through all the chakras releasing stored, blocked energies. When the energy is released it creates a vertical connection between the chakras by opening subtle channels called nadis. Awakened it rises to center near the pineal and pituitary glands, which sit close together near the thalamus and the hypothalamus in the mid brain. When activated one experiences a source of light within.

This occurs because the chemical reaction of the inner synapse of the body becomes visible. We begin to open to profound experiences of sense, and feeling, called the siddhis, which in Sanskrit means “perfection.” There are ten or twelve of these extra – ordinary powers.

Basically, this is a healing force brought about through meditation. In its movement process it will bring up unresolved issues. When the snake begins to shed their skin there is a period when it slides over their eyes and they are unable to see very well. Once the skin has been shed a new clarity returns. In the process of shedding one’s skin before clarity much can happen energetically to a human being via this energy. People who report negative experiences such as pain, heat, unconsciousness, and loss of control generally repress their feelings and are usually uncomfortable in their bodies.

They try to control rather than surrender to their experience.

Rather than trust themselves they go directly into fear and stop the physical experience; it is our resistance that creates the pain. However, if awakened prematurely, before the purification of character it will bring selfishness and sensual impurity to the fore. It will intensify the negative qualities of ego such as ambition and pride. In addition if this energy rises too soon without a stable, grounded base, a loss of sanity or nervous breakdowns may occur.

Shakti is a dynamic feminine, unconscious energy moving one toward freedom and chaos. In Hinduism her counterpart is Shiva, the male energy, a tempering force bringing order and peace. This energy is located in the crown chakra and one uses it to ground the body. These are the cosmic male and female forces creating the dance of chaos and form.

Some experience an opposing downward force called sushumna. Here one experiences complete awareness of the “awakening” of all the chakras and flow of energy between them.

With the guidance of a Perfect Master and proper meditation this awakening is a slow, gradual, steady process, which yields presence, awareness, responsibility, concentration and peace of mind.

Suppression and flow in the Life Force:

The infant initially breathes with the whole of their body, belly out, and butt relaxed, however, by or around eighteen mos. they are conditioned to suppress their natural breath and movements. Imprinted with parental behaviors, and dos and don’ts, one develops limited energetic patterns and harmonics, while learning what sensations, feelings, and expressions are considered acceptable.

First chakra issues begin to develop such as the suppression of power, sex, intimacy, repressed anger, the onset of fear and the lack of vital energy. Puberty is particularly,challenging, between cultural mores and parental values these vital energies are further suppressed.

In adolescence one experiences the hormonal changes of the pituitary glands, which activate the endocrine system. Sexual behaviors and characteristics appear along with a desire for independence, as the teen explores their emotional and physical needs. Their attempts at self expression are often thwarted, disapproved of, and looked down upon by parental and authority figures.

Physically, all sensation is blocked by the instruction – to stand tall, with hips and pelvis locked, all pelvic movements, such as rocking are restricted. In addition to vitality, awareness is suppressed, as is the powerful need to “touch.”

When touch is deprived in infancy and childhood it is often replaced with a frozen image, numbness occurs, and the sensory channels shut down. Leading to frequent misjudgment of people and situations, the child begins to distrust his own senses. It is through the senses that we connect with the external world. When we distrust our senses we begin to shut them down and restrict our connection with the world.

Pleasure and orgasm is an integral part of the pelvis and touch. Surrender is the key word in enjoying a tactile experience or a peak experience such as orgasm. Surrender to each other, to pulsation, to vibration, to a loss of boundaries, to becoming vaporous – two organisms melting into each other. – Energy, vital energy, harmony, a melody. When experienced with the whole existence it is called Mahamudra – it is Meditation!

From birth into adolescence and through adulthood one is discouraged to have a relaxed, open first chakra. This creates compulsive and obsessive behavior – addictions.

Addictive thinking and addictive behavior create a distraction from what one really feels and thereby deaden, numb, contain and suppress the feeling. The addict needs to be able to feel something pleasant and safe. I watched my 20 mos. old granddaughter fall yesterday, there was an initial moment of shock with no response, she just looked up at me, staring blankly. Then she began to cry and ran to the safety of her mother’s arms to be consoled by a hug and kiss. A moment later she was off again back out, running in the world.

The safety to be able to “let go,” and experience life, one also needs boundaries one has to be shown how far can they can go without hurting themselves or others.

Ultimately, there is no real safety in the body or on this earth as all will perish, the only real enduring thing, is “No-thing.” It is one’s relationship with Spirit, or Source, the Divine. It is only in God’s love that one may find safety and support.

Our first physical experience is through sensation– it arrives before the feeling. The first chakra lesson is “I sensate, I feel, therefore I am.” Without the flow of energy in the first chakra there will be some form of pathology. With fixated, restricted energy and thought the kundalini energy is limited and reflected in all parts of our consciousness.

Fear – is the other side of love. If you are afraid of yourself then you are afraid of others and closed to love. Life only arises in danger, in risk, thinking stops and one is present and open. Fear exists as a mechanism of mind that one has identified with. Mind is nothing but conditionings given by others – it is not coming from one’s own being.

Fear must first be accepted, observed, and one should try to understand the need for it.

Who is afraid? It is ego, afraid to live, afraid to die.

Joy is the antidote for all fear. When one makes a conscious decision to enjoy life fear disappears. Light the candle and the darkness disappears. Live with enthusiasm, which means, “godliness within” in all the small things, the daily rituals, eating, bathing, sleeping and the true light of joy will dispel the false darkness of fear.

Prosperity – The basic drive and ability to prosper and how well we survive depends on how much power we allow ourselves to have. Prosperity relates to letting go and allowing the energetic currency of money to flow, that means ‘giving.’ Give more, was the advice I received from a Perfect Master.

We all need power to survive on earth; we also need power in our spiritual lives.

Between the ages three and six children begin to form an identity and learn the rules of power. They try out difficult roles and ways of being powerful through the use of costume – the super heroes, various animals, princess, king, queen, prince etc.

Real power is learned much later if ever, the power over oneself as in self-mastery.

In the ancient world power was associated with personal magnetism, charisma. This is associated with speaking with authority, dominating a room with energy, and how one carries oneself. This is often referred to as animal magnetism. In accordance with the

Judaic-Christian mores we are taught to be humble do not display your personal magnetism, so we “sit on it” and we pretend to be humble. Buddhist teaching says until one has power one cannot know peace one is simply a ‘coward,’ hiding. We must reclaim our power, light the pilot, turn on the heat and let our light shine.

To be willing to make mistakes, be responsible for them and learn from them is part of this valuable lesson. Power is a tool to be used for change, for self-transformation. The costume of the true warrior is willpower and discipline.

We must learn to walk in the world as a Bodhisattva, using power without show. When we have practiced taking and using power, we will use it in a way that others will not feel threatened by us. The misuse of power is when we exert it over others, trying to control or dominate through our will or through abuse of any kind. When we claim our power the physical body it becomes strong and flexible. The knees bend easily in the capacity to yield, the legs become capable of full extension – the power to run out into the world in found in the thighs, the hips freely rotate, and grounded feet are firmly planted on the earth, providing balance and stability.

If we reject or fear our power to a point of paralysis we deny the responsibility of being, an active creator on the earth plane. When power is not used creatively it diminishes and ultimately is extinguished. Refusing to take leadership, or participation and management is also a misuse of power. Power is our birth rite and it is our duty to learn to use it appropriately, responsibly, consistently and consciously in service.

Service brings freedom, from self-consciousness, and ego. Self- service is replaced by
true humility, the entryway to love, and connection to Source.

Finally:

We are here to learn, strangely enough, the serpent is our teacher

In the Bible, the serpent, a lowly creature that, lies on his belly without the use of arms or legs, and creeps along the earth, is the seducer. Seduce taken from the root word ‘educe’ means to educate. This lowly creature educates man via experience; he gives us the lessons, and rules for living on this earth plane. Heaven, or Eden, far, far, above the earth is filled with virtue… while this lowly, creature, bereft of virtue is instead a seducer, he has been given vice. Vice in the form of – ‘pleasure,’ something so seemingly innocent, to entice Adam, the symbol of man, or mind. Mind is pulled down and out through the senses. Sense perception is represented by Eve, lured by a promise of fulfillment of desires the serpent suggests and she tastes, hungrily attaching her to matter; the human experience. We are spiritual beings who resided in heaven and were sent down to have a human, earthly experience that we may become conscious, wake-up and know. Know that which is Good, and that which is Evil, learn to discriminate between the two and choose the Good. To practice moderation, partake, taste the earthly delights but with temperance, not to lose our Self in pleasure, not lose or forget our Source, and true home in the illusion this experience presents to us. But alas, that is not possible for the journey from here to here demands loss and forgetfulness so that we may eventually remember.

We are here to learn to control the mind, i.e. sense pleasures, and desires for vainglory etc. but one can only learn to value the Real via a fall from grace. Through hard lessons and losses do we learn it is we who have turned our back on the Divine and bit into the proverbial “apple”. Now it is our duty to turn away from that, which debases us, and robs us of the dignity of Self, and the truth of who we are.

We are the children of God, stamped by It (gender-less) and living in a form It created. Through pain, shame and loneliness, we begin to beg for the grace and mercy that we may receive redemption and be released from this earthly cage called body. The prison of ego keeps us from love, truth, and from God, our Source. This body is also the temple where God resides.

May we be granted the boon of Gratitude and Thanksgiving, to begin our return to here.