Demons

by Thomas LeRoy

Demons are an aspect of the self that reside in the subconscious, that space between the ego and the doorway to the collective unconscious. Demons represent the “dynamic of life”, to quote Joseph Campbell. They are metaphors of certain psychological attributes that those upon the RHP would like to ignore or repress. If utilized correctly, demons can be a positive force in the life of the individual.
There can be no doubt that everyone carries demons, and if not embodied in the individual’s conscious life, the more deadly and wilder the demons become. Most are frightened of their demons, locking them away deep in their subconscious where they run amok.

The Individual was different than the others in his village. He had known this most of his life. He longed to go beyond the walls, but not take that same old path that all seemed to follow. He wanted to hike the trail to the left of the village, the dark path that some whispered led north to Hyperborea, beyond the “North Winds”.
The Individual became aware of his wander-lust while still a youth, living in his father’s home. Once his father aquired six pups. Beautiful creatures, over-zealous with an enthusiasm for existence. His father kept the pups in the cellar, where they slept and defecated on a cold earthen floor, lapped from a rusted pan filled with water, and ate from an old pot that he supplied with scraps from his dinner table. Only when he fed and watered the pups did the man spend any real time with them. And that time was usually spent beating them with a belt to keep them from leaping on him out of the sheer joy of seeing their master. After a time he decided to chain them to a post. He never once cleaned their habitat, and the feedings became less and less frequent until he fed them very rarely.
The months passed, and the pups grew to be filthy, wrathful creatures. But the Individual’s father ignored their howls of rage by going about his mundane existence. But the howling did not cease.
One morning the Individual awoke to a new sound coming from behind the cellar door, the sound of scratching, and chains clanking up and down the steps. The dogs had broken loose from the post. His father grabbed his belt, ready to teach them a lesson.
He opened the door . . .
The Individual found the remains of his father, scattered about like a bloody, broken doll.
And the dogs of wrath were gone.
This was only the first of many occurrences that fed the Individual’s wander-lust.

To allow these otherwise harmless creatures (your demons) to be ignored, there eventually emerges a raging pack. Having a suspicion of this ugly possibility, the average person turns a blind eye to their demonic nature. But if their demons stay repressed and are isolated from the ego, this aspect of the self can never be utilized for the benefit of the self. But one’s demons must neither be repressed nor fully exploited, but through transformation into appropriate channels, brought into balance with the conscious personality. If this is not achieved, if the pit bulls are ignored, the outcome can be most grim.

Your demons should be integrated, not eliminated. This is why it seems that those whom commit the most bizarre and heinous of crimes are not the out-spoken artist with the spike-covered leather jacket and mohawk, but instead the quiet church deacon behind the white picket fence.