ANGELS, DEMONS & THE OTHERWORLD · LESSON 1 OF 13 · 13 MIN · FREE
Daimones, angels, fairies, ancestors and spirits of place — and how to think about them.
Almost every magical tradition assumes the world is populated by more than humans, animals and plants. This track introduces how the Western tradition has mapped those other beings, and how to approach them with both an open mind and good sense.
Almost every magical tradition assumes the world is populated by more than humans, animals and plants. This track introduces how the Western tradition has mapped those other beings, and how to approach them with both an open mind and good sense.
In Plato's Symposium, the wise woman Diotima describes daimones as beings who are neither gods nor mortals but intermediaries, carrying prayers up and blessings down. (The word only later came to mean "demon" in the negative sense.) Socrates spoke of his own daimonion, an inner voice that warned him off wrong action. Neoplatonists built elaborate hierarchies of such intermediaries.
| Kind of being | Tradition | Typical role |
|---|---|---|
| God / the One | Monotheist and Neoplatonic | Source of all; beyond direct command |
| Angels and archangels | Jewish, Christian, Islamic; grimoires | Messengers and governors of the cosmos |
| Planetary intelligences and spirits | Agrippa, the Picatrix | Channels of planetary influence |
| Gods and goddesses | Pagan traditions | Personal, relational powers |
| Daimones / genii | Greek and Roman | Guides, guardians, intermediaries |
| Fairies / the Good Folk | Celtic and European folk belief | Ambiguous neighbours of the human world |
| Ancestors and the dead | Universal | Family protectors and advisers |
| Spirits of place (genius loci) | Roman and folk | The "presence" of a land, river or house |
| Demons | Christian demonology; Goetic grimoires | Powerful, dangerous, traditionally to be bound |
Around 500 CE the writer known as Pseudo-Dionysius arranged angels into nine choirs in three triads, a scheme that dominated medieval and Renaissance thought:
As with magic itself (see What Is Magic?), there are several working models:
Many practitioners hold these loosely and let experience decide.
Go to a place you know well — a park, garden, or riverbank. Sit quietly for ten minutes and simply ask, inwardly, what the "spirit" of this place is like. Record impressions without judgement. Repeat at the same place on three different days.
4 questions — choose an answer to check it.
1.In Plato's Symposium, daimones are described as…
2.How many choirs of angels did Pseudo-Dionysius describe?
3.What is a genius loci?
4.What did Socrates call the inner voice that warned him off wrong action?
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