The Left Hand of God: A History of Demons (Part 2)

In the conclusion to this study of demons we discuss their role in the spiritual ecosystem and connect historical understanding with current issues relating to psychology and culture, analyzing a bone-chilling modern case study of a possible demonic possession.

Transcript

Inevitably we come to the question, does this ancient, widespread belief in demons have any basis in reality? In searching for answers, we may look again at the issue of possession. This phenomenon and its connection to psychology has become a flash point between rationalism and belief in the supernatural. Certainly, there are a range of mental disorders which may cause symptoms that our ancestors would have identified with the influence of evil spirits. These include psychosis, schizophrenia, and dissociative identity disorder. Roughly 30 percent of alternate personalities identify themselves as demons. But strangely enough, scientists still do not fully understand what causes these illnesses. In fact, the prevailing theory that most mental disorders are caused by neuro-chemical imbalances in the brain has never been proved. These theoretical imbalances have never been observed or quantified in any experiments or analysis. Even if they could be shown, we know that many brain abnormalities are the result of behavioral and mental patterns, not the other way around.
 
Other proposed causes include social and behavioral factors. Studies have linked alleged cases of demonic possession to trauma. Drug abuse is also known to be a possible cause for such disorders that can lead to symptoms of possession. The exact mechanism, however, remains unknown. All of this is to say that despite our denial of spirits and the supernatural, we are still dealing with unknown, invisible causes. In our compulsion to explain everything through the physical sciences, we mislabel results as causes, while true causes remain obscured beyond our vision in the realm of consciousness. It is ultimately thought that creates reality. The brain is not consciousness. It is merely the physical conduit of consciousness in the physical world. It condenses and solidifies our thoughts so they can be called upon quickly as physical, temporal existence necessitates. It is like you are literally creating yourself, the mind outside of the mind.
 
This is where things become complicated, as even the spirit model of explanation is inextricably tied up with mental illness. “The symptoms of possession, Father Martin says, are often confused with mental illness. “Science spent a lot of time trying to prove that these people were, so to speak, loonies,” he says. “Now most of my cases are referred to me by psychiatrists.” Victims tend to undergo a startling change of personality. They may become unpredictable, violent and treacherous. They humiliate their families, plot against their friends, lie to their colleagues. “They have become alien entities”” Scientists would say that mental illness is the cause of the symptoms of possession, which is to say for one to labor under the delusion that they are possessed. Looking back on our historical analysis, we can now see that leading authorities on the matter also considered mental illness, what would have been characterized as a sickness of the soul, to be causal factors, but in their view, to actually becoming possessed. (confusing sentence) The demon in this instance was thought to be an opportunist, drawn to a preexisting illness and fanning the flames. Today it would simply be interpreted as a natural, albeit dramatic progression of the illness. Both views however acknowledge certain external influences as increasing one’s susceptibility. In other cases, the demon was considered to be the cause of the mental illness itself, nonetheless, there was an initial weakness or vulnerability that allowed it in. In this case the symptoms would seem to appear out of nowhere in an extremely dramatic way. Even science admits that most mental illness comes on slowly over time, and the phenomenon of sudden onset psychosis is another mystery to the medical community. This chicken or the egg phenomenon only further obfuscates the issue. Because of this close relationship between possession and mental illness, it is quite easy for the modern rationalist to discount the possibility of it being a reality. Of course, the possibility of the existence of spirits is rejected by the scientific establishment, so the theory of possession is dismissed out of hand. The believer in demons would say this is exactly how they want it. As long as they remain concealed, they do not encounter resistance.
 
Particularly in the era before science, there were no doubt many instances of misdiagnoses, and the attribution of the supernatural to natural phenomena that we did not yet understand. “But it would be illogical to conclude that the whole theory of possession rests on imposture or ignorance. The abuse of a system gives us no warrant to denounce the system itself. Strange phenomena of nature have been wrongly regarded as miraculous, but the detection of the error has left our belief in real miracles intact. Men have been wrongly convicted of murder, but that does not prove that our reliance on evidence is essentially unreasonable or that no murder has ever been committed.” MJ Odonnell.
 
The reality of mental illness has been acknowledged since ancient Greece, and yet this was insufficient in explaining everything to the ancients, as there remained an insistence upon the reality of spirits and their ability to affect the mind. The mind is still mysterious to us today in its vast complexity, and perhaps for this fact alone, it is no wonder we relied on the concept of spirits to explain it. In our exploration of psychology, we have become increasingly aware of the composite structure of the human brain, each portion having significant differences that seem to act almost independently of one another. The lower, or reptilian portion of the brain, is only partly under our conscious control and may sometimes act in opposition to our neocortex, the rational part of the brain. This struggle for spiritual ascension, often characterized as awareness, is physically represented in the brain. The quest for enlightenment may be a metaphor for the evolution of consciousness itself. The reptilian brain is located at the bottom, the domain of instinct and primal urges, out of which science has theorized that the higher portions evolved. The next system located in the middle of the brain is the limbic, responsible for emotion. Lastly, is the neocortex, the highest outer region, responsible for the faculties of self-awareness and reason. The human body mirrors this structure as well. The lower portion of the body containing the sexual organs which operate on primal urges, corresponds to the reptilian brain. The mid-section, containing the heart, corresponds to the limbic brain responsible for emotion. The head, containing the brain, corresponds to the neocortex. By following this ascending path represented physically, it was deduced in mysticism that love, or selflessness, was the key to spiritual transformation, as the heart was the intermediary between the lower animal man and the higher spiritual man.
The primal state, concerned only with self-preservation, was transmuted by the power of the heart, compassion, redirecting inward attention to outward, which ultimately bridges the gap of separation between humanity and God. A dualism between “good” and “evil” is again expressed in perhaps its truest form, between that of selfishness and selflessness. The lower state of consciousness is not in itself evil, but when it is too indulged and no longer accommodated out of necessity it becomes a vice, preventing this transmutation of the soul.
 
 This composite nature of consciousness could sometimes be experienced as an outside, alien influence, especially by a conflicted individual who wavers between these states, like the demons of old who crossed between worlds.
 
 If the lower self is allowed to enter the gates of heaven, or the rational mind, and sit on the throne of God, or the conscious ideal, it is transmuted to an evil demon, legitimizing self-gratification as the purpose of existence. Whatever we position as the ideal towards which we strive shapes the kingdom of our reality.
 
 
 The psychoanalysts perspective might suggest that spirit possession is the apprehension of the conscious mind by repressed elements of the unconscious, or the shadow. Recall earlier the confessions of women in the Middle Ages. It is suggested that this phenomenon was a manifestation of repressed sexual desires in women in a time when acting on those desires was constrained to a point where most women attempted to suppress the very thought. The connection between trauma and possession makes sense from this perspective as trauma is often repressed into the subconscious. An unresolved resentment towards an abuser or even to God, who, as an all-powerful being, was believed to ultimately allow evil to transpire, could metastasize into a hateful, demonic alter ego. The more conventional explanation for trauma induced dissociative identity disorders is the brain’s attempt to compartmentalize and avoid the psychological anguish induced by the trauma.
 
In some cases, our current scientific understanding appears to be unable to account for the phenomena associated with spirit possession. Perhaps the most effective way to explore this dialectic, this conflict of paradigms, is by recounting the story of one of the most terrifying, tragic, and controversial alleged cases of demonic possession in history. Anneliese Michel was a young German woman born in 1952. By all accounts, she was a normal, likable girl, with an average childhood. At the age of sixteen, she experienced an inexplicable loss of consciousness. That same night, she recalled waking up and feeling as though an invisible force was pressing down on her. After another such episode, Anneliese was taken to multiple doctors, including a neurologist, who suspected her condition to be the result of seizures, but no medical cause could be identified. An EEG brain scan along with various other tests were performed, the results of which were all normal. Nonetheless, she continued to experience these episodes four times over the course of the next four years. Meanwhile, she was prescribed an anti-convulsant and anti-seizure medication. In 1973, the situation began to escalate. Anniliese began reporting paranormal activity, such as knocking on her bedroom walls, disembodied voices damning her to hell. This was corroborated by her sisters who also claimed to have heard these things as well. Her mother stated that on one occasion she had seen Anneliese’s eyes turn jet black while staring at a statue of the virgin Mary, and on another that her hands appeared to morph into “thick paws with claws.” In 1973 during a visit to the neurologist, she reported having visions of demonic faces taunting her, smelling a phantom odor resembling burnt feces, and feeling like the devil was inside her. That same year, she was diagnosed by a psychiatrist as an epileptic neurotic and was prescribed stronger drugs. This however did not help, and after years of doctors failing to improve her condition, the family turned to the church. During this time, her condition worsened. She barely slept or ate and took to praying fanatically throughout the night. She began exhibiting strange behaviors, such as eating insects, urinating on herself, and even licking it up off the floor. She would destroy religious paraphernalia around the house, and displayed abnormal strength, despite becoming increasingly malnourished. In a display of this strength, she allegedly threw her sister across the room “as if she were a rag doll.” In 1975, an exorcism was formally approved and carried out by a priest named Father Renz. The following is an actual recording of one of the sessions.
 
According to Father Renz, Anniliese identified Valentin Fleishmann as one of the beings possessing her. Fleishmann was a 16th century priest who was defrocked for immoral behavior. This was something only known within the church. This was a sign to him that something truly supernatural was occurring. A total of 67 exorcisms were performed to no avail. She became prone to banging her head against the wall and biting herself, to the point where her family had to tie her up to prevent severe injury. She stopped eating entirely, stating that she was not permitted to do so. She refused medical treatment, and in 1976, she died at the age of 23. The determined cause of death was starvation. She weighed just 68 pounds at the time of her death. Charges were brought against Anniliese’s parents and the priests who were involved, making it one of the only cases of alleged demonic possession to go to court. They were all convicted of negligent homicide and sentenced to six months in prison. During the trial, the defense submitted evidence to support the idea that Anniliese had been demonically possessed, which was dismissed by the court. The defense claimed that those involved were respecting Anniliese’s legal right to refuse treatment, and that to intervene would have required inhumane measures to be taken. The jury sided with the prosecution that in such extreme circumstances it was incumbent on those caring for her to intervene to save her life. They argued that Anniliese was suffering from epilepsy and psychosis and was therefore incapable of rational decision. They further suggested that the initial medications given to Anniliese suppressed the symptoms of epilepsy which then caused it to morph into psychosis. The records however showed that her visions preceded the medication. They argued that the exorcisms instigated her delusional fantasy of being possessed, indicated by the fact that she only acted possessed during the exorcisms. The idea that a possessing spirit may lie dormant or conceal itself unless provoked was not acknowledged. They even went as far as accusing father Alt, the priest initially assigned to her case, of being schizophrenic. At any rate, the Catholic Church officially changed their position, stating that it had indeed been a case of mental illness.
 
At first glance, this may appear to be the case, but certain details suggest otherwise. Recall the paranormal activity that had been corroborated by multiple witnesses, and the fact that nothing medically wrong with her could be found. An autopsy was even performed and a detailed analysis of her brain down to the microscopic level that showed no irregularities. Though science cannot pinpoint the specific causes, there are certain brain abnormalities commonly observed in those with the mental disorders Anniliese was suspected to have suffered from. A further puzzling aspect of the examination was the absence of any ulcers and dilation of pupils typically associated with starvation.
 
 
“Everything is Dual; everything has poles; everything has its pair of opposites; like and unlike are the same; opposites are identical in nature, but different in degree; extremes meet; all truths are but half-truths; all paradoxes may be reconciled.” 
 
 
It is easy to get caught up in the supernatural terror of demons or any personified evil. They evoke a primal fear and can appear senselessly chaotic. But recall the ancient concept of demons as emissaries of the divine, that ultimately steer mankind onto the right path by emphasizing the wrong one. Perhaps they allow us to distinguish the light from the dark. If we choose a path that leads to destruction, they will hasten it, because we often will not change until we are in the utmost need, and do not see the err of our ways until we see the fruit it bears. Even Christianity must admit that the plots and schemes of Satan must be sanctioned by God, as no force can realistically oppose Him. If he is sanctioned, then he is part of God’s will, which by most religious interpretations is expressed as a balanced, ordered, and essentially moral universe. There were certain exceptions such as the dualistic Persian Manichaeism that believed in two equal opposing gods of evil and good, but this seems to be a result of limited perspective, a distortion of the polar principles of order and chaos, which are two aspects of the same godhead. In a scientific sense we could equate this to the big bang, a sole source of the whole universe. This idea of an all-encompassing God is expressed in the ancient concept of Abraxas.
 
“There is a God about whom you know nothing, because men have forgotten him. We call him by his name: Abraxas. He is less definite than God or Devil. ... Abraxas is activity: nothing can resist him but the unreal ... Abraxas stands above the sun[-god] and above the devil. If the Pleroma were capable of having a being, Abraxas would be its manifestation.”
 
“That which is spoken by God-the-Sun is life; that which is spoken by the Devil is death; Abraxas speaketh that hallowed and accursed word, which is life and death at the same time. Abraxas begetteth truth and lying, good and evil, light and darkness in the same word and in the same act. Wherefore is Abraxas terrible.”
 
 With that understanding, it seems that Satan, and even evil itself, is a necessary force. The universe runs through cycles of creation and destruction that appear necessary. Forest fires are essential to the health of the ecosystem. Disease weeds out the weak and keeps populations from decimating resources. Predators put genetic pressure on their prey causing them to evolve. This includes forces of creation and destruction, the great mystery of the nature of God, and the meaning of the word “abracadabrah.” Creation descending into manifestation and then disappearing back into whence it came. If we believe in any kind of nonphysical reality, it should operate in a similar way, the implication being that we are being pushed towards some destiny. Everything in the natural, visible world has a place, a way things are naturally supposed to be so that system can function as a whole. Even the staunchest materialists recognize that the universe seeks physical order, as well as expansion, whether or not they ascribe meaning to it. A mystical view would contend that this is also true of the invisible, spiritual world.
 
I admit that I struggle with this theory. If there is meaning and morality behind it all, how do we account for the experiences of young, innocent people like poor Anniliese? What was the purpose in that? She certainly did not bring that upon herself. Better yet, how do we account for all unearned tragedy in the world? This is one of the most common arguments against God. How could a loving God allow this to happen? It is no wonder that in the development of religion we felt the need to separate evil from God and create the Satan figure. Perhaps this system is impersonal, and only focused on the larger outcome. If the mission of life is growth, hardship and tragedy are put there as a constant force to ensure it. The saying that diamonds are made under pressure comes to mind. This is hard to accept, as we want to believe there is some personal justice built into it. Perhaps that is what it means to wrestle with God, and why faith is needed to believe in the transcendent, that the meaning is there even though you cannot see it. Perhaps we are too eager to judge reality with our limited human understanding. An equally difficult explanation to grasp is that somehow, despite appearances, demonic influence is always brought upon by the person themselves.
 
[Manly P Hall quote] (refer to episode)
 
The good news is that evil only glorifies good and therefore has no real permanence. It’s power is dependent on our power to accept or reject it. How long evil must operate as a necessary force is up to us. Indeed, if we become so far astray from living rightly, so corrupted that we can no longer recognize wrongdoing, the natural karmic consequences of our actions appear as random acts of evil.
 
Whether or not there is any literal truth to the subject, we can certainly discover truth about our psychology. The belief in demons is, in a way, a reflection of our own warped desires. They are given life by the struggle between base desires and a sense of higher purpose, something we are mysteriously attuned to in the form of conscience. They may appear as the prosecutor when our conscience overwhelms us, or the tempter when we suppress it. They are easy to reach, easy to give into, because they are always close by. They represent instant gratification, and the suffering of its aftermath, highlighting the emptiness and futility of a life of hedonistic pursuits. They may satisfy temporarily but will always leave a person wanting more. This is the cause of addiction. We can be addicted to many things, money, sex, drugs, food, entertainments. We can even be addicted to less obvious things like people or ideals. We seem to have what is often called a God shaped hole that can only be filled with some kind of higher modality of being. In my estimation, it looks something like following ones true calling, in service to others, and in accord with the great Other, or higher power. Anything else we put in place of that inevitably leads to addiction, because nothing short of that provides true, meaningful, and sustained happiness in life. This has never been more pertinent than today, as it has never been easier to access and become absorbed in the material pleasures of the modern world. There may come a time when everything is provided, when nothing is required, and we can live lives of complete ease and passivity, but at what cost to our soul?
 
We can understand all this logically, and yet, in many cases, it still does not stop us. This is what we call impulsiveness. This part of our mind operates in a lower field of consciousness outside the jurisdiction of reason, and so we represent demons as subhuman. Perhaps the true spiritual war is within us. It takes longer, requires more effort to live a life of service, to hear the small still voice, as if it echoes from some distant heaven. Which is why temptation is all too real. We are always tempted to take the easy way because with effort comes pain and sacrifice.
 
So, what happens when we give in to temptation to take the easy path? Perhaps the outcome is a loss of sovereignty. Perhaps we become ruled or possessed by something else, because we rely on it to complete us. There are a great many things that can possess us, fighting to claim us, things, people, ideas, institutions. As a result, we become something like impostors of ourselves. It is much easier to give ourselves up to the world than push against it and create our own self-sustaining identity.
 
In our search for understanding the mysteries of the cosmos, we may yet come to learn that it has more to do with ourselves than we could have imagined.