Appearance of Divine?

[LearningMan]

Re: Appearance of Divine?

Thank you. Perhaps the snake could be a sign from Yam, Asherah, Leviathan, or some other deity I may not have heard of.

[B. de Corbin]

Re: Appearance of Divine?

Thank you. Earlier yesterday I saw a black racer on the road. When I walked down the sidewalk, it slithered towards the sidewalk I was on and into the bushes. I'm not sure if that is a sign or just a coincidence. Sorry if it seems silly.

It's not silly. It has to do with your relationship to the world.

"Meaning" is not an inherent quality of things themselves. Meaning is a quality which comes from the interaction between thoughts/feelings and things. In other words, "meaning" is not objective - it is subjective. We think and/or feel meaning when we interact with things.

Example: A white stone standing upright in a green field is just a white stone standing upright in a green field - clumps of matter existing. It means nothing... until a conscious entity sees it or thinks about it, or touches it. The same is true of national flags and cattle farts. They are just clumps of matter until a conscious entity thinks/feels about them.

So the answer to your question is (and this is, I think, the only honest way to answer your question, unless I want try to convince you that I have some special knowledge that you don't) "what do you think/feel?"

[LearningMan]

Re: Appearance of Divine?

Thank you. Earlier yesterday I saw a black racer on the road. When I walked down the sidewalk, it slithered towards the sidewalk I was on and into the bushes. I'm not sure if that is a sign or just a coincidence. Sorry if it seems silly.

[Torey]

Re: Appearance of Divine?

Thank you. Is it possible to ask the Divine for a sign, or do you have to seek it out yourself? I've thought about asking before going to sleep and seeing if they are in my dreams, but I get the feeling it isn't quite that simple.

It can be. It all depends on what you're seeking. I would recommend always approaching a Demon with a clear purpose before simply seeking Them out. You are less likely to to be responded to if you are simply contacting Them with nothing interesting to say or to offer.

Various techniques for establishing contact exist, but I would suggest you stick with what you know.

[LearningMan]

Re: Appearance of Divine?

Thank you. Is it possible to ask the Divine for a sign, or do you have to seek it out yourself? I've thought about asking before going to sleep and seeing if they are in my dreams, but I get the feeling it isn't quite that simple.

[Torey]

Re: Appearance of Divine?

How does the Divine appear to people?

I'm not entirely sure if you are asking about the manner in which They appear "visually" or how a practitioner may go about "seeing" Them. I will address both possibilities.

Visual Appearance

In my experience, there are two conclusions to which I have arrived in regards to the "visual" appearance of Demons. 1.) Some Demons assume diverse theophanies and may appear differently from one experience to another. 2.) Some Demons assume the same or a very similar theophany within each experience.

Amongst Demonolators, there can be numerous experiences with the same entity while descriptions of Its appearance can vary wildly. Other Demons tend to appear identically or nearly-identically to each individual.

I would use the Goetic entities as an example. It is my experience that a large number of Them do not appear to resemble Their historical descriptions as found in the Lemegeton. However, certain entities such as Glasya-Labolas and Haagenti have consistently appeared to me in a similar theophany as found within the Lemegeton.

To describe the Demons with whom I have worked "visually", I would have to speak about each individual as there is no generic "form" which a Demon assumes - contrary to popular belief in that Demons always appear as horrific monsters, some may seem quite fair while others may seem terrifying. I have experienced Demons assuming the ordinary forms of young boys, middle-aged men and women and everyday animals; but, I have also experienced Demons assuming the forms of bizarre clouds, stones, monsters and mere feelings and sounds.

The Act of Appearing

Demons, like any Otherworldly entity such as a god or wight, can appear to an individual in a number of ways. Most experiences of the Divine, be it a Demon or not, tend to involve the Spiritiual sight as opposed to the physical organ of sight. Spirits may appear in dreams, meditations, Shamanic journeys or They may rarely physically manifest either in a perceptible energetic form or in the guise of an animal or a person.

How do you know if it's the Divine?

To be rather blunt, you won't know initially. This is where experience with the practice of discernment comes into play. In the beginning, it is difficult to differentiate between actual impressions of the Divine and mental imaginings influenced by a desire to experience the real thing.

How do you tell which demon is calling you? Thank you.

Again, experience will be key. The first step is discerning whether or not your experience is authentic. In my experience, it is usually very clear which Demon is communicating with you. They do not contact people unless there is a specific purpose which validates doing so and, even in such a case, They often employ emissaries to convey messages. For all of my dealings with Them, I can count perhaps only a dozen incidences in which a Demon has contacted me without my having initiated the communication or without an ongoing transaction.

[LearningMan]

I've been doing some study about Demonology, and I have a few question about it. How does the Divine appear to people? How do you know if it's the Divine? How do you tell which demon is calling you? Thank you.