Always to want more

This is the last blog for a while on the subject of the occult, demonology, spiritualism and theism. I started writing these blogs to help people understand why I wrote my book, "The Demon Cult". My fascination with religion persists; why individuals believe in an omnipresence and how they believe it can affect their lives, what happens after death and so on.

I do not believe that there is a god in that sense but respect peoples' beliefs. We all need some credo to live our lives; I suppose, if for no other reason, than to give point to human life. I just think that we are the current beings, in the four billion history of the Earth, who have found a way of using all of the World's resources, flora and fauna, minerals and topography to our best advantage.

There WILL come a day when human life will vanish in its current form: just like the dinosaurs are considered by some experts to have taken to the air as birds. What will follow, who knows. That is the point. Nobody knows anything in the final analysis. Despite worthy tomes, bibles, and many other religious and scientific books there is not one substantiated case of someone returning to the Earth: not one! Yes, there are recorded visions and narratives going back hundreds of years but many writings on the subject were politically motivated, or written long after the events. The bible is only a compilation of religious books written at the time; the New Testament is written to support the stories of Jesus. I am not a Jesus denier, nor would I cast scorn on any religion but it is a step into the supernatural. The Oxford Dictionary defines supernatural as: attributed to some force beyond scientific understanding or the laws of nature; or 2, exceptionally or extraordinarily great. I think that the first definition stands well; the second needs confirmation as to why and how. Empirical evidence is by witness, rational evidence is by factual proof. The beliefs described throughout my blogs are empirical: stories of great happenings by witnesses but no proof. Over centuries there has been no shortage of religious interpreters who are happy to tell their congregations what the narratives mean.

So one person's idea of why we are here and what we are to do is as good as another. My book visits the old religions in, I hope, an entertaining way. Its follow up - "The Demon Cult 2 Baker's Island" - will continue the journey through spiritualism and demonology and is also a metaphor for greed and the human desire always to want more.

I hope that you have enjoyed my blogs thus far and would love to debate, or hear the views, of any readers: I know you are out there!

Demons

Last time I discussed the concepts or precepts of different faiths. I finally mentioned "demons" which is where I would like to start today.

The demon I chose for the front cover for my book "The Demon Cult" is from the "Dictionnaire Infernal" by Collin de Plancy written and  illustrated in the 1800s. It is a manifestation of the Devil. For more information on this subject I suggest the excellent website Delirium's Realm will provide further insight.

So "Demons": evil or just a bad press?
As a committed atheist any concept of a god, demon, angel et al all comes under the heading of "the supernatural" i.e. that there is a world beyond ours were beings exist who can influence or change our lives. I suppose it goes back to the concept of a sun god, where, when the crops failed some bright spark thought that sacrificing a goat might please the divine presence of the sun god and the crops would thrive. It they did not, the inevitable and logical next step was to sacrifice a human being. At some point "voilà" as the French say, and man, woman, child, or beast, is marked for future sacrificial duty.I am not being glib - well only a bit - but it does not take Einstein to work out the pattern.
Demons have been around as long as humans inhabited the Earth; they are usually portrayed as fallen angels which can be conjured and controlled. Most religions have them and as I mentioned in a previous blog, you cannot have good without the antithesis of evil.

In my book the anti-hero is Baal Crowley. He is supposed to be the grandson of Aleister Crowley, the Satanist and so-named in the twenties and thirties, "the Beast 666". Baal is the storm god and god of fertility. Some say that he is the personification of God, others that he was at the hand of El who was married in mythology to Asherah. El was considered the father of the humanities and Ba'al Hadad, his son. Both are depicted by a bull and bulls on their headdress. These are the gods of the ancients and despite many attempts to bring in prophets, in all religions, declaring that there is but one god, all evidence points back to El and Baal. Even when monotheism (belief in one god) started to be accepted, around two thousand years ago, there was evidence that the common man still believed in the gods of old. Statues have been found in Lebanon and Palestine (in biblical times Canaan) and Israel of Baal. The "man-in-the-street" can be forced, in public to worship whatever the ruling classes say but secretly he will do what seems right. Demonology has its place in all religions.

I should note at this time that the Aleister Crowley images are linked from the web site: http://www.pinterest.com/explore/aleister-crowley/, where you can find further information and images on this topic.

Theology versus Demonology

My first blog mentioned my first book, "The Demon Cult". I am working on and two thirds through my follow-up novel which will be named, "The Demon Cult 2 - Bakers Island". Bakers Island (I can find no trace of an apostrophe!) is situated in Massachusetts Bay (still no apostrophe - maybe our American cousins have stopped using them), Salem. Salem was the town which held the famous, or more properly, infamous witchcraft trials of 1692; 19 "witches" were hanged that year on Gallows Hill, Salem, others later died in prison.

Religion has caused many issues over centuries. I believe that the most important question that a human being has to answer is: why am I here on this planet? Some believe that we are here for divine purpose; that a god, or The God, is watching over us and there is some purpose to our life but we will only find out what that may be on death. I understand that Christians believe that what happens in the afterlife depends on the kind of life one has led on Earth. The good go to heaven; the bad go to Hell. The Catholics still believe - as a part of their theology - that the spirit goes to purgatory on its journey to either place. The Jewish faith has similar views to Christians but there is a belief in reincarnation as well.

Islam, the Muslims' faith, indicates that after life there is a period of rest and then Allah decides in which direction the spirit goes. This contrasts with Hindus and Buddhists who believe in reincarnation. The Buddhists differ from the Hindus on how this is achieved.

Please forgive my overly simplistic and plausible descriptions above. No doubt the theologians amongst you will shout me down as misrepresenting these, or their, faiths. I am not trying to be controversial but wish to point out that strong messages ensue. People, even non-religious or non-practising individuals, often believe that some day they will go to a place and be reunited with loved ones; ergo there has to be a counter argument that bad people, murderers, rapists et al go to an uncomfortable place; whether to be tortured by demons, or just to exist miserably, depends on that religion's theology.

Now, turn to Paganism. Pagan translates as "One who exists upon the earth". Paganism pre-dates Christianity. The Pagan festival dates were stolen by the Christians and modified to become Christian festivals. Example: the Romans' Pagan Saturnalia, celebrating the winter solstice during the period the 17th to the 23rd December. As we all know, it is taught that we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ during this period (even though some would have it that he was actually born in June!) but beware the giving of presents and especially mistletoe as these are of pagan origin. Paganism is not evil; Pagans do not hate nor worship Jesus; they are not Satanists - Satanism is more a Christian reaction of God's goodness to Satan's evil.The Chinese could possibly express that as God's Yin to Satan's Yang; both are two parts of the same belief, interconnected and interdependent.

If all the mysticism, magic, history and beliefs of the foregoing are true then what price demons?
The word "demon" comes from the Greek and means divine, or divine power, or god. The concept of demons has been around for a lot longer than any of the religions we hear about, or are practised today. We see demons as evil; Christianity and most religions suggest this idea but in some countries it is all part of an endemic spirituality which, I believe, has a home in most people. I am a happy atheist but some events in one's life lift ones heart and are, in the main, inexplicable; they warrant no verbal expression but fit in with the aphorism, "It's good to be alive".

I do not intend to discuss demonology here; I have probably already tried your patience enough. But I strongly believe that if you have a faith then you cannot dismiss one supernatural idea because it does not fit in with the supernatural indoctrination of your upbringing, or later thinking.

For a second blog, that is enough.

The Satanist Aleister Crowley

The Demon Cult: introduction

Hi everyone, my name is Stephen F Timms and I am writing today about my first novel The Demon Cult. The inspiration to write this particular novel came from reading "Casting of the Runes", a short novel by the well-known writer of ghost stories, Montague Rhodes James (a notable British mediaeval scholar). His book was turned into a film called The Night of the Demon starring Dana Andrews and Peggy Cummins, circa 1957: still an effective horror-shocker.

My book is more of a thriller and is based on a Satanist called Aleister Crowley, 1875-1947, whose mantra was "Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the law", or in today's parlance, if it feels good do it!

I shall finish here as this is my first attempt at blogging but as General MacArthur once said, "I shall return".