Poetry: Demons – Part 12

Face to Face

(I Fail)

The saber stands upright its edge glimmers in the sun

whet appeal shall thee reveal a foe there face to face.

And shallow waters downward flow-collecting in their run

every bloody droplet cast or frozen in disgrace.

Leave thy strength to feed while need hungers more at morn

whence lain downcast aft evening task and loss of length to stand

shall now I seek thy shield as thief and power in ye sword

at every moment staged I stand with shield and sword in hand.

There at face disdained and face has come of me to fare

in swift display nerves astray and forced to stand alone

am I to raise from dust the arms and dirt to demons waiting there

a feigning move to them out-duel or might upon a sling and stone

and cast a wild wind-swept pass against the demon throne.

Ah lingering-listless yet for e’er I grasp in faithful awe

to thrust that spear of trust with but a demonizing whim,

while loss or misconceived its trespass heave and law

of flesh deceived at cost beyond a simple wage of sin;

sin or slain begin again-transparencies in vain.

Book reviews: The Outlaw Demon Wails, by Kim Harrison

When Kim Harrison started writing her “Books of the Hollows” series starring a witch (Rachel) and her friends-a vampire, a pixy, and a werewolf-it was just writing influenced by LKH (Laurell K Hamilton). But, Harrison has taken her writing out of LKH’s supernatural influence and into a new urban world of humans and supernatural creatures.

But, as each book has been written, Rachel’s world has become filled in with history, descriptions, and turning points. My favorite back story of this series is that human’s became aware of the supernatural world after their scientist’s genetically modified tomatoes. The modified tomatoes killed humans, but not the supernatural creatures. At this time, humans realized that there were a large amount of creatures who were not affected by the tomatoes. It was a forced revelation of witches, vampires, and other creatures.

In the “The Outlaw Demons Wails”, the reader if he has been reading Harrison’s other novels is well aware that Rachel has a lot of baggage towards Trent, an elf. Trent is using outlawed genetic manipulation to save the elf community. Rachel was saved by this same genetic manipulation used by Trent’s father. So Rachel is very ambivalent about this research. Also, in this mix Rachel is dealing with demons. Rachel is scared of demons because she knows that if they can get her across the ley lines and into their world, she could be forced to become a slave to the demons. Even more they want her because they know that she can handle ley line energies. Not many witches can handle this type of demon energy.

Even worse, there is a story that no one wants to tell. Apparently, elves and demons belonged to the same world. Witches are connected to the same world, but no one knows why. As Rachel continues with this novel (book six) she finds that she is related to the demons in a very surprising. Not to be much of a spoiler, Rachel finds that she can be called into a demon circle … like a demon. I won’t give you any more hints.

If you have been following Harrison’s stories, you already know that Rachel has this need to be involved in thrill seeking behaviors. Many of these needs can be explained by her family history and genetic structure. Another hint, her father was not a witch (or was he?) Who is her father.

Also, what did the genetic fix do to Rachel and in the long-term her future children? And why would Rachel learn demon magic after all of her problems with demons? -and her problems with one particular demon-AL.

Even more, Harrison has left more questions so that you and I will be eager for the next book “White Witch, Black Curse.”

My opinion, this book “The Outlaw Demon Wails” is Harrison’s best book yet. Her cast of characters are just as interesting and worthy of being protagonists as the main character, Rachel. I can’t wait for the next installment.

Pondering the existence of ghosts, demons and angels – Part 8

The existence of ghosts, demons, and angels is an age old question. Many people are skeptic but many are believers. There is a small precentage that are in between. Instead of telling ghost stories I am more into scientific proof, logical thinking, and a little paranormal exploration. The only way I can truly discuss this topic is to give the most interesting and believable facts I know for both sides.

Ghosts

Albert Einstein, the most briliant man in the world, taught us that energy can not be created or destroyed. The human body has both electrical and chemical energy flowing through it. Now is it not possible that ghosts are actually the result of this unchanging and disembodied energy? Where ghost sightings have been investigated there have been unexplained electrical impulses recorded.

On the other hand, many people believe that the soulor energy of a person is connected with the mind. Once the mind is legally dead that soul or the energy of a person is released from all form and matter. It may not be destroyed but without the body it can not stay pulled together and will drift into the atmosphere.

Demons.

Though there is no solid scientific or medical proof that there are demons or demonic posessions there are detailed recordings of such events through out history from all over the world. For the most part people condone them as psychiatric related incidences, which I will discuss later, but there is two key things that could not be caused by mental illness. In many cases it is said that the possesed, often young and poorly educated, would speak in languages not familiar to them. These languages have included Latin, Hebrew, and Arabic. Now how would a poor 10 year old girl in the early 1600’s be able to fluently speak a language she had never heard? The second oddity is that many times when in posession of a body a demon has been recorded as saying he is from certain places and laying claims to have seen and caused things that the victim would never be able to know about.

Many aspects of so called demon possesion do describe the symptoms of mental and phsyical health conditions. Extrodinary strength is common in autistics, rantings in uncoherent syllables is not uncommon in any mental problem, extreme mood changes are symptoms of bi-polar disease, body distortions can be caused by epeleptic siezures that can be brought on by mental health problems, and in cases of multiple personality disorder people have been recorded as talking, thinking,

Behind the scenes of the filming of Supernatural

I have battled depression for several years now. I take medication and go for therapy once a week, but sometimes experience “breakthrough” symptoms and find myself crying over absolutely nothing. These have increased with the onset of peri-menopause, but I found myself descending into a funk that had me wondering if I was going insane. Perhaps it was a mid-life crisis of sorts, but I was tired of my job, fed up with cooking and cleaning, annoyed over the day to day demands my family made on me.

Watching SUPERNATURAL and steeping myself in its enthusuastic fandom helped ease the worst of my blues, but it suddenly occurred to me that I needed more. I kept finding photos of fans posing beside the delectable Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki, the Winchester brothers on SUPERNATURAL, Suddenly, I was completely obsessed with a goal I HAD to have-I was going to get a picture of ME with Jensen and Jared, damn it!

The question was, where? Fan conventions were iffy; the last two Jared had signed up to appear at, he’d been forced to bow out due to filming commitments.

It seemed to me, after reading details about several fan encounters, my best bet to meet them was where they shot the show 10 months out of the year-Vancouver, Canada!

Although it strained our budget, my understanding husband agreed to my purchase of a plane ticket from New York to Vancouver. I made arrangements to meet two other avid SUPERNATURAL fans in Vancouver, where we would share expenses for a hotel room and rental car. When we weren’t hunting down Jared and Jensen on location shoots (our best bet, we figured, for a face to face encounter), we hunted down and took photos of places where they had filmed episodes of the show. We even filched some dirt and stones from the very hole where Dean made his deal with the red-eyed demon to bring Sam back to life!

On our very last day before leaving for home, the three of us saw a dream come true. We watched SUPERNATURAL being filmed from a close-up, exciting vantage point and, to my heart-stopping glee and pleasure, had the opportunity to meet first Jared Padalecki, then, about half an hour later, Jensen Ackles! I presented each of them with gifts baskets into which I had gathered their favorite chocolate, popcorn, New York hats and t-shirts, chewies for Jared’s dogs, animal crackers for Jensen-and whatever my research told me they enjoyed. Ironically, both accepted my presents with the same comment: “It’s not my birthday!”

I felt as if it were mine, however, as I stood beside each actor for photos, smiling idiotically. Jared put an arm around me and hugged me close while the two of us discussed our rescued dogs as if we’d known each other for years.

Jensen accepted my praise for his wonderful performance on SUPERNATURAL with a down-to-earth humbleness that assured me success hasn’t spoiled this young man.

Both Jensen and Jared are grateful for us, for all their fans, and as I flew home the following day, my mood much lighter, my wish fulfilled, I thought, I’m grateful for them, too.

That mid-life crisis? Bring it ON!

Supernatural activity: True or false? – Part 15

Eliphaz the paranoid tyrant is overheard saying: a spirit itself went passing over my face; The hair of my flesh began to bristle. It began to stand still, But I did not recognize its appearance; A form was in front of my eyes; There was a calm, and I now heard a voice: Mortal mancan he be more just than God himself? Or can able-bodied man be cleaner than his own Maker?’ (Job 4:15-16)

What made it so surreal, was it a demon communicating with Eliphaz? True, to scrutinize Job silently for seven days is for him a powerful emotional experience- one that may lead him to believe that he is receiving God’s holy spirit. But, this so-called religious “ecstasy” does not have God as its source; it is demonic. When Eliphaz testified that he beheld a spirit, and that it made the hair of his head “bristle” unbeknownst to him, he was having ecstatic experiences with the supernatural.

Notice the spirit is launching an accusation, and it is against what God has created from the dust of the earth- a man in God’s image. Just like in the beginning in Adam’s case when he said to his son:

“Let us make man in our image, according to our likeness.” (Genesis 1:26)

The false spirit is saying that God’s work is faulty. Although it is true that man cannot be more just than God, how did the demon know about man being given a just sentence for being charged with faultiness? Satan, the listener and observer was there, when Jehovah pronounced this sentence upon Adam: In the sweat of your face you will eat bread until you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken. For dust you are and to dust you will return.” (Genesis 3:19)

Yes, God did take some of earth’s elements to form the body of Adam, but what else did it take for man to become a living soul? The breath of life, man could not live until he took his first breath, and he needed God to give him that breath when Jehovah formed the man out of dust from the ground and blew into his nostrils the breath of life, and then the man came to be a living soul. (Genesis 2:7)

Although it is true that man cannot be more just than God, but how did the demon know about man being given a just sentence for being charged with faultiness? Satan, the ruler of the demons was present, when Jehovah pronounced this sentence upon Adam:

In the sweat of your face you will eat bread until you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken. For dust you are and to dust you will return.”

(Genesis 3:19)

Eliphaz needed to learn that counsel; even reproof is welcome when it comes from a true friend who has our welfare as its motive. It is like a concealed love wrapped up in a revealed reproof. A true friend will know the difference between a reproof, and a rebuke. Eliphaz had neither- his rhetoric comes as a rebuke, because his reasoning is faulty.

Book reviews: The Demon and the City, by Liz Williams

In the exotic city of Singapore Three, Detective Inspector Chen normally investigates supernatural crimes. However, he is on vacation. Zhu Irzh, a hellborn demon from the first book in this series, takes over Chen’s workload. Unfortunately, since he is a demon, Zhu Irzh has a different interpretation of solving crime than the very human Chen. A demon detective encourages vice. A human detective discourages vice.

So Zhu in his investigations becomes obsessed with Jhai Teserai, the CEO of a powerful pharmaceuticals corporation. In the discovery phase, he finds that she is experimenting on inhuman test subjects. Zhu is fascinated with Jhai. He could care less who she uses for experiements.

However, fortune takes a turn and involves Detective Chen, who returns to bring the demon back to the straight and narrow. In this story, there are chinese demons, angels, and other supernatural hijinxs involving girls and more girls. Zhu doesn’t mind. Chen does. After all, Chen is married to a lovely demon, which is quite a suprise to Zhu.

Why I get excited about Liz Williams writings: she is using a new mythology to provide a fantasy and sci-fi mix with suspense. Not many of us from the western world know the mindset or mythology of our eastern neighbors.

Not only do I like the story, but I am also intrigued by the daily life of Detective Chen and his demon partner. In our life, we expect police officers and detectives to ride around in cars. In William’s world, Detective Chen has to find cheap transportation like a train or bus because he can’t afford to drive in the city. He might even hitch a ride on an official transport. So in the story, Chen is really concerned with time and distance, which puts me right in the story. What is more human than time and distance?

Even in the in human scenes where Zhu finds out Jhai’s secrets, I can relate to the dance between male and female. Zhu is a player in the human sense of the word, but he is definitely enticed to change his ways with Jhai. But, you will have to read this book to know why.

Also, you get a glimpse of the Chinese concept of heaven. The heavens are in turmoil because some of the angels want to leave earth behind and others want to stay in contact with earth. (a concept of the war in heaven, perhaps?)

I recommend this book for anyone who loves fantasy and sci-fi. I grew up reading Isaac Asimov and Robert Heinlein. Williams has written in the same genre with modern sensibilities. It is well-written, the chararcters are developed, and there are surprising plot twists.

This is one book for my library.

Poetry: Demons – Part 1

Voices in my head telling me what to do as if trying to bring me down.

The voices I hear are the words of my mother and I can’t get them to stop.

I can’t seem to get the demons out of my head.

The demons I find within myself trying to break me down.

The words that are bouncing around in my mind.

From the demons within myself telling me that I’m not good enough.

The words from the demon I call mother.

So I’m telling the demons within myself to quickly get out and go away.

Get out of my head and never come back.

Never return the demons from within!

Is anime changing the way people look at demons?

Anime demons are they changing the way the community looks at demons?

Demons in mythology (except the kitsune or in English fox) are always described as monstrous ugly creatures, but if you were to watch an anime such as Inuyasha the most powerful of demons are described as beautiful. Sesshomaru from Inuyasha for example is a dog demon and while in his human’ form he is overly good looking. Even while in his true form’ as the anime calls it he is not ugly though he is monstrous. True that he is known as a ruthless demon in the anime he is not known as evil any longer. This is mostly due to the company he keeps which happens to be a small girl he had resurrected.

Inuyasha is not the only anime that have these beautiful demons either. The anime series Yu Yu Hakasho also gives notice to beautiful demons though not every demons shown could be considered a looker all the demon main characters are.

When one tends to think of an anime it is usually the beautiful demons they think of. Take Inuyasha for example. If one was to think of that shows demons then the characters Inuyasha, Sesshomaru, Koga, Naraku only after the good looking ones were mentioned would characters like Jaken be given any mention. The same goes for Yu Yu Hakasho when a person thinks of the demons from that show it would most likely first be Youko Kurama, Hiei, Yusuke, Jin, Touya or even Yomi once those are recognized only then would someone think of the non human looking demons or the ugly ones.

The anime world has gotten so far out of control that people begin to dress as their favorite characters when it is not Halloween under the disguise of a convention.

So the question is when you think of demons do you think of the tales told in mythology or do you think of the demon characters from your favorite anime?

Poetry: Demons – Part 6

I lurk, I watch, I ponder

I scheme, I chance, I wander

I find, I take, I deny

You don’t know, I lie

I cheat, I spy, and still I’m denied

A little of me, in all of you

I learned from the best

now here the rest

There is no demon

This is real

but to look at me

you would feel

sorry, happy, candid

thats what I do

You might feel for me

I have nothing for you.

I am the fun guy, the smart man

who will screw ya if I can

These are not demons

but only one

I am the demon inside of you all

It is time for more fun

THINK! How can this be, when

you all had trust for me.

That is questionable for you see

If you cannot trust yourself

then who can it be?

it is my very own demon

we can do lunch

I will call

I will be on time

no I never pushed,

it was a fall

Till death do we part

this is getting old

I need a new start

She looks vonerable

time to pounce

come on demon

lets go announce.

Gods & Demons: Is there a difference

Seeing the difference between gods and demons should not be too difficult with a basic study of mythology and religion. Whether the myth or religion is monotheistic or polytheistic, the main and clearest distinction is that gods are something like royalty, the ruling persona, house or family, and demons are lower in the hierarchy, if they are even considered part of the hierarchy at all.

In most myths, demons are servants. They are used by a deity to punish a mortal, or perhaps to cause trouble for a rival deity. At times, you see also a powerful and skilled magician calling forth a demon to do his bidding, perhaps to do away with someone that poses an obstacle, or perhaps for revenge. Yet there is always a price; for mortals, it is usually his or her soul. Even the gods acknowledge a demon’s power, and deliver a promised reward for the work it does for them. But no demon demands payment from the gods, as it would from a mortal, for the gods are the ruling power.

In some myths, demons punish those mortals who fail to revere the gods or what the gods represent. In Egyptian myth, when someone died, a demon would devour one’s soul, erasing them from existence completely, if it was deemed that he or she had not lived a moral life.

Many other myths, such as Babylonian and Hebrew, show demons as evil creatures of the supernatural who terrify and prey on mortals. Vampires were once thought of as this type of demon, and still are in certain parts of the world. The Babylonian demon Lilitu was a succubus, a female vampire; she was called Lilith by the Hebrews.

Gods, on the other hand, are the rulers, the supreme beings under which exists all else, natural or supernatural. In some myths they are uncaring, while in others they care deeply for the mortal world. But they are not demons in any respect.

There are many instances in the ancient world where demonic possession was a way of explaining madness, dementia, disease, or some common illness that we would barely give thought to today. And demonic possession was used at times to explain the simple, and quite common, case of being different. It was to the gods that people prayed to lift the afflictions of demons.

Gods are not always good or loving. Ares, god of war, doesn’t appear much in Greek stories, though he does appear often as Mars in Roman tales. His title explains what I mean: No god of war can be kind or loving, for war is destruction and death. The Maya had many, many gods; each god would rule a certain day; some were good and some were evil. Demons roamed in the shadows in Mayan lore, searching for an opportunity to cause malice, and though powerful, they were not divine as the gods were.

Whether they are shape-shifters, ghosts, or monsters, demons are always evil and full of malcontent, usually unable to think or act in any way that deviates from death or horror. Gods, however, are reasoning beings who think and feel and, like humans, often show moments of indecision and personality quirks.

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