A blog where we discuss not only the metaphysical aspects of the paranormal but its practical significance as well. Visit often for first-person accounts of the paranormal phenomena, paranormal witnesses, occult and esoterica reviews as well as informed articles written on philosophy, religion and spirituality.
Demons. They seem to be en vogue of late with many paranormal shows high-lighting their appearance in hauntings as signaling a truly horrible turn of events for those who are being visited by the unseen. Furthermore, many sects of Protestant Christianity view any and all ghostly phenomena as a result of demonic influences but is this truly the case?
Origin of the Species
The spiritual beings we refer to as demons haven't always gotten such a bad rap. In Ancient Greece, the eudaimonae were thought of as being like one's personal Jiminy Cricket or muse. According to Wikipedia demons in Greek thought were:
good or benevolent nature spirits, beings of the same nature as both mortals and gods, similar to ghosts, chthonic heroes, spirit guides, forces of nature or the gods themselves...Walter Burkert suggests that unlike the Judeo-Christian use of demon in a strictly malignant sense, “[a] general belief in spirits is not expressed by the term daimon until the 5th century when a doctor asserts that neurotic women and girls can be driven to suicide by imaginary apparitions, ‘evil daimones’.”
In Vedic and later Buddhist thought demons were not the purely evil beings they would come to be described as in Christianity Islam and Judaism. Rather, they could be likened to asuras, devas, yakkhas or pretas depending on the circumstance.
So, how did demons come to get such a bad wrap? Well, in our next post, we'll take a deeper look at how demons came to be regarded as foul and contemptible beings rather than the nature spirits they were originally conceived of by the Greeks and Indians.
According to the tenets of the Muslim faith, death is the complete end of physical life and the beginning of a period of rest until the day of resurrection when Allah judges the living and the dead.
Many Muslims believe that the righteous are able to see visions of God after loss of life and that the evil see thoughts of terrible suffering and hellfire. Except for these possible thoughts of paradise or hell, Muslims believe the spirit continues to be in a type of "soul sleep" until the Day of Judgement. When the Day of Verdict comes, everyone is assessed according to their actions in lifestyle. Many Muslims believe that non-Muslims can obtain paradise only after a interval of filtration in the flames of purgatory.
Mebruke's Near-Death Experience
The only account of an NDE experienced by a Muslim (I am not counting the supposed Christian converts after an NDE which litter the pages of YouTube) is found quoted below:
Mebruke is a thirty-year-old Saudi Arabian living in New York City. At the age of twenty she was swimming in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Italy when she became tired. As she headed for shore, she realized that she was too far out to make it back. She began to struggle and swallow water. Finally she slipped beneath the waves.
"I went under for the fourth time, and my body went limp and I wasn't aware of it anymore. It was at this point that I saw a beautiful white light. It was so bright and yet it had such a calming effect that the more I looked at it, the calmer I felt. To this day I can't really say what that light was. In my religion (Muslim) there are beings called angels who are made out of pure white light. Maybe that is what I saw.
"Anyway, while I was underwater, I heard a voice say, 'You are not to die like this.' Suddenly I felt this energy shoot through me from my feet to my head, and at the same time I seemed to be propelled out of the water. It was as if someone was physically bringing me out of the water, but I can swear that there was no physical being there.
"I was moved through the water, I don't know how else to describe it. Before long a boat came, and a man reached over the side and pulled me out. When he did that, I started to laugh because I was so glad to be out of the water."
Most of the accounts of visits to Hell come from Christians. We will spend the next couple of posts presenting accounts and stories of people who have experienced hell from a variety of religious perspectives. Since Christianity is the most well represented on YouTube's English channels we will start there. Here's an interesting account from a Christian here:
Traditional Accounts from Catholic Clergy
Below is an account taken from These Last Days News (http://www.tldm.org/News8/realityofhell.htm):
Sister Josefa Menendez's Description of Hell
One of the greatest mystics of this century was Sister Josefa Menendez, who died in 1923 at the age of 33. This young Spanish sister, who had a short religious life of great suffering, experienced revelations throughout much of her life, compiled in The Way Of Divine Love. More than once, she was taken to Hell to witness and feel the suffering first-hand. Sister Josefa was reluctant to write on the subject of Hell, and did so only to conform to Our Lord's wishes. Sister Josefa repeatedly dwelt on what she described as the greatest torment of Hell, namely, the soul's inability to love. One of these damned souls cried out: "This is my torture...that I want to love and cannot; there is nothing left me but hatred and despair. If one of us could so much as make a single act of love...But we cannot, we live on hatred and malevolence..." (March 23, 1922).
She records, too, the accusations made against themselves by these unhappy souls: "Some yell because of the martyrdom of their hands. Perhaps they were thieves, for they say: 'Where is our loot now?' ...Cursed hands... Others curse their tongues, their eyes...whatever was the occasion of sin... 'Now, O body, you are paying the price of the delights you granted yourself!...and you did it of your own free will...'" (April 2, 1922).
"I saw several souls fall into Hell, and among them was a child of fifteen, cursing her parents for not having taught her to fear God nor that there was a Hell. Her life had been a short one, she said, but full of sin, for she had given in to all that her body and passions demanded in the way of satisfaction..." (March 22, 1923).
"My soul fell into abysmal depths, the bottom of which cannot be seen, for it is immense...; Then I was pushed into one of those fiery cavities and pressed, as it were, between burning planks, and sharp nails and red-hot irons seemed to be piercing my flesh. I felt as if they were endeavoring to pull out my tongue, but could not. This torture reduced me to such agony that my very eyes seemed to be starting out of their sockets. I think this was because of the fire which burns, burns ... not a finger nail escapes terrifying torments, and all the time one cannot move even a finger to gain some relief, not change posture, for the body seems flattened out and [yet] doubled in two. Sounds of confusion and blasphemy cease not for an instant. A sickening stench asphyxiates and corrupts everything, it is like the burning of putrefied flesh, mingled with tar and sulphur ... a mixture to which nothing on earth can be compared... although these tortures were terrific, they would be bearable if the soul were at peace. But it suffers indescribably... All I have written," she concluded, "is but a shadow of what the soul suffers, for no words can express such dire torment." (September 4, 1922).
"Today, I saw a vast number of people fall into the fiery pit . . . they seemed to be worldlings and a demon cried vociferously: 'The world is ripe for me . . . I know that the best way to get hold of souls is to rouse their desire for enjoyment . . . Put me first . . . me before the rest . . . no humility for me! but let me enjoy myself . . . This sort of thing assures victory to me . . . and they tumble headlong into hell.' " (October 4, 1923)
"Tonight I was transported to a place where all was obscure. . . Around me were seven or eight people; I could see them only by the reflections of the fire. They were seated and were talking together. One said: 'We'll have to be very careful not to be found out, for we might easily be discovered.'
"The devil answered: 'Insinuate yourselves by inducing carelessness in them . . . but keep in the background, so that you are not found out . . . by degrees they will become callous, and you will be able to incline them to evil. Tempt these others to ambition, to self-interest, to acquiring wealth without working, whether it be lawful or not. Excite some to sensuality and love of pleasure. Let vice blind them . . . As to the remainder . . . get in through the heart . . . you know the inclinations of their hearts . . . make them love . . .love passionately . . . work thoroughly . . . take no rest . . . have no pity. Let them cram themselves with food! It will make it all the easier for us . . . Let them get on with their banqueting. Love of pleasure is the door through which you will reach them . . .' " (February 3, 1923).
A Doctor's Account of Dying and Going to Hell and Back
What Can We Conclude?
All of the worlds major religions speak of the existence of Hell although only the Abrahamic faiths view it as eternal. Still, in traditional Buddhist belief, the amount of time a being may spend in Hell is incalcuably long and so may very well seem eternal.
