The Lord of Spirits Podcast: "Who is Your Demon and What Does He Do?"

Hosts: Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick & Fr. Stephen De Young
Date: February 14, 2025
Theme: The Seen and Unseen World in Orthodox Christian Tradition—How Orthodox Christianity understands demonic activity, temptation, possession, and the union of the seen and unseen.

EPISODE OVERVIEW

This episode of The Lord of Spirits dives into the Orthodox Christian understanding of demons, demonic activity, and their relation to spiritual life and consciousness. The fathers revisit foundational material on the nature of spirits, clarify misconceptions about what demons are, how they work, and how these ideas have shaped both ancient and contemporary spiritual practices—including exorcism, prayer, and Christian living. Throughout, the hosts interact with listener calls, questions, and anecdotes, making the subject approachable, lively, and practical.

KEY DISCUSSION POINTS & INSIGHTS

1. What Are Demons? Historical & Scriptural Foundations

• Levels of Consciousness:
  • Demons are a subset of "spirits," which are conscious entities above the human level. Animals have consciousness below humans; spirits are above (10:00–11:40).
  • "When we talk about spirits...we're talking about consciousness above the human level." (A, 11:30)
• Origins:
  • The Greek word "demon" (daimon) originally meant an ancestral spirit, not necessarily evil (17:00–21:00).
    • In ancient pagan contexts, "demon" could be positive/neutral; only later did Christianity attach negative connotations.
    • St. Paul: “…what the nations sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons and not to God.” (A, 21:10)
  • Jewish tradition historically rejected the notion of rebellious angels, viewing all spirits (including destructive ones) as acting under God’s command (22:18–24:50).
• Demons as the Spirits of the Wicked Dead:
  • Some demons are the spirits of particularly evil humans, especially those who became spiritual "children" of evil powers by participating in sin and debauchery (35:05–38:02).
  • St. John Chrysostom: "You become a demon after death by living like a demon before death." (A, paraphrased, 38:31)
• Saints vs. Demons:
  • Saints are not simply "good people;" they are the opposite of demons—those who fully align their wills and energies with God.

“Saint is the opposite of demon. Not the opposite of sinner.” (A, 39:25)

2. Demonic Activity: How It Manifests

• Demons in the Noetic World:
  • The noetic (or spiritual) realm is primarily engaged not through physical phenomena, but through thoughts and the mind (13:47–14:25).
• Subtlety of Demons:
  • Demonic activity is rarely the Hollywood version—violent, dramatic possession. Demons usually work subtly, influencing thoughts and temptations (42:01–42:59).
  • Demons “play the long game"—their goal is to destroy humanity, often by gradual corruption, not obvious violence.

“Demons are not...cackling nutjobs trying to make everyone do the most evil thing all the time.” (A, 42:07)

• No Neutral Spirits:
  • In Orthodox tradition, there are no "neutral" spiritual entities like fairies; all spirits are either aligned with God (angels/saints) or not (demons) (43:17–46:13).

3. Sin and Spiritual Residue

• Hauntings, Ghosts, and Sin’s Residue:
  • Sin leaves an existential, perceptible residue or taint in the world, experienced as oppression or unease, not necessarily requiring a sentient evil presence (46:13–48:40).
  • The Church responds through blessing, prayer, and sometimes exorcism—purifying and rededicating spaces and praying for the departed.

4. Thoughts, Temptation, & Spiritual Warfare

• How Thoughts Work:
  • Ancient and Orthodox view: The mind (noûs) is a sensory organ, perceiving thoughts just as eyes perceive visual data (85:25–86:15).
  • Thoughts present themselves to us; we do not generate them at will. What we do with them—dwell, discard, form into ideas—is what matters.
• Distinguishing Thoughts & Ideas:
  • Thoughts = sense impressions received by the mind.
  • Ideas = how we process or combine thoughts; ideas are constructed and can be good, bad, or neutral (87:54–88:45).
• Demonic Influence in the World of Thoughts:
  • Demons primarily attack through thoughts (logismoi), introducing tempting, distressing, or false ideas (103:05–103:51).
  • Spiritual struggle is learning to respond properly—"accepting or rejecting airplanes at your airport" (104:11-104:19).
• Training the Mind through Prayer:
  • Prayer—especially the Jesus Prayer—trains us to focus the mind, shut out distracting or demonic thoughts, and cultivate single-mindedness (109:01–110:53).

5. Spectrum of Demonic Activity: From Temptation to Possession to Participation

• Temptation:
  • We all experience demonic temptation through thoughts—this is the normal human condition (161:57–162:01).
• Torment:
  • When unaddressed, temptation can evolve into ongoing spiritual torment, as with Saul (132:42–134:17).
• Possession:
  • The loss of agency; a person acts under the compulsion of a demon, becomes subhuman, but is still a victim needing deliverance (155:11–157:00).
• Participation:
  • The most extreme state is when someone voluntarily aligns and synergizes with demonic energy ("the Nephilim level"). Such people become virtually demonic themselves (159:01–164:05).

"There's a spectrum: from temptation on one side to participation [with demons] on the other." (A, 161:33)

6. Demonic Possession, Exorcism & Christian Practice

• Possession Defined:
  • Not mere influence or temptation, but a state where the person is no longer in control, their human agency overridden (155:15–157:55).
• Spectrum of Affliction:
  • Most people never reach possession; the vast majority are beset by temptation or torment.
• Exorcism:
  • Exorcism in Orthodoxy is not magic or psychological therapy. It’s a ritual severing of the relationship between the person and the demonic, rooted in Christ’s authority and enacted through prayer and sacrament (165:54–168:25).
• Everyday Exorcistic Acts:
  • Engaging in Christian life—prayer, worship, fasting, almsgiving—is deeply exorcistic. Holiness crowds out the demonic; there is no spiritual neutrality (172:50–173:49).

"The normal, everyday, ordinary acts of Christian life are actually electrified with spiritual power because Christ said that he would give us grace and save us through our faithfulness." (C, 173:10)

NOTABLE QUOTES & MEMORABLE MOMENTS

• On the Demonic in History:
  “Hopefully by now...most of our listeners...have put Milton out of their minds. Because John Milton was a bit out of his mind. He was a Puritan. They’ll mess with your head.” — Fr. Stephen, 25:34
• On the Subtlety of Evil:
  “Demons play a long game. They're not stupid lunatics. You can subvert whole generations of people to evil and destroy them...as opposed to just, we're gonna blow the whole thing up in one giant, you know, death and destruction.” — Fr. Stephen, 42:16
• On Spiritual Residue:
  “Sin leaves a stain, a taint, a residue in the world. And that...we can actually experience it.” — Fr. Stephen, 46:22
• On Thoughts & the Noetic World:
  “Thoughts [are] like sense impressions...the mind is not just a computer in a box; it's a sensory organ.” — Fr. Stephen, 85:18
• On Synergy with the Demonic:
  “You can synergize with demons...in II Thessalonians 2:9...the Antichrist acts ‘according to the energies of Satan’—that’s synergy with the Satan right there.” — Fr. Andrew, 160:36
• On Christian Life as Exorcism:
  “All of the...normal Christian life—worship, prayer, fasting, almsgiving—these are all exorcistic acts...there’s no neutrality.” — Fr. Andrew, 173:10

IMPORTANT SEGMENTS (Timestamps)

| Start | Topic/Discussion | |-------|------------------| | 10:09 | Review: Demons as subset of “spirits,” consciousness above humans| | 17:46 | Use of “demon” vs. “god” in ancient Greek, overlap, gradations| | 23:35 | Jewish vs. Christian views: demons as fallen spirits | | 34:38 | Demons = spirits of Nephilim (wicked dead), per Saints and Fathers | | 39:07 | Chrysostom on living like a demon before death | | 42:07 | Demonic subtlety, not Hollywood stereotypes | | 48:01 | Sin leaves existential residue/stain in the world | | 79:55 | World of thoughts: “thoughts” vs. “ideas” | |103:05 | The process: thoughts (logismoi) enter, ideas formed, choice follows| |150:19 | Tobit and Asmodeus: Story and background | |155:11 | What does “demon possession” mean, in practical terms? | |159:01 | Synergy with the demonic: ultimate spiritual peril | |165:54 | Exorcism in Orthodoxy: Not magic, not therapy—dealing with sin| |172:50 | Living the Christian life as the most powerful exorcism| |175:27 | Spiritual struggle: why “demons come back,” real change needed |

CALLS & AUDIENCE INTERACTION (Highlights)

• [53:13] “Alexander from San Diego” — Discussing resurrection, relationships in the age to come, and implications for marriage and spiritual communion.

  • “In the resurrection, people are neither married nor given in marriage. He's not saying...you’re not going to remember each other...that love you had for each other is going to be gone.” — Fr. Stephen, 55:44

• [67:52] “Timothy” — Account of a demonic apparition; hosts advise focusing on the fruit (“did it bring you to repentance?”) rather than whether it was “real” in material terms.

• [74:30] “Daniel” — “Monster manual” question: what about ghouls and their relation to demons? Fr. Andrew explains ghouls as demonized humans, in line with the broader pattern of demonization through sin.

• [127:27] “Tyler” — How to discern if an apparition is a demon or a departed loved one; hosts: discern by the fruit (peace/repentance or fear/disorder?).

FINAL REFLECTIONS

How Should Christians Respond to the Reality of Demonic Activity?

• The normal Christian life (prayer, sacraments, loving your family, charity, fasting) is itself exorcistic.
• There’s no neutrality—one either becomes more human (aligned with God) or less (aligned with evil).
• Repentance and active, positive engagement with the world and people crowd out demonic influences.

"If you try to replace something negative...with nothing, something insidious with nothing, it's not going to go anywhere. You have to replace it with something positive." — Fr. Stephen, 178:39

Key Takeaway:
While the demonic is real and its activity pervasive, the most powerful antidote and path to wholeness is the disciplined, communal, Christ-centered life of the Church. Spiritual struggle is real; hope and victory are found not in dramatic deliverances, but in the day-to-day synergy with God through the fullness of Orthodox Christian life.

For further exploration and detailed resources, revisit the episode's referenced earlier shows on “What is a Spirit,” “Monsters,” “Exorcism,” and the writings of St. John Chrysostom and other Fathers on the demonic.