What Is The Daimon?
Thomas Carlyle once said that a person without a goal is like a ship without a rudder. Nothing is so true. An ideal way to find a direction in the midst of the swing of life is to wake up our daimon, to invoke it from the depths of our being so that it allows us to develop ourselves, to propel us …
It is said that Socrates was possessed by a demon who at one point whispered to him what his calling would be. The same would have happened to Goethe, who explained in his book Poetry and Truth that he should thank his demonic creature for his poetic and scientific exploits. This “daimon” was in fact not very malicious and very inspiring.
This concept is rooted in Greek tradition and defines the highest source of inspiration and creativity. It is, to put it even more metaphorically, the refuge of the muses, this inner voice which not only whispers ideas to us, but also enlightens us.
Carl Jung took this term and included it in the basics of his psychotherapy. In his book The Development of Personality , he explains to us that if we want to discover our vocation, we are obliged to listen to the voice of our Daimon. Each of us would have a private demon who advises us and shows us where we should direct our attention …
What is the Daimon?
A daimon, in reality, is not a demon, although the Greek tradition translates this concept as well. It is an entity that one can almost conceive of as a genius, as a divine being who for the Egyptians was the Ba. In Aristotle’s ethics, the daimon symbolized virtue and wisdom, the most enlightened essence of human beings, where potential is hidden.
The problem with this entity is that it is hidden. We all have it inside. We all come to this world with this presence in the depths of the mind, which contains the voice of creativity, intuition and the ability to innovate.
However, society is not always conducive to the deer feeling free. Education, stress, anxiety, a somewhat rigid approach and, above all, routine imprison this entity if necessary.
Dr James Hillman, one of the most important representatives of Jungian psychology, points out something interesting in his book The Soul’s Code: In Search of Character and Calling . Awakening the deer requires knowing yourself.
It is only when we grow inward (like the roots of a tree) that we can reach this entity to hear its voice. Doing this also boils down to our happiness, hence the term eudaimonia.
The keys to train our “daimon”
Carl Jung reminds us that the deer sometimes wants things that the environment does not understand. Sometimes we have ideas that are so revolutionary and innovative that they don’t match what is around us.
This inner genius is generally very undisciplined, he can whisper sometimes contradictory, strange and daring ideas. However, we don’t always deal with them or we just put them aside because they seem unfounded or impossible to achieve. All this generates discomfort.
Rollo May, an existentialist psychologist and psychotherapist, pointed out that living by the daimon is not easy, but if we dare, life can become very rewarding. So let’s analyze what methods can allow us to give it a voice.
Get to know yourself and you will discover yourself
This voice is linked to our authentic essence. It is only when we truly know each other that this singular genius will whisper things to us that will reverse our growth.
Thus, a person who is still walking through the world without having worked on his self-knowledge will not hear what his particular “demon” has to say to him. As if the latter was speaking to him in another language.
The deer wants you to be disciplined
The deer demands that we turn our monsters into muses. What does that mean ? Creativity emerges with the daily discipline of a person who knows what they want, who sets goals on the horizon, and who works scrupulously every day.
Are you listening
It is often said that the most stormy minds are the most creative. We have for example characters like Virginia Wolf, Vincent Van Gogh, Gustave Courbert… However, the tormented ones of art had a tragic end, and the daimon is supposed to make us feel happiness.
Let’s be clear about this. The most productive creativity emerges from a calm mind and a harmonious heart. Practices like meditation or relaxation are the best channels for innovation. Emotions like anger or stress are scary disruptors.
There are many channels where the daimon speaks to you
Each of us has to find the best creative channel, and that requires exploration. There are those who need to walk, others find their inspiration in music or by sharing their experiences with other people.
Some prefer their solitude, and many turn to art to let ideas flow … Let us open up to new practices to listen to the voice of our daimon.
Appreciate your presence
It never hurts to appreciate his ideas and his energy. After all, the deer is part of us. And to love this corner of our being is also to recognize ourselves as an extraordinary being.
Our thoughts The so-called frugal people are characterized by simplicity and other equally interesting dimensions. We are digging deeper into the subject.
