IS LUST A DEMON?
What a great question! This one has
many answers from different directions. Metaphorically, you could say that
there are demonic aspects to lust. But, first we must acknowledge that most
living creatures possess some aspect of intense sexual desire based on deep
longing and craving for sexual experience. Lust is a basic instinctive drive
and is deeply rooted in the genital energy centers of the body as well as
having correlates in the reptilian and old mammalian brain systems. The
neurochemicals of lust may consist of oxytocin for females and vasopressin for
males. Dopamine pleasure centers may also play a part in the brain chemistry of
lust.
The regulation of these chemical
centers may depend on the chemistry of the neocortex control and channeling
centers. Now, what does that mean? We humans have a very complex cerebral
symbolic, metaphorical emotional/cognitive system that helps us to survive and
exist in complex societies. Spiritually, we live within a context of
civilization and tribal socialization. Survival and thriving depend on building
and creating higher value systems based on honoring and loving one another. These
latter energy systems are much more recent in our evolutionary history and have
been very responsible for our success as a species.
Boiling it down to basics, lust is
good when it is channeled and directed towards socially accepted and approved
objects and people. When I use the term "good," in terms of judgments
based on good and bad, evil and righteous, I am applying universal principles
and archetypes based in second and third chakra judgments.
Question: But, that
doesn't answer the question about a demon of lust.
Answer: Forgive me! I tend not to give
simple answers to complex phenomena. But, metaphorically and archetypally
speaking, deviation from consensus rules and norms takes us into the realm of
the spiritual. And that includes the demonic. I'll give you an example. You
need lust and genital energy to seek out communion and connection to possible
mates. This is usually a first step to securing a sexual love match. On the
lower second chakra genital energy system, you are driven by sexual desire. Eventually,
your fourth chakra heart energy system kicks in and you feel love towards a
particular person. None of this could happen unless you were energized by the
attraction/repulsion energy processes of the second chakra/yesod/communion
system. The dichotomy of the yesod sefirot consists of spiritual divisions of
good and evil. When you direct your communion sexual energies through the right
channels, you are favoring the godly course. When you direct your lustful power
outside of the realm of your conscience, you have entered the demonic or evil
inclination.
It is at that point, that you would
be engaging the metaphors, archetypes, symbols, images and beliefs of what we
call the spiritual or super natural realm of consciousness. Your tribal system
(first chakra) will determine the content and structure of your demonic/dark
side and your transcendent eternal light side. If your tribal system explains
the misdirection of your lust in demonic terms, you'll categorize sexual
straying as belonging to the demon realm. When such a conflict arises, you are
faced with a crisis of conscience. Here you are, driven by sexual lust to a
forbidden or taboo activity, situation, object or person and the pangs of
conscience literally torment you with guilt and depression mixed with powerful
sexual tensions and drives. The end result could be a mental breakdown, a
personality regressive disorder or, at least, an imbalancing of your critical
energy centers. The antidote is to engage yourself in a moral and cosmic
correction process that would bring you back to your center. This can be
explained in religious terms as returning to the paths of righteousness.
This internal war is fought on many
levels of internal consciousness. The choices that you make, will determine
your ultimate fate and consequences. Seduction is a universal, collective phenomenon
and is used in all aspects of human interaction. How you use your second chakra
seductive inclinations will determine your psychological, emotional and
spiritual destiny and fate. A case in point would be the biblical story of the
mutual seduction of King David and Bathsheba. In my opinion, they were both
driven to sexually lust after one another based on second chakra instinctual,
unconscious mental maps driven by mystical archetypes. Hebrew civilization
condemned their actions and demanded reparations for their so-called sins. After
a period of redemption, salvation and forgiveness, a price and a sacrifice had
been offered to the God of Israel for payment due on the unbalanced second
chakra/yesod/communion energy centers. What followed would be considered a
classic love match based on redemption, reconnection and soul mating. The prize
for redemption, of course, is reward through the birth of Solomon.
Question: Are you saying that
there was a possible demon of lust involved in the mutually seductive actions
of David and Bathsheba?
Answer: It certainly looks that way. But,
there is a higher power involved in what is called a cosmic (tikune) correction
process. For David and Bathsheba, the door to soulmate transcendence proceeded
through the sin of lust. In that context, a demon Spirit may have been
instrumental in the inevitable struggle for these two individuals to reunite
their souls in soulmate destiny. Pain and backsliding may be important elements
in helping anyone learn what is necessary in order to elevate to higher levels
of spiritual consciousness. The ultimate truth depends upon what choice you
make when you are faced with the activation of your second chakra lustful
sexual inclinations. Your instincts require a spiritual and chemical governor
in order to help you direct or redirect your genital energies in the right
direction. That action seems to require some sort of emotional and spiritual
intercourse and interaction with the higher spiritual power, which we call God.
When powerful sexual inclinations
reach sinful levels, I believe that suppression of the urges is not helpful. I
suggest that when the demon of lust begins to lead you in a very dangerous
direction, that you sink into the experience and work through it spiritually. Examples
of individuals who consciously struggled through their sinful leanings would
include St. Augustine, Martin Luther and more recently, Jimmy Swaggert. These
people openly confessed their transgressions and supposedly elevated themselves
to higher moral planes. The sacrament of confession seems particularly helpful
in this area.
Question: But, what do you do
when a woman or man displays himself in a sexually seductive and available
manner?
Answer: Yesod, communion and the second
chakra all contain the energies of sexual display and seduction. Consider the
fascination that males have towards female buttocks and breasts. And that's not
just any buttocks and breasts. Your second chakra mental sexual mapping may
contain very specific types of facial structures and expressions that have very
powerful attraction elements. The same mapping process also contains repulsion
factors. Remember, yesod and the second chakra deals with attraction and
repulsion. I must also warn you, that the magnetic aspects of the sexual
energies can change and be modified by many different mental circumstances. In
other words, what may appear to you to be very sexy and beautiful at one point
could turn completely in the opposite direction at another point. That is to
say, sexual object attraction, given the right painful circumstances, could
turn to obnoxious repulsion.
But, if you are in a situation where
you feel your sexual energies are being pulled away from your principal love
partner towards someone else: this could be quite dissonant for you. You still
have a choice to redirect your sexual and heart chakra love energies back to
your original partner. If that is what you desire. It all depends on your
choice of what you wish to gain or lose. The ultimate choice is where and upon
whom you wish to bestow your desire. As I have mentioned, you have the choice
to direct your libidinal, erotic sexual energies on whomever you wish. Sometimes,
your choices will be destructive and sometimes they will lead to greater joy,
pleasure and happiness - which are also important aspects of second chakra
energies.
Lead us not into temptation and deliver us from
evil, for thine name's sake!
Answer: Yesod is the kaballah equivalent to
the second chakra/phallic, genital subtle energy systems. It is also related to
the Christian concept of communion, which promotes the code of Honor One
Another. It deals with our relationships to one another. It eventually leads to
the fourth chakra principle of Love One Another. Disordered yesod functioning
could lead to excessive or fixated energies based on hedonism and the exclusive
pursuit of pleasure. Symbolically, Hugh Hefner's Playboy empire typifies the
high energy pursuit of joyful sexual behavior, seductiveness and display. Isolated
yesod energies may not tune into higher order emotional and spiritual faculties
of a physically attractive person. If you are drawn sexually and physically to
someone else and you base your communion needs solely on that area, you are
probably at a more primitive level of soulmate preparation.
A more sophisticated and spiritually
mature person would not only be attracted to a person's physicality and
sexuality, they would also be highly tuned in to the emotional and spiritual
development of that individual. It seems that physical and sexual magnetic
attraction occurs first in our evolutionary interactions with one another. It
is only later on, when more intimacy develops, that you may become acutely
aware of the level of spiritual and emotional evolution of a potential partner.
However, for any kind of mating to take place, there has to be that early
powerful yesod/second chakra energy attraction. In and of itself, sexual
magnetism is not enough to cement and meld a long-lasting powerful love
relation communion. Long-lasting, permanent relationships do require a
replenishment and consistent activation of sexual passion and attraction in
order to sustain and build soulmating connections. Combine that with higher
order and levels of spiritual/energy infusions of consciousness and you have
soulmate stability. That also requires the second chakra capability for
protecting and maintaining the boundaries and integrity of that relationship.
If you can't attain and sustain
those activities, you will activate negative second chakra warfare/demolition
energies. If you have any doubts about your ability to work through and
transcend your yesod inclinations, you can always meditate and pray to God for
deliverance, wisdom and understanding. If you believe that you are ready for
true soul mating, praying to the divine power to send you your soulmate, is
absolutely appropriate and recommended. Don't try to do this all on your own,
based on your limited powers of judgment. Trust in God to hook you up with your
better/other half. At the same time, don't be afraid to ask for heavy infusions
of wisdom and understanding.