The Demon Conundrum: Separating Evil From the Paranormal
THIS ARTICLE IS PURELY MY OPINION.
Tell me if you’ve heard this before.
A group of paranormal investigators enter a reportedly haunted home, asylum, or prison. Reports of shadow figures knocking on the walls, doors opening and closing on their own, and footsteps become the backbone of the investigation. Yet, scariest of all, claims of demonic entities scratching and attacking people gave an element of danger to the investigation. Sure enough, the investigators inevitably start screaming when faint knocks occur, and one investigator will walk away with faint scratches, always in threes, on their back or side. The property is deemed haunted by a demonic presence, and the case is closed. Or is it?
The investigation into demonic presences inevitably involves integrating religion into the paranormal. It isn’t unusual for this to happen, and I want to make it known that this article isn’t meant to attack any particular faith. I have always respected everyone’s right to believe what they want. Yet, for the interest of this article, I think that to truly investigate the paranormal, much like any scientific or even spiritual endeavor, there needs to be a separation of the investigation from the religious.
The reason for this is two-fold. The first is because of the activity itself. So far in my short time investigating the paranormal, and in my time reading and studying other cases over the decades, there has not been many if at all a single case of a haunting that matched the scariest Hollywood productions that have defined the horror genre. I love horror films and shows, and they are genuinely entertaining. Yet I have not seen many cases of people being levitated off the ground by a demon, pinned to the rafters of an old barn, or possessed people crawling on the walls and contorted as they do so.
No, most of these cases where people claim to be talking to demonic entities involve very interesting yet calm activity, such as knocking, footstep sounds, or movement out of the corner of someone’s eyes. I rarely see bloody gashes on their backs when people get scratch marks in investigations. Instead, they are faint red marks and more resemble marks someone’s fingers may leave on their back if they press hard enough. These marks always speak of an entity, someone so desperate to be acknowledged that they reach out to the investigator and leave that mark. It doesn’t seem to be some malevolent or evil act by a demon but the desperate act of a spirit unseen.
The other factor in this is the thought-form question. I’ve written about this before, but if I had to guess, nearly half, if not more, of hauntings and paranormal investigations involve egregores or thought-form hauntings. These entities comprise the collective mental energy of people who believe in a specific entity. One prime example is the Dybbuk Box, a paranormal story that started as an internet post that spiraled into a legend in the supernatural community. Since its original post, the original poster has admitted to making up the entire story behind the Dybbuk Box. However, people still believe that demons inhabit these boxes, even creating a profitable business for some by selling these on eBay. The shared belief in these boxes has led to some activity occurring, but it is my belief this is due to so many people believing in this phenomenon and not because of any demonic presence.
Fear is the driving force behind demonic claims. Whether it's on a prized television network or a popular YouTube channel, most investigators who delve into the demonic utilize this tactic because fear and scares are driving traffic far more often than not. Yet, as part of the Phenomenon Paranormal Podcast team, we hope to dispel fear of the paranormal. Instead of screaming whenever a banging on the walls or phantom voices begin speaking to you, embrace the strangeness and look to explore these incidents further. Human or non-human entities are only as powerful as we make them. Whether they are thought-form entities or actual spirits, our energy and mindset can affect the case you are working on or the haunting you are curious about. Remember, don’t fear the unknown.
