What is/are the nature(s) of the Demons/Infernal S Options

I think this would be an interesting discussion for magicians to discuss what they believe the nature of demons is. I think that this would be related to how we work with the so-called infernal spirits.

In Demonolatry(as practiced by the late First Temple of Demonolatry, discussed on the former site Tezrian's Vault, the book Modern Demonolatry, etc.), there is a difference between evoking a demon and invoking a demon. We believe that the so-called demons of today(related to the Judeo-Christian systems) were actually gods and goddesses of pre-Christian religions. The goddess Astarte is now Ashtaroth. The demon Belial is related to Baal, etc. We therefore do not evoke the demons. To evoke is usually to summon or call without, usually into a triangle or mirror or other method. To invoke is to call within the circle, sometimes within oneself. By using set invocations in the Daemonic Language, we can invoke the demons for various purposes, experiencing their energies. There is no need to evoke them, and we see this as a disrespectful way to treat gods.

Now, many wonder, if you shouldn't evoke demons, then when a mage successfully evokes Vassago or another demon from the Goetia, who is it that they call? Many Demonolators believe that these are actually god-forms that have gained power throughout the years that the Goetia has been in use. This is a perfectly fine thing to think, as many magicians know that god-forms are powerful(the Necronomicon comes to mind). Also, some believe that the Christian God is a god-form that has power, though that's subject to debate. Some Demonolators also believe that the demons ARE actually answering, b/c they've gotten used to this method of contact, though it isn't what they desire. However, it usually is the case that the Lucifer Demonolators experience is different from the Lucifer that various mages summon. Therefore, it seems as if we are truly working with different demons.

Anyone else have thoughts on this? What is the nature of the Demons?

bym, the "Demonic Language" is central to Demonolatry, as practiced by the now defunct First Temple of Demonolatry and discussed on Tezrian's Vault(also closed). We're not really sure about the origins of this language, however, the interesting thing is that the invocations we use(called "enns") have been the same throughout history around the world. This shows us that there's something else at work since this isn't physically possible. If you've ever heard about the Dukante Hierarchy of demons(a quick google search and possibly looking at caches will provide results), this is the main hierarchy of Demonolatry, and Dukante was a Demonolator in the FToD type of practice(though the Temple didn't exist as an entity, the practice was in existence. It's rooted in the Hermetica which is a pretty old text). Demonolatry is now an underground religion b/c the response really wasn't what was expected(many people asked dumb questions like "do you sleep with demons", etc., sites plagiarized the book Modern Demonolatry, copyright infringement, etc.), so the sites, online stores, etc. were taken offline. It's not a religion you can make up, but one you must learn from a Demonolator. Lineage is very important in practice. However, you can still find caches of the old sites. Here's the info you might find interesting:

http://web.archive.org/web/20001118134200/...nting/gynna.htm
http://web.archive.org/web/20010303015450/...cium/dukhi.html
http://web.archive.org/web/20010303155443/...m/pantheon.html
http://web.archive.org/web/20010303223258/...icium/wvsd.html
http://web.archive.org/web/20010124053300/...atry.com/crypt/
http://web.archive.org/web/20010502201315/...atry/myexp.html
http://web.archive.org/web/20001025183323/...try.org/faq.htm
http://web.archive.org/web/20010502203755/.../conjuring.html

One of those has an example of the demonic language. The more in depth information, invocations, family grimoires, Dukante Grimoires, rites, etc. are not and never were onilne. There's also info on the subject of invocation. Invocation is a part of basically every religion, especially the more "experiential" ones(Hinduism, Catholicism, Demonolatry, Wicca, types of Paganism, etc.). We call the energies of the Demons into our circles(note that the purpose and construction of the Circle in Demonolatry is very different from traditional Wicca, ceremonial magic, etc). The Demons are not evil, malevolent forces to be bound, commanded, etc. They are gods and goddesses, many of which were "demonized" by Christianity during its advent. The set invocations we have in Demonolatry are very powerful(similar to the power of mantras in Hinduism though used slightly differently)and are meant to be used only for invocation, not evocation. Therefore, we never evoke in Demonolatry.

Hope that all made sense!