The Daimon: What Is It? How Does It Help Us Grow?

According to Thomas Carlyle, a person without purpose is like a ship without a rudder. Nothing more true, given that few things contribute to our happiness as having goals. One of the best ways to find one’s way in the midst of the chaos of life is to awaken our daimon, invoke it from the depths of our being so that it allows us to grow, to find motivation.

Socrates is said to have been possessed by a demon who, at one point, whispered to him what his calling would be. The same happened to Goethe, who in his book Poetry and Truth explained that he had to thank his demonic creature for the poetic and scientific feats he had accomplished. That “daimon” was actually not malicious, but very stimulating.

This concept is rooted in the Greek tradition and defines the highest source of inspiration and creativity. It is, to put it even more metaphorically, the refuge of the muses and of that inner voice that not only whispers ideas, but enlightens us. The figure who included this concept among the foundations of his psychotherapy was Carl Jung.

Thus, in his book The development of personality reveals an important fact. If we wish to discover our vocation we are obliged to listen to the voice of our daemon, because each of us has a demon inside, who gives advice, who offers ideas and perspectives towards which to direct our attention.

What is the daimon?

The daimon  is not a demon, although in the Greek tradition it was translated in this way. It is an entity that we can conceive almost as a genius, as a divine being that corresponds to what the Egyptians called Ba.

For Aristotle, the daimon symbolized virtue and wisdom, the most enlightened essence of the human being, within which his own potential is hidden.

The problem with this entity is that it lies hidden. We all carry it inside, we are born with this presence in the back of the mind, which contains the voice of creativity, intuition and the ability to renew oneself. However, society often ends up limiting our daemon .

Sometimes education, stress, anxiety, a rigid approach to life and above all routine imprison that entity, that genius that we so need. Dr. James Hillman, one of the most important representatives of Jungian psychology, in his book The code of the soul. Character, vocation, destiny, highlights an interesting fact.

Awakening the daimon requires knowledge of oneself. Only when we grow (like the roots of a tree) can we reach that entity to hear its voice. Doing so leads us to happiness, hence the term “eudaimonia”.

Strategies for training the daimon

Carl Jung reminds us that sometimes the daimon has needs that those around us don’t understand. From time to time, we have revolutionary and innovative ideas. This inner genius is usually very undisciplined, can whisper ideas that are sometimes contradictory, strange and daring.

However, we don’t always act accordingly, we often prefer to silence these ideas because they may seem absurd or impossible. All this generates discomfort.

Rollo May, existentialist psychologist and psychotherapist, stressed that living following the daimon is not easy, but if we dare to do it, we could derive great satisfaction from it. So let’s analyze the strategy to be able to hear his voice.

Get to know yourself and you will discover yourself

The daimon does not appreciate people who are insecure or who often change their minds. This voice is linked to our most authentic essence, and only when we really get to know each other will this singular entity come to whisper ideas that will give impetus to our growth.

Thus, the person who still makes his way into the world without having worked on self-knowledge will not understand what his personal “demon” tells him. It would be like speaking two different languages.

The daimon needs discipline

The daimon asks us to turn our monsters into muses. What does it mean? Creativity emerges through daily discipline, knowing what you want, setting long-term goals and working diligently on a daily basis.

Listen to yourself, the need to have a calm mind

It is often assumed that the most stormy minds are the most creative. We have as an example figures like Virginia Woolf, Vincent Van Gogh, Gustave Courbert… But these tormented artists have had a tragic end, while the daimon gives happiness. The well-being of those who use their creative potential to achieve a full life.

We must therefore be aware of the fact that the most productive creativity comes from a calm mind and a harmonious heart. Remember what director, screenwriter, and artist David Lynch often points out: practices like meditation or relaxation are the best channels for innovation. Emotions such as anger or stress are huge disturbing factors.

The daimon communicates with us through multiple channels

Each of us has to find the best creative channel and to do that we need to explore. There are those who need to walk, others find inspiration in music, sharing experiences with other people.

Some prefer solitude and many use art to get ideas flowing. We can also find new ways to get to hear his voice.

Appreciate his presence

Accepting the ideas suggested by the daimon, his energy and his will to make us better and guide us in the conquest of happiness is always positive. After all, it is part of us and loving this corner of our being also means recognizing ourselves as extraordinary beings, as people capable of conceiving the most incredible dreams and making them come true.