Exposing Demons

As a special Halloween post, I'd like to touch on the tradition of All Hallows Eve, the eve which precedes the liturgical period in the Western Christian calendar when lost souls are remembered. Mumming or guising came from a host of influences, which we won't discuss here. Wikipedia does that nicely. One of the reasons for dressing up was to ward off evil spirits that were said to come back on the eve of the Hallows. With regards to the mindset, which we often like to discuss, spirits don't exist unless they exist internally. There seem to be some people who are greatly affected by the supernatural, yet others have completely banished that world from their personal realms. Therefore spirits exist inside your head and outside, or not at all, if you choose to be closed to the idea. So let's shift gears, make this more "real", and call these spirits demons. Everyone has their personal demons running around in their head. The classical, immoral values which constantly evolve (greed and violence) to the demons which have resulted from the trauma that a person has endured. These demons drive us both in upward and downward spirals. Some claim that there is a carnal and violent nature which is so primitive to us as animals and has stayed with us as it drives survival. The figurative demons from our pasts haunt us and may diminish what the future has in place. On Halloween we seek to ward off the demons. Exorcism and the expelling of demons has been a human tradition since our early origins. The new challenge is to expose your demons, to garner awareness and keep them at bay. To know thyself, is to know your demons.