Spirit of Light or Darkness?
Today my movie came from Netflix, and it wasn't the one I ordered, but one further down on my list. I have the cheapest version of Netflix, where you can't get a new one until you've sent the old one back, so if the wrong one comes, you learn to love it. Instead of Wickerman, I got The Prophecy (1995). It's not a bad movie ... stars Christopher Walken, Eric Stoltz, Viggo Mortensen and Elias Koteas ... and, according to Wikipedia, tells about a war among the angelic host ...
The film opens with a brief prologue in an unnamed desert where Simon (Eric Stoltz), an angel, stands over the skeleton of another angel. Through voiceover, he reveals that an angelic war has broken out in heaven and the angelic host is divided, much like in the first angelic war in which Satan was cast out of heaven. The introduction of Thomas Daggett (Elias Koteas) follows, as he is about to be ordained as a priest of the Catholic Church but is stricken by horrific visions of angels engaging in war against each other. The film then jumps forward an unspecified number of years. Having lost his faith, Thomas has abandoned the church and has become a detective with the LAPD ...
What's not to love? :-) But on a more serious note, this movie reminded me of a book by Jules J. Toner SJ - Spirit of Light or Darkness? As he subtitles it, it's a casebook for studying the discernment of spirits. It's been in my "to read" pile for a long time, meant to help me with the online retreat, as Ignatius of Loyola gives rules for the discernment of spirits in his Spiritual Exercises. The idea addressed is an interesting one - that angels (spirits) influence our feelings, thoughts, behavior ... and not always for the good.
Read more about Ignatian discernment of spirits at from John Veltri SJ or from the Catholic Encyclopedia.
Spirits of darkness? The Nephilim were spoken of in the Torah and some non-canonical Christian books, though the classic work on "when angels go bad" is probably Paradise Lost. Influencing us? St. Ignatius wasn't alone in thinking angels, positive and negative, take an interest in humanity ... people as disparate as John Dee and Joseph Smith have claimed to have heard from them.
I don't know whether spirits of light or of darkness actually exist, nor whether they influence us. I like the idea of discernment, though, just in case, for as Rilke noted in The First Elegy, angels can be awe-full ...
Who, if I cried out, would hear me among the angels' hierarchies? and even if one of them pressed me suddenly against his heart: I would be consumed in that overwhelming existence. For beauty is nothing but the beginning of terror, which we still are just able to endure, and we are so awed because it serenely disdains to annihilate us. Every angel is terrifying ...
The film opens with a brief prologue in an unnamed desert where Simon (Eric Stoltz), an angel, stands over the skeleton of another angel. Through voiceover, he reveals that an angelic war has broken out in heaven and the angelic host is divided, much like in the first angelic war in which Satan was cast out of heaven. The introduction of Thomas Daggett (Elias Koteas) follows, as he is about to be ordained as a priest of the Catholic Church but is stricken by horrific visions of angels engaging in war against each other. The film then jumps forward an unspecified number of years. Having lost his faith, Thomas has abandoned the church and has become a detective with the LAPD ...
What's not to love? :-) But on a more serious note, this movie reminded me of a book by Jules J. Toner SJ - Spirit of Light or Darkness? As he subtitles it, it's a casebook for studying the discernment of spirits. It's been in my "to read" pile for a long time, meant to help me with the online retreat, as Ignatius of Loyola gives rules for the discernment of spirits in his Spiritual Exercises. The idea addressed is an interesting one - that angels (spirits) influence our feelings, thoughts, behavior ... and not always for the good.
Read more about Ignatian discernment of spirits at from John Veltri SJ or from the Catholic Encyclopedia.
Spirits of darkness? The Nephilim were spoken of in the Torah and some non-canonical Christian books, though the classic work on "when angels go bad" is probably Paradise Lost. Influencing us? St. Ignatius wasn't alone in thinking angels, positive and negative, take an interest in humanity ... people as disparate as John Dee and Joseph Smith have claimed to have heard from them.
I don't know whether spirits of light or of darkness actually exist, nor whether they influence us. I like the idea of discernment, though, just in case, for as Rilke noted in The First Elegy, angels can be awe-full ...
Who, if I cried out, would hear me among the angels' hierarchies? and even if one of them pressed me suddenly against his heart: I would be consumed in that overwhelming existence. For beauty is nothing but the beginning of terror, which we still are just able to endure, and we are so awed because it serenely disdains to annihilate us. Every angel is terrifying ...
posted by crystal | 11:53 AM
13 Comments:
Interesting post, Crystal. I always like to see Rilke.
I wonder if there's a self-help book out there called "When Good Angels Go Bad..."
Hi Liam - how is the charter work going?
I've wondered about 'Prophesy' for a few years. I'm always more confident about shelling out $$ when I've heard from a real person about a show though. I'll have to check it out the next time I get a chance.
Another intersting work to look at (that is a nice short read as well) is C.S. Lewis' "Screwtape Letters". A collection of letters between and Archdevil and his nephew 'in training' giving advice on how to influence the life of a particular 'client' of the nephew's. Lewis does a very good job of underlining the often subtle and invisible ways that our lives can be unduly influenced by evil. I found it a great, funny, and insightful read.
I'm not sure where I stand on this whole idea of good and bad spirits influencing us 'lowly humans'. On the one hand I know it's upheald by the constant tradition of the Church and really, who am I to argue with someone like St. Ignatius anyway? On the other I'm always leary of the kind of 'devil made me do it' mentality that often results from peope who dwell too much on this area. I see it as an oft convenient 'out' for people who don't want to take personal responsibility for their own choices.
So then here I am, spinning in the center of paradox once again! ;o) Gotta love our God!
Hi Cura,
thanks for the recommendation of the Scewtpe Letters.
I'm like you - not sure where I stand on the existence of a "bad spirit" or its influence. People seem to feel differently about the good spirit or Holy sirit and its influence. Ignatius believed, but I think most Jesuits might say the good and bad spirits are symbolic.
It's hard for me to explain discernment, because I don't understand it well, but it helps a person evaluate their experience and is practical for helping make decisions ... something from the bad spirit (desolation) would arouse feelings of sadness, fear, despair, move a person away from God,etc. Something from the good spirit (consolation) would tend to increase hope, love, joy, move a person towards God.
So, it's not for giving up responcibility for your actions, I think, but trying to take responcibility, in a way (if that makes any sense) :-)
Cura, btw, I have been trying to comment on Genesis 3, but for some reason the beta version of blogger isn't recognizing me. I'll try again later.
Looks like blogger finally got things cleared up. I understand St. I's process of discernment and I love the fact that it takes into account what I call a, 'go with yergut' kind of feeling process while at the same time not leaving it simpply as a 'do what you feel' type of process. I guess what I meant to say is that most people will leave their process of discernment at the 'devil made me do it' level neither knowing nor caring that there is a process by which we are encouraged to take responsibility for our actions.
As an ex general, Ignatius was all about taking responsibility!
Crystal,
Interesting stuff. You have so many films that I want to check out!
One of the best films ever about angels is Wim Wnder's Wings of Desire, which gives an interesting twist to what you're talking about.
I've always been intrigued by the concept of angels and how they usually scare the hell out of people when they appear in the Bible. My closest encounter was with a homeless wino in a Spanish plaza when I was going through a particularly intense time. To this day I wonder about him and what he said to me.
I don't believe, as some seem to, that good and evil spirits are lurking everywhere ready to influence us. On the other hand, I don't see how it's possible for a finite human mind to understand the Infinite. Can an ant comprehend the entire planet and how everything works on it? I can't even figure out how my remote control works, so how could I possibly know how the cosmos functions?! And though the Jesuits can be very intelligent, as far as I know they still have finite minds. So saying that a spirit is only symbolic seems fairly presumptuous. If spirits do exist, I'm sure they could pretty much be whatever they wanted. Also, something can be symbolic AND real at the same time.
In any case, I believe that discernment is very important. I'm not sure how one develops it, but in dealing with people and situations, it can be very useful.
This is a bit of a long comment Crystal and I appologize in advance for that. But I've been thinking about this ever since I read your OP and the other comments and I think I really need to share it;
I remember a disconcerting encounter with a man while I was working part-time as I studied at Newman. It was a mall foodcourt of sorts and this scruffy looking guy had been hanging around all night. I usually threw out the fries and stuff when they got old (or ate them up if I was hungry and couldn't buy an actual dinner that day). Instead I offered them to him. He took them so greatfully and ate them so fast that I figured I could probably spare the five bucks it would cost to make him a sandwhich to go with them.
It was also a pretty cold night so I told him I could keep him in coffee for as long as I stayed open. None of this was solicited, he never asked for anything or for anything more than what I offered.
At the end of my shift he came to me and asked if I could give him a ride into Edmonton I told him I could take him as far as the first Mall and I could give him some change for the bus from there. (busses didn't run from St. Albert to Edmonton that late at night). I was nervous about getting into a car with this scruffy stranger especially being a small guy from a small place much removed from all the big city lights of Alberta.
As the time came to leave I found myself getting more and more nervous. I had visions of the morning news cast announcing that a local theology student, husband and father had dissappeared. Still, I had made a promise to him and I managed to convince myself that everything would be ok.
As we approached the nearest Mall in Edmonton he asked if I would be able to take him right downtown. My heart sank, or rose into my throat, or maybe it did both.
This was it! I'm going to die! They'll never find the body!
In a voice that I fought hard to keep from shaking I reminded him that I had only promised to take him this far, that I had a family waiting for me and had to get home. He sighed and nodded his head and said that was fine.
I pulled into the parking lot and stopped to let him out. Now, I had not told him much of anything about myself. certainly not that I was a student or what I was studying. We never once talked about faith or religion, but before he got out he turned to me and asked, "Before I go, would you mind praying with me?"
I was shocked! And there went my heart jumping up and down from throat to gut and back again. "Sure, I can do that!" I blurted out and he immediately bowed his head and began to speak.
believe it or not I can't to this day recal what he said. I know he gave thanks to God for the ride, he thanked God for blessing him with food that day, and he asked for God to continue to bless me. Then he looked up with a big, dirty, goofy grin, shook my hand, opened the door to get out, said his good-bye and stepped out into the cold.
I sat there for a few minutes as he walked away toward the bus stops at the mall. I was still a little shocked, I was shaking, I was a little ashamed at my fear, and fought tears that kept trying to well up in my eyes, of relief or anxiety or joy I still don't know. The words "do not be afraid" kept repeating themselves in my head.
I'm convinced to this day that I met an angel that night. Not the symbolic kind either.
And he said his name was Michael.
Will,
Ignatius has rules for discernment which are helpful, but mostly it boils down to asking yourself if how things make you feel ... the main problem is we can fool ourselves about that.
Sometime you have to say more about your plaza encounter :-)
Cura,
what a moving story! I'm sure I would have been too scared to do what you did, nor would have been so compassionate. I'm open to the possibility that angels are around - if Ignatius and even Aquinas thought so, who am I to disagree :-)
Cura,
Great story.
Crystal,
It's kind of a long story. Shortened form: I went to a week-long "Encuentro" (kind of a confrence) in Spain and had something of a mystical experience. It was like I could suddenly see all of the interconnections in life. And feel them, too. How I was connected to everything. Needless to say, it was too much for an ordinary guy from Texas, and it nearly blew my mind. After it happened, the last 2 or 3 days of the Encuentro, I don't think I slept a wink and hardly ate. When I came back - this happened down in Andalucia - I was in a pretty intense state of mind. As I was walking through the plaza near our apartment, this older Spanish man who looked a little down on his luck stepped away from a group of people and said to me - "Take care. You need to go home and rest." It was part advice - part command. I had never seen him in the plaza before and never saw him again. Luckily, my poor wife (we'd only been married about a month when this happened!) did manage to eventually get me to sleep, holding on to me in bed and singing "My Favorite Things." I think she saved my life. And I've always wondered about the man. How did he know to say something like that to a stranger as they passed by? But I had several unusual things happen during that period. That wasn't even the strangest! Perhaps I'll blog about that whole expereicne one day.
>it boils down to asking yourself if how things make you feel ... the main problem is we can fool ourselves about that.
You're right on both accounts. Listening to the spirit or the heart, whatever you want to call it, can be very difficult. The rational mind, duty, social conditioning, conflicted desires, etc. all can keep us from hearing that still, small voice. I'd like to say we learn from experience, but I'm not sure it's gotten any easier for me over the years.
I think reading a lot helps. The Bible, other spiritual writers, and just good writers who seem to have common sense - even if it seems uncommon to others.
Thanks for relating that experience. That feeling you had of interconnectedness ... Ignatius calls it "a foundational experience" but I don't think it's necessarily religious. It's uncanny how often uncanny stuff happens :-)
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