Has anyone seen the devil?

[repentant]

I was wondering if anyone on here had an experience of seeing the devil or a demon. I was hesitating on posting this for a while, but I had an experience once and would like to share it. My friend had one also but that's another story.

Well before I start the story, I was not sleeping, dreaming, hallucinating , etc.

Well here it goes....I was about 18 at the time, and was doing things I shouldn't have been doing. My Church life had basically gone down the drain, and was basically leading a sinful life. Well one night I had just laid down for the night to sleep, and was having trouble sleeping lying wide awake for about 20 minutes. I had not fallen asleep yet, and the light from the street light out my window behind my bed was lighting up the room slightly. When all of the sudden I was paralyzed and couldn't move. Kinda like when you wake up and can't move, excpet I hadn't been asleep. All I could move was my eyes. I couldn't speak or move, but I could hear. I look to my right (I was laying on my back), and see a figure there looking like he's floating in the air at the right side of my bed close to the foot of my bed. He was dressed in a white robe with blonde long hair, but he had this evil smile on him. The first thought that came to my head was "Lucifer is in my room". I was freaking out, then I started hearing this diaboloical laughing. Then at the end of my bed, I see these little black things hopping back and forth from one side to another. Then I looked down towards my body becasue I was getting afraid. I see on my right hand in big red number'd the number '666'. Then I freaked out even more. I still couldn't move, and I could still see the figure and the black figure's and hear the laughing. This seemed like it lasted forever, but was probably a couple of minutes. Finally I stopped freaking out and begain to ask Jesus to save me. I said something along the lines of "Jesus help me, save me from this". Immediately after I said this, everything was gone, and I could move. I sat up in my bed and made the sign of the cross. Looked at my hand and the '666' was gone. I felt a relief, but I knew that what I saw actually happened, and knew I had a visit from satan, looking like an angel. Needless to say after this I straightened out my life and got back on the path I was once on.

I know this sounds crazy, but this really happened. I was wondering if anyone else had a similar experience, and maybe was too afraid to say.

Thanks for reading, and I'm not crazy, lol.

P.S. I was also visited by an angel in a dream, and I knew it was an angel because of things that happened after, and also for the fact I was not afraid of him. Things happened after that colaberated with what he said, that didn't make sense at the time, but did once I found some things out. This is more personal so can't share it at this time.

 

[Akathist]

I saw demons... when I was in the New Age movement...
When I was working at the Prison.

I just don't like to think about it. But I have faced evil..... and I KNOW it is real.

However, I have not had this experience since becoming Orthodox. I believe that the exorcism I recieved when I was baptised and chrismated has helped me heal from these experiences.

 

[RusOrthoK]

I'd rather not go there.
Praise God that He has protected me from such evil.
The devil has pushed things around in my house once when he got mad at me over an incident.
But he knows me too well and knows my Achilles heel, so I have to watch out all the time. I got stuck on something really bad two weeks ago that Father gave me a good lecture about at confession.

Jesus Christ, Son of God, have Mercy on me, a sinner!

 

[repentant]

So what are you saying? Keep in mind I was already Orthodox and had already been Baptized, 17 years earlier at 1. I don't think I was possesed which is what the exorcism is about, but seeing is another story.

 

[RusOrthoK]

So what are you saying? Keep in mind I was already Orthodox and had already been Baptized, 17 years earlier at 1. I don't think I was possesed which is what the exorcism is about, but seeing is another story.

I'm not implying that there was anything wrong with you. That experience could happen to anyone. If I stepped out of line and started living a Godless life now, I'm sure it could happen to me too. I have seen the bedroom light (which was off, and fully functional) go on and off of it's own accord, and once I tried to burn a wicked 'drawing' off the blacktop outside my front gate with gasoline. After that the Speed Queen moved halfway across the laundry, and the room had been locked. (You know how heavy those machines are when you have to move. )
BTW, at that time my street house number was 13. Not that I was superstitious about that either, it was just some wierd experiences, thats all.
All I was saying was that I am thankful to God that I have not faced satan himself in an appearance, though I'm aware that he and his minions are around me all the time.
I'm sorry you had such a scary experience. I don't doubt your story at all. I know it has happend to numerous people, and it is a terrifying experience.

 

[repentant]

However, I have not had this experience since becoming Orthodox. I believe that the exorcism I recieved when I was baptised and chrismated has helped me heal from these experiences.

I'm sorry Koyla, I was reffering to this statement. I should have quoted it in the first place.

 

[RusOrthoK]

I'm sorry Koyla, I was reffering to this statement. I should have quoted it in the first place.

OK
I just didn't want you to think I was trashing your story.

 

[Annoula]

thank God i had not such live experiences.

i have only had some dreams which were i suppose demonic.
the whole atmosphere was weird, i was trying to make my cross but some invisible hands would not allow me, i would start praying and praying, i would mix up the prayers but would still try shouting prayers. i would come out of the dream only by intense praying.

the first time i saw such a dream it was a whole scenario, a whole big story... i was so scared that i had been sleeping with the NT on my chest (for 3 days) and some small icons underneath my pillow. i would wake up in the morning with the NT still on my chest.
i couldn't not find the reason why would i see such a dream at the specific time. the only "reason" i could find was that at that time i was reading a book by Khalil Gibran, and in a specific chapter he was saying that it doesn't matter if God is one or three.
although i liked what Gibran was saying in general, he had a nice way, i never read any of his books again.

in a specific dream i saw that i was in bed and i was seeing a bad dream and i think i shouted something or called for my mother. then my mother hurried in and came to fix my blankets as some times she used to do. i thought i woke up then... then my mother took my hand and started talking to me, among other things she told me with a "bad" voice "stop trying". i got afraid and asked her to say the prayer "our father...". but she started laughing and talking in a somehow male voice. she was still holding my hand. i understood i was still dreaming a bad dream and started praying.
there were times that i felt that i was getting out of the dream, like the way it feels when you are waking up, but then i would fall again, and i would think "oh no i am not awake i am still dreaming" and i would try again to wake up.

these dreams would have something weird, bad, they would have lies, they would hinder prayers or making one's cross, a male harsh voice talking, and a feeling of standpoint (paralysis), that you can't move, or even cannot utter prayers.

thank God it has only been dreaming... i don't think i could have handled anything else...

 

[repentant]

Wow Annoula mou, that is scary.

 

[Annoula]

wow repentant mou, hopefully it was only a dream...

thank God again...

 

[eoe]

Hiya

I am not saying that I can tell you what it is that you experienced but I will tell you that your story fits perfectly into.....


Sleep Paralysis / Lucid Dreaming. A phenomenon that happens when you are in REM sleep and come out of it in an irregular way. When you dream, your brain turns your body off so that you won't act out your dreams. Otherwise we would run around and hurt ourselves. What some researchers found out was in some cases the brain would come out of REM sleep and leave the body paralyzed. In this semi consious state you realize that you are paralized but are not consious enough to make decisions on what is happening around you. Your brain takes in the fact that you can not move and are scared and it translates that into a type of dreamy sequence.

What was surprising in the majority of cases was that western people in a majority of cases would translate the sequence into an alien abduction memory. The people in the east would often times see the event as a scary woman holding a lantern. Odd eh?

The fact that you could not move and do not think that you had gone to sleep - along with the description that you give fit 95% with this phenomenon. If you said that Satan looked like an alien it would be 99%.

Again - not trying to tell you what happened but I am giving you one explanation that you can actually look into. Have a gander at the research and let me know what you think.

 

[Dust and Ashes]

I can't say for sure if I've ever seen a demon as it is or as a purely spiritual manifestation but I have seen quite a few people who were possessed. Me being one of them since I used to be really into channelling and seances when I was involved in the occult. Some of them stuck with me for years.

When I first became a Christian back in 1992, I had 5 demons that hounded me all the time. I once had a friend tell me that an oppressing spirit was like that little imp that sits on your shoulder and tells you to do bad things. I told him that it felt more like a 200 pound boa constrictor wrapped around me. Over the years with much prayer and intercession from friends, I managed to shake 2 of them (unless that was just what I was allowed to believe).

It was like 3 people following me around at all times screaming things into my head. I couldn't look at a woman without being bombarded with vulgar statements and images. I couldn't look at a man without being bombarded with images of violence and bloodshed. I couldn't look at a child without being bombarded with statements and images of cruelty. And through it all there was an overbearing spirit of cynicism and pessimism that was like carrying a backpack full of stones.

I had despaired of ever being rid of it and was resigned to just bearing it for the rest of my life. I had learned to live with it and let it affect me minimally as far as my outward actions.

But the day, the moment, I determined to become Orthodox, it broke and was gone.

 

[Annoula]

Sleep Paralysis / Lucid Dreaming. A phenomenon that happens when you are in REM sleep and come out of it in an irregular way. When you dream, your brain turns your body off so that you won't act out your dreams. Otherwise we would run around and hurt ourselves. What some researchers found out was in some cases the brain would come out of REM sleep and leave the body paralyzed. In this semi consious state you realize that you are paralized but are not consious enough to make decisions on what is happening around you. Your brain takes in the fact that you can not move and are scared and it translates that into a type of dreamy sequence.

I've read some info at the links u provided. they seem interesting.

i think that sleep paralysis / lucid dreaming have to do with negative dreaming, eg nightmares, that we may call demonic.

what about positive dreaming, when one sees or feels beautiful, when one claims to see saints, Theotokos, Christ etc.
is there information on these occasions too?

 

[repentant]

Hiya

I am not saying that I can tell you what it is that you experienced but I will tell you that your story fits perfectly into.....


Sleep Paralysis / Lucid Dreaming. A phenomenon that happens when you are in REM sleep and come out of it in an irregular way. When you dream, your brain turns your body off so that you won't act out your dreams. Otherwise we would run around and hurt ourselves. What some researchers found out was in some cases the brain would come out of REM sleep and leave the body paralyzed. In this semi consious state you realize that you are paralized but are not consious enough to make decisions on what is happening around you. Your brain takes in the fact that you can not move and are scared and it translates that into a type of dreamy sequence.

What was surprising in the majority of cases was that western people in a majority of cases would translate the sequence into an alien abduction memory. The people in the east would often times see the event as a scary woman holding a lantern. Odd eh?

The fact that you could not move and do not think that you had gone to sleep - along with the description that you give fit 95% with this phenomenon. If you said that Satan looked like an alien it would be 99%.

Again - not trying to tell you what happened but I am giving you one explanation that you can actually look into. Have a gander at the research and let me know what you think.

No it wasn't that. I know what that is. If you read my story I mention I was paralyzed like when you wake up from a sleep sometimes. I was wide awake and had just laid down not 15-20 minutes before it happened. I know I never fell asleep and was wide awake when it happened.

 

[Akathist]

I'm sorry Koyla, I was reffering to this statement. I should have quoted it in the first place.

Those are two different sentences and thoughts Repentant. I forgot the return key.

I saw demons while I was in the New Age movement and had turned away from Christ. I believe that this had a deep negative effect on me that has been healed when I was exorcised at baptism/chrismation.

In no way was I making a statement about you. In fact, please keep in mind that many of the EO Saints have seen demons.

When I said that I have not had this experience since becoming Orthodox, I was just really saying that i have not had this experience lately.


Sorry if I offended. I have a lot on my mind with some very very serious spiritual attacks going on behind the scenes and posted too quickly. Forgive me.

 

[rainbowbright]

Ever since becoming Orthodox, I have been having constant spiritual attacks. I have never had any visual experiences, though. My husband has also had problems, mostly with his family calling him a pharisee because we wouldn't allow his parents to let our son take communion at their Episcopal church, but that is all he has experienced.

I think my son is the one who is seeing visions, but like we told our priest, we don't know if it's just the ramblings of a three year-old. He tells us that there is a triangle in his room on the wall at night even though we leave a light on. He says this triangle is scarry, but nice and it told him he can't take communion (we ended up not being able to take it yesterday because he didn't make it to the bathroom in time and then our daughter's diaper exploded all over my husband, so we had to go home and change and didn't make it back on time) and he keeps saying that only our priest can save him. He kept wanting to go to church last week and he kept on saying that he has to be good and quiet and pray and kiss the icons and take communion, which is not like him, but he was so good in church yesterday, I asked my husband if we grabbed our son and not someone elses.

We put Holy oil on him and TRIED to teach him how to cross himself and say 'Lord have mercy'. Then our priest blessed him the yesterday and he hasn't seen this triangle again. So, I know that usually the kids can be attacked, but again, I don't know if my son's imagination has run away with him. He seems to be very passionate with his triangle and our priest says that if he crosses himself and it doesn't go away, it could possibly be the Trinity.

 

[Xpycoctomos]

Anyone who has these experiences (good or bad) should go immediately to their spiritual father and I would advise anyone one to speak of these experiences to other people. We rist turing them into neat or scary stories rather than serious things that either need to be done away with immediately or embraced and pondered on privately (wtih a spiritual father's guidance).

This is just my tak on it.

John

 

[PassthePeace1]

. deleted post, because this topic seems to trouble some people.


Peace be with you...Pam

 

[ExOrienteLux]

I've not seen any of them, but I've definitely felt them, most often in my girlfriend's house and at night. There's times when I've opened the basement door to throw something away, and I could swear that there were eyes watching me. That door's also been known to shake when people walk past it. The basement is rock-solid; no draughts.

Also, I was sleeping on their couch one night, and I sorta woke up feeling like there were about 5000 pounds sitting on my chest and that lots of invisible beings were staring at me. Plus, I found it hard to breathe, like the air was thick. I could barely move my hand to cross myself three times and recite 'Let God Arise', but after I did it, the oppression vanished, and I fully woke up. That was creepy.

Of course, something's probably feeding off of all the negative psychic energy in that house; Charles Manson's girlfriend used to live there, and I wouldn't be surprised if he had done things there. There's just an all-around creepy feeling to that house, and I'm glad that her family is selling it and moving away.

-Philip.

 

[VickiY]

Moderators....Not to disparage any of the posters on this thread, as I know demons are real, and manifest, but, I think this thread is probably a very unwise, and possibly unsafe one to leave up. When we concern ourselves too much with things like this, we are, for the moment, focussing on the power of the evil one. This is a very unwise thing to do, as it may provide an opening for problems, if you follow. Every time we get chills, and say wow, scary...or if we mock the post, thus denying the possibility of demonic influence, we are at risk.

Can we please delete the thread?