Book Description

Daemons and heroes connect Divinity with man. Daemons are close to the divine nature; heroes to men. By its powerful light, Divinity also possesses whatever daemons possess peculiar to inferior beings. Heroes possess unity, identity, permanency, and virtue, only when under the condition of plurality, motion, and mixture. There are three orders of daemons. Middle order daemons preside over mankind, and the ascents and descents of souls. Daemons are much higher entities than the rational soul. They energise the soul and preside over us till we are brought before the judges of our conduct. While intellect is the governor of the soul, daemon is the inspector and guardian of mankind. He governs the whole of our life. He gives perfection to reason, measures the passions, inspires nature, connects the body, supplies things fortuitous, accomplishes the decrees of fate, and imparts the gifts of providence. In short, our daemon is the king of everything in and about us, and the pilot of the whole of our life. Hence Socrates was most perfect, being governed by such a presiding power, and conducting himself by the will of such a great leader and guardian of his life. The daemon within Socrates did not act upon Socrates externally with passivity; but the daemoniacal inspiration proceeding inwardly through his whole soul, and diffusing itself as far as to the organs of sense, became at last a voice, which was recognized more by consciousness, than by sense. The voice never exhorted, but perpetually recalled Socrates. Motivated from his great readiness to benefit those with whom he conversed, he acted naturally from within without. He needed not promptings from his guardian and benefactor. The voice of his daemon kept recalling Socrates’ consciousness inwardly in order to constrain his association with the multitude and the vulgar, so that his purity remained untainted.