spirit

Medieval illumination from the Ottheinrich Folio depicting the exorcism of the Gerasene demoniac by Jesus

Demon

What Is A Demon? A demon is a supernatural being, typically associated with evil, prevalent historically in religion, occultism, literature, fiction, mythology, and folklore; as well as in media such as comics, video games, movies, anime, and television series. In Ancient Near Eastern religions and in the Abrahamic traditions, including ancient and medieval Christian demonology, a demon is considered a harmful spiritual entity which may cause demonic possession,...

The Temptation of St. Anthony by Martin Schongauer

Classification Of Demons

Classification Of Demons There have been various attempts throughout history by theologian scholars the classification of demons for the purpose of understanding the biblical and mythological context of adversarial spirits. Theologians have written dissertations in Christian demonology, classical occultism, classical mythology, and Renaissance magic to clarify the connections between these spirits...

Nefilim

Nephilim

Nephilim The Nephilim (נְפִילִים‬, nefilim) were the offspring of the “sons of God” and the “daughters of men” before the Deluge, according to Genesis 6:1-4. A similar or identical biblical Hebrew term, read as “Nephilim” by some scholars, or as the word “fallen” by others, appears in Ezekiel 32:27. When people began to multiply...

From left to right: Hotei, Jurōjin, Fukurokuju, Bishamonten, Benzaiten, Daikokuten, Ebisu

List Of Japanese Deities

List Of Japanese Deities This is a list of Japanese deities native to Japanese beliefs and religious traditions. Many of these are from Shinto, while others were imported via Buddhism or Taoism and “integrated” into Japanese mythology and folklore. Kami, shin, or, archaically, jin (神) is defined in English as “god“, “spirit“, or “spiritual essence”, all these terms...

Kami

What Is Kami?

What Is Kami? This article covers the answer to the question: “What Is Kami?“ Kami (神) are the spirits or phenomena that are worshipped in the religion of Shinto. They can be elements of the landscape, forces of nature, as well as beings and the qualities that these beings express;...

Hokusai, The Lantern Ghost

Tsukumogami

Tsukumogami In Japanese folklore, tsukumogami (付喪神 or つくも神, lit. “tool kami”) are tools that have acquired a kami or spirit. According to an annotated version of The Tales of Ise titled Ise Monogatari Shō, a certain theory in the Onmyōki, tsukumogami are what foxes that have lived for one hundred years turn into. In modern times, they...

Korean Mythology The Dokkaebi

Dokkaebi

Dokkaebi Dokkaebi (도깨비) are legendary creatures from Korean mythology and folklore. Dokkaebi, also known as “Korean goblins”, are nature deities, spirits or demons possessing extraordinary powers and abilities that are used to interact with humans, at times playing tricks on them and at times helping them. Origins The earliest known documentation of dokkaebi is in...

Tree Spirits Faces in foliage.

The Spirit World

The Spirit World (Spiritualism) The spirit world, according to spiritualism, is the world or realm inhabited by spirits, both good or evil of various spiritual manifestations. Whereas religion regards an inner life, the spirit world is regarded as an external environment for spirits. Although independent from the natural world, both the spirit world...

Spirit Soul Book Smoke Memories Volatile Thoughts

The Spirit

The Spirit The spirit is often used metaphysically to refer to consciousness or personality. A spirit is a supernatural being, often, but not exclusively, a non-physical entity; such as a ghost, fairy, or angel. The concepts of a person’s spirit and soul, often also overlap, as both are either contrasted with or given ontological priority over the body...

Night Forest Glowworm Light Lantern Nature Tree

Soul

Soul The soul, in many religious, philosophical, and mythological traditions, is the incorporeal essence of a living being. Soul or psyche (psū́khein, “to breathe”) are the mental abilities of a living being: reason, character, feeling, consciousness, memory, perception, thinking, etc. Depending on the philosophical system, a soul can either be...

A symbol of the faith: the dove of the Holy Spirit, as seen on one of the standards carried in ritual processions

Cult Of The Holy Spirit

Cult Of The Holy Spirit The cult of the Holy Spirit (Culto do Divino Espírito Santo), also known as the cult of the Empire of the Holy Spirit (Culto do Império do Divino Espírito Santo), is a religious sub-culture, inspired by Christian millenarian mystics, associated with Azorean Catholic identity, consisting of iconography, architecture, and...

happy strong finished Overcoming Victory Crutch Crippled Miracle Win

Victory Of The Spirit

Victory Of The Spirit This article covers how to have the victory of the spirit. Human life in this world is a composite of two distinct powers, the spirit, and the flesh. Although it is sometimes the case that these two powers act in harmony, conflict between them is more...

Great Spirit

Great Spirit

The Great Spirit The Great Spirit has at times been conceptualized as an “anthropomorphic celestial deity,” a God of creation, history and eternity, who also takes a personal interest in world affairs and might regularly intervene in the lives of human beings. There have been, and may be, many different speakers...

A Protestant church altar at Pentecost with an altar cloth depicting the movement of the Holy Spirit

Holy Spirit In Christian Denominational Variations

Holy Spirit In Christian Denominational Variations Holy Spirit in Christian Denominational Variations shows different philosophical understandings of The doctrine of the Trinity. Early Christian theologians speculated in many ways on the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, no one clearly and fully asserted the doctrine of the Trinity as explained at...

Dove Flame Clouds Bible Religion

What Is Holy Spirit?

What Is Holy Spirit? This article covers the answer to the question in detail: “What Is Holy Spirit?“ The Holy Spirit, or Holy Ghost, is a part of the triune godhead (three in one God) of Christianity. The Holy Spirit is probably the least understood person of the Trinity. The Holy Spirit is God’s power...

Symbolic representation of the Holy Spirit as a dove, from medieval Monastery of Žiča

Pneumatology

Pneumatology Pneumatology in Christianity refers to a particular discipline within Christian theology that focuses on the study of the Holy Spirit. The term is essentially derived from the Greek word Pneuma (πνεῦμα), which designates “breath” or “spirit” and metaphorically describes a non-material being or influence. The English term pneumatology comes from two Greek words: πνεῦμα (pneuma, spirit) and λόγος (logos, teaching about)....

Jesus with the Samaritan woman at the well, by Paolo Veronese, 1585

Water Of Life In Christianity

Water Of Life In Christianity This article covers the Water of Life in Christianity. In Christianity, the term “water of Life”  is used in the context of living water, with specific references appearing in the Book of Revelation (21:6 and 22:1), as well as the Gospel of John. In these references, the term Water of...

Flame Light Sun Pentecost Dove Holy Spirit

Seven Spirits Of God

Seven Spirits Of God In the Christian Bible, the term Seven Spirits of God appears four times in the Book of Revelation. The meaning of this term has been interpreted in multiple ways. Biblical references The seven Spirits of God (ta hepta pneumata tou theou) are mentioned four times in the Book of Revelation, and...

Holy Spirit Dove Window Church Window Stained Glass

Holy Spirit In Christianity

Holy Spirit In Christianity The Holy Spirit in Christianity is the third person of the Trinity: the Triune God manifested as God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit; each entity itself being God. Nontrinitarian Christians, who reject the doctrine of the Trinity, differ significantly from mainstream Christianity in their beliefs about the Holy...

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Holy Spirit In Judaism

Holy Spirit In Judaism The Holy Spirit in Judaism, also termed Divine Inspiration, generally refers to the inspiration through which attuned individuals perceive and channel the Divine through action, writing, or speech. Through this, they attain some degree of prophetic knowledge and possibly convey it to others. The phrase ruach hakodesh (‬רוּחַ הַקֹּדֶשׁ, Modern: ruaḥ hakodesh...