Introduction to a Demon

Today I'd like to introduce you to a demon of mine. The first time I saw him he was made of ice, all sharp yet brittle in his jagged edges. He was living in my arms, but his whispers and ice made it to my heart and mind all the same.

"You can't do that!" he'd say, and pull my arms back from reaching out.

"You can't dream that!" he'd command, then darken all the dreams from my mind.

It's easy to hate a demon who traps you in this way. But hate will never make a person free.

I may have introduced the demon, but he is gone now. Because as it turns out, he'd only ever wanted to keep me safe.

When he took root in my arms, I had needed that wall of ice. But as even the most stubborn among us will come to learn should the president get his way, a wall can just as easily imprison as it can protect. All it ever takes to shift from one to the other is the slightest shift in the tides of fate.

When I sat with my demon and felt his fear, I set the anger I had for him aside. Years of bashing, of casting my fire against his ice had been for naught. I was prepared to do differently this time.

So instead I gave him safety and love, fed him of myself using the practices based on Chöd as pioneered by Tsultrim Allione.

To my surprise, he melted and disappeared, his face the picture of blissful release. Until eventually in his place, sat a golden-clothed figure bathed in light.

"You can" this one whispers, and urges me forward.

"Why not dream this?" this one asks, and encourages me to dream more.

 And this time when I reach out with my hands, I feel the heat of the stars.

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