Being expelled from the heavens, Satan resided in hell but still desired more. He stood at the gates, watching what he did not have and envy was born. The gate keeper to hell (where demons reside) is said to be depicted as the sea creature and demon Leviathan. This demon represents the stage where Satan continues to desire that which he does not have and allows himself to be self consumed by these thoughts.
Satan then declared himself as the ruler of hell and he demanded that worship. He insisted that human sacrifices were made and that they were placed into his idol's mouth, to satisfy his desire to be everything. This was when he became Beelzebub, whose name translates to “Lord of the Flies”, the demon of gluttony. He no longer cared about the quality of what he received but focused on getting as much of everything he could.
After gaining leadership of the underworld, the devil became Belphegor, which is the demon of sloth. When one neglects to use that which they are capable of to their full potential, they are said to be inflicted with this sin. Belphegor encourages the disuse of our own abilities in favour of that which is lazy and 'easy'. In the mythology surrounding Belphegor, it is said that he used inventions to create riches and promote laziness. On the surface it would appear that he was helping, whereas in reality those affected would become more and more idle.
Fighting sins
While these sins are always present around us, it is important to remember that it is how we choose to deal with them that affects our spiritual growth and all round balance. Understanding the sins does not necessarily mean we have to avoid them altogether, but we should be mindful of how we respond to them and how they affect us. By understanding the qualities that help us combat the sins (the virtues – covered in part two), we can shift our focus to a more positive approach and reduce how much we allow the demons to impact on our spiritual paths. Parts 2 and 3 of this article go into detail on each of the demons and angels and how they can be used to help us understand our own spiritual paths.