It is the task of the philosopher to purify the soul of the illusions and distractions of sense-perception, so that it may use its own eye more clearly.
— Plato, Theaetetus 176a–b
Socrates And His Daimon
The personal daimon that Socrates regularly conversed with is the most straightforward example of obtaining information through extrasensory means. He referred to this spirit as his “internal oracle”. In the Apology, Socrates said that he believed it to be of divine origin and its presence was something that had been with him since childhood.
This internal spirit did not function like the common perception of oracles receiving detailed answers to questions. It interrupted his thought process when he was making a mistake, even for trivial things. The daimon helped validate his ideas because it interrupted him at times while he was making speeches. He would later realize that it had stopped him from voicing ideas that he didn’t realize were wrong at the time.
Xenophon recounts Socrates receiving information from it through various means, as an inner voice or guiding him to perceive signs of divine origin. Xenophon’s descriptions are more detailed than Plato’s. The daimon often provided Socrates with helpful and practical advice for his friends. Those who ignored it always regretted it and those who heeded it were thankful. Among the charges that led to his execution was his personal daimon, which was portrayed by his accusers as a foreign deity.
“Many of his companions were counseled by him to do this or not to do that in accordance with the warnings of the deity; and those who followed this advice prospered, and those who rejected it had cause for regret.” (Memorabilia 11.4)
Socratic Method, Intuition, and Military Service
How the daimon worked for Socrates isn’t explained in more detail but this is a perfect example of a person highly attuned to their own intuition. His favorite method of philosophy was to engage in dialogues and the daimon was apparently deeply integrated into his thought process. Its worth noting that before Socrates became a philosopher he was a soldier, having served as a hoplite, or heavy infantry, in multiple battles.
He was known and respected for his devotion to duty and the bravery he displayed against enemy forces in close combat. By his own account, his daimon had been with him since childhood and presumably aided him in surviving war.
The Connection Between Hoplite Duty and Self-Control
If nothing else, his experiences forced him to gain deep self-control and give close attention to his surroundings under extreme duress and also boredom. This has some parallels with the aim of meditation practices to cultivate “mindfulness” so that the practitioner’s mental faculties become highly attuned to their bodily senses, internal thoughts.
A similar process can occur as a way of adapting to prolonged periods of danger.
This has often been observed in modern times in soldiers who return from combat with a noticeably heightened intuition and sharp senses, referred to as “pointman syndrome”. These are troops who were forced to pay close attention for subtle hints of enemy activity that could indicate an ambush. In the process they develop a “sixth sense” that correctly alerts them to danger simply because they “feel” something is amiss. Others feel a sudden, overwhelming urge that compels them to react in an unusual way that saves their life.
This is not to imply that trauma gifts some special abilities or that Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is desirable, simply that heightened intuition has long been noticed in some people who repeatedly survive danger. This may have strengthened the keen intuition that Socrates had from youth. After his military service ended, he devoted the rest of his life to a search for truth.
Even though Socrates obtained information from a spiritual source, using psychic means, he did not emphasize other forms of divination common at the time such as augury or interpreting omens. Socrates did utilize deep meditation, however. In Symposium 220c, Plato recounts him having entered a trance-like state when he “joined his thoughts with himself” and stood motionless for 24 hours in perfect silence. Traditional oracles and diviners entered altered states of consciousness and conveyed their perception in its raw form using raw, unfiltered intuition. Socrates differed in that he equally prized the rational faculties of the mind.
His preferred way to practice philosophy was to engage in dialogues with his ideas which came to him as flashes of insight, and those participating in the discussion would try to argue against it every way they could. They didn’t necessarily disagree with Socrates, the point of the dialogue was to shape, refine and develop the idea by pitting it against reason.
If the idea withstood rational objections, it had proven its validity. Many times, objections and arguments forced the idea to develop further and even greater insights were attained. This became the foundation of the Socratic Method, which is a cornerstone of Greek philosophy and the contribution that he is best known for. Over time, it led to the scientific method and countless other intellectual achievements.
It should be noted that Socrates and his successors did not eschew traditional spiritual practices. His dialogues regarding the World of Forms in Phaedrus and Parmenides frequently describe heavenly ascension and intense visionary experiences of spiritual beings. His Analogy of the Divided Line reveals a deep understanding of Pythagorean teachings, and the Analogy of the Sun describes the prophetic effects of Sun worship, to name but a few.
What sets Socrates apart is the importance he placed on reasoning, which was revolutionary in the aftermath of the Bronze Age Collapse and Greek Dark Ages. In modern terms, Socrates sought to balance and harmonize the functions of the left and right brain hemispheres.
Historical Interpretations and Controversy of Socrates’ Internal Oracle
Much speculation has been made about his daimon over the ages. Christian apologists speculated that it was his guardian angel while detractors claimed it was demonic possession. For academics and scholars of philosophy who fully embraced the Enlightenment it is something of an embarrassment. For them, Socrates is the paragon of pure rationality, a lone voice of sanity in a primitive society of religious superstitions.
The fact that Socrates not only believed in gods but devoted his life to pursuing direct experience of them, all while being guided by a spiritual being, is simply a misunderstanding on his part. His daimon is explained away as his conscience, an ordinary sense of right and wrong, and that he was simply unable to understand it.
For Socrates, Reason, Or Logos, Is The Divine
How Socrates could claim to be guided only by reason but openly followed instructions from a spirit is a problem for those who equate reason with modern materialism. This completely misinterprets his work. For Socrates, reason or Logos is the divine. This is the ordering principle on which the cosmos was structured from raw chaotic elements and human souls carry a small spark of it. It is the process of the Demiurge fashioning patterns and blueprints.
In Christianity, Logos carries this same meaning, being the second part of the Trinity and the part of the divine which incarnated as Christ. Socrates sought to cultivate reason within himself because of his belief in a higher power, not the other way around.
Later philosophers wrote extensive commentaries on the daimon. Plutarch wrote a dialog On the Daimonion of Socrates which explored in detail all the ways in which humans can perceive the spiritual. It takes place twenty years after Socrates’ death as a discussion among philosophers. One member of the group dismisses spirit communication as a superstition and reveres Socrates for relying only on evidence and reason and not believing in such things.
He is then confronted with the numerous instances of Socrates being guided by his daimon. They discuss seeing apparitions and hearing voices while awake and when having dreams. A point of contention is the fine line between genuine communication with spirits and hallucinations produced by disturbances in the psyche.
Explanations are put forth for the signs that Socrates was led to by his daimon which is a commentary on the practice of interpreting omens. It is a discussion of what Carl Jung later termed “synchronicity”. The dialog concludes with the host of the group, Simmias of Thebes, telling of what he had witnessed as a student while Socrates was alive.
He confirms that the gods can communicate in all the ways that were discussed but emphasizes something far more important. It did not matter through what medium the messages were received because all of them originated from within Socrates, whose mind and soul were in a perfect state of tranquility. He was completely unclouded by passions, lived in a state of pure receptivity and his mind was able to easily absorb subtle spiritual impressions and perceive them with clarity.
The Method for Spiritual Guidance: Know Thyself
Socrates had grown to a point where he had no need for dreams, divination, or apparitions. His body, mind and soul were unified with Nous and his soul’s eye could perceive the Form of the Good.
Socrates had a deep and intimate understanding of his own psyche. He had a Stoic approach to his emotions and bodily appetites, highly developed intuition, profound spiritual experiences balanced with healthy skepticism and rationality, studying the works of past teachers, and above all humility and a sincere desire for self-improvement. Socrates did not seek wisdom for material gain, aggrandizing himself, or to feel special, he simply pursued truth for its own sake.
In short, Socrates’ method for attaining spiritual guidance was to embody the deceptively simple inscription at Delphi: “Know Thyself.”. Plato believed that accomplishing this axiom required multiple lifetimes, even for the most virtuous philosophers.
However, by pursuing truth for its own sake and achieving a profound and intimate understanding of his own psyche, Socrates grew to a point where his mind and soul were in a perfect state of tranquility. This resulted in the ultimate achievement: the unification of his body, mind, and soul with Nous, allowing his soul’s eye to perceive the Form of the Good. This state of absolute internal harmony is the culmination of the philosophical journey.
To learn more about how the ancients sought this ultimate spiritual unification, continue on to The Eye of the Soul Part 1: The Path to Divine Union (Henosis).